Search the Community

Freedom City. Claremont Academy. 8 AM. August 10, 2020 Chronia A certain young (ish) woman was…kind of bored, actually. Who was she? What was she? When was she? Where was she? Why was she there? How did she get here? All very good questions. To answer them, she’d have to get her brain in gear and that sounded like effort. And as the world wasn’t currently interesting…nah. People were talking. Mom. Aunt Serah. Someone with a weird seasonal name. No more talking, going somewhere. Oh, outside. Some good byes. Perfunctory thing, with no need for actual thought. And then she was alone. But not for long. She had caught a word or two about a guide or something.

April 2020 Outside Cuiaba, Brazil People think of Brazil as all Amazonian jungles and also the streets of Rio. Here just outside Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, though, both cities and Amazon seem far away - this is a place of rugged terrain with jagged cliffs and high waterfalls, with large red hills and sandstone cliffs towering thousands of feet in height rising in almost every direction. Normally it would be a gorgeous place to visit - minus the trail of destruction leading from Cuiaba towards the interior of the vast, rugged parkland "So you see," said Dr. Fraire, speaking by phone from the inside of her jeep, "we have a giant problem. The National Guard is already investigating what happened in the city but I think our lawyers will be able to tie them up for a few days. But if they get hard evidence that 'dangerous supertech' was being held in the city without their government's say-so, they could shut down every DI facility in Brazil!" The other voice on the line, the one who'd originally gotten the call, said "Why _didn't_ they know?" "That thing has been with us for almost seventy years, since Papa Danger's time!" said Dr. Fraire, who had not gotten a lot of sleep in the last few days. "Er, sorry, sir, but my records at the base said that information about "A Centurion Robo" was communicated to them all the way back in the 1940s; but there's been coups since then, and elections, and of course the museum fire..." She looked disconsolate for a moment. "If there were records, they've been lost. So we're in trouble!" So ended the last of Veronica's briefing about the recent breakout in Brazil of a twenty-foot, seventy-five year old robot cast in the brass and steel image of the Centurion! Danger family crises were a little different than who was going to water the lawn or feed the dog.

GM The Painted Desert, Arizona October 3rd, 2019 14:00 PM Survival class, that was what the guest teacher had called it. If you were going to be a hero, then you could end up out in the middle of nowhere, and you needed to know what you could do to survive. The fliers on Blue Squad might have argued that they could just fly away, but the Doctor Alexander Macedon had not accepted any objections, and a day later, Blue Squad had found themselves in the Painted Desert in Arizona. They had all been given proper gear stuffed into heavy backpacks, and now they had been dropped off near the Rainbow Visitor Center by the van that had picked them up at the airport. Doctor Alexander Macedon looked like a man in the early 70'es. His skin was tanned by the sun, and seemed slightly leathery, from years of being out in the harsh sun. His thinning hair were grey, almost bordering on white, as was his scraggy, unkempt beard. He wore a black eyepatch over his left eye, with a pair of horn rimmed glasses over both eyes. A cowboy hat on his head, he wore a beige dress shirt, with the few buttons closests to his neck open, revealing his grey chest hair. He had rolled the sleeves up, with an brown bomber jacket stuffed into his backpack. He wore dark grey fatigue pants and a pair of heavy dark boots. Something about him made him seem even older, and one the way here, he had made it more than clear that he didn't want to do this or have anything to do with a bunch of super powered kids, but he owed someone a favor. Standing by the side of the road in front of the teens, Macedon held up a map, making sure they could all see it. "Listen up, kids. This map is our only clue to where we're goin'. We're gonna be crossing through the Painted Desert here, and we're gonna survive off the rations you've brought and what we can find, but make sure you don't do anything to harm the nature around here. No smashing rocks with any of your fancy gadgets or powers or anything like that. We're gonna go off road, and gonna end up at the Painted Desert Visitor Center, with some stops on the way. It's gonna take a while, so save on those rations." He made a short pause and lowered the map. "Now, who's up first for learning how to read and follow a map? Yer all gonna get yer turn."

OOC for this. @Avenger Assembled, @Thunder King, @TheAbsurdist, @secondling

November 28th, Thanksgiving Day, 2019, 8.45AM, The woods of Bayview, overlooking the lake "Felix, they are...they are dead." Leroy whispered, as if he was afraid to awaken the two men under the leaves. Both were stiff, face-down and swollen, wearing soaked and muddy winter coats, hats and scarves to ward off the approaching chill of another polar vortex. Standing over them in his loving recreation of a Puritan's costume, hat crushed between two slender fists, the chatty Dragon Prince of Earth-2 was at a loss for words for the first time all morning. Felix and Leroy had set out on a mission of mercy. With his power to conjure the mysterious black diamonds growing, Leroy had decided to set up a shelter in the woods at a homeless community he'd heard about on the Bayview Slack. "Think of it, Felix!" he had told the other boy over lunch the other day, "Heat, food, water, cleaning supplies, building materials, clothing, medicine, in any amounts and at any time! That is what being a hero should be about, changing lives for the better!" So the two had set out into the woods with samples of all those things after a trip to Bayview Mall. At Leroy's passionate insistence, they had dressed up like Puritans. Now they were standing over two ice-cold corpses, the chill wind off the Atlantic Ocean rattling in the skeletal trees above. Finding his voice, Leroy murmured "Felix...their heads...twisted around. Someone killed them." On a closer look, that suddenly became very apparent. The faces were turned to the hard earth, but their bodies faced the flat grey sky.

OOC thread for this thread. Legatus, Dio and Sun Dragon tangle with a private security kill squad targeting the homeless of Freedom City. @secondling

Claremont Academy 10:30 am, August 28th, 2019 Weather: Sunny, 77 F, Wind E 15-20 mph The visitor's parking lot was packed. A sea of people bustled amidst vehicles and toward open, shining gates. Belongings, often with grunts of effort, were loaded onto carts. Laughter echoed from caravans trickling through the main entrance and the Quad. Hand-drawn signs pointed the way, each adorned with student messages. In time, the shadows of the twin dormitories provided respite to travelers. Staff and peer counselors dotted the trail, assisting overwhelmed students on their journey. Vice-Principal Dugan was the first new face to arrivals. Her table near the gates kicked off the journey. Mr. Marquez wheeled the circuit and kept visitors on course. Mr Kuzkin and Ms. Harcourt paced about the Kord and Carter dorms, respectively. Their task, to organize the move-in, appeared to have some success. At the very least, weary travelers could partake of cold refreshments and treats outside the main doors. While outside was organized chaos, the dorm halls were like herding cats. A din permeated the air. Dozens of students, parents, and guardians wandered in search of rooms. Boxes and bags transformed the hallways into obstacle courses. The excitement of new memories and old friends contrasted with worried hugs and goodbyes. If nothing else, the dorms were places of beginnings and endings. What are you doing this beautiful day? Moving into the dorm? Helping new students?

Location: Liberty Park Date: July 22, 2019; 10:07 AM Star Child It was a lovely morning in Liberty Park, not yet hot enough to drive people to air conditioned environments and full of summer sunlight. Children were playing, there were teens skateboarding along the path. The athletic fields were full of people playing mid-morning matches of one sport or another. It was a perfect, peaceful Freedom City morning in July though if anyone was was used to how things could change in an instant, it was the citizens of Freedom City. There were a few scattered shouts as people sun bathing or otherwise paying attention to the sky noticed the sudden streak of light. Of course, it could be a super hero with a contrail but it just... didn't look quite right. Freedom City was used to seeing the occasional flying form in the sky. This... well, it didn't look anything like that! For one thing, it was coming straight down towards the park with a glowing red contrail. "Oh my god, its a meteor!" That's about when people started to grab things and run just in case. A few - a very few - eagle eyed individuals, watching the rock drop out of the heavens noticed that it swerved suddenly. Where it should have impacted the athletic field, right in the middle of a soccer match, it veered suddenly and sharply, landing with a splash and a column of hissing steam at the edge of Sunset Lake instead, just across the path from the shocked soccer players.

Legatus Claremont Academy Grounds, Outside the Jasmin Summers Administrative Building 19 July 2019, 12:50 PM As XVIII stepped out of the building and into the sunlight, he lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the midsummer rays. This marked the third telling-off by Vice-Principal Dugan since his arrival at the school - on campus, his mind supplied - several weeks prior. At first he'd been surprised at how mild she'd been when it came to wearing Centurion's colors in public. XVIII - no, Felix, he reminded himself - hadn't really realized how much danger he'd put others in if anyone made the (obvious) connection between himself and his progenitor. The second time, she'd been more exasperated and somewhat alarmed. The fact that he'd not only gone out into public in a costume very similar to the Man of Adamant's, but had done so without express permission had seriously annoyed her - and also worried her. She had told him (again) about the Alpha-Centurion, who had done much the same thing, but it had all been a ruse, trying to steal from the Freedom League. A lot of heroes still remembered that, she had said, and many people did as well. He'd make people "rowdy" or "riotous" with his actions, she'd claimed. Well, now that uniform had been torn apart by his last encounter with a few muggers with weapons bigger than their brains, and he'd donned a new one - one wholly his own, even if it took inspiration from his predecessor's, and she'd called him in again. Not that he'd done anything specific wrong, the vice-principal had been quick to assure him after he'd returned from extinguishing a fire in the Fens. No, she was concerned that he was going to get too much exposure, and others might come to try to harm him. While Felix wasn't exactly concerned about that - very few things could hurt him, other than himself - he was aware of the enormous responsibilities he had as a potential successor to the mightiest champion that Earth had ever known. Looking up at the sky, he sighed softly, before forcing himself to smile. Vice-Principal Dugan had urged him to spend more time with people his own age, so he might as well try to start that now. He began walking towards the open fields at the end of campus, wondering whether he'd see anyone there.

This is the OOC thread for Vita Nova, and stuff.

Legatus Power Level: 10 (161/167PP) Unspent Power Points: 6 Trade-Offs: None In Brief: “Cloned” Replacement of the Man of Adamant Theme: Return of the Solar Exalted by James Semple Alternate Identity: No. XVIII (Original Designation), Felix Century (Secret) Birthplace: Freedom City Residence: Claremont Academy Base of Operations: Claremont Academy Occupation: Student, Hero Affiliations: Claremont Academy Family: Centurion (Genetic Donor, deceased), Nos. I to XX (Genetic Siblings, deceased), Dr. Rex Syagrius (Creator, deceased), Unknown Parents (Parents, missing) Description: Age: 18 (DoB: 2003) Apparent Age: Mid-Teens Gender: Male Ethnicity: Roman Height: 5’11” Weight: 175 lb. Eyes: Blue Hair: Blond and Black The youth known as Felix Century is a tall, handsome specimen. Wearing his streaked black-and-blond hair short in emulation of Centurion, his startling blue eyes sparkle when he smiles, which is often. He is still growing, and displays a certain awkwardness of form – his shoulders are not quite broad as they ought to be, for instance, and his proportions are yet to become the perfection that was his progenitor. Felix, not quite grasping the need for secret identities, tends to wear blue, yellow, and white more frequently than other colors – though ever since he received a stern talking-to by his teachers, he rarely wears them together. In his first few (unsanctioned) forays into Freedom as Legatus, Felix wore a gold-and-blue costume emulating that of the Man of Adamant. Unfortunately, as these were unsanctioned, he did not have access to the advanced technology that allows superheroes’ costumes to withstand more damage than most cloth, and within the first three excursions, it was totally destroyed. Since then, he has gained permission for his extracurricular excursions, and now wears a more stylized costume, lacking the armor of his predecessor. With a simple gold shirt, blue pants, a belt of pure white, and no cape whatsoever, Legatus does not seem like Centurion reborn as a teen quite so much as he once did. History: When Centurion died in 1993, one scientist, a longtime devotee of his, by the name of Rex Syagrius, knew that the world would not long last without a replacement for the Man of Adamant. Determined to resolve this, he gathered genetic material from a frozen battlefield, where the Liberty League had once fought, and went to work attempting to clone his champion. However, he swiftly discovered that he lacked enough material to do so. Instead, borrowing money from dubious sources, he gathered seven babies orphaned by the Terminus Invasion, named each for a Roman numeral, and began experimenting upon them, attempting to imprint the Man of Adamant’s genetic code on theirs. Within three years, they demonstrated results – most of them had superhuman powers akin to Centurion’s… but they swiftly proved to be unstable, with more than half of them dying before they reached the age of four. The seeming return of Centurion set Syagrius back on his heels – perhaps he would not need a new group of subjects to recreate the Man of Adamant. For a time, he held onto hope (during which all save one of his initial crop of children died) that he would not need to do anything further… until it was revealed that this Centurion had been a plant by Omega – the very being that killed the true Centurion all along! Something inside Syagrius broke, then, and he became increasingly determined – there would be no true successor to Centurion until he himself managed to create a fully functional clone! Thus, in 1997, Syagrius gathered seven more infants, and used the knowledge from the first generation to ensure these ones were more stable. Nos. VIII to XIV proved swiftly to be both more genetically stable and more powerful than their predecessors. There was a problem, however – none of them had more than one of Centurion’s abilities. Determining they might be useful as a super-team, if not a champion, Syagrius had them begin training to do just that in 2003. It was in 2003 that Syagrius gathered his last group of children – this time, only gathering six. This “third generation” included Nos. XV to XX, but of them all, the child designated No. XVIII swiftly became the most levelheaded and gentle of them all. Even as a toddler XVIII was able to calm his “siblings’” wailing, allowing the second generation to train in peace, and the doctor to continue his research. Of all his siblings, XVIII was closest to little XX, who was herself the smallest and quietest of the group. By the time the third generation was six, all of them save XVIII had begun developing powers akin to those of Centurion. Though only XV and XIX truly bullied XVIII over this, he nevertheless felt inadequate, forced to play at training intended for humans rather than champions. Nevertheless, he proved swiftly adept at the lessons Syagrius assigned to the third generation, even striking up friendships with the second generation who often taught them. Things were good, for a time. XVIII and XX were still close friends, and they still enjoyed one another’s company, even though XX had to train with the others more and more frequently. This state of affairs lasted until 2016, when the third generation turned thirteen. It was at this time that the second generation returned from one of their training exercises with only six members, instead of seven. Though XVIII tried to comfort them, Syagrius did not, and within a week of the training accident, they broke out of the labs, leaving the third generation behind. The escape had destroyed a great deal of equipment and data, and to make matters worse for Syagrius, the third generation’s development had plateaued. They were still stronger than most mortals, but they were not champions. They were not Centurion. Desperate, he sought out something new – something that would bombard the children with the same energies that had made Centurion into who he was. Within a few months, he discovered traces of similar energies in Freedom City, much more recent than Centurion’s arrival should have implied. Using this, Syagrius designed a machine to emit such energies, but he was hesitant to risk the most stable and successful of his champions-to-be in an untested machine. Instead, he put XVIII into the machine – though to be fair, XVIII had volunteered. XVIII emerged from the energies more powerful than his siblings, many of whom swiftly clamored to be permitted a chance to do the same. XIX and XVI, the second and third to go through the machine respectively, were fine, but XV (the fourth) swiftly went berserk, destroying most of the machine and nearly killing Syagrius before XVI and XIX tore her messily in two – without any emotions or hesitation. XVIII was deeply concerned, especially when Syagrius encouraged them. For the next two years, XVIII and XX began studying Centurion more closely, as well as testing XVIII’s new powers. What they found on both fronts disturbed them – Syagrius, XVI, and XIX all were behaving more like Centurion’s foes than like Centurion. Further, XVIII’s powers, though still greater even than XIX and XVI’s, hurt him badly when he pushed himself to the limits. They agreed to keep close eyes on their siblings and their creator, but kept it secret from the lighthearted XVII, whom they thought would tell on them. Unfortunately, things were about to get worse – for in 2018, Syagrius had finished the repairs of the machine. XVII was first to go this time, and he was torn and battered by the energies – emerging with only one arm, but empowered. When XX’s turn came, XVIII objected, pointing out that XVII had been hurt in the machine. Syagrius would have none of it, and both XVI and XIX swiftly threw XVIII through a wall and imprisoned him in the training room. Unwilling to hurt his siblings, even though he thought they were wrong, XVIII waited. Finally, he heard a crash and XVI’s shriek of pain cut short. Bursting out of the training room, XVIII discovered a bloody and wounded XVII standing over their brother’s corpse. The one-armed brother explained in emotionless tones that the machine had killed XX, and that XVII had determined that none of the group was worthy of being Centurion’s legacy. With that, he brutally killed himself. Something inside XVIII snapped, and he burst out of the complex, flying up through the ceiling, through tons of stone and silt and water, into the air above Freedom. Screaming at the top of his lungs, XVIII swiftly found himself apprehended by the Freedom League, where he remained reticent and deeply wounded for months on end before revealing almost all of what he knew of the lab and the purpose behind it. However, the League was unwilling to let him go free until he revealed the location of the lab that he had grown up in – to independently verify not only his claims of being Centurion’s clone, but also to ensure that all of his “siblings” were, in fact, deceased. For many months, XVIII refused to do that – he did not want a group of strangers, even if they were the Freedom League, to intrude upon what was rightfully his siblings’ home. Eventually, however, he was willing to admit where it was – with one condition. XVIII wanted his siblings’ remains treated with the honors of heroes – especially those of XVII and XX. The League was willing to accept this, and launched their investigation into the (now partially flooded) lab complex. The Freedom League’s investigators found that XVIII had not lied, though much of the information he shared could not be fully confirmed, given the damage done by both the waters and by XVIII’s escape. Determining that someone ought to keep a closer eye on him, the League sent XVIII to Claremont Academy, where they hoped he would develop into a worthy hero in his own right, not just a clone of Centurion. After several months of study and growth in Claremont, the newly named “Felix Century” decided to take the superheroic name Legatus and attempt to honor his genetic donor’s legacy. Personality & Motivation: As Felix, No. XVIII has grown tremendously over the past three years since emerging from his bunker home. Cheerful, warm, and friendly, he strives to be the best person he can. Like a ray of sunshine to his friends, he is supportive and compassionate. He’s developed something of a dry sense of humor, as well, snarking at those he thinks can take it. Not all is sunshine and rainbows, however, as Felix has retained some of his awkwardness when it comes to potentially romantic entanglements, as he once had an issue where he nearly hurt one of his classmates due to a romantic manipulation. As Legatus, XVIII strives to be everything that Centurion was to the people of Freedom City and indeed, the world. Idealistic, usually levelheaded, and friendly, he presents the image of a nigh-perfect ideal. Of course, beneath this façade there is much more to him, and he is well aware of his own faults – something that allows him to be incredibly humble, often refusing to accept much praise from others. Some things have become increasingly infuriating to both Legatus and Felix, however – mostly mind control, emotional manipulation, and deceitful intent. All of these are likely to trigger aggression – though he tries not to explode into violence at their use by allies, sometimes his anger overwhelms his compassion. Powers & Tactics: Legatus has many of the powers of the Centurion, though not to the same degree that he did. He is capable of surviving in space unaided, can deflect bullets with his bare skin, is superhumanly strong, and can fly rather quickly. In battle, Legatus tends to be simple to the point of bluntness. With his nigh-invincibility to most attacks, he is very direct, focusing on taking down the most threatening opponents first – that is to say, those that are most threatening to others, especially innocents. Only saving lives comes before taking down those who would take them. Power Descriptions: Like his genetic progenitor, Legatus is very obviously superhuman when he uses his powers – normal people don’t lift cars one-handed, or block bullets with their bodies and expect to live out of it. Most people don’t fly under their own power, either. Complications: Backlash: When he pushes his powers to the limit, Legatus is much more likely to cause himself injury. After an appropriately dramatic use of his full powers, the GM may grant a Hero Point to Legatus and declare that he caused serious injury to himself. Haunted: XVIII still deeply misses his siblings, especially XX, whose body he did not even get a chance to see. He has nightmares about those deaths he saw, and even worse ones about those he didn't. Reminders of those events tend to provoke extreme emotional reactions, or outright shutdowns. Legacies of Conflict: As a clone of Centurion, many of the Man of Adamant's rogues would love nothing more than to take their frustrations out on Legatus. Further, as a clone of Centurion, many heroes are deeply suspicious of Legatus, recalling as they do the Alpha-Centurion and his destructive actions in service to Omega. Lucrative Investment: Those who once invested in Dr. Syagrius' project have taken note of his death and the destruction of his lab complex, and have also noticed the arrival of Legatus on the scene. They may wish to recoup their investment by vivisecting the young "clone." Fury: Legatus’ hatred of emotional manipulation and mind control (whether mundane or supernatural) has become increasingly prominent in his life. When he encounters such things, if his actions due to his loathing somehow inconvenience or actively harm Legatus or his allies, the GM may grant him a Hero Point. Abilities: 10 + 2 + 10 + 4 + 4 + 6 = 36PP Strength: 40 [20] (+15/+5) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 40 [20] (+15/+5) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 6 + 10 = 16PP Initiative: +1 Attack: +5 Melee, +3 Ranged, +3 Base Defense: +5, +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +20 to +28 (Super-Strength) Knockback: -12/-2 Saving Throws: 0 + 4 + 6 = 10PP Toughness: +15/+5 (+5 Con, +10 Enhanced Con) [10 Impervious] Fortitude: +15/+5 (+5 Con, +10 Enhanced Con) Reflex: +5 (+1 Dex, +4) Will: +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 40R=10PP Diplomacy 10 (+13) Intimidate 9 (+12) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 10 (+12) Language 1 (English [Native], Latin) Notice 10 (+12) Feats: 6PP Assessment Attack Focus (Melee) 2 Fearless Interpose Quick Change Powers: 20 + 20 + 10 + 11 + 20 = 81PP Descriptors for All Powers: Genetic, Mutation Enhanced Constitution 20 (Superhumanly Hearty, to Con 40 [+15]) [20 PP] Enhanced Strength 20 (Superhumanly Strong, to Strength 40 [+15]) [20 PP] Impervious Toughness 10 (Teen of Adamant) [10 PP] Immunity 11 (Life Support, Starvation, Thirst, Aging) (Teen of Adamant) [11 PP] Inheritor of Centurion 9.5 (19PP Array, Feats: Dynamic Alternate Power, Dynamic Base Power) [22PP] Base Power (Dynamic): Flight 9 (5000MPH / 50,000ft [10 miles] per Move Action, Feats: Subtle) [19/19PP] Alternate Power (Dynamic): Super-Strength 8 (Lifting Strength 80, Heavy Load: 800 tons Feats: Super-Breath, Thunderclap) [19/19PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 20 Toughness Damage (Physical) Unarmed Touch DC 30 Toughness Damage (Physical) Super-Breath 150 ft. Cone Opposed Strength, DC 25 Reflex to halve Trip Thunderclap 75 ft. Area DC 25 Reflex Dazzle (Auditory) Shockwave 150 ft. Cone DC 30 Toughness, DC 25 Reflex to halve the damage Damage (Physical) Totals: Abilities (36) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (10) + Feats (6) + Powers (83) - Drawbacks (0) = 161/167 Power Points