The Raynnverse: The Core IC MK. II [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Raynn

2013-01-02, 11:47 AM

The Raynn-Verse:

'Some Dreams Never Die'

The Core Issue #1

"Where does it come from? This quest, this need to solve life's mysteries when the simplest of questions can never be answered. Why are we here? What is the soul? Why do we dream? Perhaps we'd be better off not looking at all. Not delving, not yearning. That's not human nature. Not the human heart. That is not why we are here," - Mohinder Suresh

The Freedom City Catastrophe.

The power grid is crippled. Most of the sewage system is either overflowing or inoperable, just one side effect of the flooding. There are bodies in the streets, and as many people homeless or injured. The government is scrambling to respond while the heroes of the world run around like headless chickens. Both Doctor Dire's are missing, Isiah Washington is dead, two dozen other heroes are KIA or MIA.

The Freedom League International is dead.

This is your world now.

What do you do?

Air Ace:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

Moving into the Frontliners base.
Hunting down people you knew in your universe.

The King:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

TV Interview for damage control over what happened in the Oval office.
Meeting of Camelotian Parliament.
Wedding planning with Hope.
A few beers with Sauros and Lancelot.

Rycon:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

Isiah's funeral.
Going to work the day after the catastrophe.
Hunting for Blitz.

Professor Minotaur/Detective Dinosaur/The Beacon:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

Detective Dinosaur looking into a rash of Post-Human deaths in Emerald City.
The Beacon helping by healing in the disaster zones of Freedom City.

Decibelle/Bio:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

Bio . . . in whatever afterlife she ended up in.
Bio . . . The Final Battle (Requires Green Bean's cooperation).
Decibelle in the Rumble in the Holographic Jungle! See such fighters as Edward the Vampire and Centuritron!

Shade/Magic Jill/Eiko:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

Eiko helping to set up the New York Claremont Academy.
Magic Jill . . . sent to eliminate the Toon Gang.
Shade . . . what does a ghost do on her days off?

Sauros/Synapse:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

TV Interview due to your sudden boost in popularity after saving Freedom City from Godzilla.
Meeting of Camelotian Parliament.
A few beers with Jake and Lancelot.
Meeting with the Saurian Elders to discuss their future.
Synapse . . . SO most of your friends are dead or dying? What do you do next?

El Peregrino:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

The Morning after the night before . . . how does one just walk into school right after a catastrophe where you fought GODZILLA? With difficulty.
So skipping school to help the city? Nothing could go wrong . . .

Remembrance/The Queen of Blood:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

Upon returning from a parallel reality Remembrance gets a call . . . she flinches expecting something horrible . . . a sister? Oh yeah she has one of those? A bridesmaid? Oh yeah she is one of those? Today . . . oh sh . . .
The Queen of Blood . . . The Final Battle (Requires Green Bean's cooperation).
Ellen the fragmented soul . . . well if only part of it is the Queen of Blood where did the rest go? Where is Bio again?

Vagrant:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

Vagrant gets back from his world and does the only reasonable thing . . . drink . . . a lot . . . Waking up with a familiar face in an unfamiliar apartment.

Doctor Dare:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

Navi asks to hang out with just Apollo the day after they get back. She sounds a little out of it.
Dare moving into his base permanently, planning to stick around on Earth 8.

Green Lantern/Kismet:

Plot Hooks (Pick one of make up your own):

What job did Kismet get now that she's no longer on Jake's team?
The Green Lantern gets asked to look into his predecessor's death.
How Danni got his ring.

Raynn

2013-01-02, 12:32 PM

The Green Lantern of Sector 2814
Daniel Red-Cloud
Homo Sapien Sapien
Power Origin: Advanced Alien Technology

Oa

http://cache.io9.com/assets/images/8/2010/10/gl2.jpg

Daniel Red-Cloud rockets into the atmosphere on auto-pilot. Decelerating from super-luminal velocity. An alien city suddenly stretches out beneath him and his ring speaks

[Rookie Lantern Red-Cloud of Earth. We have reached Oa. Addria of the Grue will be your orientation Lantern. Prepare for landing.]

Suddenly Red-Cloud veers away from his downward descent and towards a nearby tower. He doesn't land so much as skid to a halt, tumble and roll a bit across the floor. As Daniel brushes himself off he hears a feminine voice giggle.

He looks behind him to see a female Green Lantern. Her hair is long and black, reaching to the nape of her back and her features are too smooth to be truly human, but she's beautiful in her own way. Her eyes are solid black orbs with only the barest hints of irises. She smiles at Daniel as the light strikes her bright red flesh.

She kneels beside Daniel as he gets up

"First time on Oa then? You're the Earth-Man's replacement right?"

Her flesh turns to liquid and leaps out in trails like water in a cyclone. A moment later she reforms into a version of her previous form that appears totally human, aside from pure black irises. She's even more beautiful now.

She smiles as she speaks again

"My name is Addria, formerly of the Grue Unity, but I suppose your ring already told you that?"

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-02, 01:39 PM

Daniel Red-Cloud

Danny sat up, feeling queasy and bruised at the sudden deceleration. His eyes were almost leaping out of their sockets there was so much to see around him, not least of all the abso-freaking-lutely gorgeous ALIEN girl kneeling next to him. He'd just rocketed out of the zoo and traveled through space at speeds humans couldn't even dream of achieving yet. He'd seen galaxies, nebulas, other planets...it was all so much for him to take in. He looked down at the ring at his finger, mouth agape, trying to remember his words.

"Y-y-you're...an al...you're a really, r-r-real alien! I'm talking to...how am I talking to... I...I...this is so cool." he managed a dumb-looking grin, probably not helping the opinion of his race as uncultured, back-planet hicks. "Wait, I'm not dead am I? Or in a coma?" he stammered and climbed to his feet. "And who are...what's a Rookie Lantern? Who are you?" he continued the verbal diarrhea until something in his mind told him to shut up, take a breath, and stop acting like a complete moron...which he then tried to do as best as he was able.

SuperCracker

2013-01-02, 04:58 PM

Jake Wallace
A Day in the Life

We open the scene inside of the briefing room. The King himself has come to address the members of the press. For minutes he has been explaining, in detail, the events of the night of the Oval Office. The Understudy and how he could transform into various forms with various powers. How he had briefly possessed Jake and had used his body to threaten the president, and how Jake had only used his shout to cause everyone in the room to stop from shooting.

“…It is my sincerest apology to anyone affected by the shout. It was not my intention to affect you. It was only my intention to prevent more damage to Freedom City and to keep the President from being harmed by the Understudy.”

He smiles to the cameras.

“You will recall I was born in America. I grew up in Indiana prior to attending Claremont, and I resided in Freedom City for some years. I have nothing but the greatest of fondness for the United States and its people. I will continue to help your nation in any way I can, and the people of Camelot will keep you all in our hearts and minds in the days ahead.

Thank you.”

He turned and walked out of the room as the questions began. He wasn’t interested in giving any answers, right now. There were enough people out there with an agenda to slam him. Best not to give them a chance to do it right now.

After a brisk walk, he finds himself back in the throne room. He sits down on the throne, adjusting the golden tie he was wearing and making sure the crown was settled correctly on his head. Gawain (who had been reincarnated as a thirty-year-old asian civil rights lawyer), Jake’s chief of staff, approached the King and began to read off a schedule from the tablet in his hands.

“Okay, Jake… you are scheduled for a meeting the some representatives of Parliament. Then you have a few matters to look over in regards to our movement into the Atlantic. Your girlfriend is with the wedding planner, today—so get ready to be dragged into that at some point. And you have a meeting with your advisors later today. Oh, and we need to discuss finding a new head wizard.”

Life as a monarch. A far cry from when Jake just ran around and beat up bad guys. Jake nodded.

“A light day. Awesome. Let’s get it crackin’.”

ripleycat

2013-01-02, 06:42 PM

Emily Cole frowned and shifted in her chair. She was set up in an ad hoc workspace in the timeship bay in the Frontliner base, which was rapidly just becoming her room, given how much time she spent there. The base computer was an amazing bit of tech, but it was proving stubborn today. Emily was trying to track down people she knew "back home." The dimensional differences and devastation wreaked by the Understudy's attack on Freedom City were hindering things and making it damn hard to track anyone she'd been friends with in civilian life.

"Computer, whereabouts of Jake Wallace. Still in Camelot?"

"Yes. King Wallace I is at present in Camelot. Location mobile, current coordinates place city above North Atlantic Ocean."

"I suppose Len Cope is also on board?"

"Searching: Affirmative. First Knight Leonard Cope is currently dwelling in Camelot."

Well, that was out. It was much too far for the jetpack to take her, and given all that had happened, neither was probably up for meeting an old friend that wasn't actually an old friend. Besides, meeting Jake would probably be really awkward. Time to switch tacks.

"Computer, last known location of Magic Jill?"

"Hey, Raynn has plans for me! Don't screw it up."

"Oh, sorry."

"Computer, last known location of Ashley Culdis?"

"Sources place Miss Culdis on Swan Drive, on the current edge of the former Wharton State Forest. According to media accessed, she is assisting the homeless population congregating there in the aftermath of the attacks on the city."

Hmm. That was better. Even if the meeting didn't come to much, Emily could at least do some good. "Coordinates please, computer?"

"Uploaded."

With that, Air Ace set out across the battered skyline to meet with Earth-8's version of Rycon. If Jake was any indication, this place had taken a very different path. What would Ashley be like?

Raynn

2013-01-02, 06:56 PM

The Green Lantern of Sector 2814
Daniel Red-Cloud
Homo Sapien Sapien
Power Origin: Advanced Alien Technology

Addria seems stunned by Daniel's outburst

"I already said, I'm Addria, and I'm meant to get you ready for training. A Rookie Lantern . . . is a trainee Green Lantern . . . A Green Lantern is a guardian, a police officer for his, her or its sector of the Galaxy. The Galaxy is divided into three thousand six hundred sectors, each patrolled by two Lanterns, a thousand more Lanterns perform auxiliary duties such as being part of the Green Lantern Honor Guard.

A Green Lantern's power ring is fueled by the emerald light of willpower and can create anything the wielder can imagine clearly, so long as there will can support it . . .

are you understanding any of this Earth-man?"

------------------------------------------------------------------

The King of Camelot
Jake Wallace
Homo Sapien Sapien
Power Origin: Magical Artifact & Magical Heritage

As Jake enters the large meeting room, the same one where he met representatives of the F.L.I. weeks ago, he sees his ministers arrayed before him. Sir Lancelot, both Sir Owains, Carl Fisher, Sir Lamorak and Sir Caradoc. Sir Gawain takes his seat once the King sits. Only five knights and one non-knight elected official. Even with different ministers busy or knights working abroad these meetings rarely numbered below twelve.

Whatever they wanted to talk to him about they knew Jake wouldn't like hearing, or perhaps they didn't want others to hear . . . or both.

Lancelot breaks the silence

"Your grace, we wish to discuss the girl Hope . . .

------------------------------------------------------------------

Air Ace & Rycon
Old New Friends

Air Ace descends from on high as Rycon reappears in a burst of light. It seems she's using her electrical teleportation powers to move rubble from the streets to elsewhere in the city, likely where trucks away to clear it. Every once in a while she pulls a survivor free as she moves away the rubble, but those rare happy occasions.

As Emily touches down Ashley looks up and a similarly aged young man in plain clothes that Emily doesn't recognise throws a wrecked car into a pile with one hand. The duo stand before a graffiti-ed wall with a large I Just Wish . . . stretched across it.

Clark points to Air Ace and says to Ashley

"Friend of yours Rycon?"

Starsign

2013-01-02, 07:37 PM

Ashley Culdis

In a way, Ashley felt a little responsible for what occured to the city. She knew about the Omnitrix, she knew she should have tried to find a safe way to disarm it. Yet she didn't and this was the result. This wouldn't do for city morale at all. It'll be easy to blame the abilities of mutants as the cause of this and the last thing this city needs is a full-blown riot occurring. That is why she and Clark have been helping out at Swan Drive, currently clearing out the rubble and junk that has made traveling around an unbearable pain. Earlier today she had enough trouble convincing a hotel owner to offer rooms to the homeless. It's all in tiny steps but Ashley hopes it's a good start to improving relations between metahumans and civilians.

All Ashley does it take one look at the graffiti wall and turn away from it in disgust. She remembers the deal and didn't need a reminder like that. Right now that is the last thing she wants to think about. So she finds it a bit of a relief when Clark points up and mentions to her about someone from above. She looks to Air Ace, pauses as she squints her eyes, then says to Clark, "...Nope, never seen her before." She waves to Emily, speaking friendly while throwing in a bit of deadpan humor in. "Are you new here? If so I'm afraid you have a mangled sense of time."

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-02, 08:44 PM

Raynn

2013-01-02, 09:47 PM

The Green Lantern of Sector 2814
Rookie

Addria places her hand lightly on Daniel shoulder and smiles softly

"The Ring chooses its wielder. Not for who they are, but for who it knows they can become. You have great potential Dan'Yel of Earth. The Ring knows."

Okay to skip ahead to the actual training part? :smalltongue: Or do you want to keep going with Addria?

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-02, 09:55 PM

Dan'Yel of Earth, Green Lantern Rookie

Danny looked down at the ring that had latched onto his finger and then over at the nearly identical one on Addria's finger. "Well...alright...who am I to question the judgment of a weird, green, space thingamajig?" he shrugged and cracked a lopsided smile.

Sure thing.

Raynn

2013-01-02, 10:34 PM

Dan'Yel of Earth
Green Lantern Rookie

http://comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/27306/KILOWOG_returns_062211.jpg

*SMASH*

Dan'Yel slams into the dirt as his construct fails him for the fifth time against a barrage of hammers descending from the drill instructors ring. The alien known as Kilowog seemed to care not at all about how little Dan'Yel knew about what was going on around him and as a half dozen alien youths fell around him Dan'Yel was sure that they were nearly as out of their depths as he was.

"POOZER!"

Another hammer descends towards Dan'Yel!

What do you do?

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-02, 10:40 PM

Dan'Yel of Earth, Poozer

Reacting out of instinct, and maybe remembering somewhere in his mind that imagination as well as willpower were the keys to this whole thing, Danny held up his ring against the descending hammers. In the air above him appeared a giant, circular trampoline, braced against the ground on supports that stood to every side. He'd already tried a shield, an igloo, a comically large, green tank, and another hammer. All had failed to stop the sheer might of Instructor Kilowog's constructs.

So maybe this time instead of something solid...

ripleycat

2013-01-02, 11:11 PM

She waves to Emily, speaking friendly while throwing in a bit of deadpan humor in. "Are you new here? If so I'm afraid you have a mangled sense of time."

"You have no idea." Air Ace smiles to herself as she lands and hears Ashley's comment. That was her alright, bone-dry sense of humor and all. Her companion was another superhuman, and quite a powerful one, if the trick with the car was any clue. Maybe it was the location, where another hero to help out was obviously a good thing, no matter who they were, but she felt no discomfort despite the unusual situation. Emily waves and approaches the pair with a grin.

"I am new here, actually. Name's Air Ace, or Emily Cole if you're not into the hero thing. I'm, uh, I'm a member of the Frontliners. We're a new team, only been together a couple of weeks." She unholsters her Omni-Pistol and uses the tractor beam to pick up a car and add to the pile. "Looks like you guys could use a hand."

"And I know you, Ashley Culdis." Emily grimaces. "Sorry, that came out all supervillainy. Thing is, the Frontliners, a lot of us are time and dimension travelers. I'm not from Earth-8. And back home, well, you're a teammate of mine, and... a good friend." Air Ace stares at the ground for a moment before adding "After all that's happened, I figured I should see what's become of you in this dimension."

SuperCracker

2013-01-03, 12:35 AM

Jake Wallace

Oh great. He knew this conversation was going to come, especially after the explosion. He wanted to blow them off and not talk about it, but you can't do that kind of thing to your most trusted advisers when you are the King of the last great hope of the world.

Still, he doesn't like where this is going.

"I'm willing to hear your concerns... but before you begin, yes... There are aspects of her that I cannot discuss. She was involved in the accident in Merlin's tower. But she did not do so on purpose. It was a violent reaction to scrying magic.

Hope is a person, just like you or I. She's a person that wants to do good things for those around her. She also happens to be a person that I care about deeply."

His brown eyes looked at each person around the table, eye to eye, before he settled back onto Lancelot.

"Now with that in mind, please speak."

KaganMonk

2013-01-03, 12:55 AM

Doctor Dare

As Emily flies out, Dare finishes hooking up the communications console and pulls himself out from underneath. Collapsing into the captain's chair at the center of the command room, he addresses the computer. "Computer, boot communications array."

As it does so, he sees that he already has a message. And from Navi, no less. "Computer, call Navi... Hey Navi, it's Apollo. I can meet you anywhere you want, or you can hang at the base if you like. Always happy to help a friend."

Raynn

2013-01-03, 11:01 AM

Doctor Dare
Boy Meets Girl

A Little Café, Not Far From the FCU Campus . . .

Apollo sits nervously in his chair. Whenever Navi gets involved in trouble it always go south rapidly and it's always interdimensional. Dare's clothing passes for normal but he's smart enough to bring every piece of his equipment in case they port away mid-conversation.

It takes a little while for Navi to arrive and when she does, bundle up as she is hipster garb and a wool scarf, her obviously post-human appearance draws more than a few stares and mutterings but no open reactions. It seems that the mutant population is becoming even more prevalent now a days.

Navi smiles warmly at Apollo as she orders a mocchachino and sits down. Apollo makes his order and waits for the other shoe to drop. Soon the waitress returns with their orders and Navi sips at her drink happily.

"So, I hear you're leading these new Frontliners? What's that like?"

That seems like an odd question to open up asking for help, why was she dodging the subject . . . were they being watched?

Wait . . . Is this a Date?!

What do you do?

------------------------------------------------

Jake Wallace
A King At Court

Lancelot speaks up

"Sir . . . our intelligence agents within the U.S. government have indicated that they have been informed she is a threat. After what occurred on the White House lawn, another accident . . . Sir I care about the U.S. as much as you do but a War with the U.S. might be inevitable, if so than the survival of Camelot will depend on how much time we can buy before then. The Lady Hope may cost us more time than Camelot can afford."

------------------------------------------------

Dan'Yel of Earth
Rookie Lantern

*BOING*

Suddenly a green hammer arches through the air away from the group of rookies and bounces away. Silence falls and the rookies stare at Dan'Yel and glance between him and Kilowog.

Slowly the instructor stomps forward and says seriously

"Did You Think That Was Funny?"

A moment of silence . . .

"Because it was!"

A massive hand suddenly pats Dan'Yel on the back hard as Kilowog lets out a booming laugh

"You Poozers see that?! Blocking didn't work so he thought outside of the box! That's what this is all about! The Ring can make anything you can imagine but I must have seen two dozen walls today! It makes anything you can imagine so IMAGINATIVE! It will save your life one day!"

Kilowog takes Dan'Yel away from the others for a moment for a chat

"Where you from Poozer? Lor Republic right?"

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-03, 11:14 AM

Dan'Yel of Earth, Poozer

Danny stumbled and nearly fell forward on his face when Kilowog's massive hand slapped him on the back. When he regained his footing he was being led away from the group. "Earth, actually." he corrected the huge alien. He glanced back at the rest of the rookies, wondering whether he should be glad or worried he was being singled out. "I think they said it was Sector 2814 or something?"

SuperCracker

2013-01-03, 01:02 PM

Jake Wallace

His eyes darkened. “If a war with the U.S. is inevitable, it’s not because of anything we have done. I have suspected for some time, especially since the events in Freedom City, that our enemy is influencing the American government. They’ve been irrational in their behavior, as of late. If that’s true, Hope is simply a pretext for them to do what they want to do anyway and attack us.”

He realized this was a dire prediction, but he had been thinking on it for some time.

“Still, unless they want a global backlash, they have to bow to public pressure. If we can keep ourselves seen as the light of the world, the US will look like monsters if they choose to attack. That’s how we buy time. We don’t do it by throwing an innocent girl to the wolves. If we make that choice, we’ve lost the dream of Camelot already.”

His last sentence was pointed… Oh yeah, he wanted them to feel ashamed for even thinking that thought.

“If they do attack, though… I want this country spared. You will not fight them. You will claim that I went mad with power and harbored a threat. You will say that none of you knew about it or approved…. But when you found out, you had to depose me. I’ll take Hope and leave. I’m the one they’re after, so the violence will follow me, and not our people.”

Always ready to sacrifice himself, his image… his life. That was his plan to save them if the battle could not be won.

Starsign

2013-01-03, 05:09 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley acts calmly around Emily at first, but subtly raises an eyebrow when the latter mentions about being from an alternate dimension. "...Right." Her response is quick and suspecting, but contains an obvious sound of relief to at least see another hero. She brings up a small smile as she nods to Emily. "Well I'm glad to see a friendly face here. A lot of people here are generally in panic or in worse condition. Can't say I blame them."

She sighs before teleporting another piece of rubble away and then waves over to Clark to introduce Emily to him. "By the way, this is a friend of mine." A small, sly look comes over her face. How similar Emily's dimension can be estimated by her reaction to the son of the Centurion. "Clark, do you want to introduce yourself to Ms. Cole?" She speaks in an almost playful mock.

After introductions are done, Ashley tries and probably fails to hide tense and frustrated moods with her semi-sour humor. "We can talk about your dimension after you get caught up with our own world. If I'm not too different, you should know my history is a long and audacious thing to read through, like a cynically-written dictionary." Just once she'd like a day off had this crisis not be an amazingly distressing situation. However this isn't the case for her; such breaks will only come when absolutely important.

KaganMonk

2013-01-04, 12:31 AM

Apollo leans back and sips his white mocha. It's good to take a chance to relax now and then.

"It's a crazy time. With everyone working on rebuilding the city, I've been trying to get the base running as a central dispatch point. With Isiah gone, heroes are nowhere near max efficiency. But I'm just the same old workaholic me. I'm glad to see you survived without harm, but what have you been doing lately?"

A date at a time like this? Surely not. But at the very least, she needs friends around at a time like this.

Raynn

2013-01-05, 09:21 AM

Dan'Yel of Earth
Rookie Lantern

Kilowog shakes his head and speaks with a tone of condolence

"Ah, I heard about us losing the Green Lantern from there recently. He was a good man. I knew, we fought together a few times. It's sad to see him gone."

-----------------------------------------

Jake Wallace
A King At Court

Lancelot shakes his head

"Jake. Goddammit! You can't . . . the world isn't behind us. The U.S. government has made the whole world afraid of us. We're totally unpredictable to them, and to other world leaders as well. Possessed or not, you teleported into the Oval office and nearly killed the President and then brainwashed a significant portion of the US populace. This is a cold war, this is mutually assured destruction.

The world isn't behind us by the very fact that we're are so totally counter culture in their eyes, so dangerous to their status quot. If you leave they'll TAKE Camelot for fear we would support you from afar. Our agents have discovered a dozen or more weapons programs for the inevitable war against. This isn't a witch hunt for you, this is a cold war on Camelot itself!"

-----------------------------------------

Doctor Dare
Boy Meets Girl

Navi shrugs as she speaks

"Well, I've been recovering from ending up looking like this after being human for so long. I suppose it's easier for me than for some people because was never human to begin with. Sadly I don't really have the skills to do anything more significant than to help out at a soup kitchen. How are the Frontliners?"

-----------------------------------------

Air Ace & Rycon
Old New Friends

Clark steps forward and extends his hand for Emily to shake with a smile

"I'm the Centurion, well the second Centurion. I'm a friend of Rycon's. It's very nice to meet you."

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-05, 10:56 AM

Dan'Yel of Earth
Rookie Lantern/Poozer

Danny scratched the back of his head in a gesture of discomfort. "I'm sorry, I...never knew him. The first time I heard about the Corps. was when this thing flew onto my finger and launched me into space." he shrugged. "But you know...since my world hasn't ended yet, I guess he was doing a pretty great job." he grinned. "If we get a minute I'd like to brush up on my history, at least learn his name and where he was from. I think I owe him that much."

SuperCracker

2013-01-05, 12:47 PM

Jake Wallae

He took a moment to ponder that, leaning back in his chair. The room was silent, waiting until he spoke again.

“If that’s the case, we need to prepare ourselves. We need more knights, better weapons, better countermeasures. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has noticed that supervillains can just waltz into our walls unhindered.”

Those were the conventional means… but he had another idea.

“We also need to recruit. Between Prometheus and the Cullie Act, the world is becoming a much less friendly place for meta-humans. Let’s bring them here. We have the resources to house them… It’s within our mission of providing homes to the unwanted. We can also establish an academy… possibly as a replacement for Claremont.”

He looks back to Lancelot. “You said our agents have discovered weapons programs. I want the details of all of them. We will convene an intelligence council and decide how to stop these programs before they are ever put into use. If they plan to attack us anyway… then we should take efforts to weaken them.”

smuchmuch

2013-01-05, 11:05 PM

There are many things a ghostcan do on a day off. In fact there are many things a ghost can do on any day since when you are dead and unoticable without a big efort of cocentration for everybody, it's hard to keep a steady job thus pretty much everyday is a day off. Or rather none of them are because Shade tries to keep herself permanentlly occupied in some ways, inquiring here, helping there, It's a great way to keep her mind from thoough of revenge and genraly feeling sorry for herself and it's actualy usefull. Not the worst way to make the years fly by.

Except right now she doesn't feel like doing anything. Maybe it's because of the horrible catastrophe, maybe it's because she lost almost all her colleagues and friends (.. well the term would be a bit strong to be honnest. While she was part of it, Shade relationships with the FLI had been quite.. rocky.), ..Besides pretty much everything she owned be it for'work'or leisure, from her files to her DVD and book collection was on the lighthouse. Bummer. Maybe we'll learn more about her more mundane character traits later, on another less emotionaly charged day ?

She's done her best trying to help with saving people by guiding more or less subtly with her life sense but now she's done the msot of what she could. She's currently floating in Liberty park, maybe it's because it's the place of her death and like a good ghost she feels compelled to haunt it, maybe it becasue of other memories or jsut to keep an eye on the shody camp established near but she just gravitated to the place almost without realising it.

Understandably she's feeling a bit depressed. She has no idea just how worse it's going to get. But we've been all over that already. Let's skip to something a bit more animated shall we ?

In a part of town that has been spared by flood, Godzilla and falling debris

And yet terrain value is still about to plummet.

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad15/smuchmuch/Illustrations/jill03_zps9df90ef5.png

Falling pianos and explosions will do that.

How about looking at this from farther away ?
... Way farther.

New york city

That should about do it.

Except we have nothing to do here now. Oh well

Back to freedom city, but moments later

... all that scene hopping is starting to make me travel sick

I'm not great at picking hooks, sorry. Go with whatever works better for you. I'm not good at taking initiatives on a narrative POV, I'm not very good at setting scenes.

forthe flashback and possibly the funeral, i'm witing for you to set it.

(BTW, mly first part is not an indication I don't want to play shade, just that you didn't choose the best day for that particular hook, or at least ot the way you formulated it):smalltongue:

ripleycat

2013-01-06, 03:33 AM

Emily holds up a finger, as if caught in mid-thought. "Centurion? As in, the Centurion? First hero, greatest hero, stopped Omega, giant statue in park Centurion? That all happened here, right? Dang, you got friends in high places, Ashley." She gives Clark a wide grin and accepts the handshake. "So, how does one go about getting that name? I see you can juggle cars. Did you just luck into it, or is it like a family thing or something?" The Centurion didn't have any kids back home. At least, as far as Emily was aware. But here... who knew?

She turns her attention back to Rycon for the moment, chuckling dryly at the turn of phrase. Cynically-written dictionary indeed. Air Ace's home dimension now seemed like a pleasant little oasis after a couple of weeks sampling what Earth-8 had to offer, but even there Ashley had seemed to attract bad luck. "I know your history in my dimension, and it's not happy. Um, is the whole 'descended from Madame Blitz' thing still true? I won't press things if you don't want to talk with, well, basically a stranger, but I don't mean you any harm."

As she puts the Omni-Pistol to work clearing away the rubble and pulling free a partially crushed car nearby, Emily glances back and forth between Ashley and the strapping second Centurion with a mischievous grin. Casually, almost as an aside, she asks Rycon "So, you two, are, you know, an item?"

Starsign

2013-01-07, 11:02 AM

Ashley decides to take a quick break as she looks to Emily, crossing her arms as the latter asks about the two being a "item." Ashley's look is one of confusion. "...Item? What?" She shakes her head slowly before having to sternly explain things to Emily. "Alright, first thing, Clark and I are just friends at this point. If you are asking if we are in love, we aren't ready for that... yet." Ashley hesitates on the last line; she never thought about future plans, especially during these hard times.

Ashley takes a deep breath and sighs before continuing. "As for myself, yes I am descended from Madame Blitz, yes I have gotten over it, and yes I plan to take up the mantle for a very different reason than my great-grandmother did. Though she is very straight-forward, Ashley clearly speaks with restless dislike about the subject and wants to get it over with as soon as possible. "Was the Ashley over in your world like that or does she still have conflicting issues?"

Raynn

2013-01-07, 05:20 PM

Dan'Yel of Earth
Rookie Lantern

Kilowog nods somberly

"Well I'll look into getting his files downloaded to your Ring. It might pay to research his rogues gallery when you get the chance as they might not bother to make a distinction between him and you sadly, no matter how new to the game you are."

Time skip or stay training?

-----------------------------------------

Jake Wallace
A King At Court

Lancelot nods

"I suppose . . . I'll look into it. We'll need to teachers and equipment for the school though, and students of course.

I'll work up files on all the weapons projects we know of and I'll have any agents in the field look into getting more detailed info on those we don't know enough about.

In regards new weapons technologies we'll need some serious brain power, likely new recruits, if we're going to be able to develop arms capable of protecting ourselves against an attack from the US government."

-----------------------------------------

Air Ace & Rycon
Old New Friends

Clark blurs and speeds a little closer to Air Ace so he doesn't need to half shout as he moves rubble

"It's a family thing . . . sort of, but I can assure you I earned the right to use the name. I was a mainstay in the FLI before . . . well before there stopped being an FLI. No Me in your Claremont then? No . . . Ashley and I . . . are just good friends."

Clark is obviously a little surprise by Ashley bringing up love out of nowhere.

-----------------------------------------

Magic Jill
How do you NOT know who I am?

A piano and gravity plummet into Joey Scars' face and the bomb detonates as it is still glued to Lucky's hand.

Initiative please! :smalltongue:
Toon Gang Initiative: [roll0]
Lucky Toughness Save: [roll1] vs. DC 23
Joey Toughness Save: [roll2] vs. DC 23

SuperCracker

2013-01-07, 05:32 PM

Jake Wallace

“Yes. Some of my former classmates at Claremont have an aptitude for technology. As soon as you are able, I want formal invitations issued to Rycon and my friend Robert. I also plan on visiting other nations soon, and hopefully we can share information with them. I’ve heard of a species called the Farsiders, and their great shielded cities. I want one of those shields surrounding Camelot.”

He tapped a few things on his tablet, so that he would be able to pick up on those threads later.

“As for the school… I want a list of all former Claremont staff who are still alive. Invite them to the castle and I’ll hold personal interviews with them for positions at the new school. Also get me a list of all heroes who are still active and not affiliated with the United States government. Check backgrounds, bank accounts, tax records… just make sure they are clean.”

He looked at all of them assembled.

“While we are compiling information on these weapons projects, we need to begin forming teams to sabotage these projects. I want names on my desk in two days. Deniability is key.”

Well, this is it. He’s officially giving orders to ramp up action against the United States government. He hoped the Supreme was proud… cause Jake saw no other way to deal with this.

“Is there anything else?”

ripleycat

2013-01-07, 06:31 PM

The corner of Emily's mouth ticks up slightly at Ashley's unprompted use of "love," but she says nothing about it, merely putting her hands up defensively and chuckling slightly. "All right, all right. Just askin'."

"Yeah... I can tell." Is Emily's somewhat faint reply as she looks wide-eyed at the Centurion having appeared in a blur at her side. Air Ace shrugs, unable to answer Clark's question. "There might be. I dunno. I didn't go to Claremont. I know they've got a team, uh, NextGen or something like that, but I only ever saw 'em on TV. You have to understand, we didn't go through a lot of what you guys did. There was no Event 84, no FLI for you to be a member of. There's just the Freedom League, and there's like 8 of them, a few more if you count the part-timers. They sit up in their Lighthouse and deal with the world-crushing stuff. Back home, if it isn't going to destroy a continent or two, they mostly leave it to the smaller teams. Got a lot of those, actually. We-" She points back and forth between Ashley and herself "-are? were? I dunno. Part of one of those. The New Guardians. Got a lot of people you'd know, though, through some cosmic quirk. Me and Ash and King Jake and Len and Magic Jill."

She rubs the back of her head. "I guess that brings me to a place where I can answer your question too, Ash. You're aware of all that sordid history, but you found out about it more recently than I'm guessing you did here. A year ago, maybe a little more? You're... getting there. You had a near breakdown in front of me in a cafe when everything first surfaced. That was fun."

"So, uh, Clark said he was part of the FLI. Were you part of the big leagues here too, Ashley? And you said you were gonna take the Blitz name? So no more Rycon? Well, you want my two cents, Blitz is a pretty cool name. Maybe you'll be able to give it some shine back..."

Emily suddenly breaks off the conversation, making little chirping noises and creeping off towards a rubble-filled alley. The reason for their new compatriot's sudden madness becomes apparent when she returns from the alley a few moments later, making soothing baby-talk sounds and cradling a skinny and bedraggled little cat in her jacket. It's purring loudly. She grins at the pair and announces "Kitty!"

Raynn

2013-01-07, 08:10 PM

Jake Wallace
A King At Court

Lancelot hands over a file

"Just some hot air from our new neighbors about our move to the Atlantic. I think the EU is a little annoyed about the lack of warning, they're also bringing up questions of how certain laws governing the area we're in affect us. Nothing more than we expected."

Time skip to the wedding stuff?

-----------------------------------------

Air Ace & Rycon
Old New Friends

So do you guys want to move this somewhere, keep going etc or do the funeral or the meeting with Isiah?

-----------------------------------------

Magic Jill
How do you NOT know who I am?

As Lucky is left covered in soot and with visible birds looping his head Joey Scars opens up on Jill with his tommy-gun

"You shouldn't ah messed with the Toon Gang SEE Lil'gal!"

Joey Scars Attack Roll: [roll0] ;Toughness Save DC 19 on a hit.
Lucky Recovery Check: [roll1]
Joey Scars Recovery Check: [roll2]

Raynn

2013-01-08, 12:23 AM

Jake Wallace
A King At Court

Sometime later . . .

"I HAVE GRAND-DAUGHTERS?!"

Once Hope calms down she shifts through more seating charts and pages of documents on security measures and lets out a groan before glaring at the personal assistant she had been given for when Jake wasn't around to help her adjust

"I . . . Faith should be here . . . I can't believe A.E.G.I.S. just said she was on assignment. I wonder if she even knows about Credence yet, her and my . . . daughter? Don't seem to know each other well . . . Oh and then there's Jenny Omega, love the family reference, or is she Winter II now? I have three grand-daughters, one is a manifestation of a split personality, one is essentially a God and the last is a clone of the split personality."

She falls on her back and lies down on the couch as the assistant hurries out of the room to get something. Hope glances over at Jake

"I need to seat World Leaders away from the Super Heroes who have fought their neighbors tyrannical regimes, and whenever I give wedding planners some part of this monster to control they make it a hundred times better. Did you see me try to wear high heels? I fell on my face and they talked to me like I was a cripple. Nearly everything I can do is just because of your memories so when it comes to what every girl my age knows I fall on my ass, literally in that case. Ugh . . . I'm rambling . . . sorry."

She rolls over and smiles at Jake as she flips through another folder of wedding files

"So how is leading a nation going? Trade for planning this wedding?"

SuperCracker

2013-01-08, 12:39 AM

Jake Wallace
Wedding Planning

Jake was sitting on a big cushy chair beside Hope’s couch, spinning his circlet on his index finger idly. He had loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar. He was relaxed right now, with his girlfriend, and he was able to just be himself. There’s a certain level of comfort when you’re with someone who knows every detail about you. Nothing to hide, so you don’t bother.

She asked him how leading was going and he laughed.

“Well… the US is preparing weapons programs to come after us, I’m ordering teams to sabotage them, we’re pretty much beginning an arms race, moving into a cold war, and I decided to open a school for hormonal teenagers with superpowers in my city-state that I need to hire a faculty for.”

He rolled his head to the side to look at her sideways, grinning.

“You still want to trade places with me?”

He chuckled, then rewound a bit to talk to her about what she just said.

“Now… you have zero grand-daughters. Whatever you were in the past had three grand-daughters. You, Hope, are a new person. Think of them like nieces… or cousins or something. Cause seriously… you’re too hot to start wearing granny clothes.”

He fully expected something to be thrown at him.

“The high heel thing… well.. I’m no help with you on any of that. Maybe I could get one of those… charm school teachers to come help you. Or, if it makes you feel better, you can wear some sneakers under the dress. No one will notice.”

He reached out an open hand to her. For how crazy his life was, Jake at least had someone to share it with.

smuchmuch

2013-01-08, 08:09 AM

Going to post a link (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=341582) to Jill's new sheet there for ease of reference

Attack hits
Tougness [roll0]
edit: Saved.

(regen for next round if necessary [roll1]
Not necessary

for reminder:
Her complete (all conditions in the round) regen is Flawed: side effects (works by rule of cartoon funny)
Also she can gain uncontrolable variable powers (1 rank) from her environement and what happens to her)
Both effects are under the control of the Dm.

The cloud of gun powder smoke clears and Jill appears intact "Ah. Missed me !" And then she drinks a bottle of water and it pours from the holes, because Jill knows her classics

Then she simply put her finger in the tommy gun muzzle. common her eyes seems to say, fire it again, I dare you.

That is so a triggered aera blast if they do :smalltongue:.

Raynn

2013-01-08, 06:02 PM

Jake Wallace
Wedding Planning

Hope curls up on the couch with Jake and smiles before slowing turning to her white skinned Omega form. While Jake thought that she might have some abilities that she was hiding from him out of fear she hadn't been subtle about the fact that she felt much more comfortable in this form than her 'normal' one. She had also been extremely careful not to take the form in front of anyone but Jake, so self conscious she was about people seeing her as 'space-satan'.

"Biologically I should just be entering college, so you running a high school is a little funny. Chronologically this body should still be in diapers . . . and with how old 'Old-Me' is . . . well that's the oldest old gets.

I'll stick with the charm school teacher or something option, last thing I need is for Ok Magazine to fill their cover with pictures of me in chucks on my wedding day. . . *groan*"

Hope leans back, stretching

"Faith said Credence, uh that's Faith's sister, is going to be one of my other bridesmaids . . . but I haven't met a lot of non-assistant . . . well girls . . . any chance if you could ask Ashley? Any other ideas for my forth and final? Oh and I should be expecting a tactical nuke as a wedding present from the US government?"

--------------------------------------

Magic Jill
Who reads these?

Joey Scars; Reflex [roll0] Toughness [roll1]
Lucky; Reflex [roll2] Toughness [roll3]

KaganMonk

2013-01-08, 07:02 PM

Doctor Dare

Dare fiddles with his cup. "Well, I'm letting Emily work on the Time-ship alone. I think I could repair it, but I figure it'll be more useful to her if she learns how to do it herself. I just teach her the basic principles."

"Vagrant is desperately trying to fill the role of Magus Supreme without being it. Personally, I think he's fated to fill that role, but he still has to accept it himself."

"Ava's running around the city trying to keep as many people breathing as possible while still protecting her daughter."

"And Remembrance and Shade run around being mysterious. All in all, we're a fairly scattered team, but you've got to pick up a city somehow."

"Navi, while you know I don't mind catching up with old friends, it sounded like there was something on your mind when you called. With recent events, I'm a bit concerned about you, completely apart from you returned powers. Are you in trouble, or are you feeling lonely?"

SuperCracker

2013-01-08, 07:17 PM

Jake Wallace

Jake had, at first, been taken aback by the all-white Omega form of Hope. But now that he’d seen it more often, and seen her with all her usual behaviors while in that form (instead of planting seeds of Mordred in him), he was comfortable with it. She talks about chronological time, biological time.. he shakes his head.

“Let’s just say you’re… what… 19? And get it over with. Our heads will explode if we try and untangle our weird family tree. I have people with no blood relation to me claiming to be parents, you know.”

He snickered at the thought of her in Ok Magazine.

“I could ask Ashley to be your bridesmaid. Or… you could ask her yourself. Ashley’s an awkward, weird mess of conflicting emotions. But she’s also alright in my book. Talk to her. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be friends. Just don’t look for tips on being lady-like from her. I bet poor Clark is still friend-zoned so hard you can detect it from space.”

As for a fourth bridesmaid… what women does Jake know that are cool. “Have you considered Mercury? She and I were good friends back in high school. Dammit, I should’ve invited her up here a long time ago.”

As for the tactical nuke.

“Well, I think they want an excuse to come to war with us… but a nuke? I don’t think anyone sane would want to start another nuclear war. And Britain would probably be pissed over the fallout.”

He realizes that wasn’t very comforting.

“Er.. what I mean to say is… it’ll be fine. What I’m worried about the most is seeing if we can get someone who can sing Tony Bennett.” He grins and starts humming a tune.

"Hey! Speaking of parents... you should meet mine. Mom keeps bugging me about the fact that I haven't introduced you yet. What do you think?"

Starsign

2013-01-08, 09:37 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley listens to Emily as she begins to relax. For a time, it is really glad to hear another friendly person not going out in panic. Emily's dimension also reminds her about her times in Claremont, when she, Jake, Len, Jill, and Ethan were simply teenagers with dreams of becoming true superheroes. It sure seemed like something awesome back then, even if in reality it was quite the hell to go through. "Claremont was a hell of a time. I bet you either would have liked it or would have gone to hell." She makes a subtle smirk at the end, boy did Ashley know what it's like to go to hell. "When I have time, I'll explain it more. Let's just say however that a lot of stuff occurred that you won't find in any other dimension."

As Emily mentions about the FLI, Ashley's flusters a bit and looks away from the dimensional traveler as she responds sickly. "...I was, before it was disassembled." She didn't like to think back on the disaster that caused pretty much the end of the FLI. "...But yes, I do plan to inherit the name Blitz after I resolve a couple issues. It's a long story."

She then watches Emily exit for a moment before coming back with a kitten in her jacket. The sight of it and Emily's reaction makes Ashley giggle quietly while giving off a small smile. "Cute." She prepares to get back to work, continuing with the rubble with some positive attitude for a change. "We should meet again sometime soon. I think the conversation helped me."

Raynn

2013-01-09, 11:26 PM

Jill

Reflex Save: [roll0]
Toughness Save: [roll1]
Reflex Save: [roll2]
Toughness Save: [roll3]

***

Doctor Dare

Navi shrugs and looks down at her drank

"Most of my friends didn't know about my past with the whole super scene. Once I started walking around like this more than a few of them starting avoiding little old me. Not like I could blame them . . . but yeah, I guess I've just been lonely. No jumps yet. Not sure why. I haven't even tried."

***

The King of Camelot

Hope lights up as Jake mentions his parents

"I'd love that!"

Reflexively at the thought of meeting others Hope returns to her human form. She awkwardly blushes, looks away and turns white again.

"Where do they live?"

***

The Others

It's 4.25 am as I write this. The Funeral, First Mission and Isiah Meeting scenes will be up when my brain isn't running on fumes. :smalleek:

Sorry:smallredface:

SuperCracker

2013-01-09, 11:49 PM

Jake Wallace

He smiles when she lights up like that. “Awesome. Then that’s what we’ll do.” He pulls out his cell phone and starts to search through it for his parents’ house number. She asked where they live. He grinned.

“They live in Woodville, Indiana.”

Fictional location!

“Let me call and tell them we’re coming for dinner.”

He dialed the number and waited.

Raynn

2013-01-10, 10:01 PM

Woodville, Indiana

Hope straightens her dress for the fifth time in as many minutes

"Do I look all . . ."

Pointing to her face

"Omega-ey . . . ? I really don't want to change in front of them. I mean they probably assume I'm like a super person or a bimbo or something . . . I'd so rather bimbo to evil immortal despot . . . What if they mention something I don't know about? I mean outside of what you know I'm kind of dry on normal Earth knowledge . . ."

Hope breathes deeply and talks to herself as the portal closes and she steps onto the porch with Jake

"Whu . . . We'll be okay. I'll be okay. Do I look Omega-ey to you?"

***

Mars - The Pit of Eternal Fire

Dragons. It had to be Dragons.

The Green Lantern of Sector 2814 slams into the lip of the crater as the Dragon as large as a small building roars out into the sky. Supposedly this thing was one of the hatch-lings . . .

His ring tells him that momma would make Godzilla look like a gecko.

Lovecraftian Dragons on Mars.

First day on the job.

Lovecraftian Dragons on Mars on the first day on the job.

Dan'Yel of Earth is having an odd day.

The creatures rears up with a dozen clawed limbs and toe wings that force bursts of wind that buffet Dan'Yel with immense force. It's long neck ends in a thing head and a stretched jaw of razor sharp teeth. A half dozen emerald eyes set into russet scales dance over the martian dust and lock onto the Green Lantern.

Oh brother . . .

Roll Initiative!
Dragon of Mars: [roll0]

***

The Funeral

The funeral for a friend.

Heroes knoll. A statue already prepared, despite the chaos of the last few days. An impenetrable casket.

A situation that has become all to familiar of late to those in attendance. The actual ceremony is short. It avoids pantomime or aggrandizement as much as any hero's funeral could. Soon it reaches the point at which Isiah's friends and colleagues are asked to speak. Before any of the more note worthy heroes can approach a dark ginger haired man with tired emerald eyes in a brown duster coat approaches the podium. No one stands in his way, and allow him to speak first.

"My name is Nicholas Bennett and I am Isiah's oldest friend.

I came a long way to speak here but I'll try to keep this brief. Isiah was smart, Isiah was, near clearly, indestructible and Isiah could go anywhere; but none of those things are why we are here. Isiah was good. It seems such a tiny thing doesn't it. In the wake of what he's done in the past, in the wake of what he was capable of, but it was his most important quality. He was good. He used his powers for the betterment of others. He wasn't even from this Earth, he could leave at any time and we believed nothing could hurt him, but he remained.

I have witnessed beings in the cosmos twice as noble as Isiah be corrupted by half the power he possessed. He was an example we must follow in the days to come, as we rebuild, that though we are the ones with power we must retain our humanity. We must remain good.

And we must remember that in the end even the smartest man alive was fallible . . . he could die after all . . ."

Nicholas Bennett places his hand on the closed casket

"Goodbye old friend."

Nicholas Bennett steps down and back into the crowd.

What do you do?

Anyone who would logically be at the funeral can post as being there. Anyone who would be there can step up to speak or speak to those in attendance.

***

Liberty Park - Freedom City - The Past

Isiah has agreed to meet you, and is prepared to teleport you directly to his office. He has given you coordinates and a time to be there to be teleported directly if you wished to speak to him.

Who is in attendance?

The Frontliners requested a meeting. Who's there?

***

Magic Jill

Of course he pulls the trigger.

Of course it goes BOOM.

What else was going to happen around Magic Jill? Am I right?

Lucky is left knocked out, though if Jill doesn't tie him up he'll be back in the action any minute, and Joey scars isn't left in much better state but the boom does leave him soot covered and stunned!

What do you do Jill?

SuperCracker

2013-01-10, 10:42 PM

Jake Wallace
Back at Home

Jake grinned at Hope, looking at her. “Omega-ey? Hope, you look fine. And if you change into your white-form, so what? I like you either way… and theoretically so should they.” He slipped an arm around her waist and brought her in closer to him.

“Otherwise, just be yourself. Their son is the King of Camelot, and has had to defend the world on multiple occasions. I carry a magical sword to the dinner table, and instead of asking for a hot rod when I was sixteen, I asked if I could paint fire on my magic boots. They know I’m weird, and they’re probably betting that you’re weird too. So don’t try to hide it too much.”

He rang the doorbell and waited. He was dressed in a button down black shirt with a red tie. It was a look he favored sometimes ((as Air Ace knew, actually)). Without looking over at her, he answered her query.

“Nope. You don’t look Omega-ey at all.”

He put on a big smile and got ready for the barrage of parental ooey gooeyness.

SuperCracker

2013-01-11, 01:39 AM

Jakey Wallace

The doorbell is rung… about fifteen seconds later the door to the cute little two-story house opens up. A slim woman with shoulder-length brown hair and hazel eyes is there, dressed in a blue dress with a understated necklace. She has a huge smile on her face.

“Jake!”

She steps out of the door, with her arms wide open, and wraps the King of Camelot up in a huge hug.

“It’s been too long, sweetie! Have you been eating well? Getting enough sleep? I should have a talk with your fri—“ She turned her eyes to Hope, and she nearly squealed with joy. “Oh my God, sweetie! You must be Hope!”

Jake’s Mom, Sylvia Wallace, released Jake from her grasp and moved to wrap Hope up in an equally tight hug. “Sweetie, it’s so nice to meet you!” She pulled back from the hug, looked at Hope for a second, and hugged her again. “Jakey, she’s gorgeous!”

Jake was blushing a little bit. His mother was ultra-affectionate, to the point of being fussy at times.

“Mom,” Jake said, “This is Hope… Hope, this is my mom, Sylvia Wallace.”

Sylvia finally let Hope go. “It’s so nice to meet you.” She’d already said that. “Let’s go inside. Your dad’s out back grilling.”

smuchmuch

2013-01-12, 10:01 PM

Jill .. is actualy rolling saves. No one said the aera balst was elective was it ? She actualy didn't expect him to actualy pull the trigger.

It's feels almost odd. after twelve yars among threedees, she kinda got used of being the one who did the complety crazy thing in psite of any common sense to the utter bewilderement of her ipponents, kinda forgot she was facing fellow toon for a moment here.

reflex [roll0]
toughness [roll1]

Regen next round if necessary [roll2]
edit: it's +12 actualy, so 16

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad15/smuchmuch/Illustrations/small/jill04.png

"...Still totaly worth it"

Shade will be at the funeral and the meeting one week ago, i'll make another post later

Raynn

2013-01-13, 04:09 PM

Woodville, Indiana, United States of America

Hope does an awkward slight bow as she greets Mrs. Wallace

"It's great to final meet you as well."

Hope glances at Jake with a forced smile, clearly unsure of exactly what to say. Between a 58 billion year old despot and an ever so slightly younger Jake both in her head Hope still didn't know exactly how to act in this situation. Something Jake no doubt found endearing.

As Hope made her way through the house Jake noticed her examining every tiny detail whenever his mom wasn't looking at her. No doubt comparing it to her borrow memories of the place.

"This is an very nice place. I'm surprised you haven't moved to Camelot yet though, if it's not too private a reason, why didn't you?"

As Hope finishes the trio pass through the house and see Jake's dad at the grill.

***

Freedom City - Alley

With the others just as stunned as Jill seems to be an oddly boring and uneventful 6 seconds follow the blast.

KaganMonk

2013-01-14, 11:18 AM

Time With Navi

Dare grins. "I don't think you'd really like to go traveling without someone to come bring you back. Have you considered some stylish gloves? I think your last jump happened because you touched a non-native of this dimension. We ended up jumping to Vagrant's home after you touched him."

"Tell you what, though, if you'd like somewhere safe to stay with friends, I could use a communications coordinator for the Frontliners. Your knowledge of our abilities and what you've learned from dimension hopping would be very useful to us. And I'm sure that the others, especially Vagrant, would be just as happy to see you around as I would."

"By the way, just on a trivial note, did you get any sort of notification of who the new Space-Lord is? I know that as a Guardian of Time I don't get anything like that about the Time-Lord, but I thought I'd check."

Meeting With Isiah

Dare waits in the park at the time Isiah specified. He was worried about what happened with Navi, and the possibility that Omega was alive, despite Isiah's assurances.

smuchmuch

2013-01-14, 03:28 PM

Liberty park, a week ago

"There are plenty of public places in this city" Shade sighs out loud, mostly for herself and shuddering slightly. First a funeral, then visting a netherworld. "Did he really have to set it here ? I could have used a happier place to finsih the evening"

Liberty park. Again

As it was already said, Shade was already pasively flaoting for herself, being somewhat introspective and very depressed. She silently watched the procession comme in. Another one to join the ever more crowded hill.

She already know who it is, they've been putting the statue all day, but she still come in closer to the procession.
Isiah... Funny that. The guy outlived a universe, she though he was as immortal as they come. Guess it's true, in the end, everyone can it eventualy. The though is deeply depressing. And yet slightly reassuring in a way.

She's not sure how she feels to know he gets a place on hero knoll, she didn't knew the guy that much. She heard he went though a lot before but wasn't privy with many of the details, she mostly knew him as "the guy who sat behind a control pannel at the watchtower and moved people around". But She heard he spend his last energy trying to correct the course of the station who would have done a much bigger crater otherwise, a heroic death. ...Cold comfort for the man, though.

May he get some peace wherever he's now. Best thing she can wish him.

Starsign

2013-01-14, 04:17 PM

Ashley Culdis

The way events can turn out never ceases to amaze Ashley.

Here she is at Heroes Knoll, at the funeral of a man who she expected to long outlive her. In short time both Metasoul and Isiah passed away, leaving the city in terrible condition despite their best efforts. She pays little attention to Mr. Bennett's speech and instead thinks on what will happen now. With the FLI gone, her role in the city isn't as great as before; one might say she is now a living relic of the golden days. The city will change in time, but trying to go back to how the world was before doesn't seem like an option anymore. And with villains able to run around as-is, things probably won't get better anytime soon.

Ashley let Clark decide whether he wanted to come or not. To her, she only came as a member of the old FLI... And as a friend to the deceased hero. She had already said her farewells to him before, all that she could say now is to the audience. However she is not one to bravely stand towards the crowd and make a speech; her social abilities would be too embarrassing for such an occasion. She makes little chance to look around at who else is here too, though if someone were to ask or convince her she could speak up.

Took long enough. Anyway if anyone wants to post to try and encourage Ashley, you're free to. :smallwink:

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-15, 10:22 PM

Green Lantern, S2814

Initiative: [roll0]

This was the first time that it had really slammed home for Danny just what in fact he'd gotten himself into taking on this job. On one hand...dragons! Cool! On the other hand...dragons! Holy crap!

"Niiice dragon...heel?" Danny meeped.

Raynn

2013-01-17, 11:31 PM

MARS

You won initiative right? So act. :smalltongue:

***

Uninhabited Island - Somewhere

http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/62/6243/DDK3100Z/posters/sakis-papadopoulos-uninhabited-island-maldives-indian-ocean-asia.jpg

Shade and Dare step through the portal to see Isiah standing in his suit pants and a shirt with his suit jacket and tie lying on a nearby rock. He smiles over at the pair as they approach

"Thought you guys might prefer a meeting in somewhere a little less stuffy than my office. What's up?"

***

The Funeral

Clark takes his time but approaches Ashley, looking oddly shocked for the subdued setting

"You okay Ash?"

As he speaks the man, Nicholas Bennett, who had spoken approaches Ashley with a slight smile. He outstretches his hand for her to shake

"You must be Ashley Culdis. Isiah told me about you before I left, it's great to finally meet you."

***

The Café

Apollo's jump to business seems to catch Navi off guard

"Ugh . . . yeah, I guess a job with you guys could be good for me right now . . . and no I don't know who the new Lord of Space is, sorry.

Are you sure there's no way I can touch someone from another dimension?"

Starsign

2013-01-19, 07:21 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley remains silent at Clark's question, barely giving a nod to him. Funerals are something she is not used to despite being a superhero for awhile now. The rather tragic mood of it all feels like a painful reminder of what the city is like. She didn't need this kind of depression; she needed to take action. Yet she considers this occasion to be important enough to sidestep her duties for a moment. Already however she is beginning to regret this.

When Nicholas walks up to her, Ashley looks to him a little nervously as she goes to shake his hand. "I... Imagine he did." Her voice is low, as if speaking for the first time in a long, long time. "I'm still rather shocked; I figured things wouldn't get this bad ever since the whole MetaTime incident. I thought I was through the worst." She shakes her head slowly, her mind slowly beginning to sink into depression. "But no, it had to get worse, and I imagine it's only downhill from here..."

"...I'm guessing you've felt like I have before?"

smuchmuch

2013-01-20, 08:34 PM

A week earlier

"Showoff" Shade who made herself visible and hearable to both people, comments quietly while looking at the surroundings. A small deserted island far off in the middle of the Pacific (probably) ocean "You wanted this conversation to be private ?"

"What's up?"

"You tell me.
First, I believe you mentioned you had a plan to avoid the wrath of the Cullie laws to poor Vagrant if I was willing to help." She's got nothing against the guy" (yet) "I don't see why not. If I can help." She didn't mention jetpack girl because, well, from the ghost understood, she actualy crashed in this dimension by accident. She probably wants to go home. The mage on the other hand... Especialy now that she's seen the dump he's from, and the storry behind the exile. "On what ground was his FLI membership revoked anyway ?"

"And second what the hell happend with the sudden dimensional travel ?" At the difference of the two other people present here, she is seriously out of her domain of competence here. (Or IQ range for that matter, she's going to feel very dumb before the conversation is over.)
But while she may lacks in knowlege in navimatrixes and dimensional travel outside of the odd bit of knowlege gained while travelling alongside Cael on a few occasion, she does her best to keep herself informed "I though you had disconected the big dimensional computer" She looks at Dare uncertain as to ask for confirmation on that fact. "and the girl was supposed to be human now ?"

Now

Shade is looking at the service, trying to recognize some faces. Isiah had lots of friends, it seems.

... and that's that scientist from Astro labs. There is Leeds two, hard not to recognize him seeing as he's the spitting image of his 'dad' stony icon triumphin over the background and had been the poster boy for the new FLI for the last five years. And to his right, Cudlis. Alway the same bight ray of optimism and sunshine, (although given the circumstances it's kind of understandable)

.. it occurs to her she should be feeling terrible or at least somewhat guilty right now. God help her, she's actualy getting jaded of funerals

Jill

"Well, boys" Jill start looking into her hat "I'd like to stay and humiliate you all day but..."
She suddenly pause to think for two seconds before asking at the mighty and all knowing sky for it to rayrain it's great wisdom
"wait do I have a reason not to stay and do that ?"

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-20, 09:17 PM

Green Lantern S2814

"Imagination is the key imagination is the key imagination is the key..." Danny repeated it like a mantra as he flew up into the air over the dragon's head, forcing it to swerve to follow him. He held the ring up in the air above his head and concentrated so hard that he was sticking his tongue through his teeth and biting down on it. Due to this effort a construct appeared in the air piece by piece.

"Ha! Down boy!" Danny whooped, glad to have succeeded in his exercise in imagination. Then he swung his arm down and a...big, green newspaper...swatted down at the juvenile space-reptile.

Fluffing a Blast 10 attack as a giant newspaper. :smallbiggrin:
Attack: [roll0]

SuperMuldoon

2013-01-20, 09:33 PM

Jacob Carver - Synapse

Another funeral. he thinks as he straightens his tie. Seems like all I ever do anymore. He looks at himself in the mirror, black suit and tie instead of his black and white hero garb. Feels like just the other day he was fighting alongside Dire, Cael, Ellen and the rest in Liberty Park. He gives himself one last look in the mirror before he heads to Heroes Knoll.

He shakes the hands of acquaintances and makes small talk as the service begins. Nicholas Bennett - the Harlequin himself had come back for the service - had just said his words, and more people were invited to talk. Jacob decided he was next.

Walking up to the podium in super ultra mega slow motion (normal human speed), Jacob puts his hands on the wooden stand and looks to the gathered crowd, a sea of black clothes and sad faces. He cleared his throat, and began to speak into the microphone.

"We are here together to say farewell to a great individual. A man who had the strength and desire to make a difference, and so he did. There are few people here today that can say that Isaiah did not touch there lives in at least a small way. That was just the kind of guy he was - he had his hands in everyone else's business."

"We have to remember the good that Isaiah has brought to this city, this planet, and our hearts. The world was better for having him, and poorer now that he is gone."

"And now we are left to carry on. Isaiah has passed us the torch, and it is up to us to bring that light of goodness into the future." Jacob says, turning to face the casket. He looks around at the other graves, before giving a nod and turning to head down off the stage, head bowed low to hide the tears escaping from his eyes.

Raynn

2013-01-22, 09:24 PM

The Funeral
Synapse

As Synapse walks down from the podium after his touching speech he sees a figure he recognizes. Kismet, Jacob thinks for a moment, come to pay her respects. An A.E.G.I.S. agent with ties to the league.

Then he notices something. He can't tell what, but some part of his mind tells him this woman in simple black is not Kismet. If he's right the F.L.I. codenamed her Winter. Synapse was there when she left Earth . . .

Jacob knew she also went by Jenny. Faith's . . . all-powerful 'sister'.

"Hello Jacob, long time no see."

Her tone seems genuinely . . . warm.

***

The Funeral
Ashley Culdis

Nick smiles, and nods in response to Ashley.

"I have, and you know what? I was wrong. Somethings can't be repaired or replaced but things can always get better. Isiah helped teach me that, he and the Frontliners. I remember the grouchy Foreshadow, Super and the others. They showed me even at the end of the world, one should have hope."

He glances over at a woman Ashley mistakes for Faith Winters

"Things will get worse Ashley, but I expect them to get better too. Isiah always did have a plan for these things."

***

The Island

Isiah replies to Shade

"The Cullie Act only recognizes those on an active FLI squad as members of the FLI. Vagrant's haphazard and tenuous cooperation with the League due to his travels and trying to combat most magical threats alone means the US government didn't feel he qualified for protection under the act. So far we've only really got the U.N. to okay a half dozen extra-dimensional leaguers for international intervention, and the US is using that new U.N. committee's opinion of us as their political fall guy for which extra-dimensional leaguers they cover under the act. It means the US can point to that committee whenever they want to say a certain Leaguer needs to be deported back to their home dimension. It's a political mess that the U.S. is using to get a handle on who stays and who goes.

Secondly, we did. The Navimatrix's INORGANIC component was removed. I know for a fact. Certain individuals have even used the device to jump between realities. We saw that Navi adapted to a mostly human form once it was removed and survived. We presumed the remaining organic component would be unable to regenerate the device . . . it seems all it needed was time and some sort of trigger. It also seems her new form is different to any others she has previously exhibited."

***

MARS

The Dragon roars out in pain and annoyance as the rolled up newspaper strikes it but it responds by slashing out at the Green Lantern.

Toughness Save: [roll0]

Attack rolls in Core OoC

***

Freedom City Alley

It might indeed be smart to simply fluff-not-roll a fight between mega-healers that might take a WHILE if we roll it out.

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-22, 11:57 PM

Green Lantern

Toughness DC26: [roll0]
Hey look...I get to use my new hero point already...hooray...:smallannoyed:

More rolls in OOC.

The giant claws skid off of Danny's force field in a shower of green sparks and throw him backwards, but he loops back around ring leading. "Alright, Fido. Time for walkies." he kept up the banter as a giant, translucent green chain fires link by link out of the ring and attempts to wrap up the dragon like a derpy dog tangled in its own leash. Apparently, Danny was enjoying the in-fight metaphor and wanted to just go with it.

SuperMuldoon

2013-01-23, 12:44 AM

Jacob Carver - Synapse

Jacob was startled by the appearance of Jenny. He wiped his tears away and straightened up in the blink of an eye - hands barely a blur in front of his face. She looked...good.

"Jenny! Definitely long time now see. I saw Nicholas and was wondering if you had maybe tagged along for the ride. How have you been?" he says, quickly moving into pleasant conversation to help bolster his emotions on this sad day.

SuperCracker

2013-01-23, 01:15 AM

Jake and Family
Woodville, Indiana

Mrs. Wallace laughs delightedly at Hope’s little bow. “Oh honey! You don’t have to be so formal. You’re going to be family! You kids make yourselves comfortable.” The house was two-story. It was a middle-class household. Wooden doorframes, soft, earthy colors. There were couches in the living room, a big TV, and lots of pictures around. Some of Mr. and Mrs. Wallace, and plenty of Jake, from his baby years on up to pictures of him at the first swearing in of the Camelot Parliament. Clearly they were proud of having a son who is… royalty. Even though that life was simply too weird for them to understand, they supported it as much as they could.

He was lucky.

“Sweetie, we grew up here in Woodville, raised our son here in Woodville.. our lives are in Woodville. That’s why we didn’t come.” She smiled at Hope, unoffended by the question.

They made their way through the house to a door leading into the backyard. Standing out there was Stephen Wallace, Jake’s dad. He was 6’1, and was wearing a pair of jeans and a tucked in bright yellow shirt with blue trim. Woodville Warriors was emblazoned on it. Yep, Jake’s dad was a History teacher and the coach of the local Basketball team.

“There he is!” Mr. Wallace said, putting down his tongs and moving over to give Jake a hug, complete with a big slap on the back. “Long time no see, son. You could get your royal butt off your throne and come see your mother every now and then.” Jake grinned and rolled his eyes.

“Hey dad. What’s shakin’?”

“Not much, buddy boy. Are you going to introduce me to the pretty lady?” Stephen grinned.

“Dad, this is Hope. Hope, Stephen Wallace, a.k.a. Dad.”

“It’s great to meet you, Hope. Though I got to say… I think Jake has a type,” he said, looking at Hope’s white hair.

“Dad!”

Raynn

2013-01-23, 09:36 PM

Funeral For A Friend
Synapse

Jenny smiles at Synapse's pleasant greeting

"Nick has been helping me deal with how . . . powerful I am. We travel the stars helping people and we have a solar system where we . . . It's kind a pressure valve. Nick didn't think I'd be able to handle it if I tried to rein in my abilities at all times so I made a pair of stars . . . and things kind of snowballed. Meta-Time and Hellen help me develop it really fast. I think the Roberts or the Jakes might even reach sentience in a year or two. If the Ashley's don't hunt them to extinction.

Outside of that solar system Nick says what powers I'm allowed use at any time, he also says I shouldn't ever come back to Earth, we only came back this time because Isiah meant so much to him. I'm trying to be good while I'm here for him. Trying not to fiddle with anything or say anything I shouldn't. Nick is great. He's a little like a sponsor for the super powerful super crazy. How have you been?"

***

Woodville, Indiana

The night grows late among jokes and Hope's awkward and endearing miss steps, like when Jake's mom urges her to guess the recipe of one of the deserts and she starts to accurately rhyme off its molecular composition.

Jake's parents clean up in the kitchen and Hope leans on the banister of the porch looking up at the stars. Though Jake can not see him Omega stands next to her looking up at the same sky.

As Jake tries to walk up behind her to jokingly surprise tickle her playfully Hope speaks

"Jake . . . Tonight was special."

She glances back at him and smiles but a tear runs down her cheek

"I had apple pie."

She looks down and away to hide her face

"Memory or not, I'm over fifty five billion years old. Multiverses have flown by without me eating apple pie. There hasn't been a night like this in longer than this universe has trundled effortlessly ever on.

And I'm going to ruin it, amn't I?

The platitudes don't really matter. I know, Omega or not, I'm good now. They say you used to be Mordred and you're super awesome now. You don't remember all that either. It's exactly the same . . . except . . . Jake there's something I need to tell you . . ."

She closes her eyes and turns to Jake, keeping her eyes close. The unseen Omega rests his gauntlet on her shoulder like a protective father. She speaks through tears of fear

"I Remember Everything."

***

MARS

The Dragon is bound by the chain surprisingly easily but its immense strength allows it to shatter the bounds almost instantly. This does give the Green Lantern time to act again while it is busy breaking free though.

Reflex Save: [roll0] vs. DC 20
Standard Action to shatter Snare automatically as its strength Bonus greater than the rank of the Snare+5.
It also means it doesn't have a standard action to attack this round.

SuperCracker

2013-01-23, 10:55 PM

Jake Wallace

Jake’s Mom and Dad did their duty and embarrassed him all night long. Baby pictures and stories of him as a child (they suddenly remembered all his play swordfighting with crystal clarity). They also fawned over Hope, who was adorably awkward and just seemed sweet. They certainly didn’t think she was Omega. And really, neither did Jake.

So when they made it outside and she started to cry and make her confessions… well… he didn’t react as badly as she might have thought. Holding the girl, Jake had a thoughtful look for a moment before smiling.

“Hope, if I remembered everything that Mordred did, that still wouldn’t make me Mordred. Same soul or not, I’ve chosen to be Jake. So, whether you remember everything Omega did or not has nothing to do with who you are. You get to choose who you’re going to be.”

He grinned.

“So, now… I have a series of questions. They’re simple, and I think you know the right answers. Number one, do you plan on destroying the multiverse? Number two, do you want to be good?”

His tone is light-hearted, since he already knows the answers. Assuming she answers no, then yes.. he says, “Then I have a secret to tell you… I don’t care if you’re Omega or not.”

Raynn

2013-01-23, 11:05 PM

Woodville, Indiana

Hope answers just as Jake suspects she will, and there pair embrace with a smile. As Hope presses against Jake's chest and wipes away her tears

"You're the best boyfriend a former skull-faced megalomaniac could have Jake, you know that?"

The unseen Omega speaks up

"Do you intend to tell him what really happened with Mordred?"

Hope keeps silent and presses into Jake's chest again restraining the urge to glare at her hallucination for ruining the moment.

US Weapon Project meeting with Lancelot Next?

SuperCracker

2013-01-24, 12:03 AM

Jake Wallace

“I better be,” he retorted as he hugged the billions-of-years-old young lady a little more tightly. “With all seriousness, though, we have to talk about something.” He withdraws from her and unsheathes Excalibur, opening a portal back to their home.

After they step through and the gate to Woodville is closed, he turns to her and has a serious look.

“There’s one thing you might not remember. Right after I gave you the lamest proposal ever and we kissed, you stopped being you for a second. Someone else inside of you put something in me, and told me that if I ever failed to protect you, Mordred would do it instead.”

He lets it hang there for a beat.

“I hope that, by now, you know that I’m going to protect you no matter what. But I can’t risk having a situation where a long-dead villain all of a sudden wakes up in my body and skinrides me while wielding all of my powers, magical and political. So… if you know what was done to me, can you undo it?”

This was important… but afterwards, he also wants to know… well, how she came back to Earth this time.

Raynn

2013-01-24, 01:47 AM

Camelot

Hope shrugs and looks a little confused

"It must have been my containment suit . . . ugh . . . I'm an energy being, in a 'meat suit'. I'm not like possessing someone, it's more like a organic hazmat suit with an on board A.I., it was the 'A.I.' that pulled the strings on that one. I think it put some of the power negative in you so you could 'level up' if the need arose. I . . . don't think I can undo it safely.

Didn't you mention a plan for the Mordred stuff? A wizard you knew in highschool?"

SuperCracker

2013-01-24, 03:09 AM

Jake-8

“I know it put some of the power negative in me. It gave me this glowing Omega symbol on my chest. Now, while I can appreciate an added boost when things look dire, I don’t think I like the side affects that come with it.”

Jake sighed. Nothing is ever simple.

“Yeah. I ran into this guy named Vagrant once or twice. He’s apparently a powerful wizard, and a super hero. I’ve done my research, and everything tells me that he’s a good man. So, I want to speak with him… make sure I can trust him… and then some weird stuff. I want to go inside my own soul and tear Mordred out.”

Rid of him once and for all.

Raynn

2013-01-24, 03:13 AM

Camelot

Omega glances from Jake to Hope

"He is not prepared for what he will find there."

Hope just kisses Jake softly before saying

"Yeah . . . I suppose that's for the best."

Not that Jake can see Hope's face as she embraces him again, in the dark, but is a mask of worry.

End Scene.

***

The Following Events Take Place After the Khanite Invasion & The Opening of Claremont Academy in Camelot

Camelot - Round Table Room - Earth 8

Lancelot stands. Jake noticed he did that a lot lately. He wears the uniform of the newly formed C.A.S.T.L.E., of which he is the acting Director. C.A.S.T.L.E. stands for Camelot Armed Strategic Task-force for Law Enforcement but Jake was pretty sure they were looking for a name that fit better to the acronym.

Lancelot throws a file down on the table in front of Jake and looks serious

"The group responsible for these new weapons projects I mentioned are mostly former and current A.E.G.I.S. agents, many are those who left when A.E.G.I.S. consumed U.N.I.S.O.N. and became a global force rather than America's lapdog. The project as a whole is called Project Rebirth, as its claimed aim is to make America the defacto Super-power in the world again but if that's the case the U.S. government is acting like it sees Camelot as the main barrier to that . . . rather than say . . . China.

Anyway. Currently the project is divided into ten sub-projects codenamed simply 'Weapon', and then a Roman Numeral. Inside that folder is the details of the projects. We currently have coordinates for less than half of the bases out of which these ten separate sub-projects are based."

The File

Weapon I:
Attempts to replicate the serum that gave 'The Patriot' his powers, despite the fact it induced that cancer that killed him later in his life.

Weapon II:
Attempts to create controllable Uplifts, animals with intelligence advanced to sentient levels to serve as foot-soldiers with unique abilities in comparison to humans due to their animal natures.

Weapon III:
Attempts to replicate the Foundry's easy to mass produce robot drone designs for use by the US government.

Weapon IV:
Attempts to train squads of soldiers in the use of magic in the field, specifically those of spells likely to increase durability or increase firepower.

Weapon V:
Attempts to splice alien D.N.A. gathered from bodies left behind after the battle of Claremont to give soldiers new abilities, possibly in excess of simply shape-shifting.

Weapon VI:
Controlled exposure to cosmic radiation, combined with preventative medication and anti-cancer treatments to produce abilities similar to those gained by the original Centurion.

Weapon VII:
Attempts to replicate Tauros' supposed success with rapid cloning and training of super-humans, as seen in Professor Minotaur, Minerva and the Centurion II.

Weapon VIII:
Attempts to use Ink from an unknown source to give soldiers abilities temporarily via tattoos; Project target is to develop a mass producible version of the Ink which gives abilities for in excess of twenty four hours.

Weapon IX:
Attempts to create a battle-suit similar to those used by Daedelus I, Daedelus II, Stormcrow, Doctor Dire and others that can function and be produced in reasonable numbers at a reasonable cost.

Weapon X:
Attempts to experiment on Mutants and other inherent Post-Humans to increase their combat effectiveness through conditioning, training and enhancing their abilities.

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-24, 10:57 AM

Green Lantern

"Okay, no walkies...sheesh..." Danny gained some altitude on the dragon as his ring began charging up to unleash another attack. This thing was strong, and dangerous... He was glad he was fighting it here instead of say...Freedom City where there would have been tons of people to make it all more complicated. Instead, in this barren wasteland, he could do things like...

Danny threw his ring forward and a futuristic missile launcher appeared line by line, piece by piece, flowing from the ring until it covered his arm and shoulder. A green HUD flickered into life in front of Danny's grinning face and he had to whisper, "This is so cool!" before an emerald missile blasted out of the front of the conjured weapon and headed toward the flying serpent, leaving a trail of slightly greenish smoke behind it.

If it hit, the green projectile would explode with the force of a cruise missile.

Power Attacking for 2.
Blast 12: [roll0]

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-24, 10:58 AM

Green Lantern

Oy...rerolling that. I should have 1 HP left in this timeline now.
Reroll: [roll0]
RESULT: 25

Starsign

2013-01-24, 12:16 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley finds Nicholas' words surprising, convincing even. Considering all that has happened to him, she figured Harlequin would stay as cynical as she when she had first met and known him. It turns out that a few years in space with someone of his own match in power could cause a change for the better. She nods slowly to him, "Thanks. Considering those words come from you, it means a lot." She thinks over his words before mentioning, "...Yeah I guess Isiah did always have a plan. Could never tell what it would be though." She does wonder whether he had left it up all to Ashley or whether there was some sort of posthumous-death plan in the works. She didn't have the time to ponder and think such things over, but she wonders for a moment if she should...

Ashley looks over to see Faith, dressed in black for some reason. She had expected the AEGIS agent to wear something more fitting. Still, Ashley is good to see another friend alive, as well as Synapse who had survived the catastrophe when other big-time heroes had died or gone missing.

Ashley walks over to Synapse and Faith, waving to them both as she approaches. "Glad to see you here Synapse," she says, finding it a little odd talking with a big-timer with the FLI disbanded now. She was now starting to feel better now that she's discussing with other heroes. She then looks to Faith and begins speaking kindly to her. "I didn't know you had time during AEGIS work to come here Fa-" She cuts herself off, eyes raising a bit as she notices something... different.

SuperCracker

2013-01-24, 03:22 PM

Jake Wallace

The King sits in his chair at the head of the Round Table. It has been one hell of a week, and it has redoubled his conviction that the world needs heroes. Real heroes, not puppets or stooges. Jake feels he has to bring them together here. This meeting, it seemed, would further reinforce that notion.

King Jake flipped through the file, studying it quietly. Every now and then he would ask a question, but he was mostly reading for the moment. “Project Rebirth. Do we know if these activities have been officially sanctioned by the White House?” He was fairly confident he could assume the answer, but he had to ask.

Jake flipped another page. Some of the projects were outright monstrous. A serum that will guarantee the death of the soldier that is injected with it. An attempt to create a slave race. Attempts to use Labyrinth technology to create clone slaves. The latter two were outright unacceptable from a moral standpoint. The others… unacceptable from a strategic standpoint.

Jake flipped the file shut and looked up at Lance.

“Which of these do we have the locations for? I’m not exactly a very covert force. Sir Leonard may be able to use his current good standing with the White House to acquire more info or be in a position to sabotage. But I would like to hear your suggestions as well."

Raynn

2013-01-24, 03:50 PM

Camelot - Round Table Room - Earth 8

Director Lancelot nods and continues

"The white house is aware of Project Rebirth off the books, but beside the broad strokes the president himself is probably only briefed on successfully produced post-human weapons.

These are incredibly secure facilities, a single knight will not be able to sabotage any one facility . . . We also lack the knowledge or resources to eliminate them all at this time. We know of four facilities, Weapon II, III, IV and VIII, at this time.

I have a suggestion. One I do not make lightly. An open response invites the U.S. using such an attack as justification for action against and the Farsiders estimate it will be months before the bubble generator is operational, even then it would fail under a sustained nuclear assault.

We need a team.

A covert team, acting to remove these weapons programs as rapidly and covertly as they can manage. Black ops, off the books. This wouldn't be super heroics, but we're in a cold war sir. If we want peace, whether continued or through victory, this is a step we need to make.

If even one of these projects are a success it could spell the end of Camelot. Your portals are the only method of access accurate and rapid enough for this team, you'll need to be on it. This is no different than the battle with the Alpha Centurion. Your country needs you for this."

***

MARS

The blast washes over the dragon but it roars back in defiance and rage, unharmed. Shooting towards the Green Lantern in a barrage of claw and tooth.

Toughness Save: [roll0]

Attack rolls in Core OoC.

***

Freedom City - The Funeral

The once Jenny Omega now Winter smiles at Rycon as realization washes over Ashley

"It's nice to see you again Rycon, Synapse and I were just discussing what Nick and I have been doing since we left Earth. I'm sorry that there wasn't anything I could do to help your friend."

SuperCracker

2013-01-24, 04:53 PM

The King
The crown gets heavier by the hour.

“Black ops? With me? You realize we’re walking a very fine line here. The first time anyone even sees the weapon I use, they’re going to know who we are. We may be able to play games and keep it secret from the public, but our enemies will know.”

Jake tapped his index and middle finger against the table twice, in thought.

“We need five people. You, me, Vagrant…” He takes a moment in thought. “Red One.” He pauses to think. There’s one missing. He has an idea, but he isn’t sure. “We need someone who knows computers and machinery. In that regard, I know a sixteen year old,” he guesses Diego’s age, “that I won’t ever put in this position. I know an old classmate who resides in the U.S., has a public life and a public job, and generally likes to question my authority, and I can’t think of anyone else. Can you suggest a fifth?”

ChronicLunacy

2013-01-24, 05:39 PM

Green Lantern
Status: Bruised 1
Defense: 18
HP: 1/2

Danny whumphed as the huge dragon rammed his shields and threw him backward. One claw pierced the shield enough that it ripped a long tear across his flank, showing a thin line of red through the black Lantern Uniform. With a grunt, Danny gritted his teeth and did his damnedest to return the favor. He didn't get fancy with the attack this time, instead just letting an enormous fist blast out of the ring's surface at the dragon. Hopefully it would sock it straight on the jaw.

Blast 15, Power Attack +5/-5: [roll0]

smuchmuch

2013-01-24, 07:37 PM

I'm sorry, i'm not contributing much in here or reign b I'm feeling kinda low at the moment. I just have little inspiration whatsoever.

It might indeed be smart to simply fluff-not-roll a fight between mega-healers that might take a WHILE if we roll it out.

I'm terrible at fight scenes anyway, be it crunch or fluff.
I'm not good at describing action. I'd make an effort normaly, even if just for gettign a bit more characterisation to Jill while she has screen time, but sorry, right now I'm not in the mood even in the mood for cartoony shenanigans.

Mind if most of the fight happens off screen and we jump back to it later, in media res ?

"Alrighty boys, for my next trick" Jill puls out of her hat a hammer. well not a surpise here. And some kind of . And a fish bocal ? That contains a live eel apparently ? ...And a folding screen ? and two bag of catnip ? "I'm going to get technical"

I think even Rube Goldberg wouldn't want to know...

Shade

A week ago

"The Cullie Act only recognizes those on an active FLI squad as members of the FLI.

Shade doesn't say anything but wonders if that's the case, just how many time she broke the Cullie law,
(She's not a dimensional immigrant, no, but she does a lot of things on the side, by herself and the Cullie laws also has things to say about using powers to mess with people head. Possession gotta be major red flags and lets not count all the mental illusions. Well, she's not worrying about prossecution, in her current condition she's almost untrackable and few people out the FLI (in fact not even that many in) even know she exists)

"With a supergenius at our head you'd think she could have negociated some better conditions. Then again, make sense, she's more into killbots than law." It does sound like a political mess. "Alright and your plan to help our mage escape imediate deportation ?"

"Speaking of him, though... why wasn't he teleported along ?" Shade recalls the details of earlier in the evening. she was talking to someone the exact moment it happened but she still noticed. "I'm pretty sure the sudden jump happened when she got close to him, that's your trigger. But the one brought along for the rides were Ava her daughter and me.

I guess ava and her daughter might make sense for some kind of lifeforce connection given the weird thing that happened after. But why both of them ? The daughter pulled out with the mother ?" She wonders out loud. At first, she had though it had been only natives of earth that had bene teleported around but as far as she knew neither Blackest night or that Remembrance woman were known dimension travellers. If there was some kind of signifiaction to the whole thing "I don't think any of us ever had anything to do with earth 6565 or a navimatrix before" she shruggs ".. I'm overthinking this and it's complety random ?"

Funeral

"Things will get worse Ashley, but I expect them to get better too. Isiah always did have a plan for these things."

"Sure, else how could they get even worst ten years later" sneering cinicaly at funerals is absolutly apropriate if no one can hear you.

KaganMonk

2013-01-25, 12:01 PM

On The Island

Dare settles on the sand next to Isiah.

"Grandmother has never been particularly good at diplomacy. And I'm guessing FLI walks a fine line when it comes to telling nations who they can deport. I am certainly interested in the deal you have in mind for us, though."

"As for Navi, my personal guess at the moment is that she dragged the natives in range with her and left the dimensional travelers. But that's just conjecture. To test it, we'd need a non-native, a way to travel, and an isolated place. Since depowering her is proving problematic, perhaps it would be better to help her control her jumps?"

"As for what caused her to be repowered, I know you said Omega is dead, but she was hearing something about Omega reborn when she got her powers back. I'm worried about what that means for the multiverse as a whole."

SuperMuldoon

2013-01-25, 03:20 PM

Jacob Carver - Synapse

Jacob nods at Jenny, a smile growing on his face as he hears her story. "It sounds like you've been doing pretty alright for yourself, and that's great to hear! Though, creating your own stars and little ecosystem sounds a little beyond my level!" he says with his trademark grin.

"Myself?" he says, and lets out a sigh. "Things haven't been so great. I've lost a lot of teammates...friends. It's been difficult, but I can always look back on the times we've made a difference, and use that strength to do my best to carry on." he says, wanting to believe those words. "Though, right now I don't know what's next. There are a bunch of new faces, I don't know if anyone really needs Freedom's Fastest to stick around."

He sees Ashley approach, and moves to make room for her to enter the conversation. "Hi Ashley. I feel like I'm becoming a fixture at these things..." he says with a bit of humor. "Good to see you here too. I'm sorry, I know you and Isaiah were close." he says consolingly.

Starsign

2013-01-25, 10:18 PM

Ashley Culdis

For a moment Ashley looks like she has seen a ghost. Eventually she disperses that with a soft, relieved smile as she notices how much Jennifer has changed since they last "met." "...It has been a while, hasn't it?" Considering her past experiences with Jenny before, Ashley is still a little worried around her. Ashley looks over to Isiah's grave for a moment, then quietly responds, "It's alright. I... Personally I don't see a need to try and change things now that they've gone as is. Isiah is gone, but he isn't my only friend." She tries to show a more passionate, optimistic smile, but her attempts come off clearly half-empty in execution.

She takes a look to Synapse, nodding to him respectfully. "Well at least you are used to it. This is the first funeral I've been to, and probably not the last either." She caught hearing of how no one might be needing him anymore, a real feeling of sorrow that is to Ashley. Right now heroes helping others is what the city needs to get this place back up on it's feet. She speaks up in a bit of a hurry, speaking her mouth rather than her mind. "Synapse, I think the city is in need of us helping it out to rebuild everything. Turning away won't improve things and I'm sure Dire would have thought the same. And... I have a friend who might use your help in the future too." Her "friend" in question is Jake, even if she doubts him a little right now. Isiah's words haven't escaped her, but the ability to think before speaking did. "If you want, I can get you in contact with him sometime." All the while her mind continuously goes through the same thought, What am I thinking? I haven't even confirmed that I can even trust Jake yet!

With that, Ashley looks back at Jenny, continuing to speak like she is a friend. "I'm glad you've been doing well though. Nicholas hasn't exactly had the... best experience with life, much less had someone anywhere near his 'level' as a..." She pauses, awkwardly finding a lack of a word to finish her sentence. It's clear it was going to be something like "friend," "soulmate," "partner," or perhaps even "daughter." The problem for Ashley was finding which one fits best.

Raynn

2013-01-26, 07:13 AM

Camelot

Lance flicks through his files on a ZPad for a moment before he selects one and shows it to Jake

"Here's one. Not a Post-Human genius but more than suitable enough for any basic hacking and technology role. She's also a formidable hero in her own right, she also claims to have dated the Jake from her own World over the long term, we also believe the same can be said for the 'Emily's from Earth 101,115 and Earth 11,460,224 also. SO she's likely to be somewhat loyal. I don't have enough info though on whether she would be willing to participate in black ops or not, especially since she is a member of the Frontliners as well as technically an American citizen."

***

MARS

The creature slams down its massive bulk towards the lantern in an effort to pin him against a rock face but the Green Lantern swoops out of the way of the attack with ease.

Miss, Defenders win on a draw. Dragon misses too..

Grapple Attempt:
Attack Roll: [roll0]
Opposed Grapple Check:[roll1]

***

JILL

That's fine with me.

***

The Funeral

Jenny seems to have enough of Faith's memories of Ashley to know that not finishing Ashley's sentence left her awkwardly silent. Jenny just smiles and doesn't answer how Harlequin and herself relate to each other

"Nick and I should probably leave soon, we've been on Earth for a few hours already and A.E.G.I.S. will go nuts if they find out. I doubt my 'sister' could do much to stop that but A.E.G.I.S. might get her in trouble as a scapegoat for the fact that they . . . can't really do anything about Nick or I. Which they really mustn't like . . ."

She starts to turn away and walk towards an open space and motions for Nick to follow. She clicks her fingers and forms a portal that Ashley notices is identical to the ones Isiah used to make. Nick speaks up

"It was nice meeting you Ashley, and it was good to see you again Synapse."

Jenny grins and waves

"Try to keep the planet in one piece till we pop in again."

***

The Island

Isiah shrugs in response to Shade's queries

"It could have been a case of her Navimatrix malfunctioning as it might not have been fully restored or been a proximity issue, perhaps certain powersets make people easier or more difficult to transport. I'd need some time examining Navi close up to be sure and she doesn't seem likely to accept such tests from me. Maybe Dare would have more luck. I suspect she'd be happier to be poked and prodded by him than me."

He then responds to Dare

"Your hypothesis could also be correct. My concern is why CAN'T she control it. When her organic component was undeveloped prior to event 84, when she was pure machine, she had a much finer control of when she jumped. It's possible Navimatrixes are intended to jump to worlds where they're needed, it fits her history and makes sense as a counterpart to a Time Keeper, but she should be able to control when she jumps. Something to do with her semi-organic nature must be somehow upsetting her systems.

Omega was dead . . . but he was an energy being at that point. The embodiment of the Power Negative. It's possible he could have coalesced somehow but that would take . . . a very long time. Omega would have had to have spent billions of years as a disembodied observer, unable to affect the physical world or ANY world, less than ghost, before such a thing could be possible. He'd be mad. I don't see how he would be able to resurrect, and even if he could how he could then go unnoticed."

kpenguin

2013-01-28, 01:40 AM

**** Dino, the Detective Dinosaur

The rain hammered down on the glass towers of Emerald City like a debt collector hammers his fist on a deadbeat's door. They called it the City of Destiny, but on days like this it was more like the City of Shattered Hopes and Broken Dreams.

Walking down through Jadetown, every soul was passing by as soaked and sorry as a bag of drowned kittens, and me not particularly different. I ain't one for blendin' in, what with the bright green feathers now hanging limp on my back and my reptilian snout poking out under my hat, but being wet was something I managed to have in common with every other mook on the street.

Part of me wondered what I was doing in Munchkinland, the sky's tears drenching every part of me. Part of me felt I outta have gone back to Freedom, to mourn old friends. But I'd seen enough funerals for this dromeasaur's lifetime and when Detective Dinosaur was on a case, there ain't much time for socializin', for good occassion or bad.

I could still remember the look o' the dame who walked into my office that fine evening. Long legs, flutterin' eyes, and bad news written all over in red as bold as the hair on her head. She sat down and gave me a sob story, bout how her metahuman husband got himself whacked. I told her I'd think about taking the case, and to be honest I probably wouldn't, if it wasn't for the next week of every Tom, ****, and Harry coming in, telling me the same.

Husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, co-workers, friends. All with the same story. A meta much loved ended up with a body found. Right here in the City of Destiny. Guess they found theirs at the hand of some nut.

Couldn't turn this one down. Cael wouldn't have.

So, here I am, turnin the corner to a place where the sign flickers "Happy Joy Bar". I walk inside the joint, putting up my cloak and my hat. It was the type of place with TROUBLE might as well be up in big neon lights, misspelled as TROUBIL and with the hint that you'll get a knife in your ribs for correcting it.

I was meetin' a contact here, follwing up on a lead.

Detective Dinosaur sits down at the bar and waits.

SuperMuldoon

2013-01-28, 01:57 PM

Jacob Carver - Synapse

"Leaving so soon?" Jacob says with a sad smile. "It was nice seeing you two again. Take care of yourselves. And don't worry, I'll do my best to keep this space rock in one piece!" He gives them a small wave and watches as they depart.

He turns to face Ashley. "I'm not turning away from the city...I guess it's just the emotion talking. You'll understand in time I guess." he says, thinking back to better days. "A friend huh? Sure, I'll talk to 'em. Gotta try and stay busy, ya know. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine, after all."

SuperCracker

2013-01-28, 09:00 PM

The King of Camelot

He sees the file on the ZPad, and he remembers her face right after she disintegrated her alternate. It was the look of someone who would be tortured for years over it. Jake had only killed two people so far. Both of them were horrible sociopaths. Still, it weighed on him when he was alone. By asking Emily to do this, he would be committing an act of cruelty. Jake shook his head.

“No, Lance. It’s nothing to do with loyalty or skill… I just don’t think she has it in her.”

Jake takes his own display and changes folders. Instead of looking at heroes… he starts looking at villains. Specifically, he starts looking at robotic villains. He stops when he reaches the file on a certain robot on Mars.

“What about this one? Powerful, humanoid. What if we could reprogram it? Make it one of the good guys. It would theoretically be able to hack systems and deal with machinery. Probably could do it better than any normal human.”

He grins a little bit. It was a crazy idea, but that’s what he’s good at.

Starsign

2013-01-28, 09:10 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley does not say too much as she slowly nods at Nicholas and Jennifer, who are leaving via portal. It was good to meet the two, though their leaving felt bittersweet considering the external atmosphere. She ponders Nicholas' words; "Things will get worse, but they will also get better." Ashley hopes that it will be the case. Sometimes she wonders how things can get better. Sometimes though, she simply gets pleasantly surprised.

Ashley listens to Synapse, nodding quietly with a casual smile at his interest. "Glad to hear it. I'll see about getting in touch with my friend as soon as I can and he should be able to arrange an audience for you." She gives a wink as she goes to Clark's side. "Me and Clark will need to get back to work now," she tells Synapse, "But I hope to contact you about my friend soon." With that, Ashley leaves with Clark, off to help out the city once more while things are still calm.

Raynn

2013-01-30, 12:04 AM

Camelot

Director Lancelot stares at the file for a moment

"A robot created by an unknown Neo-Nazi faction, of the WWII Era Uberstolden Donar, the Lord of Thunder. Well, there's a student codenamed Tsar Bomba who's a roboticist. He might be able to pull this off. Not sure what his personality will be like when he's done with him but I'm sure he can give him the knowledge and expertise we'd need him to have."

Ask whatever else you need to and then we can move on to the Vagrant-King Mordred thing.

***

Emerald City

Detective Dinosaur didn't need to wait long.

A few minutes into nursing his first drink the man tumbled through the front door of the establishment, his coat slick with rain. He fell awkwardly into a seat beside the good detective at leered at the bar tender before speaking up. "Whiskey, on the rocks," he forced out of a ragged throat, already worn by years of recreational alcoholism.

Vincent Teague wasn't a pretty sight. His mutation wasn't the fancy sort that got you a paid education in the school the good Detective had been offered to teach in or a nice spandex outfit. It was of the sort that caught stares from passer-bys and made children ask there parents 'what was wrong wit him'. Vincent Teague was not a happy man.

Vincent Teague was only passably a man at all. He'd come up with some Fomorian refugees and tried to make a go of it with the Irish gangs but he soon found himself unwanted in most places and wanted by the worse sort. He'd moved to America just around when there was a boom in the strange in and around Emerald City and thought it might be a land of opportunity for his sort. Sadly a run in or two with the local heroes and a slighted gang member or two had left Teague on the outs again.

His drink arrived and he sipped at it, not removing the trench coat or fedora that clung dripping to his thin frame. He hadn't even acted as if he had noticed the Detective yet.

He rubbed his eyes with a simian hand. Vincent Teague, though technically human, looked to all the world like a large monkey in old slacks, a shirt, trenchcoat and soaked fedora. Despite his strangest most still presumed he was a typical, and unlucky, mutant rather than guess at his quasi-mystical origin.

He motioned for a second drink and the bartender provided. He finally turned to the Detective and spoke "so what brings a reptile like yourself to Emerald City, Detective?"

SuperCracker

2013-01-30, 12:25 AM

Jake Wallace

Jake grinned. “Well, I’m a big believer in second chances via reincarnation. Guess reprogramming works, too. Put the pieces together. Let’s make it happen. Also, get me Sir Leonard. He needs to know who he’s in bed with.”

Since Len will presumably be part of the Mordred thing, we can wrap these two together, along with the recruitment of Vagrant.

Raynn

2013-01-30, 11:19 PM

Camelot
Sauros

This doesn't really require me till you go get Vagrant I think, so SuperMuldoon can describe his own entrance with Lancelot. :smallsmile:

SuperMuldoon

2013-01-31, 12:35 AM

Len Cope

Managing to free up some time from his duty as leader of the Freedom League, Len arrives at Camelot ready for business. He meets Lancelot on the way inside the castle.

"Sir Lancelot, great to see you again." he says, as he grasps the man's forearm in that awesome style of greeting that he saw on the Hercules TV show, you know - the one with Kevin Sorbo. "How has Camelot been since I've been away? To be honest, I really miss the place. My quarters back in the states just don't feel like home to me." he says, making small talk on the way to the meeting room.

Len opens the doors and walks right up to Jake. "Brosef! It feels like forever!" he says and embraces his best friend in a hearty hug. "So, bring me up to speed."

SuperCracker

2013-01-31, 12:55 AM

The King

Jake grinned and stood up from his seat. He walked over to Len and hugged the big guy, complete with manly pats on the back.. You know, because we’re manly. “Hey brother. It’s been a while.” Jake motions for Len to come in further, and he waits for Lance to close the door. The room was swept every few hours for bugs. This was the most secure place to speak.

“Len, I have some things to show you. You aren’t going to like them.”

Jake takes the Zpad and passes it to Len, with the recent intelligence he’d been given on it. After letting Len read it for a few moments, he begins to break it down simply.

“The United States wants to be the sole superpower. They see Camelot as an obstacle to this. So they plan to marginalize us and then destroy us. They have initiated these secret weapon programs.”

Jake doesn’t talk about anything else, yet. He needs to see Len’s reaction to this.

SuperMuldoon

2013-01-31, 01:11 AM

Len Cope

Len takes the ZPad, his finger swiping the screen from document to document. His face grows more concerned after each one.

"Some of these are downright barbaric. Exposing people to radiation? Cloning? DNA manipulation?" Len looks disgusted. "What are they thinking?"

"Are they seriously planning to unleash something like this? Bring war to our doorstep?"

SuperCracker

2013-01-31, 01:24 AM

The King

“You’re right. Two of those involve creating slave races. All of them involve bringing down everything we’ve worked so hard to build.” He folded his arms and looked his best friend in the eye.

“Lancelot believes that it’s inevitable. I’d like to think that it isn’t… but we can’t ignore the reality of the situation.”

He then reached over to the ZPad and opened another file, the file about the Black Ops squad. The folder was called “Operation: Rogue.” Jake, Lancelot, Vagrant, Red One. “So we’re going to do something about it. Len, we’re forming a group to take down these Weapon Projects. We’re going to hit them, and stall their efforts while we build our own.”

“I also plan to approach some of our old friends. Ashley, maybe Robert. We need advanced weapons and armor for our soldiers. We need to buy the time for them to develop it. Otherwise, we won’t stand a chance.”

“We also need allies. Washington is building a power block. So should we.”

SuperMuldoon

2013-01-31, 01:35 AM

The First Knight

"What a mess...if we arm up, we further escalate any possible hostilities - but if we don't we end up wiped out if they try anything." Len says, sighing.

He raises his eyes from the ZPad and looks at Jake. "However, I'm in favor of arming ourselves. Kit us out. If there are no hostilities, we can put the tech to good use like we always have. If there are hostilities, we win and then put the tech to good use like we always have."

He looks over the black ops team file. "You and Lancelot? I know I shouldn't say this but if anything happens on those missions you are two very valuable people to Camelot. However I do like the idea, if we can take out these projects - frankly abominations - then we are ahead and hopefully can stay there."

SuperCracker

2013-01-31, 01:40 AM

The King

“I didn’t want to be on this team, but Lance insisted. It’s really about who we can trust, and who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty.” Jake looked at Len for a long moment, long and hard. The next topic wouldn’t be pleasant. “What do you plan to do? As I see it, we have two options. You can either stay with the Freedom League and be our mole on the inside. Or you can ditch them, and join us in Operation: Rogue. We need to move in lockstep from here on out.”

KaganMonk

2013-02-01, 11:37 PM

Time With Navi

Dare sees the startled look on Navi's face. He apologizes a bit sheepishly. "Sorry, you know how quickly my mind can race at times. Tell you what, I think we can find out if you can touch people safely. We'll go back to the base where there's no natives around. If my theory is correct, then touching me will send you to my home universe. It's relatively safe, and I know how to find you easily. Once we figure out how your powers work, we might be able to help you control them. What do you say? Another universe hop for old times sake?"

On The Island

Dare sighs. "Well, Navi was my chief concern. Now I have to wonder. I'm not back home yet, which means you either strongly believe in my cause, or you have a plan for us. I doubt you would risk an international incident for the former, which leads me to believe the latter. What do you want from me and my friends?"

At The Funeral

Dare stands a bit away from the comings and goings at the funeral. I came to pay my respects, Isiah. The Eternal Wanderer has finally found a place to lay his weary head. I won't let your work be in vain. Freedom will prevail.

SuperMuldoon

2013-02-05, 05:56 PM

Len Cope

Len didn't really need to think much about it. Night was gone, and the President was signing off on secret weapons programs designed to destroy his home. "I'm going to tender my resignation from the Freedom League immediately. There's no way I could be a mole - as soon as you hit the weapons facilities I would be locked out of everything and put under heavy surveillance. I would be useless."

"At least this way I can protect my home and my friends. The Freedom League never really was my style anyway...especially not after Night..." he trails off for a moment, and shakes his head.

"I'm in."

SuperCracker

2013-02-05, 06:02 PM

The King

Jake grinned as Len agreed. Things were finally starting to look up. Everything was finally starting to come together. He’d reach out to Robert and Ashley soon enough, but first, they had some preliminary work to do. Interview a wizard and do some soul-searching… literally.

“You’re in. Now, let’s go take care of that Mordred situation… then, we have to go capture a Nazi robot on Mars.”

And here is the part where we end scene, and jump to Vagrant. He has been invited to the castle by the King himself, and has been escorted to the Round Table itself. No one is here but Jake and Len.

Ladorak

2013-02-05, 07:01 PM

Vagrant walked into the inner chamber with no small amount of trepidation. It is clear from the set of his face and shoulders, from the way he carries himself, from his hooded and guarded eyes. Although he simply walks slowly he still gives the impression of a coiled spring, or possibly a coiled snake ready to strike. That much would depend on Jake and Len. For now he simply exuded an air of readiness, not hostility.

He bowed stiffly, uncomfortably aware his... rough upbringing had given him no time to learn the classics. Surely any child of this world would know the right way to address the King of Camelot. Instead he opts for an older, but no less honoured title, one once given to the High Priests of Atlantis millennia ago. 'Majesty.' He lets the word float in the air, watching Len and Jake with the air of a swooping hawk whose vision has failed him, leaving him unknowing if he plunged toward a fat tasty pigeon or a sleek and dangerous Condor. 'I had not expected a private audience. You honour me.' His tone made it clear he did not yet truly believe that last sentiment

SuperCracker

2013-02-05, 07:41 PM

The King

Jake stood beside the high-backed seat at the Round Table. The lovely, if plain wooden table was imposing to say the least. But for the King of Camelot’s part, he wore no particular finery, just a purple button-down shirt and a golden tie. He was wearing his circlet, but it was small and far from ostentatious. Jake’s brown eyes watched Vagrant, not with any malice… but with a very alert gaze. He grinned slightly when Vagrant in fact used the right term.

“I’m sorry if it wasn’t what you were expecting. But I’d rather have this little interview away from the press.”

He dropped why Vagrant was here quickly, to get it out of the way. There was a tension in the air that Jake wanted to dispense with immediately.

“Come take a seat by me,” Jake said, gesturing to a seat to his left… which, whether Vagrant knew it or not, had belonged to Merlin prior to his death. Len’s seat was directly to the right of Jake’s seat.

The King sat down and began to thumb through a file on his ZPad.

“You may or may not know that recently, the High Wizard Merlin died. That position remains empty. It’s a critical slot in our government. A high adviser to me and the head of this country’s mages. Now I’ve looked at some of our own for this position, but quite frankly none of them measure up.”

He looked up at Roland.

“So now I’m looking at you.”

Ladorak

2013-02-05, 08:32 PM

Vagrant permitted himself a small smile when Jake mentioned the press 'I don't think I remember the Arthurian Legend about the King worrying about the press.' Vagrant does not take a seat, he's well aware of what the round table signifies.

He sobers when Jake makes his offer, the smile slipping from his face 'Majesty, normally I would beg leave to consider this, you offer me great honour, but also responsibility. However, I recently had some advice from a... Old friend. I would be honoured to stand in Merlin's place.'

smuchmuch

2013-02-05, 08:50 PM

"Court wizzard ?! He promessed meeee the position !"
Holy crap, she still remembers after five years ?! Her attention span doesn't covers five seconds usualy.
"I demand a magic duel !
After I'm done with the toon gang. And lunch. And whatever current arc we're in the moment And...."
Yeah, I wouldn't worry about that. She's not even in the room, this entire spoiler is probably non canon. "Oh I see much cannons in his future. And pianos. And bunnies."" That's scarry ? "All will fear the bunnies"

Desert island

Shade shudders. She seems to have alsmot got paler, somehow.
What Isiah decribed feels horribly familair in a way. Oh,erpsonaly, she's lucky enough she can still influence the worlds in way with enough concentration and willpower (in fact by ghost standart she is very lucky, at least she can comunicate easily does she wants to), but if it all went away... Becoming a complelty lonely powerless passive observer, forced to see events with no chance to interact without anything and no way to make it stops. It's a fate nightmares are made off.
No one could keep their sanity after thousand years of that. They'd be rabid or completly broken.

Then suddenly the enormity of the whole conversation hits her.
"Wait wait wait. Can we get back to the part where the destroyer of the univers and ultimate omnicidial maniac DIED ?!
And it was just a temporary condition, apparently. But that's a lot less surprising. Take it from a ghost.
Shade looks at Isiah then Dare with an expression that say 'And you say Navi heard heard WHAT ?!' "Anyway, If there's a even a shred of a hint of a chance of him being back, don't you think it warrants looking into it a bit more ?"

I kinda assume the fact Omega is dead is not public knowlege, hence the reaction.

SuperCracker

2013-02-05, 08:53 PM

The King

Well, Vagrant’s eagerness was a good sign, but Jake wasn’t ready to seal the deal just yet. He shook his head and chuckled. “First of all, just call me Jake. While I understand the need for honorifics and the desire to keep the position of monarch in as high a regard as possible, I tend to like dispensing with that kind of thing as often as I can get away with.” He smiled, a genuine smile. Based on what he’d seen in Thomas’ universe, this man Roland could be his very close friend one day. May as well start things off right.

“The second thing is that I’m not ready to let you accept the position. Not before I tell you some things. The world is in turmoil. Camelot is in the very heart of the storm. This position I’m offering, it’s not a walk in the park. It’s difficult, demanding, and dangerous. So, before you accept… I’m ready to give you as close to full disclosure as I can. Can you swear to keep what you’re about to hear secret?”

Ladorak

2013-02-05, 09:20 PM

Vagrant snorted. Still unwilling to sit at the Round Table he conjured a throne of his own, diplomatically both smaller and less ornate than Jake's.

He gathered his robes about his legs and sat, an exaggeratedly slow yet elegant movement that gave him time to think.

'Jake.' He said, tasting the word on his tongue 'I am aware of what Camelot has become to the international community. A wise man once said, the only sure thing in politics is no matter what you do strong voices will be raised against you. You have polarised the world Jake. Many of the common people are for you, and much propaganda is produced by them. The Status Quo is opposed to you, as is natural, and much propaganda is produced by them. I doubt there is a single person on the planet without a strong opinion on Camelot, save maybe a few wise enough to admit that, in this case, the only true wisdom is admitting that they know nothing. Sadly the teachings of Socrates, always remembered, are rarely understood.
'Rest assured the magical community does not share this polarisation. For the most part it is not considered... Our affair. But this polarisation does not exist for us.'

He paused, drumming his fingers against the arm of his spectral throne 'Camelot is the first new major player in the international community since the formation of the Turkish State, Atlantis and the Farsiders are too distant to be truly relevant, there is little trade or cultural exchange. Europe has choked it's own potential for decades, the America Star is failing, Russia falls into decay and corruption, China restrains itself to consolidation of Eastern Asia, the government of India is more corrupt than many mob bosses. In an agreement of... mutual deliberate misunderstandings, the world turns it's eyes from the deprivations of the rest of the world, in the expectation the rest of the world's eyes will be turned from their's. You have upset this, Jake, by being too honest and too statesmanly. Camelot calls the morality of the entire world into question, until you join them in having... skeletons in the cupboard you wish to remain hidden.
'Worse, you have shown yourself hard to destroy. Now they have two reasons to fear you... In short, Jake' disspite using the name several times it still sounds wrong in his mouth 'I understand the danger of being adviser to a deeply popular and deeply unpopular King.'

SuperCracker

2013-02-05, 09:41 PM

The King

He sat there and witnessed a man that he had never met before describe his precarious political position with completely accurate detail. Surely, this man had not been prone to sitting around thinking about this. It implied a mind that was strong, and more importantly, agile. Jake was deeply impressed with Roland so far. He would be a fine adviser to the King. Still, full disclosure.

“You’re right. But it goes beyond the political. You see, I do have skeletons in the closet. And I’m willing to share them with you before you make your final decision. You may want to brace yourself for the first one.”

He’d not had this conversation with anyone other than Len. Even the Round Table hadn’t been given such an honest appraisal of this situation as Jake was about to give Roland.

“My fiancé, Hope.” He took a moment. There’s no easy way to explain it. So he gives a preface. “Roland, I am the reincarnation of Mordred. In another life, that was who I was. While certain enemies love to remind me of that, to creepy extremes in some cases, I’m simply a different person.”

A beat, to let the point sink in. Then… he rips the band-aid off.

“Hope is the reincarnation of Omega, an omnicidal villain of world-shattering power.” He holds up a hand to stop the shocked interjection that would surely come. “But she’s like me. She’s different. A new life, a new person. New personality and experiences. I’ve given her a second chance, and she has not disappointed me, going so far as to defend the citizens of this land in the battle against the Star Khan. This is aside from the fact that I really do love her. Len here has known about this for some time. You are the second person to get the full story.”

There’s bombshell number one. Bombshell number two… well… we can wait on talking about Black Ops and Weapon Projects… Let’s see how he handles this one.

Ladorak

2013-02-06, 07:17 AM

Roland, I am the reincarnation of Mordred. In another life, that was who I was. While certain enemies love to remind me of that, to creepy extremes in some cases, I’m simply a different person.

Vagrant snorted at that. 'Then they do not understand the nature of reincarnation. It is, by definition, the ending of one thing and the beginning of another. You are not Mordred, your soul is simply the thing that Mordred's soul has become. It is like comparing a dinosaur'' his eyes flicked to Len 'to oil.' He waved a hand dismissively 'Which you already knew, please continue.'

“Hope is the reincarnation of Omega, an omnicidal villain of world-shattering power.” He holds up a hand to stop the shocked interjection that would surely come. “But she’s like me. She’s different. A new life, a new person. New personality and experiences. I’ve given her a second chance, and she has not disappointed me, going so far as to defend the citizens of this land in the battle against the Star Khan. This is aside from the fact that I really do love her. Len here has known about this for some time. You are the second person to get the full story.”

Vagrant sat up in alarm, so shocked the throne beneath him almost dissipated, which would have been a fine way to humiliate himself before the King.

'Majesty... Jake. She is not like you. The Lord of Terminus... He is the Omega. The ending. He is a force of nature, a natural law made manifest. He is not any normal soul, to be thrown off of or dragged onto the Wheel of Fate.' He paused, reminding himself of the awesome, and often destructive, power of love. He moderated his words 'I do not speak against the woman, I will judge her on her own merit in due time. But you must know... Even if she is the finest woman ever birthed, you still hold a viper to your breast. Where she goes Omega follows, less than he was, I have no doubt, but still very real and, potentially, incredibly dangerous.'
I switched you to royal blue, seemed appropriate

SuperMuldoon

2013-02-06, 10:03 AM

Len Cope

Len stood with Jake as Roland entered the room of the Round Table. Welcoming him in along with Jake, Len takes his seat, unbuttoning his jacket and straightening his forest green tie as he sat. He folded his hands in front of him and let Jake speak, watching Roland intently, trying to gauge the measure of the man.

He really knew his stuff, and as expected was well versed in the situation at hand. Though Len thought there was something in his voice that desired the excitement of the coming danger. Len grinned when he made his dinosaur:oil comparison. He's got jokes.

When Jake dropped the heavy stuff, the Hopemega issue, Len watched Roland's reaction. It went pretty much how he expected, except there was no outright "no". Still potential here.

"I can also vouch for Lady Hope's character. She has acquitted herself well as Jake says, doing her best to help when needed." he pauses. "However, we are not blind to the knife edge we walk. If the worst was to happen...it would be catastrophic to say the least."

"But it's how we operate. She deserves a chance, so we are giving it to her. I hope this is not a deal-breaker for you, as someone with your knowledge and skills would be an incredible asset to have on the Round Table."

SuperCracker

2013-02-06, 01:36 PM

The King

It was the reaction he expected. At least it wasn’t worse than that. Jake was thankful that Len was supporting him in regards to Hope. Harboring Omega is a hard thing for anyone to swallow, but Len… Jake knew who he could always count on. Jake looked back to Roland.

“She is like me, Roland. More than you can imagine. I was there when she was created. I found a pod that had fallen to Earth, and I touched it. When I did so, it created the flesh and blood body she has now, as well as her personality. The pod took my memories and a good chunk of who I am and gave it to her. She is the result of what came from me and what was there before. She is something new and different. Len’s right. We give second chances. I think that’s something we all have experience with.”

Roland’s past… Jake’s prior life as Mordred… Len after he’d been wrapped up with Rex. They’re all misfits in some way. And this was a place where they could be something better.

“That said, I know that there’s a risk. She’s an energy being. Her body is like.. a flesh and bone robot, to some extent. There’s a layer underneath her consciousness that is primed for her self-protection. I saw it once. She never even knew about it until I brought it up. We both know the risks, and we’re both prepared to stop Omega if he returns.”

It’s a grave statement… but true. It’s one of the reasons for getting rid of Mordred.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, and it may show some error in our judgment. But it’s our morality. Now… if you still want the job, and this seat at the Round Table, it’s yours.” This is the kind of discussion he used to have with Merle. Deep, powerful conversations weighing risks and outcomes. If Roland can handle this, then he deserves the full and complete confidence needed for that seat at the table.

Raynn

2013-02-07, 07:54 AM

Time With Navi

Navi nods hopefully, but with a hint of sadness

"Yeah, that could work. It's best I find out the truth now, rather than later."

Skip to scene at the base?

***

On The Island

Isiah replies to Shade first

"I suppose you are correct Shade but if he was on Earth he wouldn't be able to hide, his containment suit would make him obvious. Of course . . . the implication of a revived Omega would be a restored Terminus. If Omega returned being able to enter the Terminus would be proof, and the realm itself might hold clues assuming he does not once again rule over it with an iron fist. If Shade, you wished to follow up such a possibility I have doubt Doctor Dare and the others of your newly assembled team could no doubt assist you."

He then replies to Doctor Dare

"Once your team is prepared, and has a free moment, all I ask is that you investigate a worrying situation. High above the Arctic Circle, hidden deep beneath the polar icecap, is a hidden city of super humans, Home Sapien Ultima. They're descendants of the original Atlanteans, cosmically empowered by experiments they're ancestors preformed on themselves in an effort to win the war with the Lemurians . . . "

Isiah pauses as he realizes that Dare and Shade might not share a knowledge of secret ancient earth history and that he's going a little off point

"Anyway, I was acting as an envoy, trying to convince them to share technology and possibly one day even open communication with the outside world or even the United Nations. A few weeks ago the city stopped responding to my communications and they possess technologies that prevent me or anyone else from teleporting a team inside. I figure with your resources you could discover whether or not the city of Ultima Thule is somehow imperiled."

Ladorak

2013-02-07, 06:57 PM

Vagrant stood up, his chair disappeared. He looked ready to leave, but made no move, he hovered.

'Jake, Len, please do not misunderstand me. I do not speak against the woman. I am telling you this; Omega does not reincarnate, not as we do... He paused, and looked sad you
do' He corrected himself 'Omega cannot end. While Hope remains in Camelot.' he paused to appreciate that irony 'She remains the greatest and most present threat, not just to Camelot, but to all reality. To all that has and will be, and will never be, should Omega achieve his will.
'I do not say you should put her aside. I do say that this is a thing you must never forget, not even for an instant. A crown is a heavy thing, yet it is a good king that remembers that. A good knight shares his King's concerns, especially in such matters that emotion may blind a man.'

He absently reached out and put his hand on the top of Merlin's chair. He seemed not to notice he had done so 'I do not believe a man can choose not to fall in love, nor to be in love, nor whom he loves. It's sort of the point of love, I suppose. And Hope must be somewhere, and better her by far than Omega. Why not she be here, where Excalibur and your knights stand in protection. I do not counsel against this, but you seemed under an illusion, a misapprehension I can not allow to continue. How good she is may be, in the fullness of time, meaningless.'

He paused to let that suck in, but also to collect his thoughts 'Another thing you have overlooked. Again in this I cannot speak against her, for in this I am like her. She is a thing created Jake. All life suggests a creator and a motive, in her case this is more assured. Do you know where this pod came from?'

SuperCracker

2013-02-07, 07:56 PM

The King

“You don’t have to tell me I need to watch her. I know. It’s not Hope I’m worried about, but whatever could be lurking in there with her. There are too many mysteries here. The pod is one of them. I fully intend to find out where it came from and why it happened on that night. The timing coincides with the first attack by the Supreme. He seemed to know what was going on… That information passed very easily to one of his minions, Arthur Strong, who is presently residing in a cold, dark cell.”

He adjusted the circlet on his head.

“I need to find these answers. I need you to help me find them. I’ll tell you right now that I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to preserve this kingdom and this world. But if I can avoid going down that road, I will.”

He didn’t want to bring this up before he had a firm answer… but…

“But should that possibility arise, I need to be able to do what must be done. And right now, I’m incapable. The Omega AI placed a portion of the Power Negative inside of me, and spoke this: if I don’t protect Hope, Mordred would.” He lets how dire that is sink in. “In the very situation we’re talking about, Mordred will wake up… and he’ll have all my powers plus the Power Negative. Whatever happens, we can’t allow that. So what I need… is for you to work your magic. We have to go inside my subconscious, soul, whatever it may be… and we have to get rid of Mordred for good.”

“In case I have to kill Omega.”

Ladorak

2013-02-08, 12:23 PM

Vagrant sat down in Merlin's seat, feeling a great weight settling on his shoulders 'I will serve you, my King.'

SuperCracker

2013-02-08, 12:41 PM

The King

He nodded. This was the beginning of a new era. A stronger, better Kingdom. This position would be a heavy burden on Roland, but Jake vowed to himself that he would make it all worthwhile.

“Then let’s get started. For the sake of our people, and the world.”

The next few hours are spent bringing Roland up to speed on everything he should know about his duties and the governance of the land in general. He’s shown to his quarters within the Mages’ Tower. All the comforts one could wish for were present. Ancient tomes that once belonged to Merlin, and other trappings of the wizardly profession. Roland is told to get whatever things he needs from Freedom City and get some rest. For the next day… they solve one problem for good.

After Len posts, I guess we’re ready to move on to the Mordred thing.

SuperMuldoon

2013-02-08, 06:45 PM

Len Cope

Len grinned as Roland sat in Merlin's chair. "Welcome aboard." he says to the new High Wizard of Camelot. "Hope you're up to the task. Getting inside Jake's head...jeez I'm not even sure I want to imagine!" he says, poking fun at his friend.

"But seriously - welcome. I'm glad you've decided to accept the position. Camelot just isn't the same without a High Wizard."

SuperCracker

2013-02-08, 06:48 PM

The King

Had to make a remark!

"Oh yeah? You're coming, too." Jake said, smirking at Len.

smuchmuch

2013-02-10, 04:02 PM

Island. A week ago

"Woah two seconds here, new team ? I want to help and I'm gratefull for the rescue from dimension 6565 but I didn't sign anything." Just because she's been stranded with these people for a couple of hours doesn't mean she bonded enough to be comfortable to work with them. "I understand if FLI member join them, it regularize them in regard of the Cullie laws. But I'm far from the best choice here. First, I barely know these peoples" she turns to look at the doctor "No offense."

And two your speciality is time and dimension travel, if I heard right ?" she shrugs "I have no skills at this. Strictly provincial and mostly street level girl, sorry. Last time I did time and dimesnion travel was with the Legacy and the whole Tyranus mess. but between 'Cael' and the 'Queen' leading the dance, I swear everyone and their dogs was waltzing all over the timelines at the time." Shade raise her hands as a dismissal movement, it doesn't count as far she's concerned, before looking at Isiah "Why don't you join them. I'm sure someone else can do monitor duty and dimensional travel is meat and drink for you."

Funeral

"Good seeing you again cousin, alive and unharmed. Say hi to your Ashley and Alice from me" A maybe slightly familiar voice (it's been a while) whisper at Synapse before he walks away. she then turn slightly apologetic. "I know it's akward to ask this now, in the circumstances but is Alice still hooked with metamorph. I was suprised not to see any of you at his clone funeral. You know where they lives at the moment ? I'd need to ask him a few questions."

*Ashley, as in Synapse's sister from the fall, not Cudlis

Sorry, muldoon, I know you're pretty much done with Synapse at the funeral but I forgot to post that earlier and it seems like a good enough occasion to ask in character

KaganMonk

2013-02-10, 04:34 PM

Time With Navi

Dare gives Navi a smile. "Chin up. Knowledge is power, and the more you have, the more options you have. If you find out how to control the power, you can choose not to use it. If you can't, we'll figure out reasonable precautions for you. No matter what, you still get to make your own choices. Now c'mon, think of it as a good old fashioned adventure."

Shortly...
Dare leads Navi into the library at the base. While there's a decent amount of books, Dare has obviously embraced the digital age, with a computer terminal connected to several library databases. A couple comfortable chairs are set up for readers. "Here we go. The dimensional bubble should isolate us from innocent bystanders. I've got my staff, so go ahead and hold my hand tight. That will hopefully drag me along with you. If it doesn't, I'll be arriving right behind you. And be prepared for trouble. Isiah thought there might be an element of going where you're needed involved." Dare holds out a bare hand to Navi."

On the Beach

"As I was with Cael during that turbulent time, I can't dispute you about experienced people. However, the list of people who knew anything about me and Vagrant is dwindling rapidly. And with Isiah busy running the FLI, you are on the short list. Besides, this is just an in-town trip, relatively. Seeing as we're going on a diplomatic mission of sorts on behalf of the FLI, your presence would be appreciated. I always appreciate having someone along who doesn't think I'm the wisest person in the universe. Skeptics keep me honest."

Raynn

2013-02-10, 05:24 PM

Camelot

Scene End - Mordred Ritual Will Be Next Issue

***

Time With Navi

As Navi's hand comes closer to Dare she hesitates fearfully for an instant before pressing their palms together lightly.

Nothing.

She waits a moment.

Slowly but surely a smile of untempered, tear-threatening joy breaks on to her features. She whispers

"I didn't go away . . ."

She is stunned for a moment but looks Apollo in the eyes

"I didn't go away!"

Dare seems about to speak, likely to say something to remind the world he is a genius, about post-human biological and extra-dimensional quantum mechanics.

He finds that, all of sudden, Navi is kissing him joyfully and has flung her arms around.

Dare, as a change of pace, takes a moment to not speak.

***

On the Beach

In response to Shade Isiah shakes his head

"There are close to twenty currently active F.L.I. teams across the globe, I have to coordinate them all. What I do is a little bit more than 'Monitor Duty'. I have also have my Claremont position and my work with the Freedom League Alpha as well as side projects for the League and Olympus Technology. I am lucky that I don't sleep.

I don't have time to investigate this properly myself, and I think you need a team like this Shade. You work too much on your own now-a-days and you need the living to keep you in touch with the world at large."

ChronicLunacy

2013-02-10, 05:41 PM

Green Lantern
Status: Bruised 1
Defense: 18
HP: 1/2

Just missing him, the space serpent slammed into a nearby rockface, demolishing it. "I'm going to get splattered if I stay out here in the open." Danny smirked. "Alright then, let's see if you can keep up!"

Mentally turning up the brightness on his force field, Danny turned himself into a bright, green target and swept across the dragon's nose, daring it to follow him into one of the planet's deeper and thinner canyons. Flying like a bat out of hell, the Green Lantern led the serpent on a merry chase through a set of harrowing twists and turns, trying to get it to whack itself silly on the canyon walls trying to follow him.

Not sure of the roll required here. Reflex?
Reflex: [roll0]

Raynn

2013-02-10, 06:49 PM

Mars
Playing Track 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71LRXmDV7_I)

*BOOM!*

As the Green Lantern ducks between the russet mesas of Mars the dragon roars ever louder behind it at it collides with, and often breaks through, rock face after rock face.

*BOOM!*

Finally the Green Lantern shoots out of the canyon to high above as a shock wave of red dirt and air shoots past where he was a moment before. He glances back as he spins in the air and sees the Dragon pinned helpless and securely between the canyon walls, its great bulk becoming its ultimate undoing in the tiny space.

The tiny space that could easily support a four lane highway but size is relative in this case.

ChronicLunacy

2013-02-10, 07:18 PM

Green Lantern
Status: Bruised 1
Defense: 18
HP: 0/2

"Welcome to Erf...err...Mars!" Danny quoted an awesomely terrible movie, then swept down toward the creature again. He landed on its head, between its massive ears, and slapped it with a flat palm a couple of times.

"Eeeeeasy fella..." he said, actually trying to treat this thing with some measure of respect now that he had it in a position where it wasn't freaking out and trying to eat him. "You just don't know where you are, do you, big guy? And you're just a little tyke, too...not like your big brothers. Maybe you're just scared." he patted it on the head again. "Hey, you want to calm down for me, okay? I'd rather not hurt you." he said in a measured, even tone, trying to bring the dragon down to a more sedate mood.

Danny worked in a zoo back in Freedom City. He roamed the wolf and lion enclosures openly when he was there. He'd been dealing with predators ever since he was a little kid and was able to volunteer. Just because the animal was enormous didn't necessarily mean he couldn't handle it. The dragon was a beautiful creature, when you looked at it in a certain light, so he'd prefer not to have to destroy it. Maybe he could bring it down without violence and find a way to send it back where it came from.

Handle Animal: [roll0]

ChronicLunacy

2013-02-10, 07:20 PM

Stupid roller...not doing what I want...rashafrashanogoodpieceof...why I oughtta...
HP Reroll: [roll0]
Adjusted Result: 36

Raynn

2013-02-10, 08:39 PM

MARS

It takes a few minutes of roaring and shaking but eventually the dragon is calmed by the Green Lantern while still being wedged between the canyon walls.

Now he just had to figure out what to do with the thing . . .

KaganMonk

2013-02-10, 11:50 PM

Time With Navi

After several long moments, Dare pulls out of the kiss, but doesn't let go of Navi. "It's hard to catch me by surprise, but I wasn't expecting that." He looks into her eyes for a moment before a goofy grin spreads over his face. "Not that I'm complaining, but what brought that on all of a sudden." Dare's eyes sparkle. He sits in one of the chairs and pulls Navi into his lap.

smuchmuch

2013-02-11, 05:11 PM

Island

"Isiah, I work alone because most people can't make themselves invisible or follow me through walls. And keeping from closing on myself is exactly why I keep myself busy." Shade sounds miffed but there's a slightl hesitation in the back of her voice, as if the speaker was convincing herself as much as the listener before rallying. "I had metasoul murder to investigate; and drugs shipement to track before some people distracted me with a pointless fight. Now there are gone, It'll take me weeks to find their trace back" She gives an exasperated look at the universe in general as if she was holding it responsible for the whole mess this evening. "Fine I'll join dare's roster for now, even if just out of my personal distate for the 'Culling' act. Butyou owe me one. And you too Isiah Washington"

This more important part of the meeting have probaly all been said by now but she has a few more questions remaining. Besides it's a nice island. "What the hell with the Aegis helicarier and an army of ghostly knights around Camellot ? I heard something about an attacb by" She marks a slightly incredulous pause. "the crime syndicate ?" Last time she checked the Crime syndicate was a bunch of supernatural thugs, particulary violents and unsubtle one, true, but hardly an army. What made them even think they could try invading Camelot, small as it may be. Or why ? "Mind sharing some details about what the hell happened here while we were there ?"

Raynn

2013-02-12, 06:54 PM

Dare

Navi giggles as she is pulled on Dare's lap

"Well . . . with what happened with the Understudy and that hell world we ended up in . . .

Okay, so I've been all fleshy for a decade but it wasn't until recently that I appreciated how short life is. I mean REALLY short . . . I mean in the cosmic scheme of things you guys are mayflies . . . Sure maybe one day I stop aging and I live for ever, no one really knows when it comes to me, but if not I don't want to spend a day waiting, wasted . . . I don't want to wait for the right time for stuff anymore. I should be MAKING the right times . . .

Does that make ANY sense?"

Able to close up this scene?

***

Island

Isiah answers Shade's question

"Someone attacked Camelot with an army of half-cybord dinosaurs and zombies, seemingly through the medium of a newly formed group of Super-Villains made up of some pretty heavy hitters. Beyond destroying Camelot itself we're not sure of the motivation or intent just yet. We have reason to believe whoever orchestrated the attack goes by The Supreme but that's most conjecture at this point.

smuchmuch

2013-02-12, 08:48 PM

Island

"The Supreme ? Can't say I ever heard of him before" So, some new crime. And he's ambitious. "how heavy the hitters, were talking about here ? Factor four ? Ubermensch ?"
Shade try to recalll what she know about camelot or it's enemies; not that much actualy. The cyborg dinosaurs does vaguely remind her of a repport she heard from emerald city and others, something about Camelot first knight, though "I guess, that ridiculous brain in a jar T rex guy ?"

"Okay I've got a couple of stuff to ask you. I'll ask them fast since you're a busy person.
First, I don't know if it had any significance but the dimesion travel felt weird. completly different from what it felt, with Cael or others. Didn't feel like being transported at all, more like things just changed around me." it's not really a question, just a detail she found curious at the time about and felt like mentioning in case it has any kind of relevance to understand what happened with Navi.

"Two, you are the incarnation of space, right ? So you gotta know a lot of important people.
If I tell you about a guy with blue hair and a goth girl who call themselves the Endless themselves the Endless, and someting called the "End of wonders" does that ring any bells ?" Sure he genuinely seemed to be who he prentended who he was, she could feel much power, he really seem to be part of the dreaming, but Shade was still a bit skeptikal about her encounter in the dreaming. For one thing there's his 'sister'... Shade is pretty damn sure she'd remember if she had met her before.
And even if he was, ...who said that just because it's an aspect of the universe talking to you they can't make mistake.. of just plain lie.

"And three... I really gotta ask..." she marks a little pause; Gotta be a very important question. A big one ! ".. who the hell give those numbers to dimensions anyway ? What's the logic behind it ? I mean why earth 8 ? Compared to what ? is there an earth 1 somewhere, an Earth infinite ? I alway wondered"

ChronicLunacy

2013-02-12, 10:56 PM

Green Lantern

"Alright, big guy. How about we figure out where you came from, huh? Maybe there's a portal or something...you can't be from around here." Danny said as he patted the dragon's head. He'd let it out soon. Maybe it wouldn't eat him.

"Ring, scan this creature's energy signature, including any energy bleed that might have come from somewhere else and then see if you can track any similar readings around here. I'm looking for a place of origin on this guy...he can't be native fauna." Danny spoke to his cosmic accessory.

Raynn

2013-02-13, 06:11 PM

The Island

Isiah replies to Shade with a dour look

"The Alpha-Centurion was among their number for one . . . Jake Wallace killed him, stabbed him through the heart.

Well in regards the dimensional travel your a ghost. You're not REALLY here to begin with. You're viewing this reality from a buffer realm for those who haven't passed on. You're interaction with this reality is dependent on the tether than you subconscious enforce on this reality. It felt strange because only your tether moved, your soul remained in the same place, in that nether realm.

End of Wonder no, but the Endless yes. They're a pretty high pay-grade. I'm surprised YOU'VE heard of them.

The numbers of universes are abstractions based on the universal constant of the frequency of vibration of the most fundamental element in said universe, the energy that makes up matter. Technically this isn't Earth 8 but Earth 8.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000004351 . . . never mind. You get the point.

Anything else before we part ways?"

***

MARS

The ring beeps in reply

[Correction/This creature is a native form of fauna for this planet

/the original sentient populace sealed it away for their own protection/
/the creature was native to this world before then/
/a part of the ecosystem/
/that sentient populace is now extinct/
/the creature may be able to be safely reintroduced/]

KaganMonk

2013-02-13, 08:44 PM

Time With Navi

Navi's thoughts on life remind Dare that she wasn't originally human. Which wasn't really a problem, it just bore reminding. "Well, we won't waste time, then. But neither shall we neglect a proper courtship. Part of the fun of life is working for it. What do you say?"

I'm good for wrapping it up and on the beach as well.

Raynn

2013-02-16, 08:31 AM

All

Once Shade closes out I'll post the issue end. Then we can get into the craziness of Issue #2! :smallbiggrin:

smuchmuch

2013-02-16, 08:40 AM

Island

"The Alpha centurion ? But he was exiled in Terminus" Shade doesn't hide her surprise. This is serious. Very serious.
And he's dead too. Since the original centurion, few people would even have the power to beat him. "King Wallace doesn't mess around."

"Yes, I'm surprised too, Isiah, why would I ever meet Death ?" Shade answers sourly. But....actualy she never did. And yet, she's "not really there".
Hearing it put like this, it make sense, even it it makes it sound kind of;; well she didn't need the blunt reminder anyway. "One of them talked to me. Dropped some cryptic clues. I don't know why.
Maybe they are like gods who like to play with mortals. Maybe they take a "personal interest" ? I don't even know why the incarnation of space itself would condescend to talk to me either."
Shade looks at the man in front of her. An ordinary man in apparence. And trully space in all it's mind numbling imensity made flesh. And immortal, by any sense of the word, a man who outlived an universe and will outlive anyone else around here. She can't even start too imagine what it must be like, it would be like living among mayflies, how can someone like that even keep some of their humanity is beyond her.
"Don't get me wrong I'm as gald as anyone else here for what you do but before I go, i jsut hve to ask: ...Why ?" It's not even asked inquisitively or meanly, just sheer fascination. "Why are you here, helping us ? Why do you care ?"

Missed you by ten minutes, sorry about that.
Okay I'm done with this Is...
"Hey !"

Freedom city. The roof over an alley ?

Why are you on a roof ?
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad15/smuchmuch/Illustrations/small/jill04-1_zps04c023c2.png
"It make it look like ere int he middle of a complicated fight scene ?
Anyway, You can't close the issue just yet ! What about me ?"
Ah yes you. Didn't forget about you or anything. Fight with the toon gang, wacky antics and all that.

Er people are kind of waiting to close the issue, I'm going to get lynched if i delay it even more. So.. you have one post.
"That's not ev.."
Not negociable

"Fiiiine. Well boys, i'm not going to say it hasn't been fun."

http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad15/smuchmuch/Illustrations/small/jillbig01_zpscb2db5e0.png

"Yeah, it was kinda like that.

.. except longer. And better drawn. [SIZE="1"]Waaayyy better drawn. "

"Sorry big guy but you heard the man"
http://i917.photobucket.com/albums/ad15/smuchmuch/Illustrations/small/jill06_zps1db15a0a.png
"Gotta wrap this up !"

And then Jill savagely beated up and tied up the whole toon gang one by one and put them into her hat somewhere between the giant squids playing poker and the stun grenades (still haven't exploded or shorted out after five years, say what you want, Ashely does some good engineering). And thus the toon gang was neutralized

"And you dared call the end of last issue anticlimatic ? This was ..."
But despite her regeneration, the repeated shocks may have caused her to become mute forever
".. genius. Masterfull storrytelling. Inspired !
And now that I have the toon gang into my hat, their surliness and thugishness will be beamed right into my brain, so I can be the best hitman ever !"
...I don''t think it work that way. So how the villain life treating you anyway ?
"Eh, it's better than hero. it could be the brainwash talking though. But it's been underwheming so far. I feel miscused."
Sure, the understudy got to have fun in front of cameras and she has to do thing in alleys. Sure hurting people is fun and this whole little battle reminded her some good old days (finaly some people who can take a few punches)
But she misses the crowd. The look on the face of innocent threedees bystanders. Shock. Awe "Sheer terror when a dangerous implement miss their heads by a few inches."
Ain't no bizz like showbiz. As any of the poor peoples she ever managed to corner as an audience could witness, Jill is probaly genuinely as if not more dangerous trying to put on a show on a stage than as a minion of evil. But if you want a true taste of chaos, let her plan your birthday party.

"Hey since were done .....can I say it ?"
Uh I don't know.
"Common. With Len out of the FL, it might be my last cameo. Please ?"
... Sure. Why not

"Awiiiiight.. . *cough* erm

"That's all, folks"

Done with this Core issue.

Raynn

2013-02-16, 08:00 PM

The Island

Isiah looks out over the horizon and smiles

"Because, Shade, this is my home now."

Will post the issue End scene and then the issue open scene so stop posting everyone :smallredface:

Raynn

2013-02-16, 08:23 PM

And We End One Chapter In The Tale . . .

Elsewhere . . .

The world is a big place.

It's a great, terrifyingly massive place.

There are wonders in every corner and people unique and fantastic in every land under the sky.

That is why, in truth, it is so easy to hide something, or as is often the case, someone.

This someone is named Night.

Chain in unbreakable chains, bound within Atlantean entombing circles and stripped of her daywalker Amulet Night had never felt so trapped. That isn't even taking into account the myriad other measures she knew nothing about.

Though Night also felt vindicated.

Night remembered.

She didn't know why, or how, but Night was free of the previously unbreakable control that had held her mind in a cage for so long and she knew again what she had been investigating before they took her.

She knew what was coming. The Sun-Cell that went off the grid, the tech, the files stolen from Claremont, all of it, adding up to something much worse. She knew staying awake in Investigative Theory 101, while Len snored, would pay off one day . . . or at least she hoped it would, she she hadn't gotten to tell anyone what she'd learned yet.

The Supreme finally stepped out of the darkness.

"My apologies for the altercation at the theater but we couldn't allow either you or Minerva to slip free, even for a moment, you understand."

Night smiles, despite herself

"I guess I do. Tell your boss I want to speak to him."

The Supreme laughs heartily

"I apologize but I possess no Liege Lord to whom to introduce you."

Night glares at him

"Tell him I know who he is."

The Supreme begins

"I repeat . . ."

Night cuts him off

"Tell him I know he built the sphere."

The Supreme tries to reassert himsef

"I do not have a . . ."

Night again dismisses his comments

"See we're having a conversation, and you're not using whatever or whoever you did last time to mind control me to get answers, that means some how, whether through luck, resistance or immunity, the game has changed and you think there is now something you want from me.

So tell him I want to talk.

Bring me to your leader."

- The End of The Core Issue #1 -

Will post the beginning of the next issue a.s.a.p. :smallsmile:

Raynn

2013-02-16, 09:06 PM

The Raynn-Verse:

'Some Dreams Never Die'

The Core Issue #2

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before," - EDGAR ALLAN POE

Camelot That Was . . .

Deep in the caverns beneath the city was a cave.

In that cave at the stroke of midnight, on the full moons of every month, knelt a boy.

He did not worship the new God of the nobility, but the ancient thunder wielders and warrior gods of the past. He worshiped the old ways.

His name was Merlin.

Above him, in the height of the cave, floated the the Morrígan. The Three-In-One Goddess of battle and sovereignty.

The Morrígan went by many names. The trio of sisters held many domains and titles in as many distant lands but it was as the Morrígan that Merlin had summoned her. He was powerful for his age, yet still barely more than a boy. Many questioned the source of the great magic in his veins. Some claimed he was born of the union of his mother and an angel, other claimed it was a Daemon, an Incubus, and finally a scarce few claimed the blood of the Devil himself ran in Merlin's veins.

Merlin had summoned the Morrígan for a singular purpose. They had promised him a prophecy in a dream he had had while he slept beneath the stars, so he summoned them where no one might see them. He had done this, on every full moon for near to a year. He had gleamed more and more of his destiny from each meeting but never enough to sate his curiosity nor alleviate his fears.

He spoke, for the first time since speaking the summoning incantation that always left his lips chapped and bloody

"Tell me what you have come tonight to tell."

"The final battle will come.
A shadow will stretch across the land.
The heroes of an age will withered and be lessened.
Arthur will die and the world will fall.
Magic will be cast out and the End of days for our kind will begin."

Merlin sighs, frustrated

"I know. I know. The final battle at Camlann. Tell me something new!"

The Morrígan speaks again, a hint of annoyance in its tones

"We speak not of Camlann.
Arthur Pendragon will breath his last on the steps of Camelot."

Merlin shouts, confused

"That makes no sense! You said Arthur would die at Camlann!"

The Morrígan nod in unison

"He will, and be reborn.
He and his knights.
He will die again in the Year of his Lord 2023.
Camelot will fall, and the End of Wonder will descend.
He will watch the city of Freedom burn.
Such is the final destiny of Arthur Pendragon."

***

I think I can trust you guys to frame your own scenes without me now, at least those you have okay-ed with me before hand. If you don't think you should frame the scene or you need me to just post in the OoC, PM me or tell me on IRC and I'll set the scene myself.

Otherwise, POST AWAY! :smallbiggrin:

Green Bean

2013-02-16, 10:05 PM

Camelot

Camelot at night was a rather beautiful place. The moon shone down on the town, and illuminated the ocean below. It was a quiet, uneventful night; the King was off saving the world somewhere, and most of the kingdom was turning in for the night. Outside, there was little but the grass, the breeze, and a tiny figure scaling the back walls of the royal castle.

Remembrance swung herself on top of a window frame as a guardsman passed below on the parapet. This plan, weeks in the making, was actually pretty straightforward. Stow away on a supply plane, conceal herself in the city until it got dark, then make her way up the castle walls to the royal apartments. The physical layout and patrol routes were simple enough to track down; Camelot's role in the past couple international crisis meant it had more spy satellites pointed at it than an Iranian nuclear silo, so it was just a matter of picking the governmental monitoring agency with the worst security. Of course, straightforward didn't mean easy. She'd already had a few close calls; the guards were well trained. She also had a half dozen other little preparations, designed for Camelot's more otherworldly defences, but she'd quizzed Dare quite extensively on them and ideally wouldn't trigger them. If Dare knew what she was going to do with the knowledge he gave her, he probably wouldn't have been so candid, but she didn't want to involve him. If she got caught this could be a bit of a diplomatic incident, and there was no point in risking dragging the rest of the team into it.

'It' of course being a visit to the future Queen of Camelot. This was an insane risk, and Remembrance's last encounter with Hope had technically never happened, but at the same time there were too many unanswered questions stemming from that meeting for her to leave it alone.

Hope was on the royal balcony alone when Remembrance came up over the railing. She didn't have Hope pegged for the type to keep herself surrounded by servants. Remembrance melted out of the shadows and stepped into Hope's eyeline, arms spread in the universal 'I mean you no harm' gesture. "Hello."

Starsign

2013-02-16, 10:10 PM

Ashley Culdis

"What do you mean he's 'away from his kingdom?!'"

Ashley shrugs her arms at what must be the weakest excuse ever to not seeing a king, much less her friend Jake. Of all the times she finds to meet with Jake, he's away on a special mission of some sort. She was getting tired of being kept in the dark info-wise. From London to Hope, there is just too much that she wants to know if she will be putting her trust into Jake. "Look, this is important," she says with rushed impatience and annoyance. "I've known Jake since high school. If there is anything I know about him, it's that he wouldn't leave his kingdom like this without a very good reason. We saved Camelot from an invasion over a day ago and he's out to business again?"

She whacks her head with the palm of her hand in such disbelief. She takes a few moments to calm down. Jake may be 'away' but Hope is likely still around. All she would need to do is to meet with Jake's fiancee instead. "...Alright, if I can't meet with the King, may I please speak with Lady Hope? I had hope to meet her at least if I may not see Jake. I don't carry anything on me in case you might be worried about that." She opens up her trenchcoat to reveal nothing carried with her.

Raynn

2013-02-17, 04:17 PM

Remembrance

Hope stood alone on the Balcony, a long wool top over an ironic t-shirt and jeggings. As Remembrance speaks she shoots around and suddenly takes her white Omega form. She raises her hands as if in defense but they don't glow or appear in any way otherworldly other than her sudden color change

"If you're another of the Supreme's goons than you know where ever you take me Jake will find me and it won't be pretty for you."

Her voice was the odd combination of age old confidence and irrational fear.

Space Satan was afraid of Remembrance.

Strike that, that wasn't right.

A young girl was terrified of Remembrance.

***

Rycon

It takes a little more bickering with secretarial staff but Ashley is eventually allowed into the Royal apartments. At first a trio of C.A.S.T.L.E. agents wait at the door but Hope makes the wait outside almost as soon as Ashley enters.

As Hope sheepishly closes the door she turns back to Ashley

"I'm guessing you're not here because Jake finally remembered to ask you about being my bridesmaid . . . ? What's wrong Ash . . . Ashley?"

She stops herself from referring to Ashley by Ash, even the slight pet-name felt slightly odd as it stemmed from Jake's memory of his and Ashley's friendship in Claremont.

Starsign

2013-02-17, 05:23 PM

Ashley Culdis

Entering in such great relief, Ashley lets herself walk slowly inward to both enjoy the view of the castle and to make the guards sure that she doesn't have anything funny planned. As she enters the apartment and settles down, She takes a good look at Hope. The girl looked rather normal, not at all like what someone of Omega's power would have. Then again, Ashley recalls Jake's fiancee having white-ish hair when she saved Ashley. Regardless Hope didn't look like anyone who would spontaneously combust so that is a relief. Still, it seems insane how Hope could be Omega. At the worst she might simply be a vessel or container for him, like how his suit was before his destruction.

"You can call me whatever you like Hope," Ashley responds with a gentle voice and a smile like she is speaking to a friend; she hides her nervous side as best as she can. She ignores the fact about the bridesmaid for the moment, that's not what she came here for. "I seem to be well behind on recent events; I wanted to ask Jake but he's apparently busy. If you don't mind I'd like to ask them to you."

She takes a seat on a simple chair, leaning forward as she now shows clearer signs of nervousness. "Hope... Are you...?" Hesitation fills the air. Ashley didn't know how to put this. "Um, is inside you, er..." She facepalms at herself for being so hesitant and embarrassing. She hastens her speech as she asks quickly and bluntly...

"Hope, what are you? Are you really him or a vessel for him?

Raynn

2013-02-17, 05:46 PM

Rycon

When Ashley asked her tactless question Hope was turned away, pouring tea for them both with an absurdly expensive china set. Hope lets the tea-pot fall and it shatters at her feet. When Hope speaks her voice is solemn and mono-tonal

"Ashley, do you know how I died?"

Starsign

2013-02-17, 06:01 PM

Ashley Culdis

If Ashley had a teacup in her hand, she would have dropped it the moment Hope asked her own question as well. For a time, Ashley starts to feel guilty over asking her first question. Her mouth opens slightly, then closes again. She carefully and remorsefully eyes Hope as she answers, "I... do. From what Isiah had said, Neo had put Omega through repeated, possibly infinite incarnations of the big bang. This cost the life of the Time Lord."

She pauses, rethinking her doubts on the man who told her about the story, and of Jake's possible future plans. "Nowadays though, I sort of doubt his words..." She trails her line off as she quietly asks Hope another thing. "Was there something Isiah did not tell me about, or something he doesn't know about you?" Hard, painful questions are being asked on both sides. By this point however it's better that painful answers are known at quieter times than at painful ones.

Raynn

2013-02-17, 06:21 PM

Ashley Culdis

Hope doesn't turn around to look at Ashley as she speaks

"It's true. I know. I was there. Of Course . . .

Neo. Hmph. His name was Lee Bruce. An asocial teenager with no sense of self control. He often used his abilities to 'keep an eye on' his so called friends. His death was about the one heroic thing he ever did.

The Hellions were all a little like that. They weren't from a world full of the strange like here. There was no Claremont or A.E.G.I.S. or even magic to keep them in check. They were as much joy-riders as heroes.

Neo turned the matter in his body back to the state the matter had previously been in, and all complex matter came from a sun at some point in its life cycle. It caused a chain reaction with the Doom Coil, which we were in, and reverted every world in the Multiverse into its earliest possible state, the big bang, all at the same time. It was a beautiful death in its own way. To die at the birth of everything . . ."

Hope shakes her head

". . . but I didn't die, not entirely. I was as much the Power Negative as I was a living being, no longer just a wielder of it. My consciousness survived . . . stretched paper thin across all of reality. Watching. Ephemeral. My thoughts were fleeting and vast, vague notions on what I observed.

For the entire lifetime of this universe I watched . . . empty of my sense of self . . .

Then I was awake . . . AND breathing . . . I felt things, wind and warmth and an N7 hoodie! It Was GLORIOUS!"

Hope spins to talk directly to Hope and suddenly takes her white Omega form

"Billions of years of nothing, and the lifetimes of Universes sealed away in a suit before that! I didn't remember what it felt like to feel ANYTHING! Shivering in the dark, kneeling in the dirt on that beautiful night as the grand sum of Jake's knowledge flooded my skull. Billions and billions of years of nothing to wake up to that . . . it overwhelmed me, remade me."

She motions to her form

"I am Omega! I've outlived Multiverses! I've watched the infinite fires of the cradle of creation and seen a trillion times a trillion armies fall in endless battle . . ."

she lets out a slight tired laugh

"And I'm Hope. Who likes Indian take out, the Walking Dead, Mass Effect two and curling up with my cat Mandragora, and my amazing fiance. Once the rest of the world can reconcile those two realities I hope people will stop asking me about it."

Starsign

2013-02-18, 03:33 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley wasn't expecting a kind answer from Hope, not a polite or considerate one. The answer she did get however was an interesting one. She was never told about the Hellions or their actions. Hearing it from Hope on how they were "joy-riders" and that Neo really only did one heroic thing is quite the perception. Definitely highlights how much that time sucked for the universe at large. Most of the explanation afterward seems rather straightforward by the standards Ashley knows of.

Yet when Hope reveals her other form, the form that shows her incredible power, Ashley panics a little inside of herself. She tries to back up on her chair only to recall that it's already against the wall. For a moment it looked like Ashley didn't upset Jake's fiancee, but instead Omega... When Hope mentions her final words however, Ashley's rushed worries and tense muscles come to a halt. Slowly she looks to the ground and finds herself in dismay. Her mood isn't directed to Hope but to herself. Ashley could try to deny it, but all this time she has indeed thought of Hope and Omega as similar people, if not the same person. By the sounds of it, Ashley hasn't been the only one who has thought the same.

She struggles to speak for awhile, not even making eye contact with Hope. For a moment one could wonder whether the information had outright brought Ashley into mental paralysis. Eventually she finds the courage to speak. Her voice is a little weak and in guilt, but can speak nonetheless. "I... didn't know it was such an often-asked question. I knew it was a hard question to answer, but not that it was so repetitive." She goes to stand up, looking directly at Hope while trying not to look so pitiful. Her voice slowly begins returning to normal. "I'm sorry. I was never aware about you at all until Robert mentioned it so... casual to me during the invasion. Until then I only knew you as a close friend of Jake's and that you were an incredibly powerful energy user."

She can't really bear to look away from Hope now. If Ashley is going to be honest, she should speak directly to the listener. "I started to doubt Jake sometime last week, while Freedom City went to hell. Before Isiah died, he warned be that Jake would be taking over London. I couldn't really believe that; I know Jake isn't the kind who would go for world domination. Hell I don't even know where Isiah got that idea from! Even when I learned of you, it still seems absurd that Jake would simply go invade Great Britain like that." She shakes her head and shudders slightly when she thinks of the destroyed Lighthouse. "But I have trouble putting my trust in many people. When Robert told me about you, I couldn't believe it. I wanted to get some sort of confirmation from you and Jake... And so far, I'm getting it." She tries to smile once more, starting to get a hang of the whole "smile and be sombre" feel she's been in. "...So I apologize again. I shouldn't be doubting you two like that."

Green Bean

2013-02-18, 03:54 PM

"Easy, there. I'm not here to kidnap anyone. Just want to talk." She casually pulled off her hood and mask, and wondered if Hope still remembered the previous timeline and would recognize her. If she didn't, this was going to be a very awkward conversation.

Raynn

2013-02-18, 06:39 PM

Ashley Culdis

Hope shakes her head, looking as if her mind is elsewhere, and sad

"Forget it Ashley. I've killed . . . literally everyone at one point.

Doubting me isn't exactly unreasonable.

Or . . . you know . . . unexpected.

So . . . you open to bridesmaid thing? I sort of only have Faith and Credence so far, and it's a little weird if I only have my grand-daughters for that . . . oh and only having two is also a little weird I think. I'm not sure."

Hope sits on the floor with her back against the couch and lets Mandragora the russet colored kitten hop into her lap with a tired prrr

"You don't need to be scared of me looking like this Ashley. I used all my juice defending Camelot with the Centuribots and the Knights. I haven't recharged since then . . . I didn't want to.

Is there something else?"

***

Remembrance

Hope only seems a little less scared as Remembrance reveals her face but she clearly doesn't recognize her or her mask

"Who are you? You're not from Len's Freedom League or one of Jake's friends . . ."

Starsign

2013-02-18, 09:27 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley lets Hope's words ring clearly through her ears as they reach the end of the discussion about Jake's fiancee. Ashley got her answer, that's all she will ask about regarding it. She simply nods and let it end there; pressing the subject would only make things worse. Instead Ashley takes a "seat" on the floor as well, crossing her legs as she watches Mandragora jump up on Hope's lap. Ashley decides to first go back to the bridesmaid subject, something she ignored before.

She smirks slightly at the humorous thought of her being the bridesmaid. "Did Jake suggest me or did he mention that as an offhand joke?" She chuckles slightly. "Either way, it will be an honor if I could... So long as I don't have to speak of course." She finds herself at ease now. Now that the whole, overblown revelation is over, Ashley can't really think of Hope like she is Omega. Instead she looks to Hope like she is Jake's lover and future wife. She goes to clarify that with a casual, "You don't need to refer to Faith and Credence as your grandchildren by the way. After all, you're Hope, right?"

Ashley pauses to think. She heard the name Credence before. Curiously she goes to ask, "Isn't Credence one of the students attending the new Claremont here on Camelot? Her hero name is Karma, right?" She has no idea how in the world Faith suddenly has another relative; having a twin sister was a big enough pain to sort out all those years ago.

Raynn

2013-02-18, 11:00 PM

Ashley Culdis

Hope closes her eyes as if Ashley just isn't getting the point

"I'm Hope AND Omega. 13.7 billion years might be the statute of limitations on Omnicide but that doesn't change who I am. Just because I was an ethereal energy cloud of infinite size for billions of years doesn't mean I'm a different person . . . I guess in a way it just means I was the worst child ever . . . or if this is a mid-life crisis that makes my rebellious youth years a little excessive.

I think people would be less likely to magically dismiss my past if they popped my hood. I'm still a cloud of Power Negative in here, no change in what I am, physically at least, except now I'm stuck in a meat-suit, an organic containment vessel. I guess it helped Jake cope with the Mordred thing so I let him press that idea onto me . . .

Anyway, Elizabeth, Faith, Credence and Jenny are the only good things to come out of what I was, so I'm not going to drop my link to them anyway. There a testament to the idea that good can come even from the darkest of people.

Yeah Karma. She's a clone of Faith, using stolen Labyrinth technology. Before you asked they checked, not a drop of Asterion blood in this one, or Alpha Centurion. They think she might have been made by the SHADOW, which SHADOW we don't know. There must be three or four splinter groups running around with that name right now, counting the Supreme's one. She helped fight some Nazi robots on Mars so it could be that SHADOW, which we don't think is working for the Supreme. She's about six months old, but she looks about sixteen, maybe older. Pretty too, but she has a thing for dying her hair.

Oh sorry. I'm rambling. Faith's been away a lot lately being Captain Kirk of A.E.G.I.S., Lancelot mostly just broods and the only other person that hangs out here is a reprogrammed Nazi robot-god named Jeff . . .

So I guess I'm not used to having someone who isn't Jake to talk to, at least not someone who hasn't started ending their sentences with 'your grace'. Sorry I guess . . ."

Starsign

2013-02-19, 04:57 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley frowns and turns away from Hope as the former is corrected. The two really aren't exactly understanding each other, though this may be attributed to Ashley's rather abysmal social abilities. Instead of responding to that, she listens to Hope explain about Karma. Apparently she is another work of SHADOW, the group that never ever figures out how to keep their projects secret. Ashley is interested regardless; it is good to see Credence is on the right track at Claremont.

...However Ashley gives a surprised and slightly irking look when Hope mentions about Nazi robots on Mars. Ashley's look only gets worse when she is told about the Nazi robot-god in Camelot. "There is a W-" She halts herself, realizing she is raising her voice. Instead she asks deadpan and disbelieved, "...What?" Silence roams the room for a moment. "...Actually no, forget it. I'd rather not know how or why there is something like that there and not stuck on Mars." Ashley wonders whether life in America must have at least two sudden occurrences of Nazis each decade.

Instead Ashley decides to change subject again. "Anyway, there was something I wanted to ask. Something... important to me." She thinks back to Black Star's words. Somehow it never hit as hard as it should, yet it is something of interest to her. "Hope, how much do you know about the Roman goddess Fulgora?"

Raynn

2013-02-19, 05:36 PM

Ashley Culdis

Hope shakes her head

"No sorry, keep in mind I didn't take an interest in this world until the Terminus invasion . . . but technically that was . . ."

She counts off, one, two, three, on her fingers as she thinks back

". . . three multiverses ago, so about 40 billion years give or take . . . still I'm not exactly an expert on human mythology. Maybe you should ask Roland? I mean he's the head-honcho wizard of Camelot and you live in Camelot. Isn't that sort of stuff his job?"

Green Bean

2013-02-20, 07:14 PM

"Well, that complicates things." Remembrance put her mask and hood back on, talking less to herself and more to the universe at large. "I'm...well, I go by Remembrance. Not surprised you don't recognize me, but we have met before, in a sense. I don't know if you've heard about Doctor Tomorrow? He went back in time, changed things, and then it was, well, changed back. We talked briefly in that other timeline. I don't suppose that's ringing any bells?

Raynn

2013-02-20, 08:00 PM

Remembrance

Hope shakes her head

"I've never heard . . . "

She pauses for a moment and seems to look at and listen to an empty space to her side

"Oh. Uh. He was a Time-Keeper right? From a world where the Nazis won World War II?

I don't remember any separate timeline. Sorry. What happened there? Did I say or do something that made you need to hunt me down in the middle of the night?"

Starsign

2013-02-20, 08:14 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley doesn't say much and instead makes a nod to Hope. "Roland... You mean Vagrant, former member of the FLI, right?" Ashley remembers seeing and even once meeting Vagrant, one of the members of the Navigation Club. They didn't know each other too well, but Roland isn't an unknown to Ashley. "I'm not sure how knowledgeable he'd be on gods and goddesses. I'd be more likely to learn it from Robert or Doctor Dare than him. At least at the moment I can't speak with him, but I may try later."

She leans back on the wall for a bit, letting silence fill the room once more as she thinks. Hope's mentioning of the Terminus Invasion does spring something to Ashley's mind. "Y'know, I never actually was in Freedom City when the Terminus Invasion occurred. My cousin and aunt never wanted to speak of it either." She looks to Hope again with curious and cautious eyes. "I've done my reading on it already and... I'm curious, what did you know of the Centurion?" Having never been present, Ashley has wondered what that event was like, the biggest crisis that befell the city before Event 84 rolled around. She had also heard much about the original Centurion, but had never seen the real one firsthand. "I mean, I met him once but that was a... vampiric psychotic version of him that I'm sure you've seen from Jake's memories. I'm talking about the very original Mark Leeds."

Green Bean

2013-02-20, 08:22 PM

"Well, you tried to kill me, but honestly that's a common enough occurrence that I don't particularly care about that. Besides, you, well, that version of you, she said that she was from the future; and I guess we aren't far enough along yet in this timeline for you to have done it. Did it? Will tried to have done it?" Remembrance found herself struggling with the common language issues that arise from time travel, but she pushed on. "I just wanted to ask you a thing or two, and I'm not an official channels kind of girl. And frankly I'm not a huge fan of your fiancé."

"Anyway, there was this girl. She killed me, and you seemed actually afraid of her. I was hoping you knew something about her." Remembrance described the girl in fairly extensive detail. It was her only time being killed, so it was quite the memorable experience.

Raynn

2013-02-20, 08:38 PM

Rycon

Hope mistakes Ashley asking about a man she murdered to be a barb, and grows a little cold

"He was a good man.

Our only meeting was short.

I murdered him.

Any other questions Ashley?

I have an interview on the Daily Show tomorrow and I don't want to be exhausted for it."

***

Remembrance

Hope shakes her head again and shrugs

"Sorry, I'm really sorry if I tried to hurt you, but that never happened anymore right? Or . . . Won't happen? Or Something . . . Or will it? Not that I'd want to kill you! Sorry . . ."

As Remembrance describes the girl again Hope shakes her head yet again

"Sorry I don't know any . . ."

She suddenly clutches her head as if in pain and flickers back and forth between human form and White Omega form

"I . . . I don't . . . know . . ."

Then she screams and falls to the floor, thrashing in abject horror as if hallucinating. Her eyes dilate and go black as she screams

"STOP! GET AWAY! NO! STOP! STOP! GET AWAY! GET AWAY! I AM OMEGA! LET ME GO! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Suddenly Hope stops on the floor and takes her White Omega form, her eyes still black, and begins to shake and sob. Whimpering she speaks, still clearly in some sort of fit or hallucination

"please . . . please . . . stop . . ."

Green Bean

2013-02-20, 08:44 PM

Remembrance cleared the area around Hope; standard seizure procedure, but this was clearly no seizure. She stood back in case things got explosive, but kept her voice calm. "What's wrong? What needs to stop?"

KaganMonk

2013-02-20, 09:03 PM

Less Awkward Time With Hope

Dare is walking up to the palace of Camelot, on his way to request an audience with the King and Lady, when he hears screaming coming from an upper room. Forget protocol, that can't be good. In a flash of light, he immediately teleports up to the room where the screaming is...

...to find Remembrance standing over Omega. What steroids has she been taking?

Rushing over, he begins speaking with calm authority. "Lady Hope, I need you to listen to me. I'm Doctor Dare, and everything is going to be alright, just tell us what's wrong."

Starsign

2013-02-20, 09:18 PM

Ashley Culdis

Seeing as her conversation with Hope has only been taking wrong turns, not at any fault to Hope, Ashley gives a small look of regret as she nods. "No, I think that will be all." She goes to stand up, trying to act positive despite the awkwardly painful conversation Hope must have been having. "I hope this discussion wasn't a waste of time for you."

She goes to the door, halting right before gripping the handle. She felt it odd to simply end the conversation at that. It feels like she should say one more thing. She smiles softly as she speaks one more time. "Hope, when you talked about how you... died to the big bang eons ago. I don't think death was ever the intention. A big bang is a beginning, so it's something like an Alpha. If Alpha is considered to be the beginning of all, then I think that meant the same for you. The big bang wasn't supposed to end you, but create a new beginning; it's like a second chance. That's how I see it at least."

She opens the door, and slowly walks through it. "Take care Hope. I'll see you at the wedding," she says, ending the conversation as she believes it should have.

Raynn

2013-02-20, 09:21 PM

Remembrance & Doctor Dare

Suddenly Hope grabs Dare by his collar and, though her eyes are still pools of inky blackness, she stares into his eyes

"Pain . . . make it stop . . . make it end . . . Needed it broken . . . needed me WEAK! Endless pain . . . lifetimes of pain . . . poured into my head all at once . . . no death . . . no end . . . endless pain . . . billions of years flickering past like half remembered after images . . . and then the sphere . . . THE SPHERE! DON'T PUT ME IN SPHERE! PLEASE! I AM OMEGA! OBEY ME! OBEY ME!

Please . . ."

Hope tumbles back seems to collapse for a moment before blinking back awake and her eyes returning to normal. Suddenly, though still in her White Omega form, her cheerful and friendly demeanor return. She's a little shocked to find Dare so close but smiles none the less

"I . . . did I fall asleep? I remember you? The Doctor right? Jake's friend?"

***

Rycon

Hope nods and smiles, watching as Ashley leaves, politely. The moment she's gone she sighs in relief and says softly

"I'm pretty sure the creepy stalker goth teenager who blew up in my face wasn't planning on it being a new beginning for me."

SuperCracker

2013-02-20, 09:33 PM

Jake Wallace

It takes a few moments, but the proceedings are interrupted by the door being thrown open, and one very angry-looking King strolling in, sword at the ready. He’s wearing his purple button-down and a golden tie, because he was doing non-hero business… but he never travels without his special accessories. Accessorize, girl!

“Step away from her! NOW!”

His voice grows so loud and thunderous that it threatens to knock all of the bystanders, including the six honor guard behind him, down onto their feet.

“Hope, what happened?”

Raynn

2013-02-20, 09:41 PM

Camelot

"I . . . ugh . . ."

'That's a good question' was the first thing that came to mind on Hope's part but she didn't want to get Remembrance or Dare in trouble with Jake for no reason

"Remembrance and Dare . . . wanted to talk to me about something but when they teleported in . . . they gave me a fright and I fainted . . . and yelled a little I think . . ."

Hope was clearly trying to dodge a potential conflict without actually know what had happened moments before.

KaganMonk

2013-02-20, 09:45 PM

Doctor Dare

Dare gives Hope a reassuring smile. "Just fainted a bit was all. Looks like you're alright now, though *cough* your power is showing. Now up you go, your fiance is getting upset."

Dare steps away from Hope, as the man with the pointy stick had ordered. "My apologies for intruding, King Jake. I was coming to request an audience with you and Lady Hope, but rushed up here when I heard the screaming. She's had an incident, but she's doing alright for the moment."

SuperCracker

2013-02-20, 09:53 PM

Jake Wallace

Jake could see that hope was covering. He knows her well enough to pick up on her little ticks. Besides, they do share a large body of overlapping experience. Still, if she was covering for them, Jake doubted he’d have to attack either of these people.

He was still pissed off, though.

“What kind of incident, Doctor Dare?”

He watched them like a Hawk, particularly Remembrance, whose disguise and lack of Doctor-Dare charisma didn’t endear her to him at the moment. Nonetheless, Excalibur slid quietly back into its sheath. The guards, however, were not dismissed.

KaganMonk

2013-02-20, 10:52 PM

Dare spreads his hands, being as non-threatening as possible. "It seems that a traumatic memory was triggered. One from before you knew her. I hope you'll forgive me for bringing Remembrance with me. While I have no doubt of your honor and hospitality, the world is a dangerous place these days. Which was something I wished to discuss with you. Shall we retire to some place less informal? I give you my word of honor that we bear no hostility towards you or Camelot."

SuperCracker

2013-02-20, 11:16 PM

Jake Wallace

Jake gave Dare flat look. “Well, since we’re in my house, where I live, I don’t think we can get much more informal than that.” By now the anger had subsided, replaced with a bit of a smirk. Jake motioned for the guards to leave, which they did. Granted, they stayed right outside of the doors.

“Next time you want to have a chat, just pick up a phone.”

He walked over to Hope, stroking her cheek with his hand. He wanted to make sure she was okay… which, she seemed to be fine now. A traumatic memory… must be a repressed one.

“Alright. Pull up a chair. Let’s talk.”

He guided Hope over to the fireplace, where there were a pair of sofas and some other chairs. He sat down next to Hope and gestured to the empty seats.

“If it’s from before I knew her, it was a memory of the old Omega. And it’s something we need to get to the bottom to, in addition to whatever you came to see us for.”

KaganMonk

2013-02-20, 11:44 PM

Doctor Dare

Dare nods in acknowledgement. "I was of course coming to the front door originally. Given the sensitivity of the topic, I didn't want to trust this to a phone."

He takes a seat, leaving his staff on the mantle and taking off his half-mask. "Actually, getting to the bottom of things was the reason I came. I find myself as the local representative of multiversal powers that are trying to protect...everything."

He leans back in the chair and relaxes a bit. "Lady Hope, your episode confirmed one of my suspicions. While you have incredible power, you've been put on the board as a piece in the game. For good or ill, I think, is yet to be decided. And if Omega is but a pawn, The Supreme likely is too. Who is backing whom, I don't know yet."

"I apologize for evacuating us the other day, but to be honest, we all would have died horribly. It appears that The Supreme is Argo, with all his limits removed. Who knows how many different powers he could duplicate if he needed. Including, for example, your sword or my staff. I'm working on that."

Sitting forward, he looks solemnly at Hope, "I can't hope to force you to give an honest answer or tell if you're lying, but I have to ask anyways: what are your intentions towards this world? I'm not in a position to be picky about my allies, but I would welcome your support, however remotely."

Raynn

2013-02-21, 11:26 AM

Camelot

Hope just blushes and shrugs

"I . . . uh . . . guess keep it around till Game of Thrones gets finishes? I'm . . . not really the 'plans for this world' type anymore . . . sorry."

Hope awkwardly squirms on her seat

"I mean right now I don't even have powers. My containment suit . . . uh . . . body doesn't run on the Power Negative that I'm made up of, it contains it. My suit can absorb energy and redirect it but it can only absorb so much per second without damaging itself. How much depends on how much energy I've already got 'stored up.' After the invasion I told Jake everything I'd figured out about my powers and told him I was going cold turkey. I, like anybody else, get enough energy to run on from food and the like so I burned all the excess off and now I'm just normal old me, with the caveat that I can do the switchy-changey-thing with the whole 'White Omega' look."

She flicks back to normal, then back to White Omega, just to demonstrate.

Ladorak

2013-02-22, 10:17 AM

It is late in the night, the hour were the skies come to life and hundreds of gulls gulls screech for all their worth above Camelot. Even through double glazing and an arcane barrier their raucous call is impressive and, to Vagrant's ear, deeply irritating, within Merlin's tower. It was not the gulls that kept him up though.

He sits at his table, a book by Richard Woolsey sits before him, sent by Cael, full of dire potents, it was a sad state of affairs indeed when this is what he turns to as means of distraction.

In a rare show of temper and a rarer show of disrespect to books his fist hammers down on 'Event Horizon,' and a moment later he hurled it against the wall. His hand came up and fire danced between his fingers. 'Like I don't have enough to deal with!' His fingers lashed out, with every intention of incinerating the book.

Stop it, you are being childish.

He took several deep breaths, he listened to the gulls, he slowly centred himself.

And suddenly the answer to his larger question leapt forth. He laughed.

'Of course. I am being childish.' The answer had been beneath his nose this whole time. My Sanctum. Yet still he felt a childish longing, it was his most private place. A place no one had seen since Adrian gifted it to him over a decade ago. In some ways the only place he had ever been himself. He knew none of this, but felt all of it. Maybe it was that very fact that allowed him to see the conceit in wanting to keep his privacy. It was the only feasible place for the ritual, therefore it must be.

Well then, it was time to begin. He reached to open the window, then his hand leapt back and he laughed hard at himself.

He dispelled the fire on his fingers, and opened the window without setting fire to the curtains, smiling ruefully at himself. Cold air blasted into the room, setting his nerves on fire and bringing him suddenly awake like nothing else could. The gull's cacophony issued into the room at full volume.

He reached out and touched Jake and Len's minds. He slipped quietly into their dreams, maintaining as much of their privacy as they could, for a man's dreams were his own as surely as anything was. Majesty. Knight of the Table. It is time. I will awake you gently. Be ready to leave Camelot, if we leave now we may make it back by noon. I shall be providing transportation.

SuperCracker

2013-02-23, 12:42 AM

Jake Wallace
The Ritual

Jake was sound asleep. Every day of his life was filled with a flurry of activity. When you’re the source from which all power flows in a kingdom, you got to keep busy every day or the work will drown you. So it’s safe to say that when he does get to sleep, he sleeps like a rock. So, Roland’s gentle dream wake-up call was a gentle way to rouse him from his slumber.

Jake’s chest rose with a deep breath, and his brown eyes opened up. He turned to look at Hope, asleep at his side. Beautiful. He smiled softly, then gently slipped away from her.

A few moments later, he was dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Taking Excalibur and its scabbard, he walked out the door and off to meet Roland.

He soon received a knock on his door. The King is in the building. I love that joke.

On the couch, speaking with Dare and Remembrance

“She has no evil intentions towards this world. All she’s done since I’ve known her is try to help out. I know it’s a big leap of faith to believe in her, considering who she is, but I’d ask that you just keep an open mind about her. She will surprise you.” He smiled to Dare. The tension from earlier was bleeding away into Jake’s natural charm. Besides, he’s had this conversation about fifty million times. He’s used to it.

“What I’m worried about… is who could be controlling the Supreme. Len, at his mightiest, couldn’t harm the thing. Now you’re telling me that there’s someone calling the shots for him.” He sighed and leaned forward, elbows on his knees and his chin on his knuckles.

“And if what you say is true… that this person is using Hope. It would make sense in a way. Arthur Strong knew she was Omega, and he made a play to reveal it on national television. The Supreme, and presumably whoever is behind him, has been ratcheting up tension between Camelot and the United States. Having Omega here just adds to that particular bonfire.”

He shakes his head.

“But if that was part of the plan, it assumes an awful lot. Who could have predicted that of everyone near Freedom City, I would be the first to encounter the sphere? Either this person can calculate all probability, or can see into the future.”

Frustrating.

“Dare, I would be happy to work with you as much as I can. Though, if you want to operate freely in the U.S., perhaps we should have a quiet relationship. There’s also a new FLI being formed. It will operate out of Robert Asterion’s Sanctum, and will be led by Leonard Cope. The superhero community is in shambles… hopefully we can rebuild something that can work. I hope you’ll work with them, too.”

SuperMuldoon

2013-02-23, 05:35 PM

Leonard Cope

Awakened from his sleep by a dream - at least it wasn't a nightmare this time - Len groggily swings his feet over the side of the bed and sits for a moment, waking himself up. Shaking off the last cobwebs of sleep still holding on, he realizes that the dream that woke him up was something more.

It was time.

Pulling on a sweatshirt and jeans, Len grabs a banana from his kitchen and heads out, arriving at the meeting place with his breakfast in hand.

Ladorak

2013-02-23, 05:58 PM

The door to the tower came open with a creek. It was the type of thing a minor application of magic could fix, but Vagrant liked the creek. It added a certain old world character to the tower that he thought was very in keeping with the expectation of the public and, to himself, was rather charming.

'Jake.' He said warmly, as he admitted his King 'Thank you for coming. I apologise for the late hour. I have been seeking an solution to one of the problems inherent to the ritual you have requested, a solution, a very simple one, has just occurred to me. Would you mind if we waited for Sir Leonard before I explain? His total understanding is as vital as your own if he is to come with us.'

Shortly after Len arrived

'Hello Len, come in, come in.' He repeated his explanation to Len and, for good measure, apologised to them both again.

'So, the problem I have been... held up with. The problem is Camelot, or the court, to be more specific. To be more specific, your roles within the court. How long do you think Camelot could do without the two of you?' He held up a hand to forestall their answers, the question was rhetorical, although only he knew that 'A spirit walk of the type required normally takes days, or even weeks. It is not unknown for the occasional ritualist to die of deprivation. In short, gentlemen, we don't have the time.
'But, as I said, a solution has become clear. Time doesn't flow the same everywhere you know.' He stopped, suddenly reluctant. He shook his head, bit his lip and powered onwards 'There is a place I can take you, as safe a place as any I know, where time does not flow through the same river, or at least not in the same rapids of that river. For every hour that passes here almost eight will pass there. It is there we can complete the spirit walk without abandoning Camelot. Do you have any questions before I proceed?'

SuperCracker

2013-02-23, 07:02 PM

Jake Wallace

Roland had guessed well, Jake was getting ready to answer the question. The problem had been posed before in meetings of the Round Table. He’d had his chief of staff put together some numbers for how long he could be incapacitated before there would be a true emergency. He didn’t get to bring up any of that.

Wizards.

Instead, Jake took another bite of his bagel with strawberry-cream cheese spread and just listened. He’d known Roland for not very long, and it already felt like a conversation with Merle. Seriously, this guy was a perfect replacement.

The time came for questions.

“Yeah. Where are we going, and how is this going to work? There’s a Mordred, hopped up on the Power Negative, sitting inside me. Once we’re in, how do we get him out?”

Ladorak

2013-02-23, 07:25 PM

Vagrant looked discomforted. This is a question I cannot answer. Not yet. I do not know the process by which he was awakened or bonded to you, nor how the Power Negative is bonded to him. I will not know until I behold him. Then, hopefully, I will detect the... weak link of the spell. It is not an easy thing to explain. A magical construct always has a weakness built in. Magic is about balance, a perfect spell, with no flaws, simply wouldn't work. The art, therefore, is hiding or disguising that weakness.
Magic is like any other craft, you would not use the same tool to pick a single thread from cloth as you would use to destroy the keystone support in a building. I cannot tell you which tool we will require, but I... almost promise you that, when the time comes, we shall have it in our possession.'

SuperMuldoon

2013-02-23, 08:04 PM

Len Cope

Len finished the banana and tossed the peel in the garbage free-throw style. "So basically what you're saying is- he paused to swallow the rest of his breakfast -is that we really only have a vague idea of what exactly we need to do - only that we need to find and do something."

"Sounds like more to go on then we usually have. Just point me in the right direction and let's go."

Ladorak

2013-02-23, 08:48 PM

Vagrant smiled slightly, a minor quirk of the side of his mouth. Every meeting with the King and his First Knight showed Roland more and more of what the Human Spirit had seen in them, for surely that entity more than all things must have seen the potential in these two.

'Not quite Len. I will be able to guide us with some surety throughout most of the ritual. When we get to Mordred, after that I cannot predict. Sadly it will not be as simple as that, most of the ritual time will be spent reaching Mordred, or rather, the part of Jake's mind or soul that he lurks in. I can't tell you what we will be facing on the path, for every mind is unique, but I will know how to deal with it when we find it, and can instruct you as and when.'

'Now... The place we are going. It is my Sanctum. I must ask that you do not touch anything. Partly for my privacy and partly for your safety.' His voice makes it clear that this is no joke. 'Are you ready to depart?'

Starsign

2013-02-25, 11:46 AM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley spent time with her family and Clark back home after meeting with Hope. Despite being glad to have went, Ashley wasn't all that satisfied in regards to her questions being answered. It isn't something she can get from one person; too many people and factors are involved that no one probably has a complete understanding of the situation. For what Ashley knows now however, it isn't enough. She still wants to talk with Jake in regards to London and the recent events that have played out. Knowledge is quickly becoming the main source of power in the overall conflict, and being left out like this makes Ashley feel rather weak. She hasn't forgotten the smaller things in life that are important to her, but right now she highly doubts things will calm down, especially with the wedding approaching.

So later that day, she went back to Camelot when Jake was available. She hasn't seen him ever since Freedom City turned into a ruined world well over a week ago. A little nervousness crept into her as she entered Jake's office, like she is meeting the president of the United States, just nicer. "I apologize if my request to meet you was sudden," she began to Jake, "but I feel that it's needed. There's a few things I need to ask and a few others that I think you ought to know." Her eyes look over a nearby painting for a moment. She then thinks over her words, and sighs at it with the least bit of humor or pride in it. "...Sheesh, I sound like a businesswoman. I haven't not been on edge for a while now."

Raynn

2013-02-25, 05:20 PM

The Ritual

I think Ladorak can do a single post with the entry to the sanctum, lead up and ritual, so we can get to the meat of this spirit quest! :smallbiggrin:

***

Ashley

I don't think I'm needed here at all, so I'll leave it to SuperCracker unless Hope or Lancelot are needed to sit in on this meeting?

Raynn

2013-02-25, 06:48 PM

Ignore For Now

The Hole In The World

Washington.

An A.E.G.I.S. Base.

Technically.

In 2007 when U.N.I.S.O.N. was dissolved and A.E.G.I.S. was re-oriented to be a global task-force, rather than an American one, to replace it many weren't particularly happy. The U.S. was more than compensated, and they gained major influence over the organization as well as increased global support but many within the organisation felt they had been betrayed.

Many of these detractors became splinter power bases within A.E.G.I.S. Some obvious, some totally covert. While a few were picked up on and eradicated, many for simply existing, others for possessing nefarious intentions, many were too subtle to be noticed and remained more loyal to the U.S. government than the U.N.

It was one of those splinter factions that controlled the Washington A.E.G.I.S. base.

Not that Shade or Remembrance knew that.

They also did not know that they had picked a bad day to drop into the facility.

This is due to the fact that they were not the only "heroes" to decide to drop in that day.

The Rogues.

A Nazi Robot (Reformed, the Nazi part, not the robot part), a dinosaur, a Wizard, a Power Ranger, a Super-Spy and a King happen to be within the facility as well.

As Shade and Remembrance scout the facility they don't manage to find any villains sitting around, mid monologue or otherwise, and they also aren't able to find any folders labelled 'Evil Plan'. They keep searching.

In fact avoiding the numerous agents and security measures are feats themselves but they occurred off screen. Jill can tell you how awesome those scenes were.

>_>

Anyway.

The Rogues; Director Lancelot, King Jake, Jeff the Thunder Lord, Sauros, Vagrant and Black Six have managed to gain entrance to one of the larger laboratories of the facility. They've just managed to subdue, quietly, the guards and scientists within when Remembrance and Shade reach the doorway, hidden from view of the Rogues.

The Rogues don't know which Weapon Project this facility was working on, but they do know that the dozens of pods lining the walls are being used to store the weapons. They are caked over with frost so the team can't tell what are within at such a distance, but should have no trouble looking in the pods with a closer look.

What do you do?

SuperCracker

2013-02-25, 09:44 PM

King Jake
On the precipice of a great, soul-searching journey

“Right… so we don’t touch the wizard’s legos,” Jake said, still managing to make a joke out of something that is not, in fact, a joke. “I’ll restrain myself this time, Roland. Let’s go.”

Jake scarfed down the rest of his bagel, then did a fade-away shot with his own napkin.

“The Camelot Dragons are on fire tonight! Suck it, Kobe!” This was, of course, muffled by the bagel in his mouth. Ladies and gentlemen, your ruler.

The King’s Office

While Ashley was escorted past the Hall of the Round Table, that place is reserved for meetings of national urgency. Instead, Ashley was brought through a bustling area of civilian activity, and into his office. It was spacious, with a comfortable aeron chair behind a big wooden desk. No thrones in sight. There were a few couches, and a lovely view out of the window.

Jake was sitting at his desk, eating a BLT he’d just unwrapped. There were some French fries too.

Ashley opened by being Ashley. Instead of just talking to him like someone she went to high school with, she made it awkward.

“Ash, dial it down like… thirty notches. Sit down. Want a French fry?”

Starsign

2013-02-25, 10:47 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley has her mouth slightly open at Jake's words. She could try to joke that he was "commanding" her but it probably wouldn't come out humorous at all. She could never really tell a joke at all really. Instead she simply nods silently and pulls up a chair. "I'll pass on the fries, but thanks Jake," she responds kindly. "I do envy you sometimes. You have a kingdom to run, a fiancee to marry, and political intrigue to be put through. Yet you're pretty calm in the face of it." She doesn't speak with a bit of jealousy. Considering how much responsibility Jake is put up with, she'd rather have her comparatively quieter life than be some sort of king or queen, no matter how good her nerves would be. "Guess it comes with being a natural leader."

She tries to smile as she moves back to the main discussion at hand. "Anyway... I'll start by getting straight to the point." She hesitates a bit, knowing it would be wrong to accuse her friend yet has to confront him about it. Cautiously, she asks, "...What are your plans for London?"

Despite her attempt, she comes off being a little ominous as she asks Jake.

SuperCracker

2013-02-26, 12:37 AM

King Jake
Meeting with Ashley

Jake chuckled when Ashley spoke of political intrigue in the context of envy. The intrigue and plotting were by far his least favorite parts of the job. He liked solving problems and instituting societal change. Build a more perfect kingdom, each and every day. This other nonsense was a sideshow that he intended to end as swiftly as possible.

“Natural shmatural,” he jokes, brushing off her compliment before popping a trio of French fries into his mouth. He’s chewing on them when she drops the bomb. It was a very Ashley way to conduct herself. Interesting that she knows to even ask about it.

He looked up at her and chewed his food before answering.

“The fact that you’re even asking about it tells me that someone’s been talking to you.”

Jake picked up the phone that went to his secretary.

“Sophia, hold all my calls for now, okay? Thanks.”

He hung up and then looked at Ashley’s expression for a moment.

“The night the Lighthouse fell, I was fighting the Understudy. At some point, he turned into a cartoon character that could stop time, and he hit me with his power. Something happened, though. I was sent into the future, and I saw London bombed out and in ruins. I was there, Hope, Len, and that healer lady from Claremont. Also, Abigail Sword was present.”

“She told me that London would be destroyed. She told me there was nothing I could do about it—which I personally think is bullsh**. And she told me that I had the power to bring them all back to life… by declaring myself the King of England. Arthur was the King of the Britons, after-all.”

He sighed, but was able to keep his calm.

“I want to stop this from happening. I don’t want to usurp their government. But if it happens, and the only way to bring millions of people back to life is to say ‘Hey I’m the king.’ I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”

Starsign

2013-02-26, 01:11 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley takes no mind to think about interrupting or criticizing Jake when he begins to explain to her what he knows. For the most part, she is quiet and still. Her mouth wobbles open a little when he mentions about London in ruins. Death warned her that such an event would happen, and by Jake's words, that is really going to be the truth. The only other thing that gives Ashley a reaction is Jake's mentioning of Abigail. That causes Ashley to raise her eyebrows in surprise, partially in disbelief. In fact, she doesn't seem no longer worried about Jake's idea of ruling London if he must; the words that come of her mouth at the end was a shocked "...Abigail was there? She has been missing since the Lighthouse fell." It seems so odd to Ashley; she can imagine Jake, Len, Hope, and Ava all there. Abigail however, the girl who's barely 10 years old? It almost sounds like a trick... and almost everything Ashley has been hearing nowadays is probably a trick of some sort. There isn't much she can do about it.

Ashley blinks for a few moments before nodding to Jake. "Regardless, thanks for mentioning about that. I know you aren't one to lie, as far-fetched as reality likes to be." She looks down a bit, uncomfortable in her chair as she slowly continues. "I guess I should explain myself now and why I asked... I learned it from Isiah. Len was at the Lighthouse crash site with him and me. How much did Len tell you about it?" She isn't being accusing or focused; if anything she is trying to be casual and calm, and not doing that good a job at it.

Raynn

2013-02-26, 07:26 PM

The Hole In The World

Washington.

An A.E.G.I.S. Base.

Technically.

In 2007 when U.N.I.S.O.N. was dissolved and A.E.G.I.S. was re-oriented to be a global task-force, rather than an American one, to replace it many weren't particularly happy. The U.S. was more than compensated, and they gained major influence over the organization as well as increased global support but many within the organisation felt they had been betrayed.

Many of these detractors became splinter power bases within A.E.G.I.S. Some obvious, some totally covert. While a few were picked up on and eradicated, many for simply existing, others for possessing nefarious intentions, many were too subtle to be noticed and remained more loyal to the U.S. government than the U.N.

It was one of those splinter factions that controlled the Washington A.E.G.I.S. base.

Not that Shade or Remembrance knew that.

As Shade and Remembrance scout the facility they don't manage to find any villains sitting around, mid monologue or otherwise, and they also aren't able to find any folders labelled 'Evil Plan'. They keep searching.

In fact avoiding the numerous agents and security measures are feats themselves but they occurred off screen. Jill can tell you how awesome those scenes were.

>_> How much of this was copied and pasted from the 'Other' post?

Any-way . . .

What do you do?

Give me a stealth check, where relevant, and tell me what exactly you're looking for first?

Main Laboratory, central database, base commander's office, certain information, etc.

Ladorak

2013-02-26, 07:30 PM

Roland arched an eyebrow at Jake, but said nothing. Emily had been the same, humour as a defence mechanism. A very strange notion.

'Very well.' He extended his arms to both of them 'Take my hand.'

Vagrant's method of teleporting, that of riding the magical threads that criss-cross the world, was the most energy effective method of teleportation he had thus far discovered, it did not however work well with passengers. Excalibur would likely protect Jake, but there was every chance direct exposure to the incorrectly named Ley-Lines would shed Len's mind.

To Eldritch, or any other 'normal' mage he thought sadly, this would be a minor inconvenience. Vagrant was not 'normal,' he was a loner, abide one by nature rather than inclination, but a loner none the less. He rarely had to 'carry' anyone. He rarely had anyone to carry.

It was, therefore, with some difficulty that he wrapped Len and Jake and brought them to his Sanctum. It felt acutely like moving the Earth and keeping them in place, rather more effort than he was used to, in other words.

He arrives with a gasp, his head spinning. Both Jake and Len quickly released his hands and, for a few confused moments, he was stricken with the fear he had lost both of them in transition.

He sat down where he knew there would be a chair and massaged his temples as he waited for his vision to clear. In a series of small patches the swimming white dots vanished, revealing his Sanctum piecemeal.

The first thing he saw were the curtains without windows, garish drapes striped with every bright colour of the spectrum. Next came the loom in the corner, beside it baskets of fine thread in bright, bright colours. There was a half finished tapestry on the loom that matched the coverlet on his bed, which was also slowly returning to his vision. Both were covered in woven geometric patterns that somehow suggested fields of flowers beneath a blue sky.

In the centre of the room a large wide pottery bowl sat, filled to the brim with water and embellished with floating flowers, between the blooms bright pebbles could be seen covering the bottom of the bowl.

The walls were covered in poorly crafted paintings and drawings. Only Vagrant would recognise them for who they were. There was Apollo looking thoughtful, here was Riley with a wicked glint in her eye, there was Navi offering a kind hand outward toward the viewer. In half a dozen pictures the same couple appeared, impossibly tall and impossibly kindly. They looked different in every picture, for his memory of his parents had been hazy even when he had first come to Earth 8

Here was light and colours and flowers in profusion. And finally he saw Len and Jake, gawking at a soul laid bare. Colour rushed to his cheeks and his skin crawled, his guts twisted up at his being so revealed, so suddenly and unwelcomely. He reminded himself this was a thing of his own choosing, but did not find himself convincing.

He grit he teeth and tried not to show how discomforted he was. Let them drink it in he told himself Interruption won't stop them fixing all this in their minds.

He stirred himself into starting the ritual. He walked to the centre of the room, carefully telekinetically moving the pottery bowl to the side. A dozen pieces of chalk floated up and around him, circling slowly as they came up to his brow and then floated back down to the floor. A dozen lines were drawn on the ground around him, and they multiplied and multiplied and multiplied until he stood at the centre of a perfectly symmetrical pattern of lines, triangles, squares and circles.

Next came the ectoplasm, although he was only tracing the lines of the existing pattern it took far longer as ectoplasm, in a fairly literal sense, had a mind of it's own.

When he was finished the whole pattern began to glow, like reversed floodlights they shot all their light directed upward, writhing Vagrant's figure in pale luminescence.

He spoke, and the room seemed to shrink inward with each word, which seemed to issue from far away About about, reel and rout. Dancing souls atop the wheel, crushed souls beneath it. Ascending and descending, everything within it's place. The Wheel of Fate has been perverted, there is one here who's time has passed, one who has cheated the wheel and upset the natural order. One who sat Pendragon's throne before his time, one who now exists outside his time. Mordred La Fey, Mordred Pendragon, we do not come to judge, we come to set right that which is wrong, that which should never have been.
Jake Wallace, Len Cope, Roland Stone, we come together to right Fate and set the world on better path.'

He clapped his hands and the room seemed to shrink again, as all light within it died, leaving only the light of the geometric patterns on the floor. This is the point of no return, cross the boundary King of Camelot, First Knight, and tread a path never intended to be travelled.

Raynn

2013-02-26, 08:05 PM

Within The Souls

Vagrant eyes glance over the floor as the light fades, he sees nothing has changed, worried he looks up and sees that at the edge of the rooms floors there are no walls and that it merely melds into grass and continues on in a wide open field.

Vagrant turns and sees a smaller, more medieval Camelot tower over the forests and hills of Britain.

As Sauros and King Jake collect themselves Vagrant glances to the horizon and sees a long column of knights and courtiers approach.

Then Vagrant notices something particularly odd . . .

Len, Roland and Jake are the ages they were in Claremont, about sixteen.

When the Column finally reaches them the leader of the group raises his gauntlet-ed hand and a wave of fear washes over Vagrant reflexively, then he waves emphatically and all fear fades. The knight raises his visor and reveals a similarly aged face to their own . . .

Jake knows exactly who it is . . .

Arthur Pendragon.

Prince Arthur Pendragon.

"Sir Wallace! Sir Cope! We missed you on the hunt this morning!"

As Len, Jake and Roland stand stunned at out familiar the knights appear to act towards them a girl, a year or so younger, in a clearly expensive and noble dress leaps down from her horse and runs forward to grab the trio in a hug

"I MISSED YOU GUYS!"

A young Lancelot raises his visor and laughs at the girl with Arthur

"Morganna! You saw them last night! Act like the lady you're meant to be!"

Morganna blushes and Arthur pulls her up onto his steed behind himself

"Guys you promised me another duel in training today, I'm telling you I can take you both. You just got lucky yesterday! I intend to win back those coins!"

Lancelot nods to Roland

"Master Stone, Merlin was looking for you earlier. It seems you're still the favored apprentice!"

Morganna seems to sulk playfully at that

"Don't worry Morganna, he still can't pull off a dress like you can!"

With that and a laugh the group pulls away to enter the main gate into Camelot.

What do you do?

EDIT:
The duel line was Arthur's but was coloured as Morganna's earlier by accident.

Ladorak

2013-02-26, 08:33 PM

Roland's mind whirled. He hadn't expected to wander into such a... concrete part of Jake's soul so quickly. He had to warn Jake and Len, but in a way that wouldn't upset the balance of this... Dream? Delusion? Memory? Some combination of the above?

What ever it was it was vital they played along, passage through this part would be impossible without the cooperation of the composite parts of this part.

He grinned at Lancelot, but his words were not for him 'We must play the roles we are given, Sir Knight. It is the only way any of us get where we are going. Favoured apprentice I may be, but this is a role that comes with much extra duty and little extra privilege.' He shot an apologetic look at Morganna 'You'll find that out soon enough, I have no doubt, until then enjoy your free time, for it is a thing I only dimmly remember.'

SuperMuldoon

2013-02-26, 09:00 PM

Len Cope

What a trip. Len nearly doubled over as his head spun and his stomach churned. Blinking his eyes, he put his hands on his knees and took a few deep breaths - in through the nose, out through the mouth.

He notices his hands are smaller. And his legs. Looking up, he sees the younger versions of Jake and Roland. Len assumes the same goes for him.

The shocking developments continue as he is wrapped in a hug with his two friends by a young Morganna. "Uh...yeah, don't worry - you'll get your rematch!" he says, unsure of himself.

He hears Roland's words for what they are, and gathers himself to play along with all that's about to happen. He gives a little nod at Roland and puts a grin on his face and follows the group into Camelot.

SuperCracker

2013-02-26, 09:46 PM

King Jake
In the Dream

The teleportation was strange and disorienting. His own could be like that sometimes, depending on how far the portal took him, but not like this. When he arrived in Roland’s sanctum, he shook his head to clear out the strangeness. Once he’d regained his grasp on reality, he realized… that this was Roland’s most secret place.

And that Roland… was kind of a sensitive guy. The poorly drawn portraits were people that were obviously important to him. And some of the things in here were lovely. Jake picked up on the fact that Roland was ill-at ease about Len and Jake being here… so he didn’t comment. He just smiled. He felt like he’d learned something about his new High Wizard.

Then the spell was cast… and he and Len strode forth with the boldness that was their trademark.

And they found themselves somewhere… an echo of the past. King Arthur, Lancelot… Morganna. Who seemed oddly cheerful and not ‘hey let’s go destroy Camelot and everything that’s good in the world.’ Jake was getting ready to say something very out of character when Roland subtly reminded him to act the part.

Very well.

With a grin, Jake said to Morganna, “You wish. Next time you should watch how I do it. Lancelot’ll just teach you wrong and flatter you.”

He chuckled and they started on their merry way.

“What’s on the agenda for today, my liege?”

Raynn

2013-02-26, 10:23 PM

Camelot That Was

Lancelot smirks

"I doubt Morganna will ever be so lucky, she'll soon be married and I doubt a Lady will have time for magics."

Morganna audibly groaned at this

"Maybe I'll get lucky and my husband will be more understanding."

Lancelot quips back

"I doubt that too, I hear your secret suitor is quite the cantankerous oaf."

At that Arthur smacks Lancelot upside the head playfully. Morganna giggles innocently as she watches the two boys in chainmail make mock swings at each other.

She then kisses Arthur on the cheek

"Well I hear he's the most gallant knight in the realm."

Arthur smirks but shakes his head

"Morganna, what if Uther sees?"

Morganna looks a little hurt but quickly brushes it off

"I never can understand what your father has against me. I'm his ward, and I know he dislikes me being a Lady and a witch but I don't see why he's never even entertained the idea of me as your betrothed. He probably just wants someone richer, some pretty vacuous girl who cares about nothing but gold and jewels like Guinevere."

Lancelot shakes his head sympathetically and pats Morganna on the back with a mailed hand, like an older brother

"You'd like Guinevere if you gave her a chance."

Morganna squeezes Arthur tight, who doesn't seem to notice though his armor

"Everyone knows she only came to Camelot in the hope Arthur would court her."

Lancelot shakes his head

"Have you considered that maybe Uther hasn't considered you YET because he's your guardian. Most parents rush their daughters in marriage to ensure they DO get married but as your guardian and Arthur's father maybe he hasn't entertained the idea because he doesn't have any need to rush it. He won't say no to himself, and who knows, as I said a Lady of Camelot won't have time to learn magic, perhaps he doesn't wish to take your 'hobby' away from you so soon."

That explanation seems to cheer Morganna up considerably

"Thank you Sir Lancelot
For an oaf you can be quite kind when you choose to be."

Lancelot nods with a joking smirk

"I pride myself on being the knight most capable of annoying AND cheering up the Lady Morganna . . . aside of course from his Royal-Oaf-Ness."

The tail-end of that comment warranted another playful jab from Arthur

"I am your Prince remember?"

At that Morganna and Lancelot laugh together and Arthur enters a faux-sulk of his own as the train of nights pass through one of the last of the main arches before the castle, notably smaller than the magical Camelot of the modern day

"Well Master Stone, Merlin most likely has work for you, while the knights have training in the yards. I suppose aside from that today is quiet. Don't worry you'll have ample time to prepare for Morganna's name day feast."

Morganna shakes her head sullenly

"I'm old."

Arthur laughs

"You're a child and a trickster Morganna, always will be!"

Lancelot laughs too as he dismounts

"I believe we hang men who treat children like you do Lady Morganna!"

Arthur jabs Lancelot in the arm with his mailed fist for that, a little harder this time, and Morganna's face turns a deep red.

You now stand at the foot of the Castle of Camelot.

What do you do?

SuperCracker

2013-02-26, 11:35 PM

Sir Jake
Dreamscape

Arthur, Lancelot, and Morganna. It kind of reminded Jake of himself, Len, and Hope. Only he knows for certain that the three in front of him have a dark fate in store for them. Morganna will not be Arthur’s bride. Arthur will die at his son’s hand. Their dreams will crumble. It’s already happened. Jake frowns. As badly as Morganna has made his life hell at times, he really just wanted to save Molly. Hell, if he got the chance, he’d try and save the old Morganna, too.

“I think Guinevere is overrated,” Jake couldn’t help but say. Even if these people aren’t real… dammit, the girl deserves some brightness for once, “You’re a sweet girl, and any man would be lucky to have you.”

A warm smile is given to her, then he nods to Arthur.

“Yes, your Royal Highness. Let’s all hit the yard. Maybe someone can take down myself and Sir Cope on this day. But I doubt it.”

Ladorak

2013-02-27, 04:36 PM

Vagrant nodded to Len and Jake, gratified they both understood. It would have been embarrassing to have fallen at the first hurtle.

'I had best see what Merlin wants.' He started to walk away, then turned and regarded Morganna slyly 'It seems to me that if a woman may have a secret suitor, she may also have a secret tutor.' He tipped her a wink and walked away, hoping he would recognise Merlin's tower when he saw it. This was Jake's fantasy, not his, he was painfully aware of how blind that made him.

Raynn

2013-02-27, 04:57 PM

The Camelot That Was - Merlin's Tower

Roland finds Merlin's tower with ease, knowing it was likely to be the tallest tower in the city, like the modern version of the city. Once he steps inside he finds Merlin scribbling something at a desk. He turns and looks at Stone with a smile.

Vagrant is immediately taken aback by how the man looks exactly like he does in the 'present' . . . then Vagrant pauses and thinks he may look a little older . . . closer to the Merlin he encountered on King Thomas' world

"Roland, I've been looking for you. I was hoping you can help me magic up a late name day present for the Lady Morganna. I know, I know. You told me I'd forget and leave it to the last minute but as you know I'm much older than I appear, you can excuse me my forgetfulness."

***

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

As the Knights prepare in the yard Len and Jake find pages to help them into armor marked in their own crests. Jake also finds he lacks Excalibur. The pair also figure out that Arthur lost the bet he could take both of them on at the same time yesterday. Most of the Knights in the yard are individuals that were reincarnated with Jake in the modern day, but not all.

KaganMonk

2013-02-27, 05:52 PM

Talking with Jake and Hope

Dare gives them both a tired smile, "Lady Hope, I'm just glad to know that you are on the side of existence, for a given value of taking sides. As for your questions, King Jake, causality is always hard to pin down. Perhaps Hope was brought to counter the Supreme, or maybe you were brought to get involved in order to make another plan backfire. My cousin Abi is the Lady of Time, and she has trouble fighting whoever-it-is."

"For my own mission, I do feel I need to remain in America. There is too much attention on Camelot for me to work directly with you and maintain my own independence. I'll be trying to connect with other heroes with a similar mission to my own, and there's too much nationalistic rivalries between Camelot and the world. In that sense, it may be best for Robert to maintain a distance as well. Another thing to keep in mind is that a portion of the superhero community seems to be in hiding, preparing for something. That includes my family, it seems. Anyways, unless you have anything else you wish to discuss, I'll take my leave and return home."

Sorry, I apparently unsubscribed from the thread a bit back.

SuperMuldoon

2013-02-27, 08:21 PM

Len Cope

As he gets fitted for his armor, Len feels its time for Jake to know something. He leans in to his best friend and whispers so that nobody can hear.

"Uh...this is probably the worst time, but you know I have never swung a sword in my life." he says, trying badly to cover up just how screwed he thought he was.

SuperCracker

2013-02-27, 09:58 PM

King Jake
On the couch, speaking to Doctor Dare.

For a moment it felt like he was talking to Ashley.

“Dare, I was not suggesting an open collaboration between you and I. I very well know that it could make life difficult for you, being based out of the nation that is currently screwing with us. However, we do have back channels. Furthermore, the FLI will be an independent entity. I will call zero shots in it. I won’t even be in the membership.

You said it yourself, our enemy is winning the game of chess right now. If we run around without speaking to each other, we will lose.”

He let that settle for a moment.

“With that, have a good evening. And call my chief of staff if you ever want to speak. It goes over better than… well… this.”

In his office, speaking to Ashley.

He was relieved that she didn’t fight back too much on this topic. For once, someone’s playing along.

“Len told me a few things, but I get the feeling we don’t have the whole story. Tell it to me from your end.”

Sir Jake
Somewhere… else.

No Excalibur, that’s okay. Jake still happened to be one of the world’s most talented swordfighters. It felt funny being suited up in armor, though. Jake tended to go with clothes and rely on purely magical protection. The bulk wasn’t going to be pleasant. Well, that's what he thought at first. Turned out that the armor was generally... not that bad. Funny that. D&D LIED!

Len leaned in to tell Jake the “secret” and he looked at his buddy like he was high.

“Everyone knows that, Clawy McBiter!” Jake whisper-shouted. “Just… tank for me with your shield. I’ll play DPS. And if all else fails, punch him with your big armored fists.”

Before long, the young-looking Sir Jake is adorned with armor. He wells it well, actually. Jake limbers up a little, getting used to the way the armor confines his movement. He steps further into the yard.

“The Dynamic Duo is ready, your Royal Highness. You better be too.”

Ladorak

2013-02-27, 10:17 PM

The trip to the tower had given Roland some time to think. Everything here was an archetype, a personification of some aspect of Jake's persona. Merlin, it seemed logic, would serve the same archetype he served both in legend and to Jake personally. Merlin was wisdom, it therefore behoved him to pay very close attention indeed to anything the wizard might say, and to aid him as much as he could.

Finding he had been summoned to aid in a birthday present took him aback at first, but only at first. Whatever this place represented Morganna was at the heart of it, if he wasn't sure of that already Merlin's words set those suspicions in stone.

'Old you may be Merlin, yet that is not why you are forgetful. Quite the opposite. Your mind is not emptied by age, allowing facts to fall from it. Your mind is full to brimming, as it always is. Do not blame age for your forgetting, blame your zest for life and dedication to duty.
'Now... How can I help you?'

Starsign

2013-02-28, 01:51 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley slowly nods to Jake when he answers her prior question. "Len knows half of what I know. He and I found Isiah together." She takes a deep, shivering breath, not excited about recalling that time and the moments before. "We found him dying; he was in the Lighthouse when it crashed into the ground, under the effects of the Ultimate Nullifier Mk I generators. Right before his soul went away, he warned me about you, warned me that you would be taking over London. He practically begged me to stop you." She looks away from Jake as if in guilt. "I told him I would find out what you were doing and would react accordingly... But I don't see or understand what was it Isiah was so in fear about. Only idea I can think of is that he wanted... or maybe even wants Camelot ruined to keep the world from burning." Her last sentence comes off ominous.

She looks to Jake with an icy, worried stare. "Jake, I need to warn you now. London won't be the only city that may be destroyed. Death told me that other cities like Berlin, Paris... I think all of Europe might be eclipsed in a sea of flames." She tries to take a few calm breaths amidst the mess of foreshadowing and coming disasters. "I know some people call me crazy for stating that I speak to Death herself, but she was the one who warned me about the other cities... and about Isiah."

She resists tapping the ground with her foot out of anxiety as she still continues. "That isn't the end of it either. There's still more I have to say. Jake, have you ever... made a wish recently?" She drops those last few words quickly, her mind racing over and over the same thought. PleasesaynoPleasesaynoPleasesaynoPleasesayno...

Raynn

2013-02-28, 10:23 PM

Remembrance, Apollo, Hope and Jake

I think this scene is over?

***

The Camelot That Was - Merlin's Tower

Merlin seems to think for a moment

"Well I think that a grimoire of her own might be nice, something for her to keep for when she is Lady and can no longer visit the tower for training. Of course it must be a simple tome. I have a few tomes, copies of copies of copies of copies of the grimoire's I wrote when I was young. One of the earlier ones, full of simple, easy spells, should suit her fine. I would pick one out myself but I haven't the time, would it be a bother for you to search through the library downstairs? I know shifting through an old man's ancient books might not be an glorious work for a young wizard, but it's all the work I have for you today sadly."

***

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

Arthur drew his long sword, an elegant but mundane weapon, and swings and tests it with enough skill and grace to equal or surpass Jake any day. It seems a lifetime of swordsmanship and training has its benefits.

Arthur grins and levels his weapon as he checks his shield

"Two on one, let us hope this is a challenge, aye Sir Wallace?"

Arthur winks with a laugh.

Roll Initiative please!
Arthur: [roll0]

Ladorak

2013-03-02, 01:11 PM

Roland snorted in genuine amusement 'Master Merlin, I doubt there is a wizard or mage in the world who wouldn't give up their non-writing hand in exchange for a few hours amide your tombs.' His smile grew 'In fact, I can say with some surety, the same will be true a thousand years from now.'

He turned to leave, but stopped at the door, his fingers trailing the frame as he formed a question in his mind. With his back to Merlin he asked it 'Master... Why cannot Morganna continue her studies after she is married? I do not see how one path precludes the other.'

Raynn

2013-03-03, 06:58 PM

The Camelot That Was - Merlin's Tower

Merlin rubs his forehead as if the answer was something he was a little annoyed with himself

"It is not the done thing for a woman to work at such after marriage, she will have duties and as much as she would not like to accept it whoever she marries will likely be a lord who will live far from here. There is unlikely to be anyone to instruct her even if her husband was to ignore any outward negative views on the idea. When she leaves Camelot it will be to assist in the rule of some domain as a wife and to birth heirs. Things will be expected of her. Magic is only barely accepted in these times and the idea of some one of nobility, especially a woman, is anathema to the citizens of this kingdom. It would cause no end of trouble for the girl and those whom stood beside her."

Vagrant gets both the impression that the short version is 'the medieval feminine rights movement isn't a big thing' and oddly enough for someone supposedly of the era Merlin seems well aware it is a deplorable practice.

Ladorak

2013-03-03, 07:34 PM

Roland turned in the doorway, regarding Merlin cautiously, and with no small measure of respect. 'It doesn't seem right to me... But life is seldom fair, I suppose.' Roland heaved a sigh, no, life was seldom fair indeed. 'Some of what you say makes sense. If Morganna leaves Camelot there will be no one to train her, and while unfortunate it is not unfair. But to say she cannot study when she is pregnant, surely this is foolishness.' He held up a hand to forestall Merlin 'Not you Master. Only the greatest of fools could call you foolish. But she will have months of little movement and protection from all stress. Surely this is the perfect time to study a book. Her... future-husband would be a fool and a tyrant to forbid her such' He studied Merlin carefully So, do you think Merlin, that the grimoire I choose for Morganna, it should not look like a grimoire. Maybe it should look like a book on sewing or some such?

Raynn

2013-03-03, 07:39 PM

The Camelot That Was - Merlin's Tower

Merlin scratches his chin in thought

"Perhaps, as a precaution, but that the magical is simple and nothing that might strain her skills or draw attention or suspicion to her in times of hardship might be best. Witchs, royal or otherwise, are easy scape-goats."

Ready to head into the library whenever you are, unless you wish to continue your discussion of medieval gender-politics with your vision quest?

Ladorak

2013-03-03, 08:12 PM

Roland nodded, he turned to leave again, then stopped. I suddenly occurred to him this was likely to be the only time he would ever meet his predecessor. This Merlin could be a product of Jake's imagination, or an accurate representation of the man Marlin had been over a thousand years ago. Either way he was not likely to have another chance to speak to anything this close to being Merlin ever again.

'I will do as you say Master... Master, I just wanted to say, before I go, it is an honour to be your apprentice. I do not think there will be another like you...' He considered for several seconds 'Ever. And, God forbid, should anything happen to you, I would be honoured beyond all words to take your place in Camelot.'

Raynn

2013-03-03, 08:21 PM

The Camelot That Was - Merlin's Tower

Merlin smiles, the allows himself a faint laugh

"You know, just right now, you reminded me of myself . . . . a very long time ago. I might have once said the same to my master . . . A good man. His name was Eldrich . . ."

Merlin looks wistful for a moment then continues

"Now go get that book, the feast is tonight you know!"

As Vagrant heads off he moves down the many staircases to find the large cavernous library below.

Ladorak

2013-03-04, 05:16 PM

Vagrant's mouth fell open in astonishment. Eldritch? His jaw worked as he tried to form questions, or even coherent thoughts. It was almost against his will that he left and descended the narrow winding steps of Merlin's tower.

There was a story there, but it was not for him, he decided. Surely his former (If rather brief) mentor was entitled to his secrets, what wizard was not? 'We are, as a rule, a secretive and modest lot.' He mused to himself 'We understand better than most the terrible potential power of secrets unleashed, or of knowledge learned but not earnt.'

Yes, that was very pertinent wasn't it? What secrets or spells should he reveal to Morgana Le Fay to be? Merlin's advice, keep it secret, keep it safe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-U_VA3dA_k#t=00m04s) seemed very wise indeed.

He opened the door to the library with apprehension. What was the spirit walk trying to tell him?

Raynn

2013-03-05, 05:23 PM

The Camelot That Was - Merlin's Tower

Vagrant steps into the library and finds himself at the steps of the tower of Camelot, within the modern city.

The present, but not his own.

He looks behind him and see Merlin, but no one else seems to notice Merlin, as if no one else can see him. He is young, the one Vagrant just encountered upstairs, not old like the modern Merle was before his untimely death.

Vagrant glances around and sees men in strange clothing, white and simple, but clearly from an advanced culture, tearing down buildings with their bare hands and flying. The Knights who fought fell before them like wheat before the scythe.

Death hung about the city like a cloud.

Then he and the Merlin no one sees reach the foot of the castle proper, the steps leading to the main courtyard and the front gate. There stands Len, his helm over his face. He turns to Vagrant as he approaches and tries to speak but fails. He falls to his knees, broken hearted

"I . . . couldn't get here in time . . . I couldn't . . . the Supreme's forces were too many V. I . . . Molly was wounded, Jake tried to get here to heal her before she . . . they beat him to death before he could . . . I wasn't able to stop them . . ."

Vagrant looks down at the steps and sees two bodies, who clearly were holding each other when their time came. The 'Molly' who looked exactly like Morganna, and 'Jake' . . . who looked exactly like the young Arthur.

What do you do?

Ladorak

2013-03-05, 09:13 PM

Vagrant grimaced at the total devastation before him. It seemed like he was doomed to see every place he called home destroyed. A hard thing to admit, but he was becoming used to it.

The absence of memory insulated him from the full effect, as did the knowledge everything he was seeing was not real.

Still, memory remained in him, in fragments. He remembered a run down shack that contained nothing but happy memories. He remembered the ashes of that shack. He remembered Claremont, and the ruins left of it. He remembered Freedom City, and the devastation recently visited on it.

'If home is where the heart is, my heart leaves naught but devastation in it's wake.' Old Vagrant would have been tormented by that knowledge, new Vagrant simply accepted it as a fact of life. Emotional distance lends everything a philosophical viewpoint.

Still... It was hard, seeing Camelot like this. Despite everything it had seemed to Vagrant like a shining hope amid the darkness of the modern era, a place he was proud to serve, protect and reside in.

Reminding himself that this was not real, but may well be a real warning, Vagrant descended keeping a tight rein on his emotions and a watchful eye on his surroundings. He ignored the smoke that stung his eyes, the cries of pain, the smell of burning flesh, with the air of a man overlooking the flaws in his best friend's partner. He ignored Merlin as if he, like everyone else, could not see him.

His reserve faltered, as did his step, when he saw Len. For one terrible moment he thought it was the real Len, and cursed himself roundly for taking such a good man into his worst nightmare. Even when he realised the truth it was hard to see Len so broken.

'Arise Sir Knight.' Vagrant placed his hand on Len's shoulder and forced strength and will into him 'The battle may be lost, but it is not over. Camelot remains even if it is just a word, as long as there remains brave men to defend the ideal.'

Emotion control 8: Hope

New strength and resolve brought Len to his feet as surely as Vagrant's helping arm did. He yanked Len to his feet and out of his stupor.

'And while hope remains there is always a way. I too have been absent from Camelot. Tell me everything that happened here, and leave nothing out, you don't know what might be important. The tiniest detail might be all I need to go back and undo what has been done.'

Raynn

2013-03-07, 03:17 AM

The Camelot That Was - Merlin's Tower

Len nods finding his resolves and replies

"Once the Supreme unleashed his forces Jake planned to respond in kind, but once Camelot came under attack he realized he didn't have the numbers to deploy us to the other cities that were attacked.

I had Faith keep us in touch with A.E.G.I.S. efforts but . . . her ship stopped responding. At that point she said they'd already lost Brussels, New York, Paris and Beijing. After that I wasn't getting fed any more info about the outside world except by the Frontliners, who'd already linked up with Clark and Ashley . . .

Ashley died protecting her daughter . . . I . . . I don't know if Freedom City is lost but last I heard Clark was tearing Fomorian's in half with his bare hands. All else I know is that Doctor Dare thinks the Freedom Legion started moving west after they took Washington, with the Johnny Rockets acting as a blitzkrieg while the others followed.

The Supreme's forces seems to be taking government centers, parliments, etc, across the globe. The Freedom League of America says they have the President hidden in a bunker and that he's ordered a tactical nuclear strike on the believed location of the Supreme. Minerva didn't say where that was."

Len searches the skyline, as if deciding where he was going to make his glorious last stand then said

"Hope died too you know. Ashley tried to super charge her to protect her but some Fomorian Princess with a grudge ended her before she got the chance . . . Hope's dead V . . . she was just a kid . . ."

Len checks his amulet and grows leathery wings as he readies himself for the final battle.

Vagrant glances back and sees a door way a distance behind Merlin. Merlin seems about to leave, having seen enough.

Ladorak

2013-03-07, 08:25 AM

Suddenly hope surged in Vagrant, the possibility of understanding dangled in front of him 'Where is Hope's body? I must see it Len, I have to.'

He reached out and tapped Len on the forehead, filling him further with unnatural vitality 'Go with grace, First Knight of Camelot.'

Boost 8, Len's shapeshifting ability

He waited for Len to depart, feeling pride and horror in equal measures. When he was gone Vagrant called out 'Merlin, I know you're there. I would speak with you.'

Raynn

2013-03-07, 05:29 PM

The Camelot That Could Have Been

Len answers as he departs

"I doubt Dare or Clark moved their bodies, Hope's body is still with Ashley's somewhere in the Barrio. I suppose anyway, since that's where Dare said Hope and her Mom were last time he checked in before he told me they died."

Once Len is gone Merlin is visibly spooked by Vagrant pointing him out

"Ah, I should have expected this. My forward astral projection is detectable to you. It is good to see you returned when Arthur resurrected . . ."

He trails off, obviously not knowing what to say to his presumed apprentice during what seemed like the end of the world.

Ladorak

2013-03-07, 08:38 PM

Vagrant smiled ruefully, and shook his head 'I wish it was that simple.' He said with heavy irony, and yet utter sincerity.

'This isn't my time either. We could stand here all day and I'd still not finish the story of how I came here, which may be ill advised indeed. If Len can see me I imagine others can... Sufficient to say, you came forwards to get here, I travelled sideways. despite himself a half grin quirked his features 'You'd know better than most. Never ask a magician to reveal his secrets. I am not your apprentice. Nor do I belong here.
'I'm here for the same reason you are, I suppose. To see...' he waved his hand about him 'This.' He cocked his head to one side and regarded Merlin coolly 'Now you have seen it, what will you do?'

Raynn

2013-03-07, 09:30 PM

The Camelot That Could Have Been

Merlin looks over the scene as if to take it in then simply replies

"I will stop this.

I will find a way."

Vagrant begins to notice future Camelot fading, as if to was a ghostly image over another space.

A cavernous Library.

The future that could have been will have faded completely in a few seconds.

Ladorak

2013-03-07, 09:45 PM

'I believe you Merlin, I really do. This will not come to pass. I think I may be from the Camelot you created in this one's place. It is... not perfect, but it is better than this. I fear though, it may lead to the end of all things. I pray I am wrong. How will you-'

And with that Merlin is gone, leaving a perplexed and frustrated Vagrant standing alone in a library. Merlin's library! Merlin's old library no less. It was a thing of legend, a wonder like Alexandria, never to be repeated. Only a supremely unambitious wizard would regard it without longing.

And yet it was not real, none of this was real. He picked a book at random and leafed through it.

Raynn

2013-03-07, 10:03 PM

The Camelot That Was - Merlin's Tower

Annoyed Vagrant begins to leaf through pages only catching a few stray words, then on a whim he stops on a single page and reads . . .

At Camalan, the last King of the blood of Pendragon shall fall, slain by his kin.

The last son of Atlantis shall persist and behold.

At the dawn of the new millennium those bound by the table and by blood shall return, summoned from oblivion by the voice of their king.

They shall raise a city to the heavens and it shall be a beacon in the dark.

Hope will be born.

Death will speak to the dead.

The King shall be tested.

By Love. By his darker self. By his better self.

The Supreme shall rise.

The child of Briton shall burn its city.

The King shall be tested.

He shall return.

The End of Wonder will descend upon the Earth.

The choir infinite will sing and magic will be forgotten.

The doors to the power Omnipotent will shape the peoples of the Earth.

He shall return.

He shall be thanked.

He will doom you all.

. . .

Even you Roland Stone.

SuperMuldoon

2013-03-08, 11:49 AM

Len Cope

Len shakes out his shoulders and bounces on his toes, loosening up, hearing the armor jingle and clank as he moves.

Just don't get stabbed. It's easy.

Len swings his sword around like the heroes in movies he's seen and raises his shield.

"It's gametime."

[roll0]

SuperCracker

2013-03-08, 01:07 PM

Sir Jake

Jake wasn’t terribly worried. Arthur was good, but even without his powers, Jake was an expert-level swordsman in his own right. Still, it’s a pity that it wasn’t the sword of legend. You can’t always get what you want.

“Yep. Don’t get stabbed, and see if you can get him to turn his back on me.”

What? We all know Jake doesn’t fight fair!

Initiative: [roll0]

Ladorak

2013-03-08, 04:33 PM

Vagrant jerked as if stung, sending the weighty tomb spiralling across the darkened room. As it flew, leaving behind it an arching trail of drifting dust, it came open at the spine, the sound of rippling pages cut the air.

Vagrant made a quick sweeping motion with one hand , an ethereal hand rose up from the ground and caught the book just before it hit the ground. He was not surprised at all to see it was still open on the same page.

He looked around the library accusingly, as if expecting mocking eyes or gloating grins 'I don't know how you are, but this is a game I tire of.' Outwardly he seemed calm, if rather annoyed, but inwardly he quelled. There was something on the dream path that shouldn't be there, he was sure of it. There were only a few things in all the multiverse that could have slipped between the cracks of his ritual circle. None of them were good, and the worst ones could have sucked Len and Jake's souls dry by now.

But anything that powerful, or old, should be lighting up his mystic senses like an atom bomb. He sensed.... He reached out, making sure... Nothing. There was nothing save his spirit link to Len and Jake.

Unless... Someone sealed Mordred to Jake, they could have left behind all manner of booby-traps behind. It was a possibility... Yet not a great one.

He picked up the book again, it seemed a lot heavier this time. How could anyone how known all this before Jake was born?

His fingers traced the lines. The first few made perfect sense

Death will speak to the dead.

Death has spoken to Emily and Remembrance. Was that a warning? He made a mental note to contact them as soon as he got back.

The rest made sad sense, save the last few lines.

The doors to the power Omnipotent will shape the peoples of the Earth.

He shall return.

He shall be thanked.

He will doom you all.

Omega? Even if he knew it would raise more questions then it would solve. He tucked the book under his arm, and went in search of something... less apocalyptic for Morganna.

Raynn

2013-03-09, 07:31 PM

The Camelot That Was - Merlin's Tower

Vagrant took much less time to find one of the oldest, smaller grimoires, signed by a Rolann Lapis. The spells within appear to be of the appropriate difficulty and danger that Merlin requested.

***

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

Arthur raises his sword into a defensive stance and motions for Jake to attack, as he swifts his weight from foot to foot

"Have at me Sir Knights."

Arthur will take the Total-Defense Action.

SuperCracker

2013-03-09, 07:31 PM

Jake Wallace
With Ashley

He raised an eyebrow at what Ashley was saying. Isiah claimed to know about London, and he was telling her to stop Jake from saving millions of people? Moreover, Isiah didn’t just bring up his concerns when he had been talking to Jake that very same night?

“This is insane. Why would he want Camelot ruined? And… dammit. I was with him only an hour or so before he died. If he thought something bad was going to happen, why didn’t he just talk to me about it?”

Bah. He knew not to trust that guy.

Then Ash moves on to say that Berlin.. Paris.. an ocean of blood waiting to spill upon Europe. Jake’s eyes narrowed.

“Ashley, I’m the reincarnated King of an ancient, floating city-state and I wield the holy weapon of the old gods. I’m not going to call you crazy over speaking with Death.”

He shook his head and ate a few French fries. Everything is going to explode. What else is new? We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it. He’s eating still when Ash brings up the wish thing.

“A wish?”

Chew chew.

“I can’t think of anything… I usually don’t do the wishing well stuff… or hang out with genies.”

Chew chew.

He tapped his knuckles on the desk.

“Oh, right. Yeah, with everything going on I forgot. I was standing on my balcony the night of the attack. I was bored, felt cooped up in my own castle. Must have been tired, too… cause I started to wish upon a star or whatever. I didn’t exactly get to finish the thought, though, cause that’s when the sphere fell.”

He pauses and looks at her for a long moment.

“Why?”

SuperCracker

2013-03-09, 07:42 PM

Sir Jake
Dreamscape Fight

“Alright, bro. Shield up.” Jake noted that Arthur was in a fully defensive stance. While Jake always liked to go for the first blood in a fight, as it were, he was instead going to go for something else. He takes off running down the field, skidding to a halt behind Arthur. Pincer attack go!

Jake is going to AIM this round.

SuperMuldoon

2013-03-09, 11:33 PM

Sir Leonard

Len takes off side by side with Jake, noting that Arthur seemed to be letting them make the first move. "X Strike!" he yelled, trying to psych out Arthur and get him to expose even the slightest opening to Jake.

going to aid Jake in his attack. [roll0] vs defense 10 for a +2 to jake's attack next round

Ladorak

2013-03-10, 09:40 AM

Vagrant's eye twitched slightly. Something was toying with him.

He made his way back to Merlin's tower in high dudgeon, and cast the book down on the desk. His finger darted out and stabbed, three times, the name of the author Rolann Lapis

'Who...' He caught himself, hearing the anger in his voice. He took a moment to steady himself, when he spoke next he sounded calm 'Who is this?'

Raynn

2013-03-10, 06:38 PM

The Camelot That Was - Merlin's Tower

Merlin picks up the book with a surprised look and holds out his glasses to read the name

"Hmmm . . . Rolann . . .Lapis.

Ah. I understand the confusion. It is my name, my first. From a long time ago. I've learned that there is power in a name, spells and such demand a true name in many cases, so an alias is often a wise protection for skillful wizards.

Ha. Rolann Lapis. That was an age ago . . .

Oh Pan . . .

Was there anything else?"

***

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

Arthur maintains his defense stance and smirks

"Come on boys, stop planning to hit me and hit me!"

Continuing his Total Defense Action.

smuchmuch

2013-03-10, 11:05 PM

Washington, Aegis base

Shade flaots into a long underground corridor boarded on bot sides by many office doors, searching her way through the Aegis facility. funny it'd be underground, though. She knew Aegid has quite changed in the last decade but this strikd her as somewhat odd.

Entry wasn't too hard. The security seems somewhat thigher than she would have expected, nothing out of the common but than enough pepeprred around that an intruder would definitively get spotted if they got careless. But for her of course hidden cameras and patrols no matter how many aren't much of a problem. And walls and doors even less. Thankfully the magical defense while present weren't too great so far. Mainly a few anti intrusions and detection wards, annoying and maybe a threat if she had (okay so maybe luck played an important part as well) but nothing that couldn't be bypassed with a bit of patience and creativity. (okay lot's and creativity given her incorporeal statues and quite a bit of dumb luck too)

Right now she's concentrating of finding the location of three rooms and a few particular informations in particular. Something akin to a central security room (if any), the files archive, who would have and where would be stocked any informations on the Lighthouse attack a week ago and the man who did it: The Understudy, a certain proeminent politician, the new freedom leaue that recently appeared and quite a few other things (she'll know when she sees it) and last but not least the morgue.

No idea if GB is still in this. So just ot be safe, I'll assume remebrance isn't here while staying vague enough till he confirms or not. *shrug*

No real idea where to start just yet since I have no idea about the layout of the place or exactly what in there. So crappy post for genral information

Gather information for any information about the place before going in if needed [roll0]
Stealth if needed [roll1]
Search if needed [roll2]

Ladorak

2013-03-11, 05:40 PM

'I... guess not.' Said Vagrant, masking his irritation with a mastery learnt as a child and adolescent, lying to Dark Eldritch's face on a daily basis, saving who he could while ever playing the role of the Dark Apprentice.

It was a long time ago, and utterly forgotten, but the ease of pacificity remained.

His features were bland and still as he nodded goodbye and turned to leave. He descended the Tower in search of Jake and Len, hoping they were having more luck then himself.

Starsign

2013-03-11, 08:01 PM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley looks away from Jake when he speaks up about Isiah. The possibly deceased Lord of Space always was the kind of guy who kept secrets to himself, as did everyone who plays this absurd game of manipulation. She can only wonder what he had been keeping from herself; she doubts that he would have told her everything he knew. The lack of knowledge is what worries Ashley.

What worries her more is that Jake mentioning that he did indeed make a wish. She slams her head into the palm of her hand the moment he asks "Why?" "...Where to begin," she says weakly. She takes a breath before looking at Jake again, speaking with more conviction this time. "When you got me to the Lighthouse, Isiah and I didn't have long to chat. I got myself to the escape pod, and the last things I heard from him before being jettisoned was..."

She hesitates, realizing that saying Isiah's direct line would likely cause her own wish to go off. She wouldn't be surprised if Sorrow was expecting her to pull a stunt like that like she did five years ago. At the least she remembers not to make the same mistake. "...He made a wish that he and I could have more time together. I then found him at the crash site of the Lighthouse." She shrugs her shoulders. "Back then, I wasn't thinking of how he didn't die on impact. A bit after I thought the wish was how he survived impact... Now though? I find myself doubting my thoughts. Somehow I imagine that he wouldn't have been depowered by Mk I Nullifiers and he likely would have had a backup plan anyway."

Her eyes dart away for a moment as she blinks into space for a moment, worried about how to phrase this next part. "...Later that day, me and Peregrine met a... unfortunate acquaintance." She poses an unamused face. "You remember Johnny Sorrow, right? We met him sometime after the Lighthouse fell. He told me that he offered me to make a wish, any wish through three specific words. From the... impression I got from him, I don't think he cares about what wish I make, so long as I make it. He stated he's trying to get a 'stalemate' result in this conflict; I find it hard to believe." She keeps herself from telling Jake that her "impression" was pissing off Sorrow enough to try and choke her to death above the city. No need to tell Jake another embarrassing moment of her life. "I can't state those exact words. If you recall the last time I did that, we were thrown across dimensions and fought a vampiric Centurion."

Fun times those were. Fun times indeed.

Then Ashley puts the links in her conversation together. "Isiah said those exact three words before I left the Lighthouse. I... think Sorrow did something to save Isiah somehow, at a price I don't know." She keeps herself from grimacing her voice a bit, being a rather needless attempt at drama. "If you actually made a wish and met Hope shortly after, I get the feeling Sorrow is somehow involved in the process of making Omega into human form and sending Hope down here... Maybe." Ashley is, as usual, throwing ideas against the wall without knowing if they stick or not. She just came to tell all this to Jake; theorizing ideas is more of a bonus.

Raynn

2013-03-11, 08:19 PM

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

Vagrant exits the tower and eventually finds Len and Jake, just as the practice duel begins. He sees Prince Arthur staying on the defensive waiting for Len and Jake to strike, both uncharacteristically cautious seemingly.

Vagrant sees that Morganna is overlooking the match from the window of her bedchambers in one of the towers of the castle.

***

Washington

As Shade delves deeper and deeper into the complex the first of her targets she comes upon is what appears to be the morgue. She likely would have preferred an archive or security center to be her first find but sadly her luck is not inexhaustible.

The room is large for a morgue, with a half dozen examination slabs and several long rows of 'freezer drawers' along either wall. The whole place smells of formaldehyde and is currently unoccupied.

What body are you searching for specifically?

SuperCracker

2013-03-11, 10:08 PM

Sir Jake

Stop planning to hit me and hit me? Yeah, says the turtle, himself. However, once Jake and Len got in position, Jake juked behind Len, coming around to strike Prince Arthur Pendragon with a fairly plain sword… dammit.

Attack roll! Got mad bonuses from last round and Len’s assist. [roll0] Shaved off 2 for power attack. Damage is 5 + standard sword which is 3. DC 23 toughness on hit.

Raynn

2013-03-12, 01:22 AM

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

As Jake's attack goes wide Arthur whips around his blade and tries to skillfully force Jake off balance and knock him to the ground.

Arthur has Improved Trip, Defensive Throw* and Defensive Strike*. He can attempt a trip attack on a missed Melee attack.

Trip Attack Roll: [roll0]
Opposed Trip Check: [roll1]

*See Warriors & Warlocks

smuchmuch

2013-03-13, 06:09 PM

Washington

Shade floats around the room. as it as already been said morgues and cemeteries have stopped making her uneasy a while ago, though seeing all those mortal coils lying cold and the idea she belonged in one such as them make her.. whistfull.

No, no, no; no time for that.
The morgue wasn't where she wanted to start but while she's here she might as well at least check if the bodies she's looking for are here.
She's here to get information on the Lighthouse attack, so any body in relevance with this would be of interest ('isiah' particulary), but it happened in freedom city. she heard soemone died in contact with the supreme lately, that too would be of interest but it happned in Camelot. It doesn't hurt to check the register in case someone of interest happens to have been send here recently but she doubt it'll be fruitfull.

However one body at least should be there, and that's who she came for: The understudy.

Raynn

2013-03-14, 03:45 PM

Washington

Shade is quickly able to find the Understudy's body quiet easily. His true identity is marked as John Doe on the tag tied to his toe. His face and body are equally plain aside from the remnant of the wound to the head inflicted by Jake during his homicide on the White House lawn.

Isiah's body does not appear to be stored here.

smuchmuch

2013-03-14, 04:20 PM

Washington

Shade glares at the corpse but nope, nothing she had no idea who he may be. So much for this being easy.
She looks around the room, checking for any camera or magic detecting ward active at the moment then in the corridor around for anyone incomming. there something she'd like to try but she'd like a bit of privacy for that.

As she does she also does a little inventory of things laying around. Corpes of course. She's going to need either something to writte like a chalk or some liquid, blood. Or just the formaldehyde in that corner will do, (and both shouldn't be too hard to find in a morgue) blood would just feelmore.. fitting. Maybe smething to brun like candles ? well it's not really necessary if there isn't any around. None of this is really, it'll just help for the concentration.

search roll [roll0]
Disable device [roll1] (if necessary)
(since she's in a morgue, she's got plenty of 'manequins' around to posees to intereact with the solid world. Morbid but in the absence of any other pc to serve as hands, whatever works :smalltongue:)

Raynn

2013-03-14, 04:38 PM

Shade

If there are any monitoring devices Shade is neither able to detect them or disable them. She is able to find the basic essentials of what she needs in the lab, but nothing beyond that. No candles of course.

SuperMuldoon

2013-03-15, 10:56 AM

Sir Leonard

Len adjusts the grip on the hilt of his sword, leaps into the air and spins in a complete circle before bringing the blade down at Arthur.

Hey, it's worked before.

But he was a huge dinosaur then. Now he's encased in armor with sword and shield. It's so much easier to use fang and claw then steel.

Praying for a crit... [roll0] vs. whats the DC? Is it just str bonus? If so I think its 17 HAHAHAHAHHA

smuchmuch

2013-03-15, 05:02 PM

Washington

If someone is watching, they'd see suddenly one of the morgue's corpse rise up on it's own. Slowly the cadaver gets on it's feet and after a pause as if to stretch for a ong sleep, walks around the room set on a rather morbid task. It takes jar of formaldehyde, dips it's finger in it and start tracing a few strange arcanes forms and symbols on the lying body of the understuddy.

There are many mediums and chamans out there who pretend to be able to channel the will of the unseen world and voices of the dead. Most of them are cons and frauds, Shade is well placed to know (and maaayy have enjoyed freaked out a few in those small moments whre she was feeling facetious), only a few gifted and enlightened can trully lift a small window into the afterlife. Breaking the barrier between the land of the living and what lies beyond requires quite a bit of concentration and preparation.

Technicaly none of that ritual she is doing is trully necessary. Shade is no master mage, not even a neophyte in fact, but she is already stuck between both world; there are rules that don't fully apply anymore, barriers that are already partly lifted. It's still helps for the concentration, it's still no easy feat.

After a while, the walking corpse stops it works, sit nead the lying body of the understudy and with it's eye closed, speaks "Wake up. I have questions"

Jurry rigging a ritual
Communication with the dead + If possible some kind of compulsion to make him answer truthfully + flaw: concentration needed is okay ?

Knowlege (occult) [roll0]
Concentration check [roll1]

(For what it's worth Shade already has a communication (dead) in her build somewhere if that helps; but it's only 2 pp thing)

Raynn

2013-03-16, 03:40 AM

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

Arthur slips out of the way of Len's attack and tries to swing the flat of his blade against Len's legs to knock him down, just like he failed to do with Jake a split second before.

Trip Attack Roll: [roll0]
Opposed Trip Check: [roll1]

Also for future reference for Len, Len's sword does Str Modifier + 3 Damage, so DC 20 Toughness Save on a hit for Len.

***

Washington

The body of the Understudy shakes violently and foams at the mouth while at the same releasing a sulfurous stench and the smell of formaldehyde. The spell does not appear to have its intended affect.

Ouch

A 2 and a 1, yeah sadly that's a fail at the cost of a hero point for the Jury Rigg attempt. I'll be nice and say the fact that you lack the time and resources to repeat the attempt at the ritual, since you 'burned' your ingredients in the attempt, warrants a setback Hero Point. :smallsmile:

Raynn

2013-03-16, 04:12 PM

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

Len rolls out of the way of Arthur's blade but at the same Arthur brings it around in a swing, aiming the flat of his blade for the side of Len's helm

"I believe we have moved to the offense is the best defense stage of the bout good knights!"

Power Attack +5/-5: [roll0]; DC 28 Toughness Save on a hit.

smuchmuch

2013-03-16, 04:14 PM

Washington

Shade stay frozen for a few seconds, expectantly. Then a tad more nervously.
In the absence of a master mage who cared, some of the more magically oriented heroes heroes like Vagrant (or even sometime her), had occasionally to deal with the consequences of teenagers getting their hand somehow on tomes of eldritch and forbidden knowledge; enough for her to know that when you play at lifting the barriers beyonds and fail miserably you can obtain some...unfortunate consequences.
Open the door for entities you didn't want to invite, that kind of thing. That would be very embarrassing if she did just cause something like that. (...On the other hand, she have to admit, zombie Understudy would make one hell of a distraction...)

Since it doesn't seem after a while there was any effect, wanted or not, than making the understudy's corpse foam a bit, Shade current puppet go fetch a rag and start whipping out the formaldehyde stains and put everything back into place to erase any traces of what happened here.
The ghost ponders for a while keeping the corpse as a container for the rest of the walk (being able to touch and interact with things without insane concentration is nice) before deciding against it. too visible, even if she managed to steal a disguise there are too many things that could go wrong. She took way too much risks of being detected already. The corpse walks back on the table it rose from and falls back into the immobility of death.

The ghost floats out of the room. Even considering the backing, it's a bit hard to believe the whole of the FLI was taken out by a complete unknown.
The files should be, hopefully, a tad more informative, (if she find wherever they are storred.)

SuperCracker

2013-03-16, 05:54 PM

Sir Jake

Arthur’s swing threatens to take Jake off of his feet, but Jake luckily regains his footing. Len is the second to receive the treatment from Arthur. And while the Prince had his focus on trying to wail on Len, Jake stepped in close behind Arthur and made a move to bash him in the face with the pommel of the sword. The strike is brutal and sudden, Jake having waited until Arthur had left his defense.

“My thoughts, exactly, your royal highness!”

Used a hero point. Full all-out + power attack. 26 on the attack roll for DC 26 toughness save.

Raynn

2013-03-16, 06:05 PM

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

Arthur brings up his blade at the last second and catches Jake's blade with his own. As the swords brace against each other two oddly similar faces lock glares

"Close but not quite Sir Knight!"

Toughness Save:[roll0] vs. DC 26

***

Washington

Shade drifts away, incorporeal, to search for the A.E.G.I.S. archive. To search for something of note.

Not long after she is out of the room the automatic light shuts off.

In the dark, and the cold, of a morgue drawer a finger twitches.

Roll me a Search check for your next immediate target destination.

Roll me another Stealth check.

smuchmuch

2013-03-16, 06:43 PM

Washington

Search [roll0]
Stealth [roll1]

If she doesn't find it on her own a while, then she'll jsut try to find an Aegis agent (surely there must be Aegis agents walking in the corridor of an Aegis base ?) and try something else.

SuperCracker

2013-03-16, 07:53 PM

Sir Jake

Dammit! Jake kept Arthur’s blade locked up as much as he could. He hoped Len could land a kidney punch of something equally awesome. In the meantime, it dawned on him how similar he and Arthur looked. He bet that was lost on this dream-figure. Jake wondered if this was how Arthur really looked in the past.

“You’re good. I don’t say that to just anyone.”

Raynn

2013-03-17, 04:48 PM

Washington

Shade isn't able to find her next destination immediately but she does find an A.E.G.I.S. agent walking down a corridor not far from the morgue, a level or two down. It is at this point that runic symbols, possibly bastardized Atlantean often used by Nordic mystics, begin to pulse angrily along the walls. A moment later electronic alarms begin to blare through the complex. It seems these symbols don't give a singular location for what they detect but simply 'go off' on mass which is at least a little helpful. A voice booms over the intercom.

<"A SUPERNATURAL ENTITY HAS BREACHED THE PERIMETER! REPEAT A SUPERNATURAL ENTITY HAS BREACHED THE PERIMETER!">

***

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

Arthur smirks as he pulls back his blade and levels it again

"Flattery will not make your Prince go easy on you, Sir Knight!"

smuchmuch

2013-03-18, 05:45 AM

Oh hell
Did another supernatural creature jsut barged in right now, (that would quite unlucky), or did she get detected somehow (that would be as embarassing as it's going to be painfull).
Anyway now would be a good time to vamoose before the facility goes in full lockdown or nay other suprise of the sort. but if she goes now, tah's going to be one hell of a waste. And it doesn't seem like they can detect what she is or where she is, so...

Shade wrapps herself around the Aegis Agent, posing her fingers on his shoulder and whispering to him in a range inaudible to him all but uncounciously.
"Who kow what secrets the intruders are after ? You should make sure the files are safe."

Suggestion
Mind control (10)
Extra: Concious, Insidious
Flaw: Full action, Distracing, Limited: cannot force to do something they wouldn't do.
And I'll just be following him. hopefully they are mostly expecting the tangible kind of intruders

SuperCracker

2013-03-18, 09:31 PM

King Jake
Speaking with Ashley – Wishing he had a second BLT

Jake listened to her and raised his eyebrow at how she related events. “Johnny Sorrow… I remember him. But slow it down.” He pushed the papers aside, setting his hands on the desktop.

“Isiah’s dead. You saw his body. If he made some wish to Johnny Sorrow and was saved, I’d say Sorrow did a bad job of it. Furthermore, I never actually got to make any wish. I was just saying random stuff. I never had a thought form or expressed anything. Unless he pre-emptively grants them before you even think the thought.”

It sounded… implausible. But then again, it was Johnny Sorrow. Whoever knows what he’s after?

“I also get that Sorrow’s powerful. But is he powerful enough to control Omega? I don’t know, Ash. It’s definitely a piece of the puzzle, but I’m not ready to say that Johnny Sorrow is behind the whole thing. Not to mention the fact that we know Isiah’s dead. Unless you want to go exhume the grave.”

Starsign

2013-03-19, 11:07 AM

Ashley Culdis

Ashley's eyes end up being focused on Jake as he goes to explain his thoughts to her. She isn't sure what to think or how to respond when she's given the chance. Her thoughts were rightfully criticized and he has pointed out the holes that fail to add everything up. A few ideas cross her mind on how to respond, none of them actually good. Eventually she figures out something she can say in response, relating to Omega.

She takes a calm, deep breath before speaking again."You're right, Sorrow has absolutely no way of even being a threat to Omega now, much less actually controlling him... but it doesn't mean he could have tried to before." She wonders the possibility of Hope listening in as she thinks back to the conversation she had with Jake's fiancee earlier. She hesitates for a moment, then continues.

"...I talked with Hope earlier today, got to know her better. I presume you know most about Omega from her or from someone else, so I'll try to keep this short. After the big bang caused by the time lord Neo, Omega was nothing but a consciousness, stretched across the universe with fleeting, vague thoughts. The next thing known, Hope met you on Earth, remade by your knowledge. I'm not sure how one can go from 'living consciousness' to 'living being' just like," she snaps her fingers, "that. I presume that someone was involved in creating or giving birth to Hope, somehow. It could be Sorrow, the Supreme, or someone else playing this blindfolded game we're all caught up in."

She tries to lean back on her chair but finds herself too anxious to relax. "Whatever it is, I don't like it. And what I don't like the most is what we don't know about our opposition."

Raynn

2013-03-21, 12:01 AM

Washington

Instantly the A.E.G.I.S. shoots off in a full running pace down the corridor and Shade has to rush to keep up. He races down stairs, ignoring the elevators that are currently on lock down but even at a pace that leaves the agent exhausted it takes him a few minutes to reach the archive room, which appears to be a mix between a warehouse sized filing cabinet and a server room. It seems the older records are either left undigitized or stored on hard copy as well. The agent begins to zip from terminal to terminal checking things.

Shade is aware that A.E.G.I.S. has the resources to detect her kind. No doubt agents with magically sensitive equipment will be scouring the many corridors already, so getting out will be nowhere near as easy as getting in seemed to be.

Will Save: [roll0] vs. DC 20

***

Camelot - Inside the Souls - The Yard

Are we waiting on SuperMuldoon here?

***

Camelot - Reality - Ashley & Jake

Are you guys ready to close out or do you have a bit more to discuss?

SuperMuldoon

2013-03-26, 05:28 PM

Sir Leonard

After his failed 360 swordscope, Len is way off balance and in no position to parry Arthur's swing which clangs off his helmet and sends him reeling.

bruised + stunned

smuchmuch

2013-03-26, 06:10 PM

Shade observes the technician entering the consoles, looking a bit at their security protocols and letting him type in his passwords and logins. Then as he is busy in one of the terminals, she throw up a hand though his neck. She can't let him actualy secure the terminals if she's planning to pilfer them for real, can't she ?

Possesion (9), accurate (5) (he's probaly taken flatfooted since she's invisible and he was in her thrall (kinda)
Just in case: Attack roll [roll0]

Raynn

2013-03-26, 08:39 PM

Washington

The agent shakes for a moment as a being from the realm of the dead forces its tendrils of control into his form like a puppet of flesh and bone. As the feeling of a living body rushes once again over Shade it takes her a moment to regain her composure, especially with the madly beating heart and surge of adrenaline in her newly rented veins.

Since you had time enough to aim, and take your time, I'll assume you hit despite the abysmal roll. What do you want to pilfer from the records first?

***

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

As Len stumbles away, momentarily stunned Arthur lunges forward and swings in an effort to put Jake on the back foot as well.

Attack Roll: [roll0]; DC 23 Toughness Save on a hit.

Attack Jake this turn.

SuperCracker

2013-03-26, 10:13 PM

Sir Jake

The sword-lock broke, and Jake was quick to strike at Arthur again, slashing over the Prince's head as he ducked the blow, only to counter with a strike to the gut that knocked the wind out of Jake.

Bruised and stunned.

Raynn

2013-03-30, 04:12 PM

Sir Len?

You're Up? :smalltongue:

SuperMuldoon

2013-03-30, 11:25 PM

Sir Leonard

Well, this battle was going downhill fast. Even Jake was being pressed hard by Arthur. Maybe Len could pull a fast one and knock Arthur off his feet.

In the back of his mind, Len wondered how Arthur would do against a Tyrannosaur.

[roll0]
if successful(lol), my vs check [roll1]

Raynn

2013-03-31, 05:45 AM

The Camelot That Was - The Yard

Arthur weaves out of the way of Len's attempt to trip him, before he can land the strike and presses the attack back towards Len in an effort to finish the fight.

Attack Roll (All Out/Power Attack Maxed): [roll0]; DC 28 Toughness Save on a hit.

Attacking Len this turn.

smuchmuch

2013-03-31, 03:16 PM

Shade

First thing first, after stretching a bit (feeling corporal again is alway such a weird rush), Shade walks to the door and engages as many locking mecanisms as she can without wasting much time. It's an important room ion a secure facility so there should be a few. there that'll stop any security patrol to walk right on her while she's at her buisness or at least give her a bit of warning when they come.

second, she gets back to the computer console and fiddle with the system a bit. She's well aware she won't be able to get access to many files and likely she won't get to read them in details if at all but maybe there might be a way to copy some of the files and send some work to read outside for later.

Computers [roll0]
(normaly she already let him type his code to acces into the system before possessing him, so roll is jsut toc heck if there's a way to send files outside without ebing detected)

Shade isn't wasting time, if something looks like it'll be too time consuming she gives up after a couple of tries. Still, the whole thing probaly takes more than a miute so the Aegis agent likely gets a first roll to remove her from his head.
But since right now there's nothing stopping her to repossess him as needed even if he makes is save so i'l jsut assume he's still possesed for speed ske. if not i'll edit the part after out.

Finaly, Shade enters the database proper. 'Her' fingers thread on a tactile screen as she moves from folders to folders, screens to screens.So much she'd like to check out but so little time. Where to start, where to start ?
Let's start with the letter C
... 'Cullie' she's not interested onythin on the act, just the man; 'Cloning', only recent files, less than five years are off interest ot her; 'Camellot' once again only recent files, less than two weeks.