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GM December 24th, 9.30PM, 2024, Christmas Eve Emerald City, OR, Emerald Tower, Christmas Complex As it had for many thousands of years, a gentle, steady rain fell onto the mist-shrouded shore. Where once it had fallen only on rocks and trees, then glorious techno-sorcerous towers, then rocks and trees again with some humble wooden longhouses and skin tents, it now fell on two vast and dazzling cities. In those cities was a celebration that had demanded a new structure, one linking the downtown Emerald Tower of MarsTech with the nearby headquarters of Grant Conglomerates, KessKorp, Atlas Mountain Sports and Nova Communications. The so-called Christmas Complex, a flattened red-glass dome supported by spiderwebs of metal struts and columns at key points, had flown up and been completed at a pace even supporters called "unsettling." Its span was in the thousands of feet and it soared high above the city below. And inside was the biggest party in the world, the All-Heroes Christmas Bash. Music thudded through the floor, though only people actually in the various mini-venues would have heard the various acts performing. Automated food carts prowled the seething crowds, wearing friendly robotic faces and greeting guests in their preferred tongues with unerring accuracy. A tree of lights like a nebula come to Earth floated in the centre of the Complex, brightening up a vast stage dominated by a big red present marked "From: Max To: Everyone." People from across the world milled through the central hub, or gathered in smaller nooks, all invited because of some conspicuous act of heroism. Standing almost a head above everyone there walked the flying phaser Wyt Sky, Singapore's greatest hero since the third Merlion perished fighting the Katanarchists in 2008. Laughing awkwardly in a circle of adoring fans, Marie Dulent of Louisiana explained again how her rescue of an elderly couple in a flood was simply the will of La Sirena. Dr. Phil Pech, who'd been working on flu vaccinations his whole life and didn't entirely understand the point of the event, sat in a corner with some colleagues to quietly drink. Much more conspicuous and surprising were the guests of honour: the Gardner family. Both Raymond Sr., the Freedom League's former Captain Thunder, and Raymond Jr., the energy-being hero Thunderbolt, wore sky-blue suits, though of course the son "wore" his regular containment apparatus underneath. Much-reduced since his days as an active hero, the father still cut a commanding figure, and despite their advancing years he and his wife Nancy scoured the floor, warmly greeting old friends (or even just mildly-familiar faces) and eagerly hatching plans to connect again soon. Ray Jr. was occupied on an upper balcony, talking emphatically with a serious-looking spectacled blonde woman in a Christmas-y coloured dress patterned with interlocking Penrose triangles. The corporations that had funded and organized the event weren't left out in the cold. At each "corner" of the Complex, the company building it was attached to had their own entourage and proffered spectacles. At the southmost point, industrial giant KessKorp's newly-invigorated management had put together an expo on protective equipment for the discerning consumer, MC'd by a polished and professional gentleman whose nametag identified him as "Joe." After their automated car scare earlier in the year, it might have been in poor taste, but seeing what the portable (and affordable!) field-generators and near-super-tech armor weaves could stand up to was unquestionably impressive. Notable by his absence was the man of the hour, Max Mars. In fact, his company had no clearly-signposted presence at all. But the press and guests buzzed on excitedly over one thing Max had pledged shortly before the party began: he would be revealing the future of heroes.

OOC thread for this thread. A big Christmas Eve party hosted by the richest people in the city, where the fun never stops and nothing can go wrong. @RocketLord @Tiffany Korta @Supercape

OOC thread for this thread. @Spacefurry @Supercape To start with, DC10 Notice checks to locate the Shadowcaster, our ship in distress. Space, since the boat Blackstaff is in, the PanStar 3QH, has a mission of its own, a DC15 Social Skill (Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate) check will be necessary to convince the captain to change course.

GM July 4th, 2023, 6.37PM Pacific Ocean, 50 nautical miles from the Oregon coast Blackstaff The conclusion was as inescapable as it was impossible to accept: under the cold, leaden weight of the Peaceful Ocean, far below the light of the life-giving Sun, the machinations of equally antipyrated hearts had created a dark edifice, a visage, a mask of stone through which eyes alien and incorporeal could peer into the brimming, oblivious swarms of life, and decide their fate by measures impossible for any brain thwarted by a linear existence to comprehend. And now its worshippers gathered, to pledge a fealty as mad as it was undying, to defend it against the feeble struggles of the pale things which sought to avoid their inevitable fate. On the other hand, the PanStar representative had been very eager to make clear that the Deep Ones needn't necessarily be killed, and a diplomatic resolution that allowed them to move their camoflagued underwater surveillance module away from the temple-reef sonar pulses had uncovered would be more than acceptable. And now here he was, on a small, fast boat equipped with diving gear, heading for the locus of unearthly phenomena with only his thoughts, two stolidly uniformed representatives from the Brande Management Security Company, a three-man crew, and a captain constantly dropping by to check how he was doing to fill the anxious hour. Captain Cosmos "We can't thank you enough, Captain Cosmos!" the co-pilot of Singapore Airlines flight 56SO shook the hero's hand fervently, still panting a little from the exhilaration of the last few minutes. Behind him, the plane windows opened on the beautiful sight of the Oregon and Washington coasts, the cloud-strewn Atlas Mountains, the Emerald Cities nestled beneath the peaks on the banks of a wide, slow Columbia River. "I know I can't, they're likely gone forever, but I'd still like to thank Science Communicator Buddy and Labour Activist Buddy for all they did to help us with that bomb, and that near-riot on the second floor." "Approaching the site of the distress call," announced Captain Sen, looking much better without the tape the now-unconscious Overthrow agent had swathed him in, "I believe this is your stop, Captain Cosmos. I took the liberty of contacting the local Coast Guard, in case they need more help than we did." He couldn't help but smirk, though he did a good job hiding it. "Best of luck to you, Captain. If you're ever in Changi, look me up, Jai Sen!"

May 15, 2023. Freedom City. Hanover. Terrifi-Labs. Terrifi-Labs was the one bedroom apartment Terrifica had converted into her personal headquarters in Freedom City. She’d sent Rainshadow the address after her little advertisement caught his attention. So here they were. Sitting where, in any other apartment, would probably be the living room. Here it did double duty as the only public space. The actual dining room was full of electronics and technology. She slid a tablet across the table they were sitting at. Rainshadow, naturally, was seated on the opposite side of it. “Please confirm I have all of the details correct. Your scenario, opponent type, etcetera. You’re also confirming that you understand that this technology is, technically, in the experimental stages. My efforts may have reduced any risk to the miniscule, but it is still there.” She crossed her legs. “With that confirmed, we can go the next room and get started.”

OOC for this. Hi, @Ari.

Rainshadow Power Level: 10 (150/172PP) Unspent Power Points: 22 Trade-Offs: +2 Defense / -2 Toughness In Brief: Weather-controlling salvage tug crewman plagued with visions of disaster. Catchphrase: Theme: Alternate Identity: Law Ming-Yang-Jin, "Marshall Law" (Secret) Birthplace: Emerald City, OR, USA Residence: Jadetown, Emerald City, OR Base of Operations: The Emerald Cities and the Pacific coast Occupation: Salvage tug sailor Affiliations: Tugger & Sons Ocean Salvage Co. Family: Law Yan/Dorcas Law (mother, adopted), Law Feng/Rebecca Law (mother, adopted) Description: Age: Date of birth: November 15th, 1995 Gender: Masc. Ethnicity: Chinese (Cantonese) Height: 6'6"/2m Weight: 280lbs/127kg Eyes: Brown Hair: Black Big, broad, and shaggy-headed, Ming's skin is tanned and weathered, his face is creased in a perpetual frown and his eyes are squinted from years at sea. He speaks curtly, with the harsh growl of a habitual smoker and drinker and a strong Emerald-Cantonese accent to the other languages he speaks. In his regular life, he wears loose grey hoodies, jeans and heavy boots while ashore, unless he has to be in church or somewhere fancy, in which case he wears a blue suit, combs his chest-length beard and ties his shoulder-length hair into a ponytail. Tense and unfriendly, Ming always seems to be braced for something, and often looks over his shoulder for seemingly no reason. As Rainshadow, Ming goes for the utilitarian with a simple green/blue poncho he stole from a police car, leather gloves, a balaclava and old-fashioned aviator goggles. He tries to cut a more classically-heroic and upbeat figure while in costume, even adopting a more neutral-American accent, since that's a tougher disguise to get through. History: Law Ming-Yang-Jin was taken at 8 months from the body of a Jane Doe admitted to the Emerald City University Medical Center in 1995, the victim of a hit-and-run. He was adopted a few months later, by cousins of the doctor who performed the operation, after a failed search for any possible relatives. His adopted parents worked on the old Bethlehem Heights waterfront, and as a small boy Ming came to love the great river and sea. He certainly got along better with the outdoors and birds better than other children. Even when he was young Ming knew something terrible was going to happen, very soon, and nobody listened when he tried to explain. His mothers did their best, but they had limited time to coax answers out of the boy as they juggled their work for the city's legitimate industries and the under-the-table work they had to do to pay off their debts to kindly old Uncle Zhi and his friends in the benevolent Dragon Society. By necessity Ming grew up fast, helping out where he could and keeping quiet about the harassment from other children, who smelled weakness in the shy boy. He learned to keep his visions to himself, and not to mention the strange moments when the rain poured down on his sadness and the clouds cleared in his joy. Somehow, the terrible thing and these changes in the weather were connected. He saw, clearest of all, a shattered fishing boat, surrounded by bodies, including one that he knew was his own. By the time he was 15 he was big, strong and experienced enough to join a salmon fishing boat and go to sea. Ming stepped aboard with a pounding heart, waving shakily to his mothers and a few friends come to see him off, and was overcome with homesickness as the ship chugged for the Pacific Ocean. They didn't make it out of the river mouth. A powerful storm roaring from nowhere drove them back up the Columbia River, stopping as abruptly as it began as the boat drifted, motor swamped and crew drenched, at the dock they'd set out from. Another try a few days later had the exact same outcome. A third nearly sank the boat. Ming knew then that he had to learn to control this, and went to the only man he could think of who could help: Uncle Zhi. The old man had sickened considerably since they'd first met years ago, and he was surprised and elated to hear from his "young associate" that Ming had the power to see the future and control the weather, and revealed that there had been others with similar gifts in his native Hong Kong; some had even come with the first groups of immigrants to the United States and used their powers to aid their fellow Chinese during the vicious nativist years. Zhi warned Ming to tell nobody else, to prevent his identity and powers from becoming linked, and to come back tomorrow to "sort out your future in our organization." The next morning Zhi was dead of a heart attack and his granddaughter Chen Feng-Li was in charge. Something discouraged Ming from going to her with his story and he went quietly back to work. He learned breathing exercises from a Buddhist monk to calm himself down, and went to sea. By slow, careful, hidden experimentation he learned to master his powers, to unleash storms or clear skies, to summon lightning or raise up mist, bringing forth searing heat or biting cold, and even how to fly and shield himself with swirling air-currents. From the fishing fleet he changed careers to the coastal rescue tugs, using his powers to soothe tempests and freshen good winds. Like everyone else in the Dragon's Eyes he became aware of the secret shadow lying across the cities, and unlike most decided to find out what it was. Unfortunately Ming isn't any kind of detective or scientist (outside some amateur meteorology and a passion for tidal physics), and his search has so far been fruitless. He's done good by those he can with his limited powers and even more limited means, but as the cities change and Max Mars' Ultio suits spread through the population, he knows it isn't enough. His flashes have grown worse, and what seemed merely "soon" when he was a child has become "imminent". Something is going to destroy the Emerald Cities, and Ming knows he can't stop it alone. Personality & Motivation: In his day-to-day life, Ming is generally cold and disinterested. His bad experiences as a child and life of secrecy and suspicion has left him without true friends and a certainty that if he had any they'd betray him somehow. But his heart is easily-melted, and he'll go to any lengths to help out someone in need, knowing all too well what if feels like to be alone. Unfortunately, he's also impatient and all too ready to turn to violence, thanks to finely-honed survival instincts from growing up in the periphery of competing street gangs in Jadetown. He's easily-nettled and struggles with backing-down and de-escalating, since restraint often just marked him as a target in his childhood. Powers & Tactics: Far from bulletproof, Rainshadow relies on mobility and the concealing effects of his powers to protect himself. He keeps on the offense at all times, sweeping enemies out of cover and keeping them corralled so he can subdue them without risk to others. Power Descriptions: Rainshadow's powers are those of the storm, from howling wind to crackling lightning to clouds of water. His ability to control them is linked to a mutation that granted him psychic powers affecting the cosmic energies bombarding Earth. His hands glow a spectral green when using his powers, though the effect is hidden by his gloves, and there is a faint green sheen or outline on the output of his powers such as lightning bolts or clouds. Complications: Danger(Hunted): The secret supervillain cabal, the Chamber, has gotten wind of a new superhuman and will do its utmost to identify and subvert or eliminate them. Dialect: Ming learned how to talk, read and write several languages according to a vulgar vernacular common to Emerald City's Jadetown. The words he uses can sometimes be wildly offputting among more refined or even just polite society. Power(Backlash): Ming's powers do not make weather come from nowhere. There are repercussions to careless or extreme use. Responsibility(Stop the destruction of the Emerald Cities): Ming has foreseen the cataclysmic downfall of his home and everyone he's ever known, and is duty-bound to prevent it. Responsibility(Family): Ming loves his mothers dearly, and would take any action or pay any price to keep them safe. Secret(Identity): Ming and Rainshadow must never become linked. He tries to cover his tracks to prevent this. Threats of exposing him are taken very seriously. Abilities: 10 + 4 + 12 + 0 + 4 + 4 = 34PP Strength 20 (+5) Dexterity 14 (+2) Constitution 22 (+6) Intelligence 10 (+0) Wisdom 14 (+2) Charisma 14 (+2) Combat: 12 + 16 = 28PP Attack: +6 Defence: +12 (+4 flat-footed) Initiative: +2 Grapple: +11/+20 (Move Object) Saves: 2 + 5 + 6 = 13PP TOU +8 (+6 Con, +2 Force Field) FORT +8 (+6 Con, +2) REF +7 (+2 Dex, +5) WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 52 ranks = 13PP Bluff 3 (+5) Concentration 8 (+10) Intimidate 3 (+5) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 3 (+3) Languages 8 (Arabic, Chinese(Cantonese, Native), Chinese(Mandarin), Chinook, English, Hindi, Japanese, Russian, Spanish) Notice 8 (+10)* Pilot 8 (+10)* Sense Motive 3 (+5) Survival 3 (+5)* Swim 5 (+10)* Feats: 8PP Dodge Focus 4 Move-By Action Second Chance (Weather Control power checks) Skill Mastery (Notice, Pilot, Survival, Swim) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 6 + 2 + 5 + 2 + 39 = 54PP All powers have the 'Mutant' and 'Psychic' descriptors Flight 3 (50 MPH) [6PP] Force Field 2 [2PP] Immunity 5 (all weather effects) (Extras: Duration (Sustained) [+0]) [5PP] Super-Senses 4 (Precognition [Flaws: Unreliable]) [2PP] Weather Control Array (33PP Array; Power Feats: Alternate Power 6) [39PP] BE: Blast 10 (Extras: Range [Perception]; Power Feats: Indirect 2, Variable Descriptor 1 [any weather]) [33PP] AP: Damage 10 (Extras: Area [shapeable], Selective Attack; Power Feats Indirect 2, Variable Descriptor 1 [any weather]) [33PP] AP: Dazzle 10 (visual and auditory) (Extras: Range [Perception]; Flaw: Action [Full]; Power Feats: Indirect 2, Variable Descriptor 1 [any weather]) [33PP] AP: Environmental Control 10 (1 mile) [3/pp mix-and-match] (Extras: Duration [independent] (+0), Total Fade [+1]; Flaw: Range [Touch]; Power Feats: Slow Fade 3 [5 minutes/rank]) [33PP] AP: Move Object 10 (Heavy Load: 12 tons) (Extras: Range [Perception]; Power Feats: Indirect 2, Variable Descriptor 1 [any weather]) [33PP] AP: Obscure 10 (1 mile) (visual and auditory) (Extras: Duration [independent] (+0); Power Feats: Slow Fade 2 [1 minute/rank, Variable Descriptor 1 [any weather]) [33PP] AP: Snare 10 (Extras: Area(Shapeable, 20 5-ft cubes); Feats: Progression 1(Cubes per rank), Reversible, Variable Descriptor 1 [any weather])[33PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block Attack Range Save Effect Unarmed Touch DC20 Toughness Damage (Staged) Blast Perception DC25 Toughness Damage (Staged) Dazzle Perception DC20 Reflex/Fortitude Dazzled (Visual/Auditory) Snare Ranged (Area) DC20 Reflex Entangled/Bound Totals: Abilities (34) + Combat (28) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (13) + Feats (8) + Powers (54) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/172 Power Points