Heroes by Gaslight - Issue #1: Heroes of New Harbor

[MCP_8000]

Issue #1: Heroes of New Harbor

Autumn came early to the city of New Harbor, bringing with it the chill September breeze that rolls in off the Atlantic. The trees in Haven Park have already turned to brilliant shades of golden yellow, ruby red, and russet brown and have begun to cover the ground with their leaves. The days grow short and dreary in the city, and the nights stretch on into darkness. A light rain falls from a sky of heavy gray clouds as evening creeps over the city. The streets and buildings shine wetly in the last fading light of day, and stray dogs and cats scamper into alleys in search of a dry place to spend the night. The city seems almost quiet as people withdraw into their homes for their evening meals.

However, work never stops on the docks of New Harbor. While families settle in for dinner and a comfortable night at home, a team of laborers work to unload heavy cargo from a freighter that has arrived not too long ago. Huge wooden crates and small boxes are hauled from the ship and stacked along the docks while the crew waits for trucks to carry the cargo to a warehouse. Everything is proceeding normally until the first screams cut through the patter of the evening rain.

From the end of the pier comes the sound of splintering wood and animistic snarling and howling as something large and heavy leaps from the deck of the freighter onto the dock. The labor crew screams and scatters as the creature gnashes gleaming fangs and scraps claws across the wood in the darkness at the end of the pier, gazing toward the city with glowing green eyes. A slender tentacle lashes out to grab one man by the foot, and he shrieks in terror as he is dragged back into the shadows. The rest of the crew don't wait to see the results when the sounds of cracking bone and tearing flesh begin.

[Nintendogeek01]

Mary was strolling down the streets of New Harbor "On her constitutional," as her husband understood. The Constance family just had a lovely dinner not too long ago, Emily, at four years old, is setting a fine example for her picky younger sister Susan, and little John II was being unusually fussy but eventually calmed down and ate his meal, and of course the baby Annie isn't even a year old yet so what she can eat is limited. John talked with Mary about his business day, as always, and asked if she was feeling better. Mary always tells John half the truth at this turn of the conversation; While her high body heat stopped bothering her physically for months, Mary doesn't dare bemoan her inability to hold her own children for more than a few seconds at a time in front of those same children.

So after a peck on John's cheek, and a quick kiss on each of her children's foreheads, and Mary was on her walk. It's moments shortly after spending time with the family that Mary begins to wonder if she can even be a good mother with her quirks, or if she'll even be able to keep this family life, or what might happen if John ever knew the truth about...

No! Mary shakes her head to clear these thoughts. Mary is as good a mother as she knows to be, she loves her husband, she loves her children, and she loves these powers. They may not have made life easy, but they have added something wonderful to her life; Mary reminded herself of this as she approached an abandoned alley with an anticipating smile on her face.

After ducking into a closed doorway, Mary closed her eyes, inhaled, and as she exhaled a wisp of steam escaped her lips, her nose, and her eyes. Soon her brunette hair, her flounced red gown, and her beige caped jacket with the lovely floral pattern all ceased to weigh on her, being replaced by flowing clouds of steam, while the rest of her became covered in a form-fitting layer of steam, outlining her figure and her, now smirking, face.

Haze took off into the air, the steam that was formed from her hair and clothing trailing behind her as she flew. "Ah ha ha ha ha...!" Haze laughed gleefully as she swooped and dived through the air. Haze had to admit that when she first changed into this appearance she was a bit embarrassed at how her figure would be visible for everyone to see if she moved fast enough, but now it doesn't really matter all that much, the steam layer preserves her modesty still and it feels exhilarating like this.

Haze continued to soar through New Harbor's cool autumn air, not the least bit perturbed by the temperature, wondering what fun she could get into tonight, when the screams towards the docks reached her ears. An expression that broadcasted concern and curiosity crossed Haze's face as she changed course to the docks. She arrived and hovered over the fleeing workers, a shocked expression on her face as she stared at the monster and the scene around it.

[Syless]

A soft hum reverberated through the alleyways of New Harbor. A soothing, energizing hum to be sure, but one that would be rather unsettling to those who heard it. At the heart of the hum was a young woman wearing a dress far too ostentatious for the area she found herself in- but she seemed to not care at all. She felt protected nonetheless.

Agatha had only begun walking the streets of New Harbor as of late, and had done little more than explore and subdue the occasional petty thug. But where she had started with a stomach full of ice water, she now seemed to glide gracefully along, full of perfect confidence- though confidence did nothing to warm her up. She drew her arms in, regretting the fact that her dress was designed for warmer conditions. She would have to at the very least bring a scarf next time. Or so she had told herself the last three times, anyway.

Upon hearing the shriek a strange impulse echoed through Agatha- she immediately burst out into a full song, speeding herself along to charge towards the sound. Where before her interventions had been subtle or forced, she now found herself charging into a potentially dangerous situation at full-bore, in a rather un-ladylike manner. And, truth be told, she was grinning like a loon as she did.

[Zelphas]

The gas lamp at the end of the dock emits a long hiss, thick grayish-black smoke roiling out of the piping. The smoke resolves itself into a tall, hooded figure in a mottled grey-and-black overcoat, its face obscured by the deep hood and a thin, gauze-like film covering. Held in one hand is a long, thin iron rod; a piece of the gas lamp's flame detaches itself from the mass of fire and perches atop this rod, glowing orange in the night.

The figure surveys the dock scene for a long moment. Finally, it raises one black-gloved hand, pointing to the clawed creature. Those around the creature would notice the tell-tale stink of kerosene as the Lamplighter brings his power to bear on the creature at the docks.

Move Action: Teleport in.

Free Action: Switch to Kerosene Manipulation.

Standard Action: Use Kerosene Manipulation on claw-tentacle-beast-thing.
Ranged Combat: [roll0] DC 16 Fortitude vs Progressive Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated affliction, if it hits.

Initiative (if needed): [roll1]

Also, I'd like to use Assessment to size up Tentacle-Thing.

[ChronicLunacy]

Abraham Freeman

As full grown men ran and screamed and cried for their mothers, one dockworker in particular stayed in the shadows and let the area clear. He wasn't hiding, as it would have been impossible as he was carrying a wooden barrel that easily weighed about as much as a horse over one shoulder. Even if he had tried to conceal himself, he was perhaps too much of a giant of a man for it to ever be effective. Seven feet tall, broad shouldered, barrel chested, bald, and black, the lone dockworker waited until his fellows were no longer witness to the scene before walking calmly toward the monster. He was wearing a simple shirt and trousers, not having had time to put on anything identity-concealing. He'd simply have to rely on the fact that no one was sticking around to watch to preserve his anonymity.

The first attack had happened too quickly, so the white man that had the misfortune of getting dragged down first was not something Abraham was going to concern himself with. In all likelihood he was dead already, judging by the disgusting snapping and slurping sounds coming from down the way. All he could do now was avenge his coworker's death and prevent more, especially if the monster wandered into the "colored" section of the city after its meal.

Raising his free hand to his mouth, Abe let out a piercing whistle to get the thing's attention. "Hey, here! Over here! Come get the main course, ugly!" he shouted as he hefted the enormous, iron-wrapped barrel onto the palm of his hand in preparation for throwing. "A man just can't have a boring day at work anymore...Need giant octopus monsters coming from the sea, eatin' folk...Should make that white foreman pay me overtime for dealing with this overgrown codfish..." he grumbled under his breath.

Super-Strength Array set to "Bracing" in case it tries to grab Abe with one of those tentacles we've heard so much about. :smallsmile:

[MCP_8000]

The creature lifts its head from its grisly meal as Abraham yells at it, and a deep throated snarl rolls from it's throat. Blood and flesh drip from fangs that seem too large for its mouth, and the creature takes a step toward the big man, the wooden dock creaking dangerously under its weight. As it steps into the light, the gathering heroes get their first good look at it.

The beast stands on four legs, its back legs strong and powerful, its front legs boney and clawed. Its body and head give it the rough proportions of a canine, but its powerful jaws and glowing green eyes appear almost too big for its body. It has no fur, and its skin looks like burnt flesh stretched tight over bone and sinew. From its hunched shoulders four slender tentacles sprout, each one easily ten feet in length and apparently prehensile as it lashes them about. The ends of each tentacle seem to be tipped with bone-like barbs, the points of which glisten with some kind of liquid.

The beast snorts through wide nostrils as it begins a slow stalk toward Abraham, but it stops and shakes its head, suddenly letting out a loud sneeze. It growls and rounds on Lamplighter, apparently unaffected by the kerosene the hero is releasing. Lips curl back from sharp fangs as the creature growls. As Lamplighter studies the creature, he can easily tell it is strong, but exactly what it might be capable of is unclear.

Combat has officially started. To simplify things, the heroes will all act on the same turn, and the beast will act after them.

[Syless]

Emerging out onto the docks, Melodia pauses when she finally catches glimpse of the sight, of the giant and the gaunt ghost facing down the grotesque beast. Unsure of the intent of the two men, but assuming the beast to be a problem, she shifts her song and increases her volume, singing a soft lullaby towards the abomination.

Shifting Infinite Songbook to Song of Sleep, using it as a standard action while excluding all targets but the beast, so DC 18 Dodge to avoid hearing the song and DC 18 Will to avoid being affected.

[ChronicLunacy]

Abraham Freeman
Condition: Unharmed
Defense: 16

"Hmph...you are ugly. Here, let me help!" he said as he hefted the huge barrel with one hand and then chucked it straight at the creature. The flight of the iron-wrapped piece of wooden cargo, likely filled with salted meat, beer, or molasses from the southern Atlantic islands, didn't arch up and then drop down. Instead, it flew in an almost straight line, like the path of a cannon shell at short range, showing just how much force Abe had managed to put behind it.

Throwing - Strength Damage 10: [roll0]

Critical hit! DC30 damage! :smallbiggrin:

[Zelphas]

The Lamplighter took no notice of the other actions nearby. He simply walked towards the great tentacled thing, one arm still extended.

Move Action: Move 30 feet towards Yon Tentacled Beastie.

Standard Action: Kerosene Manipulation
Ranged Combat: [roll0] Progressive Affliction DC 16 vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated if it hits.

[Rokku]

Elsewhere in the docks, Karnelli's Circus was being loaded onto a ship bound for their next show. The Amazing Ruby wore a heavy coat over over her skimpy costume to ward off the autumn chill -- they'd had to break the show down fast to make their boat, and there hadn't been any time to change.

The howling seemed like nothing at first. Stray dogs, probably. But then she heard what she was sure was a scream. Curiosity getting the better of her, Ruby slipped away into the shadows. She rushed towards the source of the noise, and as she ran she changed. Soft pink skin and flowing brown hair faded away, replaced something flawless, red, and sparkling.

The Amazing Ruby burst onto the scene, barely taking notice of the other players as she charged the beast. Hurling herself into the air, her heavy coat flew away to reveal a woman carved of pure, flawless ruby but somehow alive, moving, and vivacious. She cocked back her fist and with a hearty kiai, came crashing into the monster.

All theatrics aside, Ruby is making an attack with full Power Attack and full All-Out Attack. She takes -5 to Dodge and Parry until her next turn. Attack [roll0] Toughness DC 28.

[Nintendogeek01]

What a monstrous beast! Crooks and gangs were one thing, but having this thing in the same city that her family lives in? No no, that won't do at all. Haze raises a hand as if preparing to throw something when the large black man threw that barrel with monstrous strength, the mysterious man walked up to it, and a song reached her ears, topping all of this off, the chiseled ruby of a woman flew through the air preparing to drive a crystalline fist into the beast.

"Well..." Haze's initial horror gave way to an adrenaline fueled excitement as a smirk stretched across her face. "This just got a lot more fun!" Haze yelled, a most bizarre mixture of elation and fury, as she thrust her hand forward, firing a narrow stream of hot steam at the beast

Standard Action: Using Steam Blast with no modifiers. [roll0]

Result: DC25 toughness resistance on successful hit.

Move Action: Swoop low to the ground before flying to about 30 feet above the creature.

[MCP_8000]

(Sorry if there are some mistakes here. I'm a little rushed for time. I'm not sure how long my power will stay on)

The creature moves its head from side to side as it turns its gaze on the gathered heroes. Its ears twitch as it hears Melodia's song and it shakes its head, flattening its ears down as it seems to shake off the effects. It turns to face the singer just as Abraham's barrel slams into it. The beast howls in pain as the barrel splinters over its body, leaving splinters in its flesh and lines of blood running from dozens of small wounds. It snarls and turns on the strongman, charging across the dock toward him. Big jaws open and sharp fangs clamp down on Abraham's arm. The creature growls and gives its head a shake, trying to tear the man's arm off. (DC 25 Damage)

The creatures nostrils flare and huff as it scents the kerosene but continues to be unaffected by it. It rolls one eye independently of the other to look back at Lamplighter, and two of its tentacles lash out with their barbed tips to skewer the man. The strikes miss however and slam into the wooden dock, splintering wood. Just as the attack finishes, ruby charges in and lands a heavy punch to the creatures flank, but the beast seems to take the hit without much difficulty, showing no signs of pain. That changes a moment later as steam thunders over it, turning its flesh red as it is seared.

[Zelphas]

The Lamplighter lets his hand fall, walking up to within striking range of the creature. If any tentacles are in his way, he simply walks through them, his body treating the tentacles as though they weren't there. He plants his feet beside the creature, swinging his heavy metal lamplighter's pole in a descending arc at the beast's head.

Move Action: move into striking range of the beastie.

Free Action: return to corporeal form.

Standard Action: Attack with Lamplighter's Pole.
Close Combat: [roll0] Damage DC 23 if it hits.

Reaction: If the beastie targets Lamplighter with any attacks, Lamplighter will reactivate Gas-Man as a reaction, turning back into gaseous form just before the strike lands.

[ChronicLunacy]

Abraham Freeman
Condition: Bruised (-1)
Defense: 16

By now, he'd noticed the others assisting him with the creature, but with the thing charging right into his face Abe couldn't exactly thank them quite yet.

"Agh! And you smell worse than you look!" Abe recoiled as the thing bit into his arm. It didn't draw blood from his super-tough skin, but it did hurt a little. He'd have a weird-looking bruise there later for sure. He felt the thing trying to gnaw on him, trying to bring that bone-crushing power in its jaws to bear, but Abe wasn't going to give it the chance. He wound back with his other arm, balling his hand into another meaty fist.

Then there was a sound like thunder as the creature received a titanic punch right between the eyes. "Get OFF!" the large man growled, punctuating his demand with the blow.

Toughness Check DC25: [roll0]
Unarmed Strength Damage 10: [roll1]

Switching Super-Strength array as a free action to "Massive Knockback" - Close Range Move Object 8 (Limited to Flinging Targets Away, Linked to Strength Damage). So if he hits, the creature goes flying into the nearest (hopefully breakable) thing in his flight path. I'm not sure, but there may be a power check involved for the Move Object. Let me know if I need to roll that.

[Nintendogeek01]

That monster is tough. Haze took a second to glance over the spot that she struck; yes it was burned but the monster kept attacking anyway, luckily the black man seemed pretty tough too and didn't seem to be bleeding from that nasty bite.

Noticing that the monster didn't seem to register the fist of the Ruby woman she decided to follow the lamp man's example and try for a more direct approach. "Heads up dears!" Haze raised her hands above her head and gathered more steam, this one was gonna have a bit more "oomph" and she didn't want to accidentally hit anyone down there with it. She thrust both hands in the beast's direction and a slightly stronger steam blast flew out. Haze did her damndest to keep the recoil under control, but this did make her feel a bit more off-balance in the air than she liked; nonetheless she elected to rise higher into the air after firing the steam blast.
Standard: Steam Blast, 2 for 2 power attack, 2 for 2 all-out attack. [roll0]

Result: -2 to dodge and parry. DC27 toughness check to resist on successful hit.

Move Action: Fly another 10 feet upward from where Steam Blast was fired.

[Syless]

Melodia continues her song, looking between the monster and the other people engaged with it. Feeling more confident (or at least more secure, as the others presumably have the beast more distracted), she begins to pose in a more dramatic manner, as if she were before a full audience.

Concentrating on the same song. If the beast passed its dodge check, then it's entitled to a new DC18 dodge save, though if it failed it skips straight to the DC18 Will save.

[Rokku]

Ruby harumphed as she dropped and slipped beneath the beast, snapping a kick into its jaw. Maybe it would feel this one, and let go of the big man.

Acrobatics 22 for the maneuver, and continuing to full all-out/power attack. [roll0] Toughness DC 28.

[MCP_8000]

The beast growls as Lamplighter's pole smashes down on it's head and it's grips loosens a bit on Abraham's arm. A follow up kick from Ruby leaves the creature distracted as Abraham clubs it between the eyes. It's jaws open and the beast reels back several feet, howling in pain before smashing through an empty crate. It lies on the dock, blood leaking from its nose and mouth, as it snarls and struggles to regain it's feet. A thunderous blast of steam envelopes it and it howls. However, the howl grows weak as its hears twitch and slowly it's eyes slip shut from Melodia's song.

[Syless]

Melodia's eyes widen as she sees the fierce fighting before her unfold, only to smile ever-so-slightly when the beasts eyes close in slumber. She walks forward to get the attention of the others, gesturing between her mouth and the sleeping creature as she continues her song.

[Nintendogeek01]

Well if the thing is actually asleep I guess that means combat is actually over, but still I'd like to say I have an action to blast it ready if it takes a standard action.

The beast's pained howls slowly subsided as the creature slumped into a state of sleep. Haze wasn't entirely sure what to make of this so she slowly drifted down to ground level in front of the beast and among the others who helped attack it. "Well, that was something wasn't it dears?" Haze asked as her feet touched ground, hot steam licking the ground around them. Haze noticed the golden-haired and blue-eyed woman who had been singing the whole time approach whilst gesturing between her mouth and the beast. "This... thing is actually asleep then?" Haze couldn't help but be skeptical since she didn't feel drowsy when she could hear the singing, "Well what do we do with it then?"

[Zelphas]

Now that the beast was down, the Lamplighter relaxes, his pole once again at his side. He begins casting about for the origins of this creature; where had it come from?

Perception to find traces of where the creature came from: [roll0]

If I need to roll anything else, let me know.

[ChronicLunacy]

Abraham Freeman
Condition: Bruised (-1)
Defense: 16

"What do we do with it? The same thing you do with any rabid animal." Abe said as he approached the unconscious creature, keeping his wits about him and being ready for any sudden movements. He stood over it, prepared to bring a killing boot down on the thing's neck and head. "This thing has killed once already, and it'll do it again unless we do something about it."

Unless anyone stopped him, Abe brought one of his enormous heels right down on the monster's spine, just behind it's head, aiming to snap it in half and kill the thing quickly and mercifully. He intended to do it in one blow, but if it began to stir he'd be ready to stomp a few times if necessary.

Going for the coup de grace. Rolling for Critical Hit. DC30 if it beats his weakened defense.
Strength-Based Damage 15: [roll0]
Of course...:smallconfused: I'll go ahead and reroll that. See OOC thread.

[MCP_8000]

The beast jerks as Abraham's heel comes down and it lets out a yelp. It's eyes open for a moment, only to roll back as it slumps back down on the dock, clearly dead.

[Syless]

Melodia stared in shock, her song stopping abruptly. She backed away from the giant carefully. "Whyever did you do that? The beast was asleep, it posed no threat any longer! It could have been caged and investigated without any risk!"

[ChronicLunacy]

Abraham Freeman
Condition: Bruised (-1)
Defense: 16

"I'm not risking it getting out and eating another man, woman, or child. Sorry you had to see that, ma'am." Abe said, seemingly not interested in getting into a debate with the white woman. She was well-off by the looks of her, sheltered and well-fed like most of the white folk. He didn't know why she was down here with the disreputables like him, or what exactly that power was in her voice, but she wouldn't understand what he'd done and he had no patience to explain it.

Abe looked at his torn sleeve with annoyance. He'd have to get it sewn up, and even the worst seamstress would charge him for the service. He didn't often have the money to spare, but his enormous hands weren't an easy fit for a needle and thread, so he couldn't do it himself. Fortunately, the skin below it was only bruised. It would fade away within a day or two, which meant he wouldn't have to hide it or explain it.

He should have left. If anyone named him, he might lose this job, and he damned well couldn't afford that either. Still, something peaked his curiosity about these men and women who had jumped to assist him. They were different. They weren't like him, but they weren't like other people either. "You all do this sort of thing often?"

[Zelphas]

The crunch of Abraham's boot caught the Lamplighter's attention. He started towards the beast, before stopping, judging something silently in his head.

When Abraham asks his question, the Lamplighter stares at him for a long moment, before shrugging and returning to his perusal of the dock.

[MCP_8000]

Lamplighter's inspection of the dock makes it clear that the creature came from the ship that Abraham and the other laborers had been unloading. There are clear signs of the beast's claws on the hull and deck of the ship, and evidence points toward the ship's cargo hold below deck.

[Zelphas]

Lamplighter raises his hand, waving to get the attention of the other people gathered at the dock. He points to the creature, then to the tracks made by it, and finally to the ship. With his lamplighting pole held in front of him, he heads into the cargo hold.

Switching on Gas-Man as he goes onto the ship. As per the norm, it's a DC 20 Perception check to notice anything different about him.

[Nintendogeek01]

Haze winced noticeably at the yelping and crunch of the black man's boot that ended the monster's life. While she certainly didn't see a reason to argue for the creature's fate, especially since it has killed already, her delicate sensibilities weren't really braced for such a thing. "Take a nice flight through the evening air? Certainly. Fight monsters, no dear, this would be a first." Haze answered the black man, trying to shake off the gruesome end she just bore witness to.

"Oh and manners," Haze sort of chuckled as she lifted slightly off the ground, her tone meant to indicate that she was more chiding herself for not saying anything sooner. "You can call me Haze dear." Haze introduced herself. "And what might I call the rest of you?" she asked.

After hearing any replies to be had, she noticed the man with the lamppost beckoning for the others to follow him. "Not really the talkative type are you dear?" Haze asked the lamppost man before cautiously following after.

Perception roll to see if there's anything suspicious as I follow Lamplighter [roll0].

[Syless]

Melodia furrows her brow at the large man's words, seemingly offended at the implication that she could not keep the beast sedated. "No, but that does not mean I do not know what I am capable of." She turns on the spot towards the gaunt man gesturing for the group... then continues turning towards the older woman, the most normal-seeming one. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Haze." The young woman offers a deep curtsy. "You may call me A- Melodia." Rising from her curtsy, she follows behind the woman cautiously, indirectly following the thin man.

[MCP_8000]

Descending into the ship's hold the heroes find much of what they would expect to find. It is fairly dark, and a variety of barrels and crates remain where they were dropped when the labor crew fled the area. Here and there the heroes can see claw marks from the beast that lead them back toward the ship's stern. Near the back they find what appears to be a false wall that has been torn open revealing a secret compartment dominated by a twisted, broken cage easily large enough to have held the creature.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Hm... dear what are you hoping to find in here?" Haze asked the lamppost man, mostly in an attempt to get him to say something. After all, a secret compartment could be hiding any number of clues for any number of things; things, like that monster, that whoever was using this compartment wouldn't want to be seen.

Perception to see if there's anything else noteworthy in this secret compartment. [roll0]

[Zelphas]

The Lamplighter glances around the hidden compartment. When Haze speaks up, he turns to her, staring silently for a long moment. Then a quiet, surprisingly normal baritone voice issues out from under the hood. "Clues."

With that, the Lamplighter turns back to the compartment, going over it critically for a clue as to who or what put this creature here.

Investigation to search for clues: [roll0]

[Rokku]

"And I'm the Amazing..." began Ruby, but at that point everyone was already heading inside the ship. She scampered to catch up with them.

"You ladies and gents sure are curious! Not that I'm not curious, turning into rubies and all. But the music, and the gas, and the steam! And you, big fella!"

Ruby playfully punched Abraham in the shoulder.

"You're strong as a bull and twice as tough, ain't ya! I'm pretty strong myself. Not sure how tough, haven't really had a chance to test that out."

[Syless]

Melodia quieted down upon finding the cage, sparing a glance for the gemstone girl as she peered around the room, keeping an eye out for anything around them.

Taking a routine perception check (17) to keep an eye out for anything behind/around the group.

[ChronicLunacy]

Abraham Freeman
Condition: Bruised (-1)
Defense: 16

"I am a free man. The slave hunters call me the Titan." Abraham shrugged, obviously a bit indifferent as to the name, but proud of his free status. "Call me that if you need something to call me." he said as he followed everyone into the hold.

"And I've never met a bull I couldn't sling over my shoulder like a week-old calf." he added, shooting a wry smirk in Ruby's direction. "Or a locomotive for that matter..." he added somewhat more quietly as they came upon the ruined false wall that had been hiding the cage.

"There should be a cargo manifest, but I doubt the foreman knew about this. I want to find the captain of this garbage scow and ask him why he would bring this thing so close to the homes of many of my brothers and sisters. I won't believe he didn't know about this." Abe scowled.

[MCP_8000]

The secret compartment shows little in the way of clues. There doesn't seem to be any evidence of who put the creature there and concealed it, but it is clear that whoever did went to great length to insure it wasn't discovered, given the quality of the cage and the now broken false wall. It is obvious the creature was not meant to escape on the docks and was likely going to be picked up some time after the rest of the ship had been unloaded.

It would not be a huge leap in logic to assume whoever owns the ship, or whoever owns the cargo might also be behind the caging and smuggling of the creature. Who owns the ship is not readily apparent. It might be the captain, who fled with the rest of the labor crew, or it might be someone else. The cargo, however, is all stamped with the VC logo for the Veil & Crook company, which is a major company in New Harbor with its fingers in several business markets.

[Syless]

Melodia backs away from the cage, unsettled. Bumping into one of the crates, she looks at the logo and murmurs to herself as she wracks her brain for anything she might know. "Veil and Crook... Veil and Crook..."

Making a Persuasion check for Well-Informed to see if she's overheard anything about V&C from/around her father.

EDIT: Screwed up roll, posting it in OOC

[Zelphas]

The Lamplighter has also noticed the Veil & Crook logo by this time. He doesn't know much about them personally; lamplighters don't exactly mix much with high-end businesses. He's about to leave, when he hears the singing woman mutter to herself as though she's trying to think of something; he decides to linger for a moment, to see what information she might volunteer.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Veil and Crook..." Haze sighed and reclined in mid air, quickly getting lost in thought. No one she knows, her husband included, have had much good to say about V&C. John in particular sounded quite happy when he brought home the news about V&C's owner what's-his-name fell ill, as this meant less pressure on his own small business. That V&C would be involved in some illegal shipping isn't a surprise, but bringing in a monster? This could mean something so much worse.

Haze rolled over in mid-air, now looking as though she were lying on her belly. Should she pursue this? I mean street crooks are one thing, they're quickly dealt with, a minimal danger, and fun to run off... although busting a major company does sound intriguing. "Alright," Haze thought to herself as a smile stretched across her face, "Risky but if this makes sure no more monsters come around then it'll be worth it. This could actually be fun..."

Now regarding these other people gathered here, it'd be nice to have friends to share in her nightly escapades; Haze immediately began thinking of a way to continue rendezvousing with these people, for this caper and future nights, though before she could think of anything, the young dear who called herself Melodia began to muse, drawing Haze's attention towards her.

[Syless]

Melodia bites her lip and continues muttering. "Why would he... no, this does not..." Looking up from her thoughts, she notices the attention is on her, and looks to the others, raising her voice from its murmur. "I do not know of any reason for Veil and Crook to bring such a beast here, unless there is something of the beast's nature we do not know. It may be worth determining where the beast was going- its intended owner might be able to answer a few questions... hm. Assuming the beast's escape has not yet been reported, perhaps this secret compartment could be made use of?"

[ChronicLunacy]

Abraham Freeman
Condition: Bruised (-1)
Defense: 16

'Hmph...well, they don't exactly allow folk like me into an upstanding white man's parlor. If I went to ask him or his secretary to their faces, they'd probably just call the police." Abe mused. "I can look into the dirtier side, though. Put enough boot to ass down here and the movers and shakers come to you. I'll ask around." he said. The others were more suited for making social calls anyway.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Well, considering it's that or stake out this ship for Lord only knows how long, that sounds like a fine idea." Haze agreed with Titan's idea. "Though I should point out, if this is going to turn into a long thing, we should probably figure out a place to meet in the evenings," she suggested. "I don't know know about the rest of you dears, but I'd feel better tackling this with a little help," Haze explained.

"So what do the rest of you say?"

[ChronicLunacy]

Abraham Freeman
Condition: Bruised (-1)
Defense: 16

Abe's first inclination is to balk at the notion of teaming up and refuse. How could these people possibly help him? Why would they care about the struggles the freed men and women faced every day? But then he remembered that they had all jumped in to attack the monster with almost no hesitation. The bruise on his forearm was also a stark reminder that he could still be hurt, despite his own unique abilities. Maybe he'd risk it.

"Where would you suggest?" he asked, wondering where exactly they could all meet that wouldn't arouse suspicion. A man like him didn't exactly blend in well.

[Zelphas]

The Lamplighter, prepared to leave as soon as Veil & Crook were identified, stops at the mention of meeting up again. He doesn't contribute, but his posture suggests that he is listening.

[Syless]

Melodia hesitated. Working with these people on a regular basis... the thought concerned her. She didn't trust half of them, and the other half were still eccentric. But they all seemed to have benevolent motives, and perhaps exposure to a beacon of civilization like herself would quell the more aggressive tendencies of the group. "I... may be able to acquire a place to meet regularly. It would not assist is immediately, though perhaps we could simply meet near here once to see what arrangements I will have made. Though I will reiterate, if this beast was meant to be unloaded here, today, then watching and waiting may not take an eternity."

OOC
First off, I apologize for Melodia's thoughts. She's kinda terrible. Secondly, I plan on trying to get a warehouse with my Wealth benefit, eventually upgrading it into a full HQ- or just converting that point of Benefit into a point of Equipment to spend on a warehouse, if possible.

[Nintendogeek01]

Haze was just wondering if she knew of a place to use when Melodia made her suggestion; it made her curious as to what resources the young woman had to suggest "acquiring" a location, but Haze knew it wasn't any of her business to pry, she just smiled and said "Splendid, perhaps an alleyway a block or two away from here until then," Haze suggested as she drifted towards the exit.

"Since there are a few of us I see no reason that we can't split up to watch this place or gather information," Haze said whilst waiting at the hole to leave the compartment, "I volunteer to go and gather information on the street, any others?" she asked, confident smile stretched across her face.

[ChronicLunacy]

Abraham Freeman
Condition: Bruised (-1)
Defense: 16

"It's going to get rough where I'm going. Follow if you want." Abe said, starting to walk away without any further attempt at a goodbye. He rolled his sleeves up, baring muscular forearms, in order to hide the tear in one of them. He was a fast healer and the bruise would be gone soon.

Heading to the poorer areas of town to look into the organized crime angle. I figure some of us should work from the ground up, the others from the top down and we'll meet in the middle somehow.