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Mid October, 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada WELCOME TO THE CITY OF LIGHTS welcome to the city of lost hope WELCOME TO THE SILVER CITY welcome to the tarnished land WELCOME TO THE CAPITAL OF SECOND CHANCES welcome to the kingdom of despair WELCOME TO THE ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD welcome to the capital of broken dreams The orb was advertising a magic show. The monorail sped by it. The convention center was hosting a MLM conference for make-up sellers. On the Strip, in every casino, in the capital of glamor, under lights that never dulled for even a moment, people gambled away fortunes. In the MGM Grand a UFC fight was being broadcasted around the world, men putting their bodies on the line to prove they were the best at fighting. In the Paris, in a small stage underground, just off to the side of the underground casino area, someone else was preparing to try and prove they were the best at something. Luther Earl LeGrasse had a small stage off the underground; only a few dozen people- maybe 50- could cram into the felt seats tucked away in a corner. Luther wasn't performing for a huge crowd tonight, he wouldn't be at all in Vegas. But it was a crowd, and the money was good enough. He was crammed into the back room of the stage in a dressing room maybe a bit too small, but there were people alive who would kill to play in Las Vegas, and Luther Earl LeGrasse was going to get to do so. In Vegas, happiness and despair flowed in equal measures; someone won a fortune the same time someone lost one. Good for the Void, bad for the world, most likely. But right now, the most pressing thing was the performance, ready to begin in just a few minutes, to a handful of bored retirees who wanted to rest their arms from pulling the machines- though most of the machines were buttons now, not levers- to listen to someone play some Jazz music.

Lament (a.k.a. "The Duke of Despair" a.k.a. "The Sultan of Sorrow") Power Level: 10 (244/245 PP) Unspent Power Points: 1 Trade-Offs: In Brief: Voodoo Showman housing Psychic Horror Alternate Identity: Luther Earl LeGrasse Birthplace: New Orleans Residence: New Orleans, but frequent traveller (e.g. Las Vegas, Freedom City) Occupation: Magician, Entertainer. Affiliations: Various shows and entertainments. Family: Ella LeGrasse (Older sister, New Orleans Politician), Violet LeGrasse (Younger Sister, Jazz Singer), Vincent LeGrasse (Father, retired whiskey distiller), Macy LeGrasse (Mother, Cook) Age: 30 Apparent Age: 30 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Mixed Height: 5'7" Weight: 60 Kgs Eyes: Brown Hair: Bald Luther is a thin man of sleight build. He lost his hair in his early twenties, and is clean shaven. When he appears as the great Voodoo magician "Zombo!" he dressed up in some deliberately torn black tie dinner jacket and with white eye make up. His super hero identity, Lament, is just a bold and magnified version of his stage costume. He wears a ridiculously tall purple top hat, purple suit, orange shirt, and a face shrouded in shadow with (at times), glowing eyes. However, he is an expert on disguise, so if undercover can often look like pretty much anyone! His mixed ethnicity and mastery of make-up means he can change his apparent skin tone from almost jet black to pallid white. History: Luther grew up on the streets of New Orleans in a loving family who were neither rich nor poor, but had a certain artistic flair to them. He remembers well the laughter, music, and smell of home cooked food. A small kid, Luther was inclined to be bullied, but soon found he had a knack for entertainment and grew in confidence and charm. As a teenager he did street magic, and became progressively more skilled and famous, until, as a young man, he took up a career as a stage magician, progressing further and further under the stage name "Zombo! Voodoo Master of the undead!", until he was a national figure, doing shows in Las Vegas and even around the world. And doing a triumphant return to New Orleans show, he attracted a horrifically powerful, near mindless, psychic creature who bonded with him, attracted by the delight he caused in his shows. The void. The void feeds on hope and laughter. Not in a malign way, no more than bacteria feeds on a wound. It is virtually mindless (INT 0), just a hunger. It loves being happy, and the way it gets happy is to feed off happiness. For Luther, this was awful. His shows became a feeding ground for the Void, and his reviews were awful. However, he did find that the Void gave him super powers. And he devised a way to feed the void in a more useful way, as the superhero, Lament, aiming the hunger of the creature to the cruel and sadistic. Personality & Motivation: Dramatic, Gregarious, Vengeful Luther loves entertaining people, and all forms of entertainment. Which is why the Void chose him. On the surface he is extrovert, melodramatic, the centre of attention – although he does need his time alone too. He is generous and kind to his friends, and at the very least civil to the man on the street – but he has a mean streak. He does not react particularly well to criticism, and bullies bring out a dark vengeful aspect to his character. He has little hesitation in psychically inflicting pain on bullies (and it keeps the Void sated). Powers & Tactics: The void normally resides purely psychologically, gnawing at Luther for "food". Luther can bring forth the Void from his mind. Firstly: Into his body (the Void can feed Lament's organs, providing sustenance and fortitude), making his breath and eyes dak/misty. Secondly: Into his skin (Making him shadowy and hard to see) Lastly: Projecting out into the environment in the shape of oily black tentacles. The Void has some psychic powers that Luther can use; projecting disturbing images, causing despair, or hypnosis. The symbiote itself provides Luther with exceptional resilience to physical attack and immunity to emotional powers. In addition, it can, reach out and such the physical energy from living creatures (it prefers psychic energy, but when hungry anything will do). Aside from the powers of the Void, Luther is a skilled showman, highly charismatic, and well versed in many social and performance skills. Lament has a certain dramatic tactical style. He prefers a touch of stealth, then an explosion of presence. Ideally, to keep the Void best fed, he would catch villains laughing and revelling, enjoying themselves, and strike them with a despair emotion (i.e sucking all their happiness out). Tactically, whilst Lament has a wide array of powers and skills, he prefers guile and stealth. He is aware of his limitations: He has limited effect over unthinking or unliving enemies, and has no super movement powers; he needs to use his wit and skills to overcome these problems. Power Descriptions: If the void manifests, it has an oily dark quality, but does not obscure light. In its most dramatic form, when Lament pushes the force out of his skin (albeit still symbiotically connected and living within him), the Void has up to dozens of thick tentacles and tendrils. When using the life sucking array, Laments hands will be a wobbly black, or he a shifting mist of black tendrils will suck the life of things around him. Finally, he may breathe out a black mist that robs the target of their breath. His psychic array is more subtle (as a mental effect), although when using hypnotic gaze his eyes will glow orange. Complications: Empty Void: Put simply, the Void must feed. Its preferred meal is positive emotions such as happiness. If it cannot feed on others, it will feed on Luther himself, causing a deep depression. If even that food source dies, it will feed on physical vitality, causing fatigue and somnolence (ideally in others, but then Luther). Full Void: Feeding on happiness will make the Void happy in its own mindless way. That said, it can only stomach so much before being bloated. Too much happiness, and it will refuse to feed further. Possessed: Manifesting the Void in the real world is progressively dangerous as it may take over Lament (particularly if extended). From gnawing broodiness ("Void Inside"), to a bleak and broody streak ("Void 'Betwixt") to the possibility of complete possession and temporarily losing his will ("Void Unleashed). The Void is not malign itself, but it is hungry and virtually mindless. Showman: Luther is a natural showman, and cannot help wanting to be adored and admired. He will prefer tactics and activities that are dramatic and impressive, and feed his own sense of self importance (whist internally of course he frets about his skills and worth). Doop de doo doo: Luther loves music, particularly jazz. He is often tapping his foot or humming a tune, actvities that could give him away or make noise. This is virtually irrsistable when there is music playing. He would sing a long to a tune even if it would reveal himself; it is practically an unconscious tic. Abilities: 0 + 6 + 4 + 4 + 6 + 12 = 32 Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 22 (+6) Combat: 20 + 20 = 40 Initiative: +7 Attack: +10 Defense: +10, +5 Flat Footed Grapple: +10 (up to +17 with “Void Manifest” active) Knockback: -5 Saving Throws: 4 + 9 + 9 = 22 Toughness: +10 (+2 Con, +8 Protection) Fortitude: +6 (+2 Con, +4) Reflex: +12 (+3 Dex, +9) Will: +12 (+3 Wis, +9) Skills: 132 Ranks = 33 PP Bluff 12 (+18) Concentration 14 (+17) Diplomacy 4 (+10) Disguise 12 (+18) Skill Mastery Handle Animal 4 (+10) Intimidate 12 (+18) Skill Mastery Knowledge [Arcane] 4 (+6) Knowledge [Art] 4 (+6) Language 2 (English [Native], French, Spanish) Notice 4 (+7) Perform (Acting) 14 (+20) Skill Mastery Perform (Dance) 4 (+10) Perform (Oratory) 4 (+10) Perform (Wind Instruments) 12 (+18) Sense Motive 4 (+7) Sleight of Hand 14 (+17) Skill Mastery Stealth 8 (+11) Feats: 21 PP Beginner's Luck Benefit: Showman [Easy quick access to showman equipment, stages, lighting, costumes, etc] Benefit 2 (Wealth) Distract (Intimidate) Equipment 2 Favoured Environment [The Stage] Fascinate (Perform) Improved Initiative 1 Inspire 5 Luck 2 Set-Up Skill Mastery 1 (Disguise, Intimidate, Perform [Acting], Sleight of Hand) Sneak Attack Startle Equipment 2 = 10 EP Concealed Microphone Masterwork Disguise Kit Mini Tracer Masterwork Trumpet [1 EP] Masterwork Sap (Strike 2, Mighty) [4 EP] Powers: 17 + 2 + 1 + 5 + 28 + 8 + 32 +2 = 95 PP Powers all have the psychic descriptor Alternate Form 3 (15 PP Container, Feats: 2 Additional Alt Forms) [17 EP] "Void symbiote" [Psychic] Alt Form: Void Within (Void in lungs and organs, black mist from mouth, nose, ears, eyes) Immunity 15 (Life Support, Starvation and Thirst, Fatigue Effects) [15 PP] Alt Form: Void Betwixt (Void covers skin) Concealment 4 (All Visual senses, Feats: Close Range, Flaws: Permanent [+0], Limited Only Partial in Full Light [Sunlight, lighted room, etc]) [7 PP] Impervious Protection 6 (Drawback: No additional knockback protection) [5 PP] Enhanced Trait 3 (+12 to Escape Artist Checks, Total +15) [3 PP] Alt Form: Void Manifest! Additional Limbs 4 (up to 10 oily tentacles, Extras: Sustained Duration [+0], Impervious, Feats: Instant up) [9 PP] Elongation 3 (up to 25’, Drawbacks: Additional Limbs only [-1]) [2 PP] Supermovement 2 (Wall Crawling 2, full speed) [4 PP] Enhanced Trait 2 (Quick Change 2) [2 PP] Feature: Shadowed Face (As free action can cover face in darkness, concealing it) [1 PP] Immunity 5 (Emotion Effects) [5 PP] Life Sucking Array (26 PP Array, Feats: Alt Powers 2) [28 PP] BP: Fatigue 10 (Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Crit 2, Sedation) [25/25 PP] “Touch” AP: Fatigue 7 (Extras: Burst, Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Sedation) [24/25 PP] “Cloud” AP: Suffocate 10 (Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Extended Reach 2, Sedation) [25/25 PP] “Breath” Protection 8 [8 PP] Psychic Array (30 PP Array, Feats: Alt Power 2) [32 PP] BP: Emotion Control 10 (Extras: Area-Burst, Selective, Flaws: Limited to Despair) [30/30 PP] “Feed on Joy/Hope” AP: Illusion 10 (All Sense Types, Extras: Duration [Sustained], Flaws: Phantasm, Limited to disturbing or frightening illusions) [30/30 PP] “Project horror” AP: Stun 6 (Extras: Action-Reaction to meeting gaze [+3], Alt Save-Will [+0], Range-Perception [+2], Flaws: Limited to Daze, Sense Dependent [Sight]) [30 PP] “Hypnotic eyes” Supersenses 2 (Visual Counters Concealment) [2 PP] "Void Vision" DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 15 Toughness Damage Sap Touch DC 17 Toughness Damage Sucking Touch Touch DC 20 Fortitude Fatigue Sucking Burst Touch/Area DC 17 Fortitude Fatigue Sucking Breath Touch+10’ DC 20 Fortitude Suffocate Emotion Control Perc/Area DC 20 Will Emotion-Despair Hypnotic Eyes Perc DC 16 Will Daze Totals: Abilities 32 + Combat 40 + Saving Throws 22 + Skills 33 + Feats 21 + Powers 95 = 244/245 Power Points

Lament (a.k.a. "The Duke of Despair" a.k.a. "The Sultan of Sorrow") Power Level: 10 (229/239 PP) Unspent Power Points: 10 Trade-Offs: +2 Tough / -2 Defence In Brief: Voodoo Showman housing Psychic Horror Alternate Identity: Luther Earl LeGrasse Birthplace: New Orleans Residence: On tour. Has large home in centre of New Orleans Occupation: Magician, Entertainer, Musician Affiliations: Various shows and entertainments. Family: Ella Lagrasse (Older sister, New Orleans Politician), Violet Lagrasse (Younger Sister, Jass Singer), Vincent Lagrasse (Father, retired whiskey distiller), Margreet Lagrasse (Mother, Cook) Age: 26 Apparent Age: 26 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Mixed Height: 5'8" Weight: 60 Kgs Eyes: Brown Hair: Bald Luther is a thin man of sleight build, although execrises enough to compensate and be of average strength. He lost his hair in his early twenties, and is clean shaven. When he appears as the great Voodoo magician "Zombo!" he dressed up in some deliberately torn dinner jacket and with white eye make up. His super hero identity, Lament, is just a bold and magnified version of his stage costume. He wears a ridiculously tall purple top hat, make up, ragged purple jacket and coat tails, and a false white goatee stuck to his face. To complete his image, he keeps a machete by his side coated with stage-blood. However, he is an expert on disguise, so if undercover can often look like pretty much anyone! His mixed ethnicity and mastery of make up means he can change his apparent skin tone from almost jet black to pallid white. History: Luther grew up on the streets of New Orleans in a fairly warm, loving family who were neither rich nor poor, but had a certain artistic flair to them. He remembers well the laughter, music, and smell of his mothers cooking. A small kid, Luther was inclined to be bullied, but soon found he had a knack for entertainment and grew in confidence and charm. As a teenager he did street magic, and became progressively more skilled and famous, until, as a young man, he took up a career as a stage magician, progressing further and further under the stage name "Zombo! Voodoo Master of the undead!", until he was a national figure, doing shows in Las Vegas and even around the world. And doing a trimuphant return to New Orleans show, he attracted a horrifically powerful, near mindless, psychic creature who bonded with him, attracted by the delight he caused in his shows. The void. The void feeds on hope and laughter. Not in a malign way, no more than bacteria on a wound. It is virtually mindless, just a hunger. It loves being happy, and the way it gets happy is to feed off happiness. For Luther, this was awful. His shows became a feeding ground for the Void, and his reviews were awful. However, he did find that the Void gave him super powers. And he devised a way to feed the void in a more useful way, as the superhero, Lament, aiming the hunger of the creature to the cruel and sadistic. Personality & Motivation: Luther loves enteraining people, and all forms of entertainment. Which is why the Void chose him. He is a fairly kind and generous man in any case, but the motivation for becoming a superhero is, to a large part, necessity: if he doesn't keep the void fed, his career will be in ruins, and ultimately the void will feed on his own happiness. So he has struck a balance; direct the Void to feeding off the cruel and villainous, and do something good in the bargain. Powers & Tactics: The void normally resides purely psychologically, gnawing at Luther for "food". Luther can bring forth the Void progressively; firstly into his body (the Void can feed Lament's organs), then extending it to the boundary of his body and the world (making him hard to see due to distrortions), and finally extending the Void from hisbody out into the real world, where its black oily tendrils will thrash about. The Void has some psychic powers that it gives to Lament; the ability to sense emotions, project unpleasant images, or feed on happiness and hope (causing despair). Lament will tend to start with these, as he needs to feed the Void. The symbiosis also allows Lament to focus the void onto parts of his body as a black oily parastic force, for instance: it can manifest as oily smoke or blades from his hand, sapping strength, or make his eyes go black (blinding those that meet his gaze), or breathing out oily smoke, suffocating those around him. In any case, his body is now very resistant to all damage. Aside from the powers of the Void, Luther is a skilled showman, highly charismatic, and well versed in many social and performance skills. He is has a world class ability with magic and cards, and is even able to throw playing cards (or other objects) with great effectiveness as weapons. Lament has a certain dramatic tactical style. He prefers a touch of stealth, then an explosion of presence. Ideally, to keep the Void best fed, he would catch villains laughing and revelling, enjoying themselves, and strike them with a despair emotion (i.e sucking all their happiness out). Power Descriptions: If the void manifests, it has an oily velvet-dark quality, but does not obscure light. In its most dramatic form, when Lament pushes the force out of his skin (albeit still symbiotically connected and living within him), the Void has thick tentacles and tendrils that whilst not particularly strong are very dramatic! Complications: Empty Void: Put simply, the Void must feed. Its preferred meal is positive emotions such as happiness. If it cannot feed on others, it will feed on Luther himself, causing a deep depression. If even that food source dies, it will feed on physical vitality, causing fatigue and somnolence (ideally in others, but then Luther). Full Void: Feeding on happiness will make the Void happy in its own mindless way. That said, it can only stomach so much before being bloated. Too much happiness, and it will refuse to feed further. Possessed: Manifesting the Void in the real world is progressively dangerous as it may take over Lament. From midly gnawing ("Void Inside"), to a bleak and broody streak ("Void 'Betwixt") to the possibility of complete possession and temporarily losing his will ("Void Unleashed). The Void is not malign itself, but it is hungry and virtually mindless. Showman: Luther is a natural showman, and cannot help wanting to be adored and admired. He will prefer tactics and activities that are dramatic and impressive, and feed his own sense of self importance (whist internally of course he frets about his skills and worth). Doop de doo doo: Luther loves music, particularly jazz. He is often tapping his foot or humming a tune, actvities that could give him away or make noise. This is virtually irrsistable when there is music playing. He would sing a long to a tune even if it would reveal himself; it is practically an unconscious tic. Abilities: 0 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 8 + 15 = 33 Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 25 (+7) Combat: 20 + 18 = 36 Initiative: +6 Attack: +10 Defense: +8, +4 Flat Footed Grapple: +10 Knockback: -6 Saving Throws: 6 + 8 + 11 = 25 Toughness: +12 (+2 Con, +10 Protection) Fortitude: +8 (+2 Con, +6) Reflex: +10 (+2 Con, +8) Will: +15 (+4 Wis, +11) Skills: 160 R = 40 PP Bluff 12 (+19)Concentration 15 (+19)Diplomacy 4 (+11)Disguise 13 (+20) Skill MasteryEscape Artist 10 (+12) Skill Mastery [Additional +3 if using elongated limbs]Handle Animal 4 (+11) Skill MasteryIntimidate 12 (+19)Knowledge [Arcane] 4 (+5)Knowledge [Art] 4 (+5)Knowledge [Pop Culture] 4 (+5)Knowledge [Theology & Philosophy] 4 (+5)Language 2 (English [Native], French, Spanish)Notice 8 (+12)Perform (Acting) 13 (+20) Skill MasteryPerform (Dance) 4 (+11) Skill MasteryPerform (Percussion) 8 (+15) Skill MasteryPerform (Wind Instruments) 4 (+15)Sense Motive 8 (+12)Sleight of Hand 15 (+17) Skill MasteryStealth 12 (+14) Skill Mastery Feats: 21 PP Benefit 2 (Wealth) Blind-Fight Distract (Intimidate) Fascinate (Perform) Favored Environment [The Stage] Improved Initiative 1 Jack of All Trades Precise Shot 2 Quick Change 2 Set-Up Skill Mastery 2 (Disguise, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Perform [Acting], Perform [Dance], Perform [Percussion], ) Throwing Mastery 5 Equipment: 1PP = 5EP Stage Machete (Strike 2, Feats: Blunted, Improved Critical 1, Mighty) [5 EP] [NB: Blunted indicates the stage weapon can cause non-lethal damage] Standard Disguise Kit [0 EP] Pack of Playing Cards [0 EP] Powers: 12 + 10 + 14 + 22 = 58 PP Powers all have the psychic descriptor Alternate Form 2 (10 PP Container, Feats: 2 Additional Alt Forms) [12 EP] "Void symbiote" [Psychic] Alt Form: "Void Inside" Immunity 10 (Cold and Hot Environment, Fatigue Effects, Sleep, Suffocation[All]) [10 PP] Alt Form: "Void Betwixt" Concealment 10 (All but Tactile, Flaws: Partial, Permanent [+0]) [10 PP] Alt Form: "Void Unleashed" Additional Limbs 3 (Extras: Impervious, 5 Tendrils, Feats: Ambidexterity, Instant Up) [8 PP] Elongation 3 (25', Range Incr 30', Flaws: Permament [+0], Drawbacks: Additional Limbs only) [2 PP] Protection 10 [10 PP] Psychic Array (11 PP Array, Feats: Alt Power 3) [14 PP] BP: Emotion Control 10 (Feats: Subtle, Flaws: Limited to Despair) [11 PP] AP: Emotion Control 5 (Extras: Burst Area, Feats: Subtle, Flaws: Limited to Despair) [11 PP] AP: Illusion 5 (Auditory and Visual, Extras: Duration [Sustained], Feats: Progression 1 [10' radius], Flaws: Limited to disturbing or unpleasant images, Phantams) [11 PP] AP: Mind Reading 10 (Extras: Duration [Sustained], Feats: Subtle, Flaws: Limited to reading emotions) [11/11 PP] Void Array (20 PP Array, Feats: Alt Power 2) [40 PP] BP: Fatigue 10 (Extras: Sustained Aura, 6 ranks only [+3]) [38 PP] "Void Skin" AP: Dazzle 6 (Extras: Action [+3, Reaction: Looking at Lament], Range [Perception]) [36 PP] "Void Eyes" AP: Suffocate 5 (10-40' radius cloud, Extras: Area [Cloud], Duration [Sustained - Status], Feats: Decrease Area 6) [20 PP] "Void Breath" Drawbacks: Vulnerability (Psychic; Frequency: Common; Intensity: Moderate) [-2PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 15 Toughness Damage Stage Machete Touch DC 17 Toughness Damage Emotion Control or Perception DC 20 Will Despair Emotion Control Perc/Area DC 15 Will Despair Mind Reading Perception DC 20 Read Void Touch Touch DC 20 Fort Fatigue Void Eyes Perception DC 13 Reflex / Fort Vis Daz Void Breath Touch/Area DC 15 Fort Suff. Throwing Stuff Ranged DC 20 Toughness Damage Totals: Abilities 33 + Combat 36 + Saving Throws 25 + Skills 40 + Feats 21 + Powers 76 - Drawbacks -2 = 229/239 Power Points

GM December 7th 2018 7 PM Royal Arena, Copenhagen The Danish winter was, as it almost always was, cold, windy and wet. Still, it was December! Christmas lights were hung all over Denmark, celebrations had started. Gifts were being bought, Santa was visiting stores. Advent calenders were being opened, and Christmas trees bought. And Christmas dinners and parties were as popular as ever. Almost every business, office or shop held one. Those had not prepared far in advance were left with little luck. Almost everyone went to one such party. And yet, on this day, December 7th, a Friday, which would usually be one of the busiest days for Christmas dinners, they were left empty. For on this day, the Royal Arena was absolutely packed. Every single seat in the arena was filled, with children and adults of all ages. For Zombo! had come to town, to put on his frightfully spectacular Christmas show! One night only, this night only! 16.000 seats filled, all excited, all waiting for Zombo! to begin! And something else was watching. Something older.

OOC for this. Information on Royal Arena, for anyone interested.

GM April 1st, 12.02AM, 2018 Club Infinity, on the Waterfront, Freedom City, New Jersey, USA, Earth-Prime The music had hit its fever pitch, the pulsing beat was in its stride. Bodies had become moderately-active bodies propelled around a world full of smoke machine exhaust, lasers, strobe lights and sweat. Then- With roar and a crash the ceiling collapsed! Four figures landed among the shocked and frozen crowd and then split up, two racing for a corner of the club where a young woman was seated. The other two headed for a small crowd surrounding a lithe young man. Both were grabbed, with a light flaring before their eyes and their vision abruptly cutting out. Before anyone could raise a proper protest at such behavior both were gone, the quartet vanishing back out through the roof into the waiting nigh-silent and invisible aircraft waiting for them. With a whisper and a sigh, the craft was gone. Below it, hundreds of shocked eyes, blinking phones and belated yells began to overcome the still-throbbing music. The bartender had already pressed the silent alarm. She made double-sure she'd pressed the one about supercrime. --------------------------------- Elsewhere On the plane, the two captives had been tied together at the knees and elbows. It was shockingly uncomfortable. Since their sight was gone, all they could make out of their captors were their voices. A sulky, faintly-accented voice spoke first "You sure this will wear off, Wallflower?" "Of course! In a few hours or when I flash the reverse signal to their brain!" that one was lighter and bubblier, with a bit of electronic distorition. "Hey!" a growl sounded right next to the captives' ears "I'm watching you, don't even try anything and you won't get hurt." The last was punctuated with a sharp, painful kick to Cherish's shin. A fourth snapped imperiously "Jawbreaker! That is no way to treat a client. Toy, take over flight to HQ." "Affirmative" a robot's voice, oddly friendly-sounding. Cherish felt a warm hand on her shoulder "I hope you won't hold that against Jawbreaker, Miss? We're only keeping you for a short time and, I promise, you will be treated with the utmost respect. Here..." Cherish felt an energy emanate from the hand, flowing through her veins, easing the pain from her throbbing shin. More worryingly, she could feel something slip between her and her powers... Meanwhile, Luther felt someone crouch next to him. "Hey, Luther! You can call me Wallflower, I'm a huge fan!" "Your grasp of the dark universes conjured from his music is like a child's." the sulky voice said "Aw, don't be like that, Pixie! Anyway, Mr. Sorrow, I just want you to know I won't let anyone hurt you and we're going to be best friends!" "It's a good thing he can't see you. You sound ridiculous talking like that at your age."

OOC thread for this thread. @Letty @Supercape

GM January 23, 2018, 7:30 p.m. Calvin, Louisiana It was the sort of town that one could very easily miss. It had all the hallmarks of an ordinary town, of course--churches, stores, schools. Most people simply passed right on through--not hard considering there was only one traffic light and a population of less than 300. For that matter, it was hard to imagine anyone going there on purpose. And yet, it seemed to be where Lament was headed. He wasn't alone, of course. The weather was cold enough that hitchhiking was a terrible idea, and He had spent the last two days on a rented charterbus traveling north towards Arkansas. They had made a few stops on the way, participating in local fairs that had all been relatively successful. The group's manager, Benjamin "Benny" Rougeau invited the traveling showman to stay as long as he liked, and the rest of group seemed perfectly fine with it; one got the impression that many had drifted in and out of their ranks with very little incident. Benny was easily in his 60s, tall and broad-shouldered, with a reddish-gray beard and a receding hairline well covered up by a customized cap that read "Rougeau's Rogues". While most of the group was fast asleep, Benny made his way through to check on everyone, gently waking anyone asleep to let them know they'd be stopping at a hotel soon. He stopped at Luther's seat. "How you holdin' up, son?"

OOC for incoming thread!

For all the fearsome fears of Lord Lament, the Duke of Despair! the Sultan of Sorrow! Muahahaha! 20 Q Reputations Hell Q