Dreams of Power

[Quellian-dyrae]

It's been on the news for the past three days. A Hero's family had been murdered, targetted by the Hero's enemies. It was a very rare event, although members of Hero Corps had more than their share of enemies. Fighting Hero Corps was rarely the wisest course, but Dreamers and sleeper criminals alike still tried it. What few dared try was to target their loved ones to get at them. Hero Corps made their stance on any such tactics perfectly clear: it would provoke a full scale siege by the entire Corps. Basically, you'd have to be a fool to try it. Apparently, someone in the Ragnarok Arms Ring was very foolish indeed.

Darius Embers, Code Name: Warden, Regional Commander of Hero Corps, stepped up to the podium. Behind him, over a hundred Dreamers were bustling about, discussing strategy, gathering equipment, fueling vehicles, and otherwise preparing for the mission. "Thank you all for coming," he said to the assembled reporters, "This sort of thing thankfully doesn't happen very often, and we want to take the time to reassure everyone that even though Hero Corps is focusing its attention primarily on this mission, we are not leaving our people defenseless; we have reached out to numerous registered independents who are going to be stepping their efforts into high gear to take care of any dangers that require a heroic response. And as is our protocol in these situations, some of those Dreamers are being asked to stand in as Heroes On Call. Each region will have a small force of combat-capable Dreamers on call and with access to Hero Corps teleportation technology in the event of a threat that needs an immediate response."

"I've been personally going through our database seeking the best candidates possible for this position, and I believe I have settled on a roster of heroes that will be able to ensure that no one should even notice that Hero Corps is occupied for the week or so we expect this mission to take. Of course, there are still some more files to review and I haven't yet met any of them to confirm them, but we're looking to have the region under the protection of several or all of the following."

"First, I have received the personal assurances of the Morgenstern family that they will be active and coordinating with the Heroes On Call as necessary to ensure safety. Based on our last conversation, at least one of them will also be represented in the Heroes On Call. Word is it might even be August."

That sparked a bit of a flurry of questions, but Warden just held up a patient, forestalling hand. "We've also contacted Nolan Caerus. We've been watching reports of his recent work as an independent hero with interest, and we're hoping he'll lend his expertise to this cause. I've talked to a few members of the Corps who have supplemented their own lack of heavy defensive powers with his forcefield technology, and the assure me it's a match for any Dreamer power."

"The independent Shift is also someone we're getting in touch with. Over the past six months, he's come to our attention as a top-notch combatant."

"SIDE has also given me a strong recommendation for the Gentleman Avenger. He hasn't worked with us before, but he has a reputation as an investigator and combatant, and his experience with SIDE should help the team coordinate with them as needed, so we're hoping he agrees to give us a shot."

"We're also trying to get in touch with the independent who goes by the codename Evil-Smasher. I know he hasn't been active long and hasn't made any media appearances, but his work so far speaks for itself. Man is hard to get in contact with, though, his registry only includes a codename, and the woman who picks up at the number we have on file doesn't seem to know him. So hopefully he's watching this!"

"Likewise, if it's at all possible to do so, we're trying to contact the Ghost. I'll admit I wasn't sure about her with her first appearances, but from what I've been hearing, she seems to be mellowing. I'm hoping we can convince her to help us out here, register properly, and see her taken off the vigilante list."

"Like I said, I have a few more names to sort through; there may be an addition or two before we move out, but that's the team we're hoping to assemble as it stands. Are there any questions?"

-----

We begin at the Halls of the Dreaming, a former university campus that has been retrofitted to serve as a regional headquarters of the Assembly of Dreams for this part of the country. Each of you has been contacted through whatever channels are most appropriate by a representative of Hero Corps, basically asking you to assist Hero Corps by acting as Heroes On Call for the region while the Corps itself is busy basically disassembling the Ragnarok Arms Ring. It's standard protocol, albeit a rarely needed one, and there usually isn't any trouble, because frankly, when Hero Corps mobilizes in full, most villains and criminal or dangerous Dreamers? Basically keep their heads down. You've been requested, if you wish to participate (or at least hear more about it), to go to building H, room 9 at noon.

The campus is fairly open and sprawling, but there's a good bit of foot traffic as well as interactive computerized directory maps to help get you where you need to go. Aside from the people - mainly sharp-dressed lawyers, publicists, and other business types rather than backpack-toting college kids - the place looks from the outside like the college it used to be. Once you get inside Building H, though, it's a whole other matter, with people bustling all around forming plans, grabbing weapons and devices, and otherwise preparing for the massive mission that is sweeping Hero Corps all throughout the country. In room 9 is a big oak table that is even now covered with maps and documents. Darius Embers is waiting in the room, sitting opposite the door, and as each character enters, he greets you and offers for you to take a seat anywhere. A staff member over to the right also comes over to ask if you would like any refreshments.

Perception DC 15:

As you make your way through the campus, you notice decently-hidden security cameras at various points.

Technology or Expertise (Science) DC 20:

You recognize them as also incorporating Dreamtech Scanners, one of the first inventions created by IDEA. Not dissimilar from facial recognition technology, they can scan a Dreamer to detect broadly what powers it has. Many are also connected to extensive databases; the Assembly's are usually linked to its own registry.

Evil-Smasher:

Shhhhhh... :smallbiggrin:

And in case you're wondering, no, I'm not going to basically recycle plot points from the other thread with names changed to protect the innocent. This just happens to be a really convenient way to get the party together. Also adds a bit of continuity between the games, which no one but you and I will likely notice, but still.

[TheThan]

The Ghost

The Ghost drifts silently through the halls of building H. Invisible and incorporeal as usual. She’s unused to being out during the day since most of her activity is nocturnal. Thinking back, she was surprised to see a Hero Corps representative show up at her door. Most people avoided the abandoned mansion she's chosen as her new home because of its status as “haunted”, which it is, by her.

Having no reason to kill the intruder she was surprised when she failed to frighten him into leaving. He simply stood his ground and delivered his message. That intrigued her enough leave her haunt, at least temporarily. Maybe you just get accustomed enough to the oddities of Dreamers that nothing shakes you, maybe he had been briefed on what to expect from her, it didn’t matter really.

Eventually the Ghost stops at the room labeled “9” and stopped. Without bothering to knock or even open the door, she simply phases through the heavy door and appears on the other side. Once through she glances at the clock, she’s a little early.

If anyone can see her, they'd see her visibly brace as she prepares to interact with the living.


She drops her invisibility, becoming visible to anyone else in the room. She however stays intangible and floats about half a foot off the floor.
To anyone inside the room, The Ghost is an average sized woman, with long black hair and stunning features. The Ghost is covered up with a white shroud and shawl. Although she glows faintly with a blue/white light, and is a partially transparent, you still can’t see her appearance underneath shroud and shawl.


claiming purple as talk and thought color.

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

A man walks into the room. He isn't a young man. Somewhere in his late 20s, perhaps his early 30s. Regardless, he seems at ease in the tense environment. In his black pants, button-up shirt and tie, he looks more like one of the professional types bustling about the building than a Dreamer. The only sign of something amiss comes comes from the black gloves he is wearing. The tips of the fingers are cut off, and a second look shows that the wet-suit like material turns into a small but unmistakably dark metal gauntlet. He takes in the room with a glance and recognizes Darius Embers at the head of the table.

"Hello Mr Embers. Its a pleasure to finally meet you in person, although I do wish it had occurred under better circumstances. As I promised when your office first contacted me, I want to assure you that the Hero Corps will have my full cooperation for this operation."

Nolan takes a seat at the table and folds his hands on the table top. "How can I best be of assistance?"

[HopeHubris]

After seeing the press conference,

Flying down from the sky in all of his big, buff, heroic looking glory, Evil-Smasher approaches someone on the campus "Greetings citizen, I require your assistance, could you direct me to building H?" he asks, with a big, tooth-sparkling smile, awaits the answer, then flies off to get to the most important of appointments, "You have my thanks, citizen, and remember The Righteous are Always on Watch!"

Having received directions, he proceeded to room 9, making sure he avoided the cameras
"Wow, Warden! I'm your biggest fan!"
"I mean... Greetings fellow heroes!"


Perception [roll0]
Tech [roll1]

[crazydude369]

Shift

Brad walks casually into the building, idly twirling his condensed staff around his fingers. As he strides in, his mind absently wanders:"Well, I sure hope this isn't a waste of time. Just like my messed up brain; leave one team of stiffs, then hop right into another. Nah, come on Brad, cut that kinda thinking out. Helping the city is what matters the most right now, what with The Assembly so short-handed. And I guess I'm more likely to fit in with a rag-tag group of Dreamers than I ever was with those SIDE tight-asses." He smiles to himself and chuckles slightly, ''No offense dad..."

He suddenly stops and refocuses his vision, realizing he's at the end of the hallway. Brad had walked right past room 9. "Crap." He looks over his shoulder and quickly ports back to the door, flipping his staff one more time in the air before holstering it on his belt. Entering, he does a quick look around the room, gives a slight nod, then grabs a can of soda and slumps down into a chair, chugging it heavily.

[18th Avenger]

Jerry Kings, Gentleman Avenger

In contrast to the general buzz and hubbub of the 'campus', Jerry Kings, the Gentleman Avenger mentioned by the Warden during the press conference, was the picture of serenity as he walked towards Building H. His red Mantle flapped and flowed idly as he seemed to glide through the dark suits and uniforms with the grace of a dancer. His cane, topped by a stylized letter G, tapped the asphalt with every step of his right foot while his left hand firmly grasped a paper bag which emanated a fragrant scent.

He got to Building H with little to no trouble, other than winking at a pretty harried (and quite pretty) publicist chatting on her phone. Jerry flashed the ID SIDE issued to all its 'consultants' to the guard at the front and was soon making his way to Room 9.

There were others who'd arrived before him, Jerry realized. The task force SIDE had recommended his name too. Never was there a bunch more unsuited towards teamwork, thought the Gentleman Avenger as he looked over them with a practiced eye. He pushed down a chiding feeling from the back of his mind and took a seat, making himself comfortable while asking the staff member for a rather large soda.

Jerry opened his paper bag and pulled out a little cardboard box of takeaway food and a pair of chopsticks, filling the room with the scent of fried rice, spices and beef as he tucked in with gusto.

Perception
[roll0]

[TheThan]

The ghost drifts to the corner of the room. Not taking a seat or accepting any refreshments, being corporeal made her feel vulnerable, and she no longer needed food or drink anyway. As the others came in, she observed each one carefully. The first man to enter the room seems completely mundane and boring. The second one however is almost laughable, the big and heavy man with looks that could best be described as “heroic”. The press probably eats this guy up for breakfast. It’s pretty easy to guess what his powers are. The other two are fairly generic and appearance, your typical Dreamer. With the exception of the technopath and the ridiculous “hero”, their powers are fairly hard to determine by casual observation.

[LordHavelock]

August arrived dressed sharply in an expensive but somewhat subdued suit and tie, nodding to the other dreamers in the room before he takes seat. He had been initially hesitant about accepting such a high profile case from the Hero Corps, but the death of loved ones and family had struck a particular chord with him, and besides, it was time he began facing the public again. He hoped that many had forgotten the particulars of his heyday as Augur, but knew he still had a good cult following, and was worried how they might surge anew once news of his renewed activity as a hero hit the grid. It was inevitable though, if he was truly dedicated to his new goals, his new path in life, and if he wanted to make real change for Dreamers and Sleepers alike, he would need the support of people. Maybe the first changes should even be to those who so avidly followed him . . .

Still, he had taken steps to distance himself from his previous persona. He was August now, and he had forgone the use of his costume (much to the chagrin of his parents, who told themselves and the press it was only because he was cooking up something new and bigger). He wanted to present a more professional appearance, wanted to be someone to relate to, not just worshiped. Now though it was time to listen, there was more at stake in the moment than his reputation.

[Quellian-dyrae]

There was no denying a hint of surprise, even concern, on Warden's face when the Ghost suddenly appeared, but he nonetheless greeted her with a polite, "Thank you for coming."

Nolan he welcomed with a respectful handshake, replying to him, "The pleasure's mine, Mr. Caerus. Your assistance is much appreciated."

He did his best to choke down a laugh at Evil-Smasher's exuberant, though quickly suppressed, greeting. Nonetheless, he met his gaze earnestly and clapped him firmly on the shoulder (well, on his illusion's shoulder), saying, "Glad to have you on the team."

He responded to Shift with his own upnod, "Glad you could make it," he told him.

He didn't speak when the Gentleman Avenger came in, welcoming him only with a nod and an appraising look, taking the measure of the Sleeper that SIDE had recommended so highly.

But none of them did he examine with the same piercing intensity he gave August. He had worked with him in the past, knew how arrogant he had been off-camera, where the fact was that had it not been for the disaster and his subsequent power loss, there was a good chance that August would have been the Regional Commander welcoming them today. He really was curious if this new demeanor of his was a sign of true change, or just another media facade.

Even so, he greeted him with a perfectly friendly, if slightly teasing, "Welcome back, Goldenboy."

Once everyone was settled, he got down to business. "First, I want to thank you all for coming. It means a lot to me and to all of Hero Corps that we can count on the Dreamer - and Sleeper," he added with a nod to Nolan and Jerry, "communities to back us up when we need it."

"We're not expecting any major trouble while you're here. Current intelligence suggests this mission won't take much more than a week. SIDE and independents are going to be doing their normal jobs. What you guys are on hand for, is to provide a rapid response in the case a threat level of seven or greater comes up. Even on the regional scale, those are rare. If it does happen, though, you'll have access to our teleporters to get you where you need to go."

Anyone with an Expertise skill in Popular Culture, government, law-enforcement, heroing, or similar areas can roll DC 15; August, as a former Hero Corps member, you automatically succeed:
Threat level 7 and above specifically details threats where there is both significant risk of loss of life or massive property damage, and not already emergency personnel capable of handling the situation.

"So most likely, you won't have any problems, but if one does come up, it'll be serious. Lives will be hanging in the balance, and response time will be critical. We'd like at least one of you in the command center, and at least three of you in the building, at all times if possible. Oh, and payment is five-thousand credits each."

"Hero Corps gets Building H; the rest of the campus is basically other Assembly stuff. We have a lot of support staff next door in Building G, though, so if you have any questions or problems, they can help you over there. Or just ask August, protocols and things haven't changed since his time. Rooms one and two are open to Corps personnel only. Three and four are the armory. Five's command center, six and eight both lead to the training room, seven has the teleporter. Nine and ten are meeting rooms. Eleven through fourteen are bunks, fifteen and sixteen showers. Seventeen and nineteen are kitching an dining room, eighteen and twenty are storage."

"Either Richard or Lucy will be at the teleporter at all times. Protocol is not to use it for personal reasons." He said so sternly...but quickly added with a smirk, "so bring them something nice when you do."

"Hmm...I think that's the long and short of it. I might be able to pop in now and again to check up, but I wouldn't bet on it. You'll pretty much be on your own. Any questions?"

[18th Avenger]

Jerry Kings, Gentleman Avenger
Knowledge (Pop Culture) Roll
[roll0]

"Anything-" Jerry asked without preamble as he snarfed down a helping of meat and rice. The staff member returned with a can of soda. He gave it a look and asked for another, just in case. "Ya wan' ush to do firsht? Ya know," The Gentleman Avenger swallowed and reached for the can of soft drink and popped the tab off one-handed, the move seemingly long-practiced. "Get the ball rollin'."

Knowledge (Dreamer Lore) Roll (Who is the Warden?)
[roll1]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Warden gave that some consideration. "I...don't believe so. Most Hero Corps missions are reactive and fairly immediate. I mean, we do have some ongoing ones that are on hold, but they're mostly recon, protection, things like that. We have some military operations active with our allies overseas, but you guys being out of the country would be missing the point. I do believe there's a joint mission or two with SIDE, I'll check on if they're waiting on us and have them get in touch with you if they want to make a move."

Jerry:
Warden's a paragon-style hero. Super-strength, nigh-invulnerability, also adds teleportation and projected senses into the mix. He tends to focus on targeted missions, high-profile things like fugitives, assassination attempts, and so on, where he can scry the target from afar and teleport in to protect or apprehend.

He has very classical views on the heroic code. Stands strongly for justice, refuses to kill under any circumstances, and so on. His first response to danger is usually to teleport the threat somewhere that it can't hurt anyone rather than beat it to a pulp, and he has been known to teleport villains to a remote island and spend a few hours trying to rehabilitate them himself before bringing them in to serve their time.

So, very strong respect for the law and moral codes. Less so for organizational and company protocols. And with your high check result, you also know that he has very little life outside his work, much as he sees it as his responsibility to keep tabs on potential threats, blink around helping as many people as he can, and so on. He's had a few incidents now that suggest he's sometimes teetering on the edge of burnout, not that that stops him.

[TheThan]

The ghost simply drifted in the corner of the room, paying as much attention as she could. Much of it went a bit over her head, threat levels, response times etc, she had little connection to the hustle and bustle of the living, and she never had the same sort of fascination with dreamers as some do.

This reactive heroism seems rather silly, and a bit new to her. Since she was used to actually going out and battling villains. Maybe this hiatus from her usual activity will draw out her enemies or at least let them get a little careless.

she speaks up for the first time, a tiny voice in the corner of the room, she wasn't used to talking.

I guess I can haunt this place for a few days, if you feel you really need me here. I'm still not joining your little heroic social club though.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Warden gave a light chuckle. "Of course. I will, however, strongly recommend taking the opportunity to register your powers and status while you're here. They can walk you through it in building B, and it really is a good idea for Dreamers in general, and people like you who use their powers to help and protect others in particular."

[crazydude369]

"And uh, why exactly is that such a good idea chief?" Shift responded with a hint of derision.

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

"Well, for starters, the organization you're working with won't have a responsibility to arrest you," was Nolan's wry reply. It went unsaid that openly working with vigilantes would undercut SIDE's public stance against vigilantism.

Nolan turned his attention back to Mr. Embers, his gaze lingering briefly on
August. He'd heard of the famous Augur, but he couldn't recall ever seeing him out of costume before. He also hadn't worked with the man before either.

"Although, Mr. Embers, that does bring up a fair point. When you say we're going to be acting independently, to what degree are we permitted to act in SIDE's name? In the event that a situation does arise, are we to control the scene until SIDE agents arrive, or are we to apprehend and arrest suspects ourselves? More importantly, will we have the authority to make these decisions ourselves?"

[crazydude369]

Shift snorted quietly at Nolan's response. "Oh great, a goody-goody. And here I thought the point was to just lay down some uninhibited Dreamer help, not memorize even more rule books..."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Pretty much, although we wouldn't be arresting you. Hero Corps' stance is to not directly interfere with vigilantes unless they're a greater threat than they are a help. Of course, when SIDE goes to arrest them, we don't like to get in the way of that, either. Registration just clears away a lot of legal hurdles that Dreamers face, especially the ones like us. And it can provide some serious - though, to be fair, indirect - benefits with regards to public perceptions."

"In answer to your questions, Mr. Caerus, while we do work with SIDE on occasion, and fulfill a similar role, Hero Corps is part of the Assembly. That means a few things; most importantly, that we're not connected to the government in either a military or law-enforcement capacity in any way. That's a large part of the reason ninety-plus percent of our missions are reactive; our stated purpose is rapid threat neutralization. We learn about a crime, or Dreamer attack, or disaster in progress, and try to stop it before anyone gets hurt. When it is a crime, yes, we detain the suspects until SIDE arrives to make the arrest and process them."

"It's a lot of politics and wordplay that I only wish I didn't have to understand, but the uptake is that it lets us go out there, fight the good fight, and help people, without being restricted by protocol and bureaucracy the way SIDE sometimes can be. And most importantly, it means that yes, you can act on your initiative. We try not to antagonize SIDE or step on their toes too much, but there's actually a pretty small list of things that we're actually prohibited from doing if the threat warrants it, and those are mostly common sense - don't hurt someone who's not a threat, avoid killing, don't be a bigger danger to people than the threat you're trying to stop, things like that. And, to be frank, the list of things that they'd be willing to take on Assembly lawyers for is a smaller subset still."

"Now, as far as your ability to act in the name of Hero Corps...that basically comes with the territory. I'm not sure how much you've all been paying attention to the media, but the Assembly's media team has been putting on quite the show about this mission for the past few days. Once we're done here, and I let them know if any or all of you have accepted the job, you can bet your names will be out there. This time tomorrow, the public will be seeing you as the Heroes On Call, temporary representatives of Hero Corps."

"And to be perfectly honest, for most of you, that's probably not going to be a huge change. I think our most recent poll said that about eighty percent of the public don't distinguish between independent heroes and official Hero Corps members, and about sixty percent don't distinguish between Hero Corps and SIDE." There was a bemused tone in his voice, and he gave a shrug.

"Sadly, that's the short version. Does it answer your questions sufficiently?"

On a side note, his comment about registration was mainly towards the Ghost. My assumption is that the rest of you are registered, if not through the Assembly then directly with the government. Registration is a fairly significant thing for combat-capable characters in this setting - as in, if you're not registered, you'd be well within your rights to note it on your character sheet as a Complication.

[HopeHubris]

"Hey, aren't you Augur? Wow, I haven't seen you on TV in a while, where's your costume, and is that Shift and Nightcap?" still in his deep heroic voice, Evil-Smasher continues, "Will we be working with you at all, Mr Warden?"



Expertise (Pop Culture) [roll0]

Also, I'm registered, but as a Paragon, not illusionist, would that get me in trouble at all, should my powers become known?

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

Nolan gave a hint of a smile as he leaned back in his chair. Warden's amusement wasn't lost on him. "Aye, it does."

On balance, Nolan reflected, it was a beneficial offer. Each of us at the table would get to keep doing what we've been doing, only now we'd have the Hero Corps backing. If it were a trick to get hooks into us, they wouldn't be publicizing how temporary the arrangement is.

Nolan nodded once. "I'm in, but please understand that I cannot simply stay on this campus all week. How can we stay in touch?"

[HopeHubris]

"Oh, right, about that, I can't stay here either, I have stuff to do on weekdays, I'm free on weekends though, and I can come here after sch- after three on weekdays"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"How you all handle shifts is up to you. The more often the more of you can be here is generally better, since it'll give you more flexibility if situations come up - or allow you to bring more power to bear, if you go that route. But as long as at least someone is on hand at all times, it's fine."

He looked at Evil-Smasher with a slightly rueful grin. "Afraid not. I'll count myself lucky if I even get a few minutes to pop in and check up. Mission like this, my powers are going to be in high demand."

[TheThan]

The Ghost Floats back into the corner of the room, as she tries to absorb the bombardment of speech thrown at her by Warden’s seemingly well practiced speech about Assembly. Usually, most of the people who talk to her are either screaming, or well screaming threats, like “die!, or “ I’ll kill You!”. It’s unusual for someone to talk to her as if she’s well a person still. The experience is unnerving and catches her off guard.

I… I’ll think about it.

She manages to stammer out in response to Warden.

[crazydude369]

"Well, as long as we're throwing out schedules, I'm pretty much good to stay here the whole time." Shift leans forward slightly, "But uh, are these er, servers, going to be here the whole time too?" he adds, gesturing to the staff member doling out refreshments.

[18th Avenger]

Roll Knowledge (Dreamer Lore) - The Voice In The Corner (Ghost)
[roll0]
Roll Knowledge (Dreamer Lore) - The Yuppie (Nolan)
[roll1]
Roll Knowledge (Dreamer Lore) - The Big Cheese In The Knock-Off Warden Costume (Evil-Smasher)
[roll2]
Roll Knowledge (Dreamer Lore) - The Suit (August)
[roll3]
Roll Knowledge (Dreamer Lore) - The One Chugging Just As Much Cola (Shift)
[roll4]

Jerry had now moved on to a little plastic container full of spring rolls while the Warden gave them the rundown. As the little rolls disappeared down his mouth with a machine-like efficiency, the Gentleman Avenger took the time to sneak glances at his erstwhile companions, trying to recall any information SIDE might have had on any of them.

"I've got no questions," Jerry responded at length before the other half of his beverage joined the last of the rolls. "You laid all the cards on the table and we know what we're getting in to." A gloved hand withdrew another little takeout box and he began tossing this from hand to hand idly. "Unless SIDE has a job for me or something grabs my attention, I'm at the Corps' disposal 24/7."

"And by the way, scout," he addressed the man whose shoulders were at equal height to Warden's, the one the media called the Evil-Smasher. "Wrong Avenger. The 'Cap was my teacher. I'm Jerry the Gent." The masked man flashed a crooked smile before opening it as well. "And this is my costume. But it's cool; people make the mistake often."

August and Warden might remember the Nightcap; a tall and scarecrow-thin man with the fussy airs of a scholar upon whom the ragged red Mask and Mantle draped over like a bedsheet on a dummy. He was also one of the finest Sleeper minds recognized by IDEA.

As Nolan is pretty tight with the research department of IDEA, he might remember an HR hiccup that resulted in the madness and destructive outburst of a former employee, Dr. Helmut Friesching, which resulted in the Nightcap's death. The 17th Gentleman Avenger and his apprentice were investigating a thievery in one of IDEA's many laboratories when Dr. Friesching, aka The Kaiser, wired himself into an experimental mutagen-powered battle suit and promptly began to wreak havoc.

Currently, Friesching is under lock-down in one of SIDE's more heavily-guarded installations.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Glad to hear it. And all of our support staff will be around, but most of them will be next door if you need them. Richard and Lucy aside, of course."

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

Nolan nodded in acknowledgement to Jerry. "Since we're all going to be working together, I'd appreciate it if you just called me Nolan."

Turning back to Warden, "Thank you for the explanation of the facilities. I'd like to take a look around," he raised a questioning eyebrow, "Unless there is something else to discuss?"

[HopeHubris]

"Aww" Evil-Smasher's disappointment at not being able to work alongside his hero is tangible, really, you can actually feel it, "Well, at least I got to meet you, and I've never worked on a team before, this'll be fun!". Turning to the Gentleman Avenger, "Huh, I thought you looked weird, not as skinny as Nightcap, what happened to him?"



Expertise (Dreamers) [roll0]
Info about the Gentleman Avengers

[18th Avenger]

"He came down with a terminal case of 'dead'," Jerry replied without rancour. The chopsticks were making slower trips from the carton to his mouth. He was also taking the time to chew and swallow properly. "Him and me were at Ground Zero when this IDEA egghead got the pink slip and took out his resulting wrath on everything around him." He scratched his chin with his chopsticks when the staff member came back with his second soda. "Me and the 'Cap were on the case of a couple of thefts which coincidentally all led back to the egghead, some huckster named Friesching. Guess we struck it lucky that he made a move."

The Gentleman looked back at anyone listening as he popped another helping of food. "Don't feel too bad. 'Cap was getting old and he knew the risk." Jerry laughed without humor. "We sent him off well. Now you're stuck with yours truly."

From what you know thanks to the Internet and the media, the Gentlemen Avengers have been around for a pretty long time, some say as far back as 0 PA. Maybe even farther, but those theories are from kooks. Those would also be the same kooks that believe the tattered Mask and Mantle have been created by one of the first Dreamers (though these anonymous faces are more than able to back up this argument).

The GAs, as they're unofficially called in image boards and places like that, are usually Sleepers of extraordinary talent and training. A few times, they'd even been Dreamers. But what makes them all similar is that they have foresworn their old identities and take up the trademark red Mask and Mantle. Their goal is to be first eyes, and fists, where ever trouble starts to boil.

The one sitting before you is the 18th Gentleman Avenger, a happy-go-lucky individual by the name of Jerry Kings. He has some pretty big shoes to fill. Apart from having a hand in some high profile cases against a circus-themed assassin cult called the Danse Macabre, he has yet to cut his teeth on anything substantial. This would be his chance to prove himself.

[crazydude369]

Shift looks around the room, "Well, if we're all done getting acquainted," He stands up, slowly and loudly cracking his back, then neck, then knuckles"I'd like to get a look at that control room, see how everything works in there."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"All right then. Again, thank you all for your help here," Warden said. He'd stay around for a few minutes in case of any other questions, but once everyone seemed situated, he'd just vanish with a soft pop.

[HopeHubris]

"Oh, okay, do the Gentlemen Avengers have anything to do with the Gentleman? I heard he's really old, from even before the Awakening, he has a cane too, and a magic suit, kinda like you"

Turning to Shift, before he leaves for the control room, "I do not believe I have heard of you before, what are your powers, can you do anything cool, like firing lasers, or flying?"

Do Shift and the Nolan have costumes?

[crazydude369]

Shift looks at Evil Smasher quizzically, "Um, well, I can do this..." With that, he quickly ports to the other side of the room, then back to where he's standing. "Also, my body heals a bit quicker than most."

Shift actually doesn't bother with either a costume or a secret identity; in general he tries to avoid what he'd call the 'cliches' of the job. He pretty much just wears everyday clothes in the field, the exception being his belt, which goes with his staff and has a special holster for it. As well as the IDEA logo on the buckle, something he was less than thrilled about.

[HopeHubris]

"Oh, cool, you can teleport like Warden, I wish I could do that, you should get a costume like Warden too, all heroes should have a costume, how else can you tell that they're the good guys?"

[crazydude369]

Shift just stares blankly at Evil Smasher, "Anyway....control room, yea?" He walks over and holds the door open.

[18th Avenger]

"I believe I'll go with you," Jerry said to Shift as he got up (followed by Evil-Smasher who displayed a child-like wonder in everything they were looking at), having finished his bag of take-out food and the second soda that had been presented to him in the time it took a heart to beat. "I'd like to see what sort of viewing rig we got."

He considered the big man's question as his cane twirled lazily in his grip. "My suit's not magic, I'm afraid. It's just cloth and silk. It's the Mantle and Mask where the magic can be found, if you can call it that." Jerry tapped his nose with a gloved finger. "We never did figure what's in them. And as for whether or not we have anything to do with the Gentleman, we're don't, I'm sorry to say." Jerry had a sad expression on his face. "The 'Cap might not have been a big fan but to me, he seemed like a good enough fellow to know."

Knowledge (Dreamer Lore) Check (The Gentleman?)
Result (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14691166#post14691166)

[TheThan]

The Ghost simply floats in the back of the room silently observing the conversation. She doesn’t really have anything to add to it so she just listens. People need to take the time to listen nowadays anyway.

Seemingly the “team” has forgotten her, she might as well be invisible, not that it bothers her. Heck they could be bombarding her with questions. Due to a lack of something else interesting to do, the Ghost simply follows along behind the rest as they leave the room for the control room.

[HopeHubris]

Walking with Shift and the Avenger, "Well, if you wear normal people clothes, the villains might get you mixed up with normal people and they can't take hits like heroes can."

[Quellian-dyrae]

The control room looked at first glance not entirely dissimilar to the classroom that it once had been. The left hand wall (nearest the door) was entirely covered by pane of glass with a bluish-white tinge. The dozen desks were about twice as large as you might find in a classroom, with comfortable armchairs seated before them. Their tops were composed of the same material. A fridge against the far wall held snacks and drinks.

No particular technological expertise was needed to recognize the material making up the wall and desk. Active crystal, it was called, though it was really nothing more than high-tech glass. Its ability to function as a touch-screen computer, bullet-resistant nature, and ability to serve as basically a giant video camera and use words and gestures as an input device weren't Dreamtech. The material wasn't particularly uncommon, especially in large businesses.

Technology or Expertise (Science) DC 15:
What was Dreamtech, and much less common, was the version with the ability to project hologram-like images off of its surface, or allow for a neutral linkup so thoughts could be used for input and a user's own senses for output. Which this type was. This volume of that level of the material was quite extravagant to say the least.

A bit of poking around would quickly reveal that the desks could be opened like a laptop, for those more comfortable with more traditional styles of computers; the inside of the desk would even then rise up to provide a mouse and keyboard. The computers had plenty of cutting-edge software installed, access to the campus's security feeds, and for entertainment, direct access to the television networks and a wide selection of computer and video games.

The main wall was currently displaying various maps of the region, along with crimes and hazards as they were reported to the system. Nothing rated above a threat level of three.

[Dorni]

Nolan

Upon entering the control room, Nolan immediately recognized the particular form of Active Crystal. While he was somewhat aware of the kind of resources the Hero Corps had at their disposal, he was still mildly impressed. "As expected, they certainly don't cut corners."

Nolan stepped over to a vacant terminal and waved, waking up the terminal. With a rapid series of gestures, he brought up the holographic display and started skimming through the systems.

[crazydude369]

Shift looks around the room, somewhat impressed. "You can say that again Caerus. You seem pretty at home here."

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

Nolan shrugged. "This system is very well organized, so it isn't too hard to find my away around. There is quite a bit here though. For instance, that wall with the map? I can view or update the details of any alert on it from here. And if this option is to be believed, I can get a live satellite feed from the area if I want to."

As he moves about the system, he starts quietly humming. It doesn't seem like hes aware of it. "I'm going to have to check into setting up remote access."

[18th Avenger]

"Wish I'd paid attention to that mail-away computer course," Jerry muttered as he poked around the control room. "But luckily, we got Nolan here to fill in the gaps."

The Gentleman Avenger chose and sat at a desk at random, leaning his cane against his chair and flipping it open and going over the various functions. "Sweet deck," he said when he found the camera functions. "A little creepy, but helpful, nevertheless."

It was then he found the access to the entertainment networks and began to watch a live streaming of some old slapstick cartoons.

[HopeHubris]

Walking up to the Gentleman Avenger, "Do you have a name like the last guy? He was a Gentleman Avenger, but he was also Nightcap, do you have a name like that? 'cause Gentleman Avenger is kind of a long name", he then settles in behind him and giggles at the animated antics

[18th Avenger]

Looking over his shoulder at his new "friend", Jerry was beginning to have thoughts about him. Particularly in the childish way he asked questions and laughed very hard when Danny Dingo blew up his rocket-powered catapult trying to catch Oswald the Ostritch.

"Looks like you weren't paying attention, scout," Jerry responded. "Yeah, I got my own name. Kings. Jerry Kings."

He craned his neck a little farther towards the entrance. "And you're the one they call the Ghost, right? Been reading about you in the papers."

[TheThan]

The Ghost almost jumps when Jerry address her. Still drifting in the doorway, her chosen residence is very old and devoid of the sort of tech most people are accustomed to now days.

“Yes,” she managed to get out, her voice sounding small. “That’s what the newspapers call me.”

[18th Avenger]

Jerry didn't tell her that it wasn't just the newspapers he'd been reading. SIDE had been quite interested in the Ghost and what she could do. He favored her with another smile.

"I don't exactly agree with your methods," the Gentleman Avenger said. "But I can get along with them. You're a good person, I can tell. Welcome to the team, Ghost."

[TheThan]

I’m not sure that I exactly qualify as a person anymore. The question is still out on what exactly I am. But I guess you can say I’m trying to turn over a new leaf.

With that, the Ghost falls silent and drifts to an out of the way place. She was used to doing things the old fashioned way, so all the tech was a little intimidating to her. Granted when you’re dead and have no income to afford fancy computer systems like the sort the hero corps uses; you have no choice but to do things the old fashioned way.

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

"Fascinating power set or no, being a Dreamer doesn't make you stop being a person." Although it did often make one more irresponsible.

Satisfied with the system, Nolan closed the display with a wave. "I'm done here. Anyone want an overview of the system? Otherwise I'm going to pay a visit to the teleporters and the armory."

[crazydude369]

"I'm down to check out the teleporters, meet this 'Richard and Lucy' that Warden kept going on about." Shift headed back out the door into the hallway. "Do you think they like run all this tech stuff, or just strictly the teleporters?"

[HopeHubris]

Laughing Evil-Smasher calls out, "This is a Dreamer HQ, they probably are the teleporters"

[18th Avenger]

"You guys can go ahead," Jerry aid, turning his eyes back to the screen as another cartoon started. "I'll hang around here and give a holler when something comes up."

The Gentleman Avenger leaned back in his appropriated chair, slowly becoming lost to the world. "Finally, I get to catch one of these marathons." He murmured under his breath.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The teleporter room had a double-door and was largely wide open, with the only furnishings along the walls. On the left wall was a large active crystal workstation; a big desk with a backboard, with a long tablet and a smaller hand-held both set on it. It basically functioned as a desktop computer, with the backboard serving as a primary monitor, the desk top itself providing easy touch screen access, the tablet and handheld able to work as a keyboard and mouse or to provide remote access.

On the other wall was what basically looked like a big metal doorway, large enough for three to walk through abreast, although of course, at the moment it "opened" directly into the wall.

Technology or Expertise (Science), DC 25:
This sort of teleportation device operates on a system of fourth-dimensional folding; basically, it's like taking a map and bending it so two points touch. This allows a two-way portal to be created, so multiple people can go through and they can return later.

A dark-haired woman in a white labcoat was currently sitting at the desk. When you enter, she pauses the computer game she's currently playing and turns to the door. "Hey there. Heroes On Call, right?"

[HopeHubris]

"Aww, well, that's a little disappointing... I'm probably going to leave soon, how do you people contact me? Do I get a communicator-thingy? Or do I just drop by when I can?"

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

Only practice allowed Nolan to keep his pity for Evil-Smasher from showing. Although simple looking, the machine in front of them was an amazing piece of technology. Working teleportation technology not only had he potential to change society, it could one day allow humans to reach other planets. There were several theories on how to create such a device, mostly based on converting the subject into a form more suitable for travel and then converting the subject back into matter upon reaching the destination. However, to Nolan's knowledge no one had been able to solve the difficulties of reassembling the subject perfectly. By folding space itself to create a doorway, the creators of this device had neatly side-stepped that problem entirely. The trade-off, however, was that the fabric of space-time is very stiff, making the energy requirements to bend it to such a degree quite high. As the distance to be teleported increased, the energy requirements also increased. From the limited research that had been made public, these teleporters used some kind of dreamtech catalyst that drastically reduced the energy needed from "absurd" to simply "non-trivial". The nature of the catalyst was guarded information, but Nolan had hoped to learn something of this fascinating technology while working with the Hero Corps.

The inventor gave the woman in the lab coat a professional smile. Now wasn't the time to correct the muscle head. "That would be us. Nolan Caerus, at your service. Are you the mysterious Lucy that Warden warned us about?"

[TheThan]

The ghost shrugs her shoulders at Nolan,

“Let’s just say that my status is a bit unclear, officially I’m dead. But I’m still… well, here… yeah, nobody’s been able to quite figure that one out yet.”

After that, she falls silent, and follows the others to the teleportation room. If she was going to haunt this place for a while, she might as well take the grand tour.

[HopeHubris]

"Wow, you're actually dead? I just thought you could fly through walls and stuff. Why do you use guns if you're dead? People can't hurt you, why do you try to hurt them? Can't you just do... Ghost things?"

[TheThan]

The Ghost,

Yeah, I saw the police carry off my body in a bodybag. that was... surreal.

But it seems to work both ways, if they can’t hurt me, then I can’t hurt them either. I have to go solid to actually touch anything, and when I am solid, I’m pretty much just like a regular person; which is why I use the guns. Besides, they're sort of... part of me. They're...whats that word... Incorporeal... just like i am.

[HopeHubris]

"Weird, if they're not, well, real guns, can you make them do other stuff? Like, non-killy stuff?"

[crazydude369]

Shift leaned against a wall and listened, wide eyed, to Ghost's explanation. "Wow, so we've got some dreamers, one super-nerd, and an actual floating corpse running together. Well, if nothing else, this'll at least be a...unique experience."

[TheThan]

“I’m still trying to figure out the full extent of my powers. So I guess the answer is "maybe".” The ghost responds to evil smasher.

She turns to shift and says,
“They buried my body, so I’m not really a “floating corpse”.
IDEA classified me as an “incorporeal entity”, which is about as far as they were able to figure without trying to take me apart. Didn’t care to much for that though.

[18th Avenger]

"Which is fancy term for 'ghost', so I'd say it's apropos."

The voice, which could be none other than the Gentleman Avenger was coming from one of the PA's installed in the upper corners of the room. A tiny IDEA-manufacture camera swiveled and zoomed in on them.

"Real fancy toys they got here, Caerus. Did you have a hand in making them?"

The camera lenses swiveled to look at each of them in turn.

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

" 'fraid not" came the inventor's chuckle. "At least not directly, in any case. I was involved with a project that studied the efficiency of inductive charging devices. We reduced the waste heat and solved a few of the interference and efficiency issues of higher frequency fields. Our work reduced the costs of using inductive chargers to the point that IDEA started a panel to push for industry standards. So I am partially responsible for so many devices using wireless chargers, but that's just a tertiary component of the 'toys' you're playing with."

With a sidelong glance, Nolan turned pensive while he reconsidered the Ghost. If her story was true, what did that make her?

[HopeHubris]

"I have absolutely no idea what you just said, but it sounded smart", pointing towards Nolan, Evil-Smasher continues, "I vote he makes the plans"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Much as Warden suggested, the next several days passed pretty much without incident. The news kept up nearly constant coverage of Hero Corps' mission (short version: they're winning), interspersed with some other stories. A new breakthrough in synthesizing regenerative serums from Dreamer blood (curatives so produced were available, but fairly rare and very expensive; this promised to reduce costs by two-thirds at least, a huge deal in the medical community with several implications for other Dreamtech sciences). A border skirmish between an Ilessian mech and some Limbrans (tanks, power-armored soldiers, and a few Dreamers; the mech won but was heavily damaged, Limbra denied any involvement, blaming a Reclaimer terrorist cell). A direct attack on the Heroes On Call in Verdania (the attackers were soundly trounced in somewhere under a minute). A Paradisian shipwreck (yep, they use ships still, basically cruises, gives newcomers the chance to meet other Dreamers, experience living among them, etc. Everyone survived). The death of Wilbur Bralman (a well-known IDEA scientist, largely credited as the primary contributor to the development of power-scanning technology. It was ruled natural causes).

In this region, though, things were mostly quiet. Threat Levels rarely even hit five, although with Hero Corps technology at your disposal, it's trivially easy for any of you who have the desire to do so to go thwart whatever random crimes and general hazards pop up as you deem; you're watching an area several hundred miles across, so there's no shortage.

But that all came to an end on Saturday night. The city of Kellarn, about eighty miles west and thirty south. A Threat Level 5 dutifully popped up as a freshly dead body was found and a call to the police made.

Not three minutes later, incoming reports of two more bodies bumped the Threat Level to six.

And a minute and a half after that, an alert flew up, followed shortly by a second. Officer Down. Threat Level 7. The computer didn't waste time with theatrics; a few flashes of red light and a monotone "Threat Level 7 Detected" displaying in the command center in case anyone was in there and not watching the screen. A satellite feed came up on screen, reading fifteen seconds to get into position. The map zoomed in, providing a static but detailed view of the area; a pleasant-looking park with several shops and a mall on one side, suburbian houses on the other. Data on current activity on scene came up. Four police officers; two down, one active, one out of contact. Twelve more approaching the scene, ETA 160 seconds. One SIDE combat unit gearing up, ETA 300 seconds. Three noncombatants confirmed on scene; status unknown. Four hostiles confirmed, more suspected; status unknown.

Dreamer powers detected.

[TheThan]

With nothing to do at the time but haunt the Hero Corps facility, the Ghost happens to be nearby when the warning claxon began blaring. She floated down the hallway as quickly as she could, and phased through as three walls to get to the “situation room” as quickly as possible.

What’s going on?

She says to whoever is already in the room.

[HopeHubris]

Evil-Smasher, also present at eight, as he tends to leave at nineish, starts talking rapidly, "Oh crap, is that a seven? And one of the bag guys is a dreamer? I guess that's why we're here, we should go, quickly, before anyone else gets hurt, can everyone get there fast... Right, silly me, completely forgot about the teleporter, um, yeah, we should go now, like, right now"

[crazydude369]

Shift was lazing around, watching TV when he heard the alert. He jumped off the couch hasitly, knocking the TV remote across the floor. Grabbing his staff from under his bed, he quickly ported his way down the halls and to the command center. "What's the situation? Did some real action finally spring up?"

[HopeHubris]

"Dreamer, kill, bad, go, hurry!" and with that, Evil-Smasher runs out of the room, heading towards the teleporter room

[18th Avenger]

In the control room, where he'd moved one of the multi-functioned easy chairs, Jerry woke with a start and a snort.

"I wasn't sleeping!" slurred out the Gentleman Avenger as the klaxxons blared. Next to the common sleeping area, the work station he'd claimed since arriving at Building H bore the marks of his habitation; crumpled pieces of paper, a metal rubbish bin half full of take-out boxes, candy packs and empty bottles of soda. He reached a hand to the desk, which was loaded with folders and comics, and pulled his gloves from where they rested and a piece of candy; a Hyper-Mint.

Stuffing the candy, which served both as a sharp breath freshener and coffee substitute, in his mouth, Jerry grabbed his cane and made for the teleporter. He keyed in the combeads issued to each Hero.

"Kings to Corps, I'm en route to the teleporter room," he spoke into the tool through a mouthful of candy and winced as the potent taste began to fill his mouth. "It's our first dance, after all."

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

Nolan floated down the hallway, his half-eaten meal left behind in the kitchens. A holographic image similar to the command room's alert screen danced in front of him as he sorted through the map and activity data.

"I read you, Kings. En route to teleporter room."

[TheThan]

Yes, the teleportation room, let’s hurry.
With that the ghost phases through the wall, taking the shortest path she could think of to get to the teleporters. Once there, she goes solid gently landing on the floor.

I’m ready when you are.
She says as she checks her pistols on last time.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Richard was in the teleportation room this evening; the area map was already up on his monitor, and only a couple seconds after the characters arrived, the teleporter locked on. The blank wall it led to was replaced with a view of the park, flashing red and blue from the lights of the two police cars parked in the street. One officer was crouched behind one of the car doors, gun in one hand, phone in the other, facing the houses across the street. The characters could also make out a second lying in the middle of the street, very still. The portal opened about ten feet behind the surviving police officer, and he did not appear to notice it.

"-that backup?" the officer was hissing into his smart phone.

Perception DC 25 (DC 21 if you have Extended senses):
You notice movement in the shadows across the street; five humanoid forms, spreading out.

"You're good. Go!" Richard said.

Will have a map up for you guys shortly.

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

Nolan dashed through the portal, calling "Everyone, stay close!" He gave an effort of will and the suit responded to his neuro-link, encasing the immediate area in a simmering, translucent force field.

As the Force Field shimmered into view, Nolan addressed the officer. "Back-up is here. What's the situation?"

Force Field (created object) borders are marked in red on the map. It is a cube with Dimensions 10x15x6 ft. Feel free to place yourselves inside of it.

Variable Powers: Create Object (Extra:Stationary) 10, Move Object 10, Force Field 9

[HopeHubris]

"Uh, Mr. Caerus, I think the policeman was killed by vampires, Vampires! They have fangs and everything, they're over there, can't you see 'em?" Evil-Smasher says, with an odd mix of emotions in his voice, excitement at seeing vampires and going on his first real mission, and his disappointment at not arriving soon enough to stop them from killing.

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

"Vampires?" First Ghosts, now vampires. Anything else going to jump out of stories this week? Suppressing his surprise, Nolan scanned the empty suburb across the street. It was still empty, so they must be well hidden. No, the kid had seemed surprised that he didn't see them, so they must be using something to hide themselves.

Nolan brought his left arm up, wrist facing him, and started making rapid adjustments to the controls on his suit. He wasn't actually making any adjustments, but the show was necessary. "Evil-Smasher, I'm using my suit's induction charger to overcharge my smartphone's hologram generator and boost it's range. I need you to use the neuro-link and create holograms wherever the vampires are hiding. Even though they'll be Illusions, once you mark them, everyone else can subdue the targets before they attack anyone else." With a final 'adjustment', Nolan stopped adjusting his suit and took out his smartphone, offering it to Evil-Smasher. "Can you do it?"

[HopeHubris]

"Umm... Yeah, I will use the neuro-thingy to make illusion-y holograms, that is definitely what is happening"


Illusion 10: The enemies I can see all glow now, I suppose, or are marked in some obvious manner

[TheThan]

The ghost floats through the portal right behind Nolan with her weapons drawn. She starts scanning the area for the threats the police mentioned and covering Nolan as he makes whatever sorts of adjustments to his devices he thinks is necessary.


“Vampires? This should be interesting.”

[18th Avenger]

Jerry was next to step through the portal, turning the sweet over in his mouth as he felt his molecules pass from the chill teleportation room to the sudden outside-ness of the city park, sirens in their ears.

The Gentleman Avenger took his place behind the group, cane twirling in his grip as he shifted his attention towards the humanoids within the deeper shadows.

[crazydude369]

Shift hops through the portal, staff at the ready, and quickly forms up with his teammates. Noting Evil Smasher's and Nolan's helpful trick, he moves in to attack. "Thanks for the light show guys, I'll grab the one on the far right!" He ports over to the apparent 'vampire', and wastes no time unleasing a volley of blows from his staff.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Affliction: [roll2]

[HopeHubris]

"Sun Blast!" announces Evil-Smasher as he unleashes what appears to be a bright blast of energy from his hands


Activate Boots (Move Action)
Illusory Blast (Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) at V3
[roll0] vs Will

[TheThan]

“Let’s see how tough a vampire is.”
The ghost says as she opens fire at the closest “Vampire”.


Attacking vampire V2
Attack roll 1 [roll0]
Damage roll 1[roll1]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Before Shift's target could so much as say "What?", the Dreamer had given it two solid jabs with his staff. The vampire's undead body didn't respond to electricity as a living being might, but the sheer potency of the shock was still enough leave it convulsing.

Ghost's little experiment ended in disappointment. With Evil-Smasher's illusion clearly marking her target despite the darkness, she planted two perfect shots in the vampire's head and another in its heart, dropping it into an inert heap.

Evil-Smasher's target cried out in pain as his "blast" struck home, believing itself to be burned by a solar offense. In fact, quite oddly, the creature's skin actually blistered and burned where the illusion itself made contact. Interesting trivia fact...a damaging illusion of light? Is basically just light.

Shift's foe began regenerating some of the damage. Ghost's attacks had resulted in too much blood loss for regeneration, and Evil-Smasher's could not heal the traumatic burns.

Evil-Smasher's marking illusion went down as he turned his attention to the new one, but the vampires were hardly invisible, just stealthy; they were revealed as they moved to the attack.

Dazed by Shift's attack, his foe could only forcibly try to control its muscles, lashing out with a powerful punch that the Dreamer deftly avoided. But it did manage to regain some control of its body.

The other three vampires, still moving twice as fast as any normal human, rapidly closed the distance to surround the force field.

The police officer gives a breath of relief. "Thank the gods for that," he murmurs in response to Nolan, then gritting his teeth as the vampires close and pointing his pistol in defiance of the odds of him having even the slightest impact on this encounter.

Vampire 1 takes -3 Resistance penalty, Regenerating one of those on its turn, is Dazed and Hindered until it can make a Fortitude check, DC 19, and attacks Shift at [roll0] for [roll1]. It then gets its Fortitude check: [roll2]. Miss, but success on the check.

Vampire 2 is incapacitated.

Vampire 3 takes a -1 Resistance penalty from Aggravated Damage.

Vampires 3-5 take double move actions to approach. I'm not sure if the forcefield is invisible or merely translucent, but they don't have actions remaining to attack this turn anyway.

Police officer uses a move action to Aim and a standard to Ready an action to attack when the forcefield comes down.

Vampires are now visible. Darkness provides Concealment at distances greater than 30'.

The map has been updated. Current status has been added off to the right of the map for ease of reference.

[18th Avenger]

With the forcefield in place, Jerry calmed down, standing straight as he moved closer to the 'cube's' edge. The hostiles, whom Smasher and Ghost had called vampires, were prowling right outside, seeming to move from shadow to grass like oil on water.

With a black gloved hand cupping his chin and his cane tucked under his arm, the blue eyes within the red mask took a close look at them, taking in every detail and their movement.

Knowledge - Pop Culture
[roll0]

Knowledge - Dreamer Lore
[roll1]

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

"That's what we're here for, officer, but you should leave this to us," replied Nolan.

As the vampires closed the distance, Nolan changed his plan. The officer wouldn't be able to escape on foot. He'd need cover. "Jerry, Smasher, I'll cover you!" cried Nolan as he made another adjustment to his suit's power grid and took a defensive stance. At once, the translucent barrier surrounding the team vanished.


Standard Action to reset variable powers:
Move Object 8
Deflect (Area (30 ft radius), Selective) 10
Force Field 4

Move Action to Defend w/Deflect. Nolan will be blocking against vampire 3, 4, and 5 (to a range of 30ft). Defend bonus is +12 for members adjacent, +10 out to medium range.

[18th Avenger]

"Yep, they're vampires alright."

His only thoughts as the forcefield began to waver, Jerry had only one thought in mind.

If only that Morgenstern fellow was here...

Well, two thoughts to be exact. The other one was;

Fortune favors the bold.

The Gentleman Avenger flipped his cane into an attack position and snapped it forward, aiming between the bloodsucker's eyes.

Move Action: Draw Weapon, Standard Action: Melee Attack (Defensive Attack) on Vampire V, 15
[roll0]

[TheThan]

“Looks like they’re not so tough!”
The ghost says as she turns to her right and fires at the vampire close to Evil smasher.

Next round:
Aimed attack attack on V4
1d20+11
1d20+4

[HopeHubris]

Evil-Smasher flies straight up and fires another illusory sun-beam at the vampire


[roll0] vs Will
Same attack as last time so, Affliction [roll1]

[crazydude369]

Shift takes notice of the creature's regenerative abilities. Hm, looks like I might need to hit these guys with a little extra oomph. He does a quick midair flip to his side, then wheels around with another series of powerful strikes.

Agile Feint as a move action: 23 as a routine action with Skill Mastery
Power Attacking for 5: 1d20+11-5
Damage: 1d20+7+5
Affliction: 1d20+7+5

[Quellian-dyrae]

Jerry beat the vampire all over the face, chest, and shoulders, blow after blow striking past the vampire's defenses with amazing speed and finesse...but the attacks simply lacked the power to penetrate the creature's toughened flesh.

The Ghost's next shots only grazed her target, the minor physical damage instantly regenerating.

Evil-Smasher smashed some evil, his target giving a piercing shriek as his blast psychosomatically attacked its mind - and once again, covered every inch of flesh it touched with horrid burns.

Shift's foe couldn't keep up with his agile maneuver, taking another punishing hit upside the head, leaving it reeling.

Vampire 1 again tries to to throw off the debilitating effects of Shift's staff as it lashes out with a heavy punch, but its awkward, jerky swing makes clear that neither effort was successful.

Vampire 3, badly burned by Evil-Smasher, lunges for Jerry with a vicious bite, sinking its teeth into him despite Nolan's force field, eagerly gulping down his blood, the life-rich plasma healing it completely of the horrific damage Evil-Smasher had done to it.

Vampire 4, facing Nolan evenly, attempts to knock him to the ground and kick him while he's down. It bounced off his forcefield uselessly.

Vampire 5, with Evil-Smasher having flown out of reach, turns the power of its gaze upon the flying hero while entering a defensive stance against his allies. It was a logical move, going against a foe clearly strong of body with an attack on the mind. But logic availed little when your foe decided what you knew.

And this time I'll remember that vampires have powers. :smallbiggrin:

Vampire 1 vs. Shift (DC 22): [roll0] for [roll1] Damage vs. Toughness DC 13 and [roll2] Weaken Stamina vs. Fortitude DC 22. On hit gets Healing [roll3] +1/Stamina drained.

Vampire 1 Fortitude to throw off Shift's status at end of turn (DC 24): [roll4].

Vampire 3 vs. Jerry (DC 20 w/ Defensive attack or DC [roll5] Nolan's Deflect): [roll6] for [roll7] Affliction vs. Fortitude DC 17 and [roll8] Weaken Stamina vs. Fortitude DC 17. On hit gets Healing [roll9] +1/Stamina drained.

Vampire 4 vs. Nolan (DC 16 or DC [roll10] Deflect): [roll11] for [roll12] Trip vs. Nolan's [roll13] Acrobatics.

Vampire 4 vs. Nolan (DC 16 or DC [roll14] Deflect): [roll15] for [roll16] Affliction vs. Fortitude DC 20 and [roll17] Weaken Stamina vs. Fortitude DC 20. On hit gets Healing [roll18] +1/Stamina drained. Gets +5 bonus on this attack if Trip succeeds.

If trip fails:
Nolan can react to trip at [roll19] vs. [roll20]

Vampire 5 vs. Evil Smasher (Will DC 27): [roll21]. ((And this should be two lower since your Concealment does apply against Perception attacks - basically, it's gazing at the wrong eyes!))

Vampire 5 takes a Defend action: [roll22].

--

So, short version, Vamp 1 is looking really bad off, Vamp 3 got pummeled but got good rolls that healed it back up, and GA took a hefty -6 to his Stamina, which is really not good with his already mediocre Toughness and Fortitude.

And I forgot the officer's actions. Gods blast it...

[Quellian-dyrae]

The police officer, meanwhile, would take his shot as the forcefield went down (and the vampire dodged it with superhuman speed), and then per Nolan's directives, back off.

Officer with Aim at Vampire 3 (DC 18): [roll0] for [roll1] Damage. Then double move.

[TheThan]

OK Edward, you’re going down.
The Ghost says as she unleashes a hail of bullets into the vampire.


attacking vampire 4 again.
attack
[roll0]
Damage
[roll1]

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

Nolan didn't have time to talk - trying to keep track of all 3 vampires supernatural speed and shielding his teammates took all of his attention. He just needed to trust that his teammates could take down their foes. Still... Nolan thrust his arm out in a gripping motion, concentrating his force fields to surround and grab the vampire attacking him.



Move Object 8
Deflect (Area (30 ft radius), Selective) 10
Force Field 4

Standard Action to grab vampire 4 with Move Object. Attack: [roll0]. Effect check: [roll1]

Move Action to Defend w/Deflect. Nolan will be blocking against vampire 3, 4, and 5 (to a range of 30ft). Defend bonus is +12 for members adjacent, +10 out to medium range.

[HopeHubris]

"In brightest day, in blackest light, no evil shall escape my sight, beware my power, Evil-Smasher's light!" he cries before blasting another beam downwards towards his foe.



More blasting [roll0]
Affliction [roll1]

Brilliant rolls :smallannoyed:

[crazydude369]

"Ya know, I kinda would've figured vampires to be more of a challenge. Oh well." Shift retorts as he flips around with another devastating assault.

Agile Feint as a move action: 23 as a routine action with Skill Mastery
Power Attacking for 3 this time.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Affliction: [roll2]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vampire four, apparently not quite happy about all the disparaging commentary, executed a blurring series of acrobatic dodges to avoid the Ghost's hail of bullets and Nolan's grasping fields of force alike.

Vampire three, likewise, deftly "dodged" Evil-Smasher's blast. That the illusory attack didn't strike it was irrelevant - it believed it had avoided harm, and so it did.

Shift's foe, on the other hand, took a heavy blow as the agile Dreamer acrobatically flipped over it and came down with a crushing hit full to the head, dropping the undead creature into a motionless heap.

Jerry executed a cautious offensive, striking at his attacker with hard, fending blows of his cane; they forced the vampire back some, but caused no actual harm.

Standard Action: Defensive Attack for 5 on Vampire 3. [roll0] (DC 18) for [roll1] (DC 15).

Move Action: Defend. Counting Defensive Attack, sets Parry DC to [roll2], with Dodge being two higher, for rest of round.

Vampire three would press his attack on Jerry, lunging in as if for another bite before taking a hard swing for his stomach. It was an effective feint, but still not enough to get past the skilled fighter's defensive maneuvers.

Vampire four would continue his assault on Nolan, its attacks harmlessly deflected.

Having faced Evil-Smasher's surprisingly formidable will, Vampire five went with the tactic of trying to overwhelm the defender, coming at Nolan from behind, taking advantage of his ally's driving attacks. The tactic proved useful, a hard hit catching Nolan in the back of the head. His forcefield blunted the blow some, but it hurt and left his head spinning.

The police officer continued to fall back, reporting the development with his radio.

Vampire 3: Move action - Feint Jerry. [roll3] vs. [roll4].
Standard Action - Attack Jerry. [roll5] (DC 21 or [roll6]) for [roll7] damage (DC 6 or 3) and [roll8] Weaken Stamina (DC 11). On Weaken, receives Healing [roll9] + Stamina drained.

Vampire 4: Move Action - Aid Vampire 5 vs. Nolan. [roll10] (DC 10).
Standard Action - Attack Nolan. [roll11] (DC 16 or [roll12]) for [roll13] damage (DC 16) and [roll14] Weaken Stamina (DC 20). On Weaken, receives Healing [roll15] + Stamina drained.

Vampire 5: Move Action - Move into Y15.
Standard Action - Attack Nolan. [roll16] (DC 16 or [roll17]) for [roll18] damage (DC 16) and [roll19] Weaken Stamina (DC 20). On Weaken, receives Healing [roll20] + Stamina drained.

V5 just pulls off a two-degree success on the attack thanks to the Aid, and gets a two-degree success on damage too, so Nolan takes a -3 on Resistance checks and is Dazed for three rounds. hits with a two-degree success on Damage, Nolan takes -1 to Resistance checks and is Dazed one round.

Map is updated.

[HopeHubris]

"These vampires are darn tough, my blasts don't seem to be doing much" and yet, he continued trying 'aiming' another blast at the vampire that gave up on attacking him


Damage: [roll0]
Affliction: [roll1]

[TheThan]

The ghost continues her assault on the vampire. Intent on finishing it off for good.
“Die… err undie, or whatever!”


Still Attacking Vampire 4
Attack:
Damage: [roll]1d20+8

[18th Avenger]

Jerry danced in place, in spite of the pain from his opponent's bite. His wound leaked fitfully and ached like the dickens. The Gentleman Avenger made sure to get himself check for vampirism later.

"Gotta work for your meal now, chief," he taunted, as he snapped his cane back into position to launched another series of blistering strikes aimed between the vampire's eyes, nose and general facial area.

Actions
Standard Action: Defensive Attack for 5 on Vampire 3.
[roll0]

Move Action: Defend. Counting Defensive Attack, sets Parry DC:
[roll1], with Dodge being two higher, for rest of round.

[crazydude369]

With his target down, Shift teleported back to his friends. "Hey, ya know attacking from behind like that isn't very nice pal." He said as he pounded his new target with his staff.

Power Attacking for 5 again on Vampire 5
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Affliction: [roll2]

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

Nolan took a staggering step forward, head spinning from the vampire's attack. This isn't working. If this keeps up...

"Jerry! Together!" The inventor pivoted, rounding on the vampire behind him as he redirected his suit's output.


Standard Action: Reset Anetha Suit
Damage (Extra; Ranged) 15
Force Field 8
Enhanced Parry 1
Create 5

[Quellian-dyrae]

The vampires responded well, their superhuman speed allowing them to just keep away from the heroes' attacks, all but Evil-Smasher's foe, who was once again harshly burned by the damaging light of his illusion.

Now even up three to three in melee, the vampires each focused on their attacker. Confident in this last exchange, the focused on the offense, hoping to bring their foes down.

Vampire 3 vs. Jerry.
Move Action - Aim.
Standard Action - Attack at [roll0] (DC 29) for [roll1] Damage (DC 8) and [roll2] Weaken Stamina (DC 13) -> Heal [roll3].

Vampire 4 vs. Nolan.
Move Action - Aim.
Standard Action - Attack at [roll4] (DC 17) for [roll5] Damage (DC 19) and [roll6] Weaken Stamina (DC 19) -> Heal [roll7].

Vampire 5 vs. Shift.
Move Action - Aim.
Standard Action - Attack at [roll8] (DC 22) for [roll9] Damage (DC 13) and [roll10] Weaken Stamina (DC 22) -> Heal [roll11].

Weaken effects fade at one point per round (I really need to read things more thoroughly :smallsigh:), so Jerry's Stamina penalty is reduced to -4...-3 as of his next turn, so I have that as his status on the map.

Nolan takes -3 to Stamina, and will recover one point on his next turn.

Shift takes -3 Resistance and -1 to Stamina, but since it goes away on his next turn it basically doesn't matter.

Jerry's adept defenses kept the vampire at bay, and the detective could feel his strength slowly starting to return.

Nolan took a grazing blow from his foe, not strong enough to really hurt past his force field, but he could feel the dark power of the vampire's touch sapping at his life force.

Shift, however, took a solid one-two punch. He felt the pull at his life force, leeching a bit of his strength, but resisted most of the effects and recovered rapidly.

[HopeHubris]

"Well, this doesn't seem to be working very well, lets see if this works" Evil-Smasher says as he creates an illusory Sun

The sun is formed above X15

[TheThan]

Flaring with anger at her in ability to hit a target that’s not even bothering to take cover, The Ghost presses her attack.
“why won’t you go down!”


Still trying to shoot down vampire 4

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

As the vampire whirled to confront Shift's sudden attack, Nolan paused for an instant. Even dreamers tended to move in patterns, and if Nolan could just predict the vampire's... There!

Flinging up a hand, Nolan let loose a single translucent bolt.


Move Action: Aim (w/improved aim)
Standard Action: Force Blast (Damage (Ranged)) on vampire 5. Attack: [roll0], Damage [roll1]

Anetha Suit Powers:
Damage (Extra; Ranged) 15
Force Field 8
Enhanced Parry 1
Create 5

[Dorni]

spending a Hero Point to reroll Nolan's attack roll this round. Attack: [roll0]

[crazydude369]

Shift stumbled back slightly from the vampire's attack, but quickly followed up with another assault. After a few more controlled swings from his staff, he darted and tumbled around his target some more, trying to shake his defenses before shouting, "Now Nolan!"

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Affliction: [roll2]
Agile Feint at 23 again, giving the benefits to Nolan with Setup.

[18th Avenger]

"Screw this!" Jerry snapped. "Toothfully, you're tough, but this joke's gone on long enough."

Whether or not the poor pun had any effect on his opponent, the Gentleman Avenger went to work, working his stick into an even more aggressive series of maneuvers, the weapon whistling through the air in an attempt to put the vampire down for good. But as the vampire took in the familiar method, Jerry threw in a low kick for good measure.

Standard Action: Defensive Attack for 5 on Vampire 3.
Result (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14846502#post14846502)

Move Action: Defend. Counting Defensive Attack, sets Parry DC:
[roll0], with Dodge being two higher, for rest of round.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Jerry's more aggressive offensive struck hard, heavy blows bruising and injuring the vampire in several places.

Evil-Smasher's had all the vampires turning a nervous eye to it. Two stood their ground, but the vampire he had been blasting this whole time, much more wary of the Dreamer's power, quickly ran for cover.

The fourth vampire growled at the continuing stream of bullets that seemed to just be materializing from empty air; it seemed to have fallen into a rhythm though, still dodging every shot perfectly and pressing its own attack against Nolan with fury, hammering him hard with a crushing series of blows.

The fifth vampire avoided Shift's agile attacks, but the distraction did its job as Nolan pelted it full in the side of the head with a blast of force, leaving it reeling. It shook its head vigorously and lashed out hard for Shift...missing the elusive Dreamer bad as Shift's previous injuries began to heal.

Vampire 3: Takes -3 Resistance from Jerry, regenerates one.
Full Round: Double-move into X36.

Vampire 4:
Move: Aim.
Standard: Attack Nolan at [roll0] (DC 17) for [roll1] Damage (DC 16) and [roll2] Weaken Stamina (DC 16) -> Heal [roll3].

Vampire 5: Takes -3 Resistance and is Dazed 3 rounds from Nolan, regenerates one of the penalties.
Move: Nope.
Standard: Attack Shift at [roll4] (DC 22) for [roll5] Damage (DC 10) and [roll6] Weaken Stamina (DC 19) -> Heal [roll7].

Well...nothing really to say for it, Nolan gets utterly brutalized by a truly unfair string of rolls. -6 Resistance, Dazed 6 rounds, Staggered, and takes the full -8 Stamina, which leaves it Debilitated and him Dying. I strongly advise using the Hero Point you get from being incapacitated to stabilize...

[TheThan]

Apparently getting angry at not hitting her target isn’t working. So she tries another approach and takes a deep breath and continues firing.


attack
[roll0]

damage
[roll1]

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus


attempting to stabilize: [roll0]

[HopeHubris]

While making sure he kept the illusory sun burning to keep some of the pressure off, Evil-Smasher flies down and tries to carry/drag Nolan away from the fighting

[18th Avenger]

"That's right, run away!"

Jerry shouted at his opponent as it turned its back on him to flee. Just as he was about to chase after the vampire, a thought caught him. He saw that his fellow heroes were still tied up by their dance partners.

In particular, Nolan Caerus.

"Mind if I cut in, brains?"

He moved to flank the vampire, his walking stick moving like a serpent to hit the thing's black-clad shoulders and head.

Move Action: Move to Point V4

Standard Action: Defensive Attack for 5 on Vampire 3. [roll0] (DC 18) for [roll1]

[crazydude369]

"Alright seriously, I've had about enough of you freaking vampires!" Shift shouts as he flips around with his staff, viciously and repeatedly striking the enemy in front of him.

Agile Feint at 23, Power Attacking for 3 on Vampire 5
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Affliction: [roll2]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nolan was down, but Evil-Smasher could see as he pulled him from the fray that his breathing, while shallow, was consistent.

The vampire who had felt the burn of Evil-Smasher's powers decided that with the mighty Dreamer summoning up a miniature sun, he wasn't sticking around. He broke and fled.

Jerry's attacks came close, the vampire just barely dodging his cane with inches to spare.

Ghost moment of focus allowed her to properly lead her target, catching it square. The wound would close quickly, but it left it hurt and off-balance. The vampire lashed out with another punch at Jerry that the skilled fighter easily blocked.

Shift's outpouring of fury was definitely felt, his foe nearly crumpling under the devastating barrage. Desperate for blood, it lunged for his throat, and got a mouthful of air for its troubles.

Nolan stabilizes.

Vampire 3 flees.

Vampire 4 takes -1 to Resistance (which Regenerates this turn), and is also Dazed this turn. It attacks Jerry at [roll0] (DC 23) for [roll1] Damage (DC 10) and [roll2] Weaken Stamina (DC 15) -> Heal [roll3].

Vampire 5 takes another -6 to Resistance, is Dazed six more turns, and is Staggered to boot. It attacks Shift at [roll4] (DC 22) for [roll5] Affliction (DC 20) and [roll6] Weaken Stamina (DC 20) -> Heal [roll7].

I edited the map for movement, but if I positioned you wrong, feel free to adjust.

[HopeHubris]

With the only vampire caring about his little sun fleeing, Evil-Smasher dismisses it and returns to his beams firing one at the most healthy looking vampire


Sunbeam [roll0]
Variable Affliction (same as before) [roll1]

Also, I move to Z16

[crazydude369]

Seeing his foe nearly defeated, Shift kept up the onslaught.

Agile Feint at 23 of course, normal attack this time.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Affliction: [roll2]

[18th Avenger]

The Gentleman Avenger moved through the battlefield with the smoothness of oil across water. The fight was had shifted to their favor now, with 2 vampires to their 4. Even with the wounds they suffered, the Dreamers had the fight down in the bag.

Again, the masked crimefighter's ebony walking stick lashed out like in a hail of blows against the vampire he now faced. In a strange kind of rhythm, the vampire faced another form of onslaught in the form of his knees and feet, cracking into its lower body sharply.

Move Action: Move to Point Z15

Standard Action: Defensive Attack for 5 on Vampire 4. [roll0] for [roll1]

[TheThan]

"Lets finish this"!
The ghost yells out uncharacteristically, as her pistols blaze away at her
target.


Attacking vamp 4 again
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Evil-Smasher's sunbeam struck the uninjured vampire hard, causing it to reel with shock and pain.

Shift, his wound further healing, finished off his foe with a brutal assault.

The last remaining vampire threw itself on the defensive, fending Jerry's cane and taking a grazing shot from Ghost. Although bleary from Evil-Smasher's attack, it still staggered away quickly, attempting to flee.

Battle over unless you guys want to chase it down. Everyone take a Hero Point.

Jerry:
Just to remind you, you are entitled to another Dreamer Lore check regarding Necromancer if you wish to take it.

[HopeHubris]

"Shouldn't we stop 'em? Vampires in movies kinda make more" 'Smasher says as he flies higher for a better vantage point, illuminating any vampires he sees with psuedo-sunlight

[18th Avenger]

"Full marks for the suggestion, Big E."

Jerry found a nearby park bench and sat down, his cane rested against his shoulder. He cupped his wounded throat, which was bleeding much slower.

"But we'd be playing right into the Necromancer's hands if we tried to track them now." He raised his hands in defense. "Yes, I know he's an urban legend, but he's the guy I place my bets on. Given what we faced and the sudden rise this night, ol' Necro fits."

[TheThan]

“There might be more out there than these.”
The ghost blows the smoke away from her pistols and holsters them. then drifts over to everyone else.
“But still, I don’t feel like walking into a trap.”


“If what your saying is right, this could just be a test to see how strong the response would be.”

[crazydude369]

Shift's eyes darted around quickly. "Uh, the who? Look, I don't know about you guys, but I'm not letting a freaking blood-sucking monster wander the streets freely. So if you'll excuse me..." Shift then ports after the fleeing vampire, appearing directly in front of his path.

I believe I can reach Vampire 4 with two move actions?

[18th Avenger]

"Don't let us stop you!"

Said Jerry to the empty space where once stood Shifter. He stretched his neck from side to side. The pain was lessening, which he took to be not a very good sign.

"One of us better go find him and back him up. I'll hang around here and take a closer look at our new friends, see what I can get out of them."

With that, Jerry stood up and moved towards the bodies of the fallen vampires (and one cop). He looked over towards the officer who'd assisted them in the early goings of the fight and called him over with cupped hands.

"I say, my good man! Would you happen to have a notebook, a pen and back-up on the way? Not to mention the number of the nearest SIDE office?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

The vampire started as Shift suddenly appeared in front of him, before giving a low, feral growl and crouching into a ready stance.

Initiative: [roll0]

The police officer jogged back over to the heroes. "Yeah, one sec," he said, going into his car and retrieving the requested items. "Backup should be here in a couple minutes. SIDE too, according to dispatch." His voice was fairly steady, but he pointedly kept his gaze well averted from the slain officer in the street.

"What can I do to help?"

[HopeHubris]

"Who's the Necromancer? Is he, like, the chief vampire or something?" Smasher asks, unsure of how to proceed

[18th Avenger]

For a moment, Jerry was deeply unsure how they would proceed. A great deal of his life, he'd been the one receiving the orders (and a good amount of leeway how to execute them). He covered it up with an expert twirl of his walking stick.

"Well, since we've more or less handled the perps, we sit tight and wait for Shifter to come back." It was then he looked at his hand with the faintest hint of surprise when it came away bleeding. The masked Avenger turned to the officer. "You wouldn't happen to know a bit of first aid, would you? One of them seems to have gotten me good."

Then Evil-Smasher piped up with his question. Jerry looked a little surprised, given how he popped up in the media every now and again. "What do you mean, 'who's the Necromancer'? He's on the news only like every other time!"

He proceeded to hold an impromptu briefing, telling his team what ever he had drawn from SIDE databases. No sense in letting them go half-cocked in the dark, after all.

[crazydude369]

Shift stood before the vampire and gave his staff a few exaggerated twirls before holding it in attack position, pointing one end at his foe. "That's the spirit buddy, lets see what you've got." he said with a grin.

Initiative: [roll0]

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

Nolan didn't groan as he regained consciousness. It wasn't because he felt alright - quite the opposite; it hurt to move. So, Nolan just found it easier to lay there a bit longer. He could still think clearly, and while he still felt an ache at the back of the head where he'd been hit, it was the feeling of having only a tenuous grasp on his body that hurt worse. The only good side was that the energy in the vampires' touch seemed short lived, and even as he lay there he could feel it fading.

By the time Jerry's briefing was finished, the dark energy had nearly faded.

With an effort of will, Nolan floated back to his feet. "And with the Hero Corps busy, he probably thinks that he has an opportunity. We need to track him down before he kills again. I don't suppose we could follow the ones who escaped back to their master." His holographic display flickered to life, displaying a floating report from the command room. Nolan checked through it, looking for information on the first sighting of the vampires.

Watching his teammates through the display, he noted the injuries. Most of them looked unhurt, which stung his ego. Everyone except... "Where's Shift?"

[18th Avenger]

Jerry took the notepad and pen as he moved to kneel next to one of the vampires corpses when Nolan came to.

"Welcome back to the party, Brains. Shift went an' chased after the last Eddie." He scratched his chin. After a long pause, the masked Avenger turned back to the group.

"You all think we should have followed him?"

[TheThan]

The ghost sighs as the teleporter blinks out of existence.

“Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on our impulsive teammate.”

With that she flies off at maximum speed (about running speed really) looking for shift and the fleeing zombie. The ghost will fly about 20 feet up to hopefully spot Shift and the fleeing zombie.

[crazydude369]

With a shout, Shift spun threw the air, aiming for the vampire's head as he came down hard.

Agile feint (obvoiusly :smalltongue:) at 23, Power Attack for 5
Attack:[roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Affliction: [roll2]

[Quellian-dyrae]

The vampire dodged that blow, and more interested in escape than feeding, responding by staring hard into Shift's eyes. Shift would feel the vampire's dominating will invading his mind, wresting away control of his body, though he was able to put up a struggle, make it hard for the thing to control him completely. but with a concerted effort of heroic willpower, he throws off the compelling power.

Ghost flew in mere seconds after.

Affliction (Dazed/Compelled/Controlled): [roll0] vs. Will (DC 18)

EDIT: That's a Compelled unless you want to spend a Hero Point or something.

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

"All of us? No. If these vampires have senses as acute as they do in lore, then I doubt the group of us would be able to shadow them undetected. Ghost could probably do it though."

At the Ghost's departure, Nolan tapped his communicator. "Ghost, unless Shift is in trouble, don't engage. If you shadow this vampire, he might regroup with the second or the Necromancer. We can take them all down at once."

With another motion, Nolan redirected his force fields to pick up the unconscious vampires, moving them until they laid side by side and then creating a cubical force field over them. Satisfied that his impromptu prison would hold until SIDE arrived, Nolan swiped at the hologram in front of him, opening two more windows.

Nolan motioned Jerry over and rotated the first window so the masked caper could access it. Nolan called up the satellite feed from the control room. "Jerry, I need you as our eye in the sky for a few minutes. You can zoom or move the target location with a touch. Keep an eye on the escaping vampire, while I call in a favor."

In the second window, Nolan touched a name on his contact list and waited while the phone dialed.

Lots of stuff happening...
first, Nolan changes his power set to include Create (Rank 10) and Move Object. I'm creating a cube to hold the vampires in case they awake before support arrives. The cube will be sufficient to hold the vampires, no larger.

I'm also calling up the satellite feed via the remote access app. I'm letting Jerry control it, should he wish to. I assume that the satellite is currently in position and focused on us? I'll take 10 on a Tech check for 30 if there are any difficulties requiring said check.

Nolan is calling up a contact in SIDE, one Richard Clark. Richard is a mid-rank SIDE official that Nolan interacts with in the course of providing SIDE with force field generators. I've also invented him on the spot, so let me know what kind of character information you want on him and how you want to handle Contacts in the future. Nolan is going to inform him that they have a situation that fits the Necromancer's MO and request a copy of SIDE's file on him. Investigation: [roll0]

[18th Avenger]

"As I usually do the 'whole chase across moonlit rooftops' thing, this makes for a change. Besides, what harm could I do?"

Jerry hunkered in front of the assigned screen, his borrowed notepad, covered in findings about their vampiric opponents and conspiracy theory-style speculations, in hand. His blue pupils slowly followed the vampire's progress as he took more notes, intent on presenting them to SIDE when he had the chance.

He decided to zoom in closer on the combat, intent on watching Shifter fight and adding more notes about his team mate. To the Gentleman Avenger, it never hurt to be informed. Information was one of his best weapons, after all.

[crazydude369]

Will: [roll0]

[crazydude369]

Shaking off the affects of the vampire's gaze, Shift snorted and came lashing back with several powerful strikes.

Same as last time- Agile feint at 23, Power Attack for 5
Attack:[roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Affliction:[roll2]

[TheThan]

“… ok, err Rodger or whatever, you superheroes say.”
The ghost says into her comm.

“Hold it; you’re out gunned and outnumbered!”
The ghost says, pointing her pistols at the vampire as she flies close to the ground.
“You ok? she says to shift
I think we’re supposed to take this one alive.”

[Quellian-dyrae]

Blocking Shift's blow with an upraised arm, the vampire did not seem particularly interested in surrender, taking a defensive stance to account for the uneven odds and attacking Shift with a heavy blow, a solid hit that left him momentarily dazed.

Move Action - Defend. Dodge and Parry DCs set at [roll0] this round.
Standard Action - Attack Shift. [roll1] (DC 22) for [roll2] Damage (DC 13) and [roll3] Weaken Stamina (DC 20). On Weaken, receives Healing [roll4] + Stamina drained.

Also, gonna stop using Routine checks since they auto-fail and oppose Shift's feints with an Insight roll of [roll5].

Status (Round 2):
Shift: -1 Resistance, Dazed 1 round.
Ghost: Normal.
Vampire: Normal.

Shift will Regenerate on his turn in Round 4.

[crazydude369]

Shift grunted and back stepped from the vampire's blow, but answered back with an attack of his own.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage:[roll1]
Affliction: [roll2]

[TheThan]

“why do they always do it the hard way?"
The ghost says as she opens fire with her twin pistols.


attack
[roll0]
Damage
[roll1]

[Quellian-dyrae]

The vampire took a stiff hit from Shift, as well as a painful shock from his staff's tazer. It growled and struck again, but Shift deftly avoided the attacks, its injury thereafter regenerating, it managed to shake off the debilitating effects of the shock.

Move Action - Aim.
Standard Action - Attack Shift. [roll0] (DC 22) for [roll1] Damage (DC 12) and [roll2] Weaken Stamina (DC 19). On Weaken, receives Healing [roll3] + Stamina drained.

Shift Regenerates on this coming turn, so by end of PC actions everyone's status is normal.

[HopeHubris]

Evil-Smasher remains floating, looking incredibly heroic and manly.

True Sight: Hovering on his jet-boots, awkwardly, unsure of what to do

[TheThan]

The ghost continues firing, hoping to actually hit something

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Quellian-dyrae]

The other vampires come to, start to sit up, and bonk their heads on Nolan's force field.

Also, Nolan, although the mechanics of the Contacts advantage didn't provide any new information, if you want to actually play out a conversation with Richard and see if he has anything for you on other subjects, we can. Completely slipped my mind to do that. :smallredface:

[crazydude369]

Seeing the vampire's resilience, Shift switches back to a more aggressive attack.

Agile Feint: 23
Power Attacking for 5- Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Affliction: [roll2]

[Quellian-dyrae]

After a few rings, Nolan got a response. "This is Richard."

[Dorni]

Nolan Caerus

"Richard, this is Nolan. We have a situation. I just encountered 5 vampires. I haven't confirmed they're dreamers yet, but they exhibited identical power sets. Strength, speed, tough to bring down, fangs, some kind of life-force sapping touch. The odds are absurd that 5 dreamers just happened to develop such specific abilities independently."

Nolan paused briefly as the vampires stirred, but as they didn't try to break the field he was content to keep an eye on them.

"I haven't been able to confirm yet that the vampires match the murder victims that law enforcement found earlier, but I think this fits the MO of the Necromancer a little too perfectly. I know SIDE keeps a profile on him, can you send me a copy of the file?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Lovely. Yeah, give me just a moment...okay, sending it to your phone now. We don't have much on him I'm afraid. Blighter sticks behind the scenes a little too well."

Obligingly, Nolan's phone gave a little beep.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The Ghost's shots stuck home, but the resilient vampire's flesh absorbed the injury without harm. Shift had the opposite problem, his powerful blows quickly dodged.

The vampire avoided Shift's blows, but they put the creature right in Ghost's line of fire. Several bullets struck home, badly injuring the undead creature.

Desperate now, the vampire responded with another quick punch (that Shift again dodged easily) before darting back, casing about for an escape route.

Standard Action - Attack Shift. [roll0] (DC 22) for [roll1] Damage (DC 13) and [roll2] Weaken Stamina (DC 20). On Weaken, receives Healing [roll3] + Stamina drained.
Move Action - Move back thirty feet.

After Regeneration, the vampire is at -5 on Resistance checks.

[TheThan]

“Tough bugger”
The ghost mutters as her twin pistols track her target, firing


attack
[roll0]
Damage
[roll1]

[crazydude369]

Shift ported after his foe, appearing in front of him, "Ah ah ah. I'm not done with you just yet." he sarcastically quipped as he kept up his assault.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Affliction: [roll2]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Ghost caught the vampire with another hail of bullets, just in time for Shift to appear and smash him with his staff. Down went the vampire.

[TheThan]

The ghost twirls her pistols and holsters them. Then she floats down towards shift.
“Let’s get this one back with the others. I’m sure we’ll want to question them when they’re back up.”

[crazydude369]

"Sounds like a plan." Shift said as he grabbed the downed vampire by his arm limply, before porting back over to the rest of his team. "Sup guys? Me and Ghost made sure this one didn't get away." he said as he tossed his beaten foe towards the others. "Did I miss anything?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

You can hear sirens approaching. The promised backup should be here shortly.

The trapped vamps are struggling amusingly against Nolan's containment, but don't seem to have anything useful to contribute to their team's goals at this stage.

[TheThan]

Returning from her venture out to help shift, the ghost floats down out of the skies.
"Well, looks like I haven’t missed anything”, she says as she stops about a foot off the ground.

[HopeHubris]

"You certainly have not, friend. Gentleman Avenger, do you know how to find the Necromancer guy?"

[18th Avenger]

Jerry looked from looking busy. As far as he could tell, there wasn't anything special about the vampire Shift and Ghost were tangling with. He scrawled some last notes on the borrowed notepad and tore them out to stuff into his pocket.

"Every now and again, stuff outta Halloween comes traipsing outta the woodwork. Then they send guys like me and their other investigators to have themselves a peek," Jerry scratched his chin with the end of a pen. "Usually, it's tied to the Necromancer. My first encounter was a circus of zombie clowns tearing apart downtown a year or so ago. It was in the news." The Gentleman looked thoughtful. "Caused a bit of a row, it did."

[Quellian-dyrae]

A few minutes later, the police backup arrives, spreading out to secure the area and get their guys taken care of. Shortly thereafter, SIDE gets there. It's a standard combat unit, two teams of four agents, led by a power armored elite. They fly in, each team driving an Aerial Combat Vehicle, flying cars that can take on most tanks.

The ACV's land on the street, the SIDE agents exiting rapidly. One of the leaders goes to speak with the police. The other heads towards you guys.

[crazydude369]

Shift leans over and whispers to his team, "Pst, here come the stiffs to clean up after we do all the hard work."

[HopeHubris]

'Smasher whispers back, "I'm sure they got here as fast as they could, it's not their fault that we're amazing"

[Quellian-dyrae]

The SIDE elite nodded respectfully to the group as she reached them. "Looks like the Corps chose well. What's the status here?"

Ghost:
You hear a voice in your head, a smooth monotone. ~Emily Baker.~

[HopeHubris]

"Greetings officer! We have just dealt with some, uh, vampires, Gentleman Avenger seems to know all about them, I'm sure he can explain it all"

[Quellian-dyrae]

The agent nodded, turning to Jerry. "What have you got. Kings?"

[18th Avenger]

Jerry leaned closer, as if peering at the place where the agent's name would have been stenciled on her breast-pocket.

"Willis, izzat you? Can't tell underneath all the armor, which is quite nice. That the new 'Superbia' pattern?"

He rested his walking stick on his shoulder and stretched. "As for a sitrep, not much. The MO's consistent with the Necromancer; a fatality within a certain time frame, Eddies that match his usual descriptor, now that poor fellow," the Gentleman nodded at the fallen police officer, who was being wheeled away on a gurney. "Most notable thing here was the live capture of most of the hostiles and a rather effective showing for the new task force, if I do say so myself." Jerry looked serious. "If you do the usual interrogations, you will keep us posted, right?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Mmhmm. And here I was hoping to give it a proper test run," she said with exaggerated disappointment. "And yeah, but if it is the Necromancer, I don't expect to get much. Still, can confirm..." she walked over to the trapped undead. "Alright, whichever of you want to prolong your existences, start talking."

The vampires didn't get a chance. A vacant look came over all their faces, and in eerie synchrony, they replied in an identical voice, a smooth monotone, "We're sorry. The vampire you are trying to reach is currently disconnected. Please do not try your call again."

The vampires no longer moved, just staring blankly ahead. They appeared truly dead, although being undead in the first place, it was kind of hard to tell for sure.

Willis just shrugged. "Yep, that's him." She did not sound happy with the discovery. "We've never been able to get anything out of his goons. Any ideas?"

[18th Avenger]

Jerry scratched his head with the G at the end of his cane. "Short of giving them to the SIDE spooks and having them peel apart our new friends? I got nothing." The masked Gentleman turned to Nolan.

"How about you, Brains? Maybe you know a guy who has a cousin who can get 'em to spill on their boss?"

[TheThan]

The ghost
Completely ignoring the conversation with the SIDE officers and the rest of the group, The Ghost stares off into space. It’s obvious to anyone noticing her that she’s focusing on something else.

“Who are you?, How do you know that name?!” she demands, trying to force her thoughts to push out of her mind and make contact with the disembodied voice.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Ghost:
~Oh, it was not easy to learn, even with my powers. I've been hoping to contact you long before this. They call me the Necromancer, which will do for now. I have some business I would like to discuss, ideally in private and in a more comfortable setting. Would you be amenable?~

[TheThan]

The ghost
An eyebrow rises at the drop of the Necromancer’s name.
“… maybe…It would depend on the nature of the business… but a meeting would not be impossible.” The Ghost thinks back to the Necromancer, trying to conceal her other thoughts from any sort of telepathic probe.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Ghost:
~I think you'll find it worth discussing. It's a little matter of vengeance. Will tomorrow evening be good for you?~

[TheThan]

“I see, I think I can meet you in that case. How about we meet at 1313 Mockingbird lane in, Arbera city. It’s a big old house near a cemetery; it’s been abandoned for years. It should be nice and private and… appropriate.”

The Ghost replies, still trying to avoid drawing attention to herself. she doesn't know if the Necromancer is watching or not, so she needs to keep this private for now.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Ghost:
~That sounds fine. I look forward to it, talk to you then,~ he replied. He'd wait for a response, but unless the Ghost had anything else to discuss or ask, she would hear a soft click in her mind, oddly like the sound of a phone hanging up.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The SIDE agents started securing the vampires for transport. They were cautious about it though, taking one at a time under heavy cover. None of the undead creatures moved. It did appear that they were no longer animate.

"This is the lot of them, yeah?" Agent Willis asked. "We'll run them through the ringer, but I don't expect much. If we do learn anything, we'll let you know. We can expect the same?"

[crazydude369]

Shift stepped up to agent Willis and cleared his throat, "Well, technically one of them did get away."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Oh? Well now, that we might be able to work with," the agent said, then ordering through her commlink. "Team one, back and in the air. We have a runner. Scan for a visual presence without a heat signature. Base, I need a stealth flyer dispatched ASAP." She looks back to Shift. "How long, and did you catch what direction it was going?"

[HopeHubris]

Evil-Smasher summons up a large beam of light to help SIDE find the last vampire
"I may be able to help with this, agent, my eyes of justice never fail to see evil! And the light of, uh, truth! Will show you the way"


Can Smasher still see it?
If so, the light follows the vampire, pinpointing it's location, otherwise, it's kind of an arrow, pointing to where he last saw it

[Quellian-dyrae]

Agent Willis nodded. "Thanks." As her team returned and began climbing into the ACV, she told them, "Follow the light."

Unlikely, it's been a few minutes at this point and they move quickly. You can spend a Hero Point to Edit Scene to say it got out of immediate danger but didn't go too far for ES to keep tabs on, if you want.

[TheThan]

The Ghost

The ghost rolls her eyes at Evil-Smasher’s comic book statement. She decides to keep the news from the Necromancer to herself until they were in more secure surroundings.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The SIDE agents finish loading up the prisoners, and they and the police head out, leaving the heroes to their own matters.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The Story So Far:

A week ago, the unthinkable - by which I mean, unthinkably stupid - happened. Members of the Ragnarok Arms Ring, a multinational criminal organization, attacked and killed the family of a Hero. Hero Corps doesn't like this particular villain cliche, and they tend to respond to it by dropping pretty much everything to bring down the responsible party with extreme prejudice. That isn't, send a couple Heroes, or the elite of the Corps...that means, the entire flame-blasted Corps, somewhere between five hundred and thousand high-powered, experienced, combat-capable Dreamers throughout the country, band together to bring justice down the heads of the attackers.

During this time, the Corps typically calls upon capable independent Dreamers and others to keep an eye on things. These worthies are referred to as Heroes on Call.

These particular Heroes on Call would up encountering a threat, in the form of a small group of people who displayed powers associated with popular depictions of vampires. It is believed that this attack is the work of an enigmatic individual that the media refers to as Necromancer, believed to be a Dreamer with power over death and the dead. He's been active, on and off, for over twenty years, but he's hard to predict, has popped up all over the country, and often works through minions, so he's yet to be caught.

But maybe this time will be different.

We begin (restart, whatever) at the Halls of the Dreaming, a former university campus that has been retrofitted to serve as a regional headquarters of the Assembly of Dreams for this part of the country. The return of the Heroes is a fairly big deal. There's a big party going on, an open air celebration welcoming the Heroes and congratulating them on their success - bringing down the Ragnarok Arms Ring, ignoring all other considerations, is a big win for the Good Guys on its face. The media presence is, of course, tremendous, and crowds of people have gathered throughout the campus, both Assembly-affiliated and otherwise.

GA, Smasher, Shift:

Two days have passed since the Heroes on Call routed the vampires.

The Ghost didn't return to the Halls of Dreaming after that night. No contact, no response to attempts at contact, if any. She went off the grid like a credit to her archetype.

There were no further attacks, although it did give the remaining heroes some time to gather up data on Necromancer.

Above PCs Only:
What you already knew:

Necromancer is a code name invented by the media, though SIDE also uses it for lack of anything better. Technically, he's not confirmed as an actual person, but SIDE's pretty sure he exists, and is a single individual.

Although not completely confirmed, his Dreamer power is listed as Death Magic. He's pretty much confirmed as being able to reanimate the dead in various ways, although he seems to have a preference for creating classic undead creatures - zombies, skeletons, ghosts, mummies, and, if this was him, apparently vampires. Some creatures connected to him are somewhat more unique, however. He's also strongly suspected to have the power to manipulate the life force to weaken or kill others. IDEA consultants have suggested that, if he is advanced enough, he could be able to use his powers to protect himself from death, heal injuries, and even take on some of the powers of the undead himself.

His minions are responsible for many of the crimes connected to him, but it's believed that he does act directly at times. His MO, as SIDE has been able to put things together, is to begin with an initial murder which he is believed to commit personally, reanimating the victim and setting it upon others. He seems to take a perverse delight in sending his minions after friends, family, and others who were close to them in life. Often, those killed by his victims also rise as undead. However, as far as SIDE is able to tell, only those that he kills directly are able to spawn others, which keeps his killing sprees from becoming full scale disasters. Even so, his arrival in a city has been known to result in death tolls in the dozens.

New Information:

The files SIDE sent you don't tell you much that you don't know. They do pin down a bit more information - he's usually active for a couple weeks at a time, for example, typically staging three to five attacks over that period. Once he starts up, fifty or so miles is about the largest gap of distance between individual attacks in a given period of activity.

While there is very little out there about Necromancer himself, a look into his victims proves a bit more fruitful. In particular, the people who he turned into vampires all appear, when you get into their backgrounds, to have at least some connection to the Reclaimers.

Looking into past cases, unfortunately, doesn't reveal that same pattern. However, the case files do note that the majority of victims in a given appearance did have a connection. Sometimes to a corporation, sometimes to a government agency, sometimes to an organization. He seems fairly consistent during any given period of activity, just not between them.

Today, though, celebration appears to be the order of the day for the Corps. Warden's been by, to handle the administration stuff, get you all paid, and such, but he's said if you'll all stick around, have some food and drink, enjoy the party, he'd have more time to debrief you later that afternoon.

Evil-Smasher:
It's the weekend. You're cool :smallamused:.

Nolan thanked him for the offer, but had to get back to his company. What the rest of you do is up to you. You're currently in Building H, Room 9, of the Halls of Dreaming.

Aegis:

The ACC is, of course, out in force with the return of the Heroes. The ACC is pretty much spearheading the whole party ('course, they also know they'll be the ones stuck with cleanup duty; they have that name for a reason), although a good few of your peers are also working to get injured Heroes healed and such.

You received a call about an hour ago, one of your SIDE buddies, saying a team was coming down to speak with the Heroes on Call and asking if you could get them in contact. He told you, with some amusement, you'd know them when you saw them, "Just look for the angel."

You're currently outside, in the Main Plaza of the Halls of Dreaming.

Avacyn, Goro, Robert

Partying is probably the last thing you're concerned with. The three of you were called upon by your contacts/superiors at SIDE and briefed on the recent activities of Necromancer. SIDE has, over the past two days, been trying to get information from the captured "vampires". Which hasn't worked, since Necromancer's minions tend to go inert as soon as you start asking them questions.

Above PCs Only:
Worse still, the patrol dispatched to chase one of the vampires that fled lost contact and didn't report back. Their ACV (Aerial Combat Vehicle) was found just this morning. Everyone in it appeared to have been dead for decades.

You've been given the following information on Necromancer:


The Necromancer is a code name invented by the media, though SIDE also uses it for lack of anything better. Technically, he's not confirmed as an actual person, but SIDE's pretty sure he exists, and is a single individual.

Although not completely confirmed, his Dreamer power is listed as Death Magic. He's pretty much confirmed as being able to reanimate the dead in various ways, although he seems to have a preference for creating classic undead creatures - zombies, skeletons, ghosts, mummies, and, if this was him, apparently vampires. Some creatures connected to him are somewhat more unique, however. He's also strongly suspected to have the power to manipulate the life force to weaken or kill others. IDEA consultants have suggested that, if he is advanced enough, he could be able to use his powers to protect himself from death, heal injuries, and even take on some of the powers of the undead himself.

His minions are responsible for many of the crimes connected to him, but it's believed that he does act directly at times. His MO, as SIDE has been able to put things together, is to begin with an initial murder which he is believed to commit personally, reanimating the victim and setting it upon others. He seems to take a perverse delight in sending his minions after friends, family, and others who were close to them in life. Often, those killed by his victims also rise as undead. However, as far as SIDE is able to tell, only those that he kills directly are able to spawn others, which keeps his killing sprees from becoming full scale disasters. Even so, his arrival in a city has been known to result in death tolls in the dozens.

He's usually active for a couple weeks at a time, for example, typically staging three to five attacks over that period. Once he starts up, fifty or so miles is about the largest gap of distance between individual attacks in a given period of activity.

The ACV was found about twelve miles south-south-east of the original attack.

You've been requested to speak to the Heroes on Call, see what they can tell you, and then hunt Necromancer down and neutralize him if at all possible. One of the Heroes on Call, Jerry Kings, the Gentleman Avenger, does work for SIDE on commission, so he's your main contact and expected to be included. Officially, it's your call whether to enlist the others...but people taken on as Heroes on Call tend to be competent, and don't tend to be the sorts who take well to being cut out of the loop on things like this.

Due to the party, they may be somewhat tough to find, although one of the agents has put in a call with a member of the ACC, goes by Codename: Aegis, who might be able to help you get in touch with them. At the very least, he'll be easier to find - much as a man-sized lizard tends to stand out.

You're currently just arriving at the campus, where the celebration is in full swing.

Jerry, Aegis, Avacyn, Goro, Robert

Given that you all do work for/have connections with SIDE in various capacities, it's entirely probable that any or all of you may know each other/have worked together in the past/whatever. Your call across the board, just figured I'd bring it up.

[Orbiter]

ACC.....Aegis had guessed after hearing about them what the acronym actually meant, and for once he had been right, it actually stood for Assembly's Cleaning Crew, still few people expected him to go and join them.
But he needed to see the world from a somewhat safe distance and do some good, helping with stuff was the best he could do without worrying too much, besides he wasn't particularly interested in fighting most of his time, he had enough of that back at the ring, and he still had problems with his rage when fighting.

He shook his head abruptly, wasn't he supposed to be looking for an angel? instead of thinking about the past.........Angels.....those are the...wingy ones...yes he remembered now, he looked around him for a wingy one there was supposed to be one coming, and if there was his eyes should allow him to see pretty far away.


Yes he actually thinks that way, and has some social quirks....and he may or may not give you a nickname...if you don't like or want a nickname or the nickname i pick tell me.
And until he meets Avacyn she is the wingy one.....in his mind.

Also see the ooc thread for connections if any.

Perception roll to find the wingy one we are supposed to help.
[roll0]

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallsmile:


A casual glance at the party reveals those that stand out; even among superhumans there are the celebrities, those whose powers can enhance their presence, or both. A rather obvious example among them is a white-winged, black-robed, platinum-blonde young woman who at the moment appears to be the center of attention of nearly a dozen admirers; nine male and two female. And while she seems to be having fun, her face frequently taken on a thoughtful expression as if her mind is not really at the party.
http://thesavvygamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Avacyn-Restored.jpg
Beautiful enough to win beauty contests and with exotic features to begin with, an otherworldly aura enhances her presence and lends gravity to her every action; she is using her powers to show off and being obvious about it. Not exactly rare among Dreamers but tacky if done wrong and something one would expect from a teenage girl, not an "angel".



OOC:
Array enhancing charisma to 14, full senses, 2 ranks of flying. Avacyn is currently using the charisma boost to be more obvious and draw attention to herself rather than its social bonuses. There's a reason for that.

[Orbiter]

Aegis

He hated crowds, that was his only though as he was scanning the crowd for the Wingy one, thankfully he found a wingy one among the whole crowd....she as well some others seemed to stand out a lot for some reason, oh well it was time to go to her, she was a couple hundred feet away from him so he doubted she could hear him from here.

Being very careful not to use his super strength or go very fast he moved through the crowd to get near her and speak up."Excuse me Miss Angel, i was told to find you and your team!.......uhh actually are you part of the team i was expected to meet? or simply someone enjoying the festivities?".

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallsmile:


The angelic woman thinks about it for a moment as she carefully examines the newcomer. No hint of any opinions is betrayed by her expression beyond some interest.
Unfortunately, I cannot answer your question. she says and a small smile twists her lips upwards. Why did you phrase your questions as an either/or querry? If -hypothetically speaking- someone was both enjoying the festivities and a part of the team you expected to meet, then they would be unable to answer without being either syntactically incorrect or annoyingly monolectic. Her smile widens, indicating both welcome and that she's being playfully annoying by intention. Not to mention that, unless the team you were here to meet contained a telepath and you were speaking to them at the moment, they would be unable to give a definite reply. Certainly, there are people from many teams in this celebration. And since you did not specify which team you were here to meet, how would one know you were looking for their team?

You get the feeling the angelic woman is being annoyingly reasonable for more than one reason. Maybe she's having fun. Maybe she genuinely needs you to be more specific. Perhaps she's pointing out how to improve your conversation skills in an indirect manner. Or she merely wants to take your measure when you are under social pressure. And the annoying but obvious way she's doing it might not reveal her exact reason but by being intentionally obvious about it she reduces the chances you'll miss her points or that you'll misunderstand her helpful manner.

[Orbiter]

Aegis

If Aegis knew one thing about socializing was that it involved too much talking for his own taste. Then again he only learned how to talk a year ago and its been only a year since then and he dint spent his time talking thats for sure. Still he tried to focus on what she was saying to understand what she meant, was she scolding him or something else? he was getting confused, she made him felt like he teaching."Uhhh......sorry?" if a lizard could blush, then he would have been a tomato, thankfully he was already a purple of sorts and lizards don't blush either way in any situation sentient or not.

Still he was silent for a moment as he tried to compose himself from his confusion and understand what she meant, but a little voice inside of him spoke up, he could have been helping others in the ACC instead of wasting time here talking. His eyes lighted up as all thoughts of being apologetic left his mind as well whatever lesson she was trying to instill him was rejected from his thoughts for the moment. Instead he turned his head to focus his gaze for a bit to the crowd around him to find another wingy one, as he straightened his tail that was half-coiled on his right side until now.

This gesture usually meant with most creatures that they were alert and focused or angry, in this case he was getting annoyed and very very restless. "I am looking for a team send by SIDE to guide them to speak with the Heroes on Call, and i was instructed to 'look for the Angel', if you are not that Angel then sorry for keeping you from enjoying the party". Despite talking his mind focused on the water he was gathering to soon douse this wingy one for making him a fool and wasting his time.


Array changing: Water control.......someone will get wet if he doesn't learn that they are in the team......he still might do it though no guarantee.

Also perception roll to look for another Angel this one is broken....er mean that is XD.
[roll0]

[HopeHubris]

Evil-Smasher

"Sooo... Did any of you manage to find anything on the Necromancer guy?" Evil-Smasher asks the heroes that didn't mysteriously vanish, clearly without any leads of his own.

As he asks this, he looks around the room (Or outside, I'm fairly sure he can see through walls) for any chips or fizzy drinks

[Re'ozul]

Robert

A lot of good food without having to use his power. Robert likes happenings like this one. For the last ten minutes or so he has just been eating his way through the buffet, mostly ignored by everyone.

Catching the confrontation between the Lizard and the wannabe-angel, he maneuvers himself closer eventually sitting down on a chair close by with a plate full of pastries.

[18th Avenger]

The Gent

"We've been trying to get definitive info on the Necromancer for years," replied the Gentleman Avenger to the hulking Evil-Smasher. Seemingly appearing from the press, he'd made his appearance at Smasher's elbow balancing a tray of hearty little goodies (whomever organized the party took to mind the simple natures of some of the invitees) like freshly-cut potato chips in chocolate and literally-miniaturized sandwiches. The one concession Jerry took to the party was that he'd left his cane back at his nest and took the time to put on the full tuxedo, along with the flowing red Mantle and Mask.

He popped a potato chip into his mouth. "If we did, he wouldn't a problem every now and again." He nodded in greeting to the new influx of heroes; some of whom he knew by sight.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallsmile:


Worry not. the angel says, still with a smile. You haven't been wasting my time, nor I yours; I am part of the team you were sent to look for. She waves at the other partygoers that had gathered nearby. Sorry boys and girls but duty calls; we must go find our other teammates. Have fun till we meet again.
With that she leads Aegis to the others from the team that she knows.

[TheThan]

Agent Goro Hachiro,

A big man steps into the room, tall and broad across the shoulders and obviously well muscled. He wears a tailored suit, black jacket, tie and trousers, white shirt. He’s shaved bald and clean shaven and wears black wraparound sunglasses.

Maneuvering through the crowd he grabs a bottle of beer from a waitress and pops the top off with his bare hands. He scans the room, searching for his target. A rather large crocodile like being; standing next to a winged angelic being and a few others.

Catching the last bit about the necromancer, the big man responds,

“Hopefully, we can rectify that situation.”

[Orbiter]

Aegis

Well so much for that at least she was upfront about it when he asked her directly....probably dint mean to antagonize him or whatever, he might apologize later now that he thought about it and calmed down.
For now he nodded and followed the Angel lady, in retrospect it was childish to try dousing her with water, double as she was indeed with SIDE.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallsmile:


Before we sit down to talk about this Necromancer, roll call; whoever is absent should raise their hands so we know who hasn't arrived yet. The angelic woman raises an eyebrow at the looks she gets. Failing that, perhaps members of our two different groups should introduce themselves? Some basic information would help with a lot of things - from knowing each other better to strategy formulation and anything inbetween. A hip-high pillar of soft light appears upon which she comfortably sits as if it's a chair before she goes on.
You may call me Avacyn. I am with SIDE on nonprofit retainer in the support and tactical combat roles. For those that don't know me, I am primarily a healer and advocate of nonviolent resolution to conflicts.

[Orbiter]

Aegis

Well they found the rest of the team or did they? "Well i am Aegis and i am a member of the ACC, i was asked to help the team from SIDE to help find those in the Hero Corps team that deals....with whatever crisis is going on and i dont know about.......but there was no need from the looks of it, you have found each other just fine." Now he would stick around a bit out of curiosity and then leave because lets be honest here his job seemed to be done, but just in case he should stay to ensure his job is indeed done before tiptoeing away.

[18th Avenger]

The Gent

"Ah! So you're the one they're calling 'the Angel'," Jerry greeted the platinum-haired woman with the carriage of a queen, rising to offer her a chair. "I've heard Willis and her stick mention you a couple of times." When the woman projected a pillar of light to serve as her chair, the masked Gentleman smoothly called for drinks to their side of the room and nodded a greeting to Agent Hachiro.

Taking his seat once again, brushing aside the ragged Mantle with what seemed like long practice, he steepled his fingers as he eyed the influx. "In the spirit of candor, Master Aegis, we're the first reserve. With the Corps on mop-up, it falls to us to be the respondents when the heroes are quite busy. In this case, we're on the trail of the Necromancer."

[TheThan]

Returning the nod to the gentleman avenger Agent Goro speaks.

“I am Agent Goro Hachiro, most people call me Agent Goro, or just Goro. I am with SIDE on a profit retainer in the investigation and combat roles. For those that don't know me, I am primarily a fighter and an advocate of violent resolutions to conflicts. I’ve been assigned to the agents on call to help with your investigation of the Necromancer, as I’ve got talent in that area.”

Goro says, in a flat deadpan voice, mimicking the small speech the angel lady gave. His voice is deep and gravely, with a hint of an accent. He takes a seat and takes a sip from his beer.

[Re'ozul]

Robert

Having laden his plate with food again, before following the others, Robert looks up as his turn comes. Swallowing and wincing for a moment as he forgot to bring along something to drink, he begins.

"I try to go by "Handyman", though SIDE tends to give me different monikers each time I work with them." He starts counting with his fingers "Snatcher, Grabbag, Yoink, Property Denial, I think the closest they have ever come to what I want my name to be is 'Blandyman'. Then again, the deal I have with them doesn't really lend itself to making a big fuss about something like this. ... Where was I? Oh yes. Don't expect me to fight anything, don't expect me to be of much use with violence at all. I work more subtly or a lot less, depending on the situation."

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallwink:


I have heard about you. the angel says and winks at Handyman. And you shouldn't sell yourself short. The way Dreamer fights are televised, how many supervillains and terrorists would want to face you and risk appearing naked in international media?

[Re'ozul]

Robert

"Maybe, though thats not as easy as it sounds. I tried it a few times with parts of their clothes. Turns out they tend to have lots of spares and unless I had actual contact with them I can't differentiate between fake costumes for parties and the real thing either."

[HopeHubris]

Evil-Smasher

'Smasher grabs some of Gent's chips, turning to towards him with a full mouth and a deluge of questions
"Is that a real angel? Why does that guy look like a lizard? Do you think that handy guy could steal my boots? What powers does Goro have?"

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallwink:


Do religions here even have angels? Avacyn asks with the air of someone about to make a metareligious joke. But then she thinks about it a bit and winks at Evil-Shmasher instead. I'd say I am at least as real as you are. But that is neither here nor there - much as we'd all prefer to drink, joke and be merry, there are those that can no longer do so - and must be avenged.
Her expression turns into frown halfway between angry and thoughtful.
This "Necromancer". What does SIDE know of his powers and preferred minions? I'm only a recent addition to the "family" and I haven't had the opportunity to... access the information.


OOC:
Avacyn's sight negates illusions. Also, she's rather uncomfortable with modern tech and that's why she didn't check for info on Necromancer - anyone who knows where and how she was found can guess that's why she hesitated.

[Re'ozul]

Robert

"Steal your Boots? I probably can. Though that is probably dependant on some things."

[Orbiter]

Aegis

Aegis nodded to Avacyn "Yep there are other...wingy ones besides you, i think i saw one a......year? ago". That was true, but wasn't he according to what he said just a dreamer who did a journey or something somewhere? oh well it mattered not.
He then turned to face Evil Smasher "Also I am as much a lizard as you are a monkey".



and yes i can see by illusions too.....fun :smalltongue:
No offence intended by him...not really he thinks he states what is a fact to him, but lacks the proper social grace to say it properly as Avacyn told him before in one way

[Quellian-dyrae]

As the group talked, another Hero appeared in the room. Darius Embers, Codename: Warden. The Regional Commander of Hero Corps for this part of the country. "Ah, you're already here," he said, on seeing the SIDE representatives. "I just received word. This is about the Necromancer situation, correct? Have the Heroes on Call briefed you yet?"

[18th Avenger]

The Gent

Jerry looked up at Warden. "Evening, chief. I was just about to do that. We were getting acquainted." He popped a sandwich into his mouth. "Great spread."

At least, that's what it sounded like. The tuxedo-wearing Gentleman dusted crumbs off his outfit and swallowed. "As for the Necromancer's MO, we're talking stuff outta the horror movies. Zombies and skellies form the bottom of the threat pyramid with low endurance and numbers, followed by ghosts then stuff like mummies and vampires at the top."

[TheThan]

Agent Goro

Agent Goro stands when Warden enters the room. He looks for a place to put his beer. Not finding any, he simply holds it behind his back obviously trying to hide it from Warden.

“Interrogations of the “vampires” the heroes on call captured have turned up very little.”


Investigation roll to know what exactly the “vampires” are, (as in are they Dreamers)
[roll0]
And what information if any, SIDE has managed to pump out of them.
[roll1]

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallannoyed:


I see. the angel says with a frown when Necromancer's MO is revealed. I wonder... have you tried recovering the people that were his minions? Would a sufficiently powerful transformation power be able to turn the undead victims back to the originals? I know a sufficiently powerful restorative ability can ressurect the dead or do similar things.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"I'm not sure off the top of my head. I know the Corps has assisted against Necromancer before, but investigation is usually SIDE's end of things. I'm not sure if they have healers or transformers of that level on staff." Warden looks over at Aegis. "ACC likely would though, come to think of it. I imagine if it's been tried, there'd be some sort of record on file...somewhere. Eh...maybe." Hero Corps and SIDE could compete in a lot of areas, but one place where SIDE won flat-out was getting the paperwork processed and organized correctly. ACC was...a little better than the Corps at that sort of thing, fortunately.

[Orbiter]

Aegis stared at Warden a moment before nodding "Well......i really am not the best person to ask for many reasons......but give me a moment to think what i know about the healers we have."

After taking a moment or two in his case he perked up, and nodded to himself, yep he knew some stuff. "I know two healers who can bring up people from the dead for sure, Ana and Karl masson, those two have a reputation on that and i have seen one of them i think doing such a thing.
But you should know that i am pretty sure this morning, as i was getting ready i heard from some people in the ACC that there have been previous attempts to resurrect Necromancer's victims after........dispatching them and it didn't work...." he paused there straining to think for a moment what else was said this morning about that matter.

"Hrm i think they said.... it was because the time they spent as undead seemed to count like the time spent dead for their resurrection powers. However the healers in the group agreed that the powers would most likely work if they worked on the victim soon enough." Aegis corked his crocodile head to the side, he had spoken word for word what he heard more or less, but was that all?......"Yah i think thats all i know and heard about this matter, i hope that helps you....somewhat."


Investigation roll for Aegis to see if he knows any strong healers or has heard about any of them who have the powah to bring back the dead.
[roll0]

Another roll if something like resurrecting someone has been done(if he has heard about it that is)
[roll1]

[HopeHubris]

Evil-Smasher

Evil-Smasher stands at attention when Warden walks in, listening with rapt attention the entire time.
Unfortunately, he doesn't get out much, and doesn't have any information that would help the group, so he mostly stays quiet.

Though, he does try something



For the people that can see through illusions:

He's really trying to contain his excitement at seeing Warden again, because he knows you can see him now.
You can also see him moving his mouth

Anti-Illusion hearing:

"I know you can see me, but can you hear this?"
He whispers, while maintaining the illusion of silence

[Orbiter]

Aegis


Aegis turned his head at the side towards Evil-Smasher as if saying why yes?, in that moment Aegis was smiling....well as much as someone with no cheeks or normal face can do. And he now had an idea, he walked to take a cup of water and then leaned down and whispered back in a soft chuckling tone so no one could hear him speaking to Evil-Smasher "Yes i can hear you, as well those partying outside, very rowdy fellas if you ask me.". With that said he leaned straight back up to watch others.

[TheThan]

Agent Goro,

The big man continues his speech on what he knows about the “vampires”.

“Yes, SIDE conducted several tests to figure out exactly what they are. Their power set seems to fit certain popular depictions of vampires. We’ve been unable to determine whether they're individual Dreamers, people transformed by Dreamer powers, summons, or literal undead.

Our interrogations went worse than our examinations. Once interviews began, they said in the same voice "I'm sorry, but the vampire you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please do not try again later." The voice is monotone and apparently adult male, regardless of the subject’s gender. We conducted voice recognition tests and we came up with no matches in our database. After that they basically stopped moving, speaking, etc.
We even had telepaths conduct mind reading and mental compulsions, the telepaths reported that the vampires weren't valid targets, whatever that means. SIDE's pretty sure they're actually dead at this point. So basically we’re stumped.
However this sort of response to interrogation is documented as part of the MO of the minions of the Necromancer. So it’s a fairly safe bet to assume he’s in town.”

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallannoyed:


Wait, Necromancer's minions were "suicided" not when you captured them but only after you started interrogation? the angel thinks about it. What do you want to bet they have a sensory link and their master gathers information about SIDE each time they are captured and brought in? Besides, unless there was some sort of triggered suicide effect - which power detection could possibly reveal and could be negated - the sensory link is the simplest way to know when to end them as well as allow the master control from a distance without needing to project personal, detectable powers.
She frowns for a few moments more.
As for your "not a valid target" results on telepathy, what if they don't have minds at all? I mean, your technology and electricity and stuff can move around lumps of inert metal, right? Couldn't necromancy do the same with dead bodies?

[18th Avenger]

The Gent

Jerry scratched his chin as he pondered Avacyn's input. So far, for all the hokum surrounding her, she was opening up new leads and lines of thought that he himself thought not to pursue. He took comfort in the fact that his purview was sneaking around and putting fists to faces.

A lightbulb went on in his head as he pulled bits and pieces of information out from the dialogue. "So you're thinking if we can get a mindreader to listen in while we're duking it out with the Necro's minions, we might just be able to pick up on his location?"

[TheThan]

Agent Goro

Goro takes a sip of his beer before speaking again.

“They could also have simply have been dead when the mind readers tried to scan them. I wasn’t there so I don't know if that's actually the case.

However, any attempt we make is better than not making any attempt at all. At worst all we can do is confirm that he’s not using his minions in such a way.”

“It’s possible that he simply does it the old fashioned way and just issues verbal orders and his minions carry them out.”



So rolling knowledge: SIDE to see if they have any telepathic dreamers that are available (and willing) to help with our little investigation. if we don't (or i botch this) then we can ask Warden if Hero Corps has any.

[roll0]

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallannoyed:




A telepath -someone who reads minds- might have a big problem if the enemy lacks a real mind. Someone who... manipulates information? I don't know the exact word but... she thinks about it for a moment.
Imagine someone that detect or manipulate information directly instead of reading minds. Information stored in minds? Books? Machines? Distant communication? Someone that reads, analyzes and controls it regardless of source, not limited to specific sources like telepaths or machine controllers. Is there anyone like that out there?


...and what will they ask for their help?

[HopeHubris]

Evil-Smasher

Evil-Smasher continues to do nothing of interest

Anti-Illusion-Seeing Only:

He is talking to the lizard

Illusion-Proof ears:

"I have an idea, you know I use illusions right? Well, my illusions only seem to work on things with working brains, so not machines and stuff, and they worked on the vampires"
He begins to explain
"Now, I was thinking, my illusions always seem to be pretty convincing, like if I try to copy someone, even if I haven't heard them, other people seem to think I sound like 'em, and I figured, maybe I could do that with the vampires, turn into the Necromancer in front of them, and maybe I'll look and sound like him, 'cause he can only turn people he killed himself, so they must have seen him, right?"

[Orbiter]

Aegis

Aegis was talking to the human next to him in a calm tone, despite that those who couldn't see him would think he was talking to himself, or to someone invisible or he was mad, just what he needed to start his day..er finish it that is.
"....yes that is correct, but he could do it without letting them see how he really looks like, however you also forget that he considers most if not all minions expendable so this doesn't guarantee they would know anything, but it might be able to give us a clue or two. As for giving them...hrm orders, i think that might work so long it doesn't contradict any of his own, i could be wrong of course, but then again we lack information so it would be good to try this plan anyway."

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallannoyed:




Point of order; the angel says with a small frown. Having a private conversation in the middle of a group discussion is not very polite. And in practical matters, you are doing the whole group a disservice by not sharing your ideas and opinions - not to mention those who rely on us to have good enough ideas to help save their lives. She crosses her hands over her chest in the classic pose of "annoyed female" and stares down at Evil-Smasher and Aegis. Normally, I would not come down as the heavy in a gathering of people that just met but for this I do not apologize. Evil disgusts me. And all it needs to win is not for good people to do nothing, but merely for them to do less than they could. So will you join this discussion with all you have to offer?

[Orbiter]

Aegis


Aegis blinked and simply crossed his arms as if imitating Avacyn....but he failed to keep a straight face and a chuckling hiss was heard as he uncrossed his arms. "Eh we are in the discussion?" for him this was more of a statement than question, weren't they discussing? he with Evil-Smasher and the rest could hear them?.

He shared a look with the real Evil-Smasher for a moment and then shrugged turning to Avacyn "We were speaking about using illusions on Necromancers.....uuhh pawns? minions? servants? hm the last one doesn't fit much. And i am not the best planer so i doubt i would get any good ideas apart from the fact i am not much of a fighter, Anyhow......what was the plan again?". This time Aegis looked at the real Evil-Smasher expectantly.

[Re'ozul]

Robert

Having finished the last bits on his plate, he looks into the round as people start talking about having multiple conversations.

"Honestly, I'm not even so sure what I could contribute to the conversation. All the technical information so far is new to me. All I know is that he turns up from time to time in some region, usually for a few weeks, and does his work there.
Do we have maybe something specific on him that isn't his modus operandi? Does he have a special symbol for himself or anything similarly unique that I could work off?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Not as far as I am aware. If it weren't for the fact that his minions give that...message when they are subject to interrogation, there wouldn't even be much to suggest the attacks attributed to him aren't all unrelated cases," Warden said.

[TheThan]

Goro

That’s very true. All of the information we have on the necromancer is circumstantial at best. SIDE is basically working off of guess work.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Did SIDE get anything from the attackers a few nights ago? I had heard they were chasing after one of them, I thought?" Warden asked, trying to get fully up to speed.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallannoyed:



And just as important the angel adds can we still get access to one of the corpses? Science and interrogation might not reveal any evidence but Order doesn't need any. More in the manner of informing colleagues rather than teaching students, despite her official tone, she goes on to explain.
Order is the cardinal concept of relevance and relativity; Things that exist will differ and interact. That happens to all things, no exceptions. For our situation, the corpses closely interacted with their murderer physically -he exerted some effect on them-, temporally -he spent time with them-, socially -he killed them-, metaphysically -he raised them-, mentally -they either conversed or he controlled them-, intellectually -they paid attention to each other and exchanged information- and conceptually -they are the products of a power he controlled. In all levels, they are relevant and related. That kind of connection could allow people to employ the corpses to home in on such relationships. But more importantly, it might allow me to attune my senses to that connection and find our perpetrator without requiring evidence or an actual link.
She lets you think for a moment before continuing.
Should I attempt it? My powers are of Order - but to try for something like that I'd have to stretch them. it takes some effort and it isn't guaranteed.

[HopeHubris]

Evil-Smasher

"If we find more of the vampires, ones that aren't broken, I could try... um..."
There's a slight pause after that as he tries to think of a way to explain how he could try to use his powers, without giving away the fact that he is an illusionist
Hmm, what's a good way to do it... Got it!
"Shining my Light of Truth! on them, which, if they met the Necromancer personally, should show us what he looks like"


Sufficiently dramatic booming echo when he says "Light of Truth!"

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallannoyed:


Try not to shine that light too hard. Avacyn admonishes while trying not to laugh. You'll go blind!
She pauses for a moment so everyone can get the joke then sighs.
Seriously though. Debate is good and all - but not if we sit around drowning in indecision. So wait for a moment - I'll be right back.
The angel's wings shine bright like the sun and she flies up and away, too fast for most people to register what happened.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Avacyn won't encounter any difficulty getting one of the vamp corpses, up to you if you want to skip through or play out her visit to SIDE, or if you want to do anything else while you're there.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallamused:, fatigued


A few moments after the angelic woman's disappearance there's a pillar of silver-blue light shining down from the heavens and striking straight down at the party. No, someone didn't launch a hypervelocity warhead from low orbit; it's just the angel returning to the party. And once the glare clears -no sonic boom, surprisingly- Avacyn is back. And she's carrying a long black flattened cylinder that looks suspiciously like a coffin... or a self-contained freezer for individual secure body containment.
I come bearing gifts! she says, smiling. Yes, it is one of the "vampire" corpses. It was faster for me to bring it here rather than all of us go back to the SIDE facility. And now, let's see what we can learn.
Opening the container to reveal the frozen body, she places one hand upon the corpse's forehead and closes her eyes in concentration. When she opens them, they shine like miniature suns...


OOC:
Senses 45 [detect metaphysical connections to subject, acute, accurate, analytical, at range, radius, penetrates and negates concealment and illusion, Extended 10, Rapid 10, dimensional 3, affects insubstantial 2]

[Orbiter]

Aegis

Too much light Aegis was calm having taken some water to cover his skin, apparently for someone needing no food or drink he could still drink water and enjoy it or keep it as a second skin of sorts like his so called ancestors kept themselves in the mud.

Still he hadn't understood what the plan was by Avacyn so he simply kept a silent vigil.

[Quellian-dyrae]

As Avacyn attunes her divine senses to the vampire's corpse, she begins to trace all the various connections to it. In the SIDE base, she senses the faded remnants of the necromantic power that had afflicted the body on presumably the other four vampires. Three of the four also had a more mundane biological link.

A much more substantial source of the power was present in the city of Kellarn. More precisely, eighty-four miles, 1,507 feet west and twenty-two miles, 491 feet south of Avacyn's current position. There was also a score of weak but active sources of energy in the vicinity, and half a dozen significant, but still lesser sources.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallamused:, fatigued


Her eyes still glowing like miniature suns, the angelic woman smiles at the others. I believe I've found whom we were looking for. The strongest iteration of a power similar to our now dead vampires lies in the city of Kellarn. There is a hand and one of lesser but still powerful sources nearby and four hands of minor sources. She sighs I suspect the strongest is our Necromancer, the weakest are created vampires and the intermediate sources could be either "master" vampires or other individuals with necromantic powers, if the suspicion that the Necromancer is several people and not an individual.

Any thoughts on what we should do? I know their positions with more accuracy than they know themselves now and I can keep tracking them but we're outnumbered, and as long as I maintain my Far Sight I have little power to provide in a fight.

[Orbiter]

Aegis

"Light Mistress point me to the right way and i will run there if you want, you can hop on me and hold on...oh dont we have tele system? i think you could use that. But if you worry about being outnumbered you could ask for any of the heroes around to help you" Aegis let out a short laugh that sounded like a rumbling growling sound. "They might be celebrating, but i know some are wearing peoples skin and actually are like....glad to help? besides some might have a.......rage against Necromancer and thus they wont mind helping you."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"That's excellent work," Warden said respectfully. "Fair enough then. Are you all comfortable to bring him in, or should I gather a team together?"

[TheThan]

Agent Goro.
Still standing in the semicircle of people, Goro, cracks his knuckles in his hands.

“Since I’ve already been assigned to this case, I think I should be going along.. Assuming Warden here doesn’t mind a SIDE agent tagging along for the ride.
“As for teleportation, Hero corps has the tech, I believe its right down the hall, whether we can gain access to it, depends on our esteemed Warden.”

[Quellian-dyrae]

"By all means. Richard should be in there, just give him the coordinates."

[Orbiter]

Aegis

Aegsi shook his body like he shed his skin "I suppose i could join you a bit as well, if anything an extra pair of eyes to help you?, lead the way ".


Skip to everyone getting teleported to the scene or rp that as well?
Either way i wont post any comments from Aegis unless you ask him specifically or arrive on the scene.

[Re'ozul]

Robert

"I'd like some extra protection before we go anywhere. Body Armor and such things. Unless SIDE is okay with me grabbing some myself."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"We have some decent gear available, but you may want to requisition some from SIDE. Most of our forces don't really need it, so it's not top of the line."

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallfrown:


I have one more trick I'd like to try now that you mentioned body armor. the angelic woman says. With your permission, I'll put a warding on you, a tiny spark of the light of Creation that will shape itself into a shield when you are attacked. Normally, I'd be able to provide a shield stronger than tank armor on everyone on the team but with the energy I need to maintain my Sight, it will only have the resilience of a sheet of plexiglass.
She smiles for a moment.
So I won't make it stop physical attacks at all. You or anybody else could shoot or punch through it and it will be a barely visible halo of intangible light to anything normal. But someone tries to mind-control you or steal your life and you'll be sitting behind that opaque sheet of plexiglass just long enough for it to take the blow instead of you. And since it has neither a mind to affect nor life to steal, our necromancer quarry and his minions might find it an unpleasant surprise.

[Re'ozul]

Robert

Looking at the Angel ... thing, Robert nods enthusiastically.

"That would be swell, but just in case..."

His words hang in the air as he concentrates, looking rather silly as he does so. What happens next however is less silly as first a harness with a very high tech looking chestpiece appears and then, after another few seconds, is joined by an equally advanced looking rifle-analogue.

Not even attempting to explain, he quickly straps on the harness and grabs the rifle.

"There, that should help somewhat."

Approximations:
The Gun:
http://www.weaponreplica.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/DOOM-BFG-Bio-Force-Gun-Mini-12-inch-Weapon-Replica-First-4-Figures.jpg
The Deflector:
http://images.motorcycle-superstore.com/ProductImages/OG/2012-One-Industries-Interceptor-Roost-Deflector.jpg

[TheThan]

Agent Goro

Agent Goro’s eyebrow rises as he witness’s Robert’s display of power.
“That’s handy” he says, almost to himself.

“Well then", he says, adjusting his tie "Are we ready to go?”.

[Re'ozul]

Robert

"I am, as far as I can for now."

[HopeHubris]

Evil-Smasher

"Justice is always ready!"

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Avacyn
HP: 1 Condition: :smallcool:



The angelic woman touches every member of the team twice at the forehead - herself included - and nods.
I'm ready. Just remember; I can't do much to help in the fight unless I stop using my Sight.

[Orbiter]

Aegis


"We are as ready, as we would ever be from the looks of it".
Aegis let out a rumbling hiss when Avacyn did her 'blessing' but otherwise dint comment on that part.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Sorry guys, every so often I outright fail to notice that pretty much everyone has basically said "I'm ready" :smallredface:

The team makes their way to the teleporter room.

For those new to the party:
The teleporter room had a double-door and was largely wide open, with the only furnishings along the walls. On the left wall was a large active crystal workstation; a big desk with a backboard, with a long tablet and a smaller hand-held both set on it. It basically functioned as a desktop computer, with the backboard serving as a primary monitor, the desk top itself providing easy touch screen access, the tablet and handheld able to work as a keyboard and mouse or to provide remote access.

On the other wall was what basically looked like a big metal doorway, large enough for three to walk through abreast, although of course, at the moment it "opened" directly into the wall.

Technology or Expertise (Science), DC 25:
This sort of teleportation device operates on a system of fourth-dimensional folding; basically, it's like taking a map and bending it so two points touch. This allows a two-way portal to be created, so multiple people can go through and they can return later.

Richard was there, a brown-haired man who was currently browsing some website or another, munching snacks from the party. He took Avacyn's directions, entered the coordinates into his computer...frowned, entered something else, and pulled up a map. A few more taps on the touch screen, and the space within the "doorway" simply unfolded to reveal a suburban neighborhood.

"It's got projection blockers, that's as close as I can get you. Three hundred feet down the street, in the direction you're facing as you walk through. House'll be on the right. Reverse geocode puts the address at 567 Swansong Lane."

[TheThan]

Agent Goro.

Agent Goro tries to file the address away in his head for future use.
“No point in waiting, ladies, gentlemen…”

And with that the big man steps through the portal and into the street. After getting his bearings from the teleportation, Goro adjusts his tie and smooths the lines of his suit out.

[Re'ozul]

Robert

Seeing Goro step through, Robert shrugs and does so as well.