The Guardians M&M 3e Group Thread [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Starsign

2015-06-13, 04:27 PM

As soon as he got back, Sharkguard stretches his arms and legs as he feels both satisfied and looking forward to the next mission. It takes a lot to actually tire out him in repeated battles, especially with how powerful he is. Not that he isn't up to pace himself and take a break; many of the other Guardians require it so no point in convincing them past their limits.

Besides, Warp just suggested getting pizza. Why should Sharkguard turn down that?

"Hah! Ye be thinkin' well matey," he says to Warp, looking hardly exhausted in contrast to the teleporter. Deciding now that they are all off-duty, Sharkguard pauses to clear his throat before speaking without his accent. Though still deep with the growling shark tone, his voice sounds less gravelly than when he has the accept. "I'm good for pizza. How about I go fetch some fish to go with it? We can have some salmon on the side or tuna on the pizza. C'mon it's good for you!" Unsurprisingly the shark-man is all too fond of fish given that he's eaten it for decades. The fact that it's healthy is simply a wonderful bonus. "I can go get it myself or bring a few others along if they don't mind a dip in the ocean."

Before forgetting, Sharkguard turns around to look at Brandywine. "Hey Cap'n, won't hurt to save a couple slices for the Neverland's passengers, will it?" While the shark-man remembers frequently about Alyssa and Luke, the job as a diamond-tier Guardian comes first... though this does not quite make for Sharkguard being a good adopted parent as a result.

Hopefully something good to leave if anyone wants to respond to Sharkguard

Oroboros

2015-06-13, 08:50 PM

"On the topic of debriefing, the latter, Solstice. You should know that I always send a crow to spy on the operation. As for you, Warp, Sharkguard, I don't know about you, but I believe Solstice was preparing something before Rimilin so rudely interrupted us. At this point, though, I feel that I could eat just about anything set in front of me!"

"Gentlemen, this is Syntherion. Felicitations to all on another successfully concluded operation. I shall be examining the Core in greater depth as soon as conditions on the ground permit. As usual, I will be accessible in the station control room should any of your gear need repairs."

Quellian-dyrae

2015-06-13, 09:01 PM

Solstice's brows rose just slightly. He did know that in fact, but he hadn't been sure Odin would have been able to keep tabs on the entire mission, with all that was going on. You don't become the leader of the Guardians by collecting bottlecaps, he thought with a slight smirk.

"Eh, I was only just starting, and at this point, I'd say the real play would be to do pizza for lunch, and that way I'll have time to put together an appropriately worthy celebration dinner," Solstice said with a grin. He took his celebration dinners seriously.

IndianaO'Grimes

2015-06-13, 10:48 PM

Tempo looks around the room, but decides not to take any sort of souvenir.

After Warp teleports him to the Sentinel, the device on his wrist beeps twice, signalling that Tempo needs to move back to his "cell". Watching the other Guardians discuss their plans for downtime, a feeling of loneliness washes over him for a second before he forces it away, reminding himself that they do not care what happens to him. Tempo activates his power, moving back to his cell and changing out of his costume before the device beeps again and he feels his connection to his powers disappear. Looking over the small library in his cell, Edward picks a book at random and sits on the edge of his bed, before opening to the first page and starting to read.

Kymme

2015-06-13, 11:20 PM

Upon first arriving at the Sentinel Calliope whisks by her room, finishing the song that Odin's call interrupted. She moves to her door, but she pauses before placing her hand on the panel. Her mind buzzes with thoughts her failure, however inconsequential it might have been. For gods sake, she can bring the dead back to life! Surely, a mistake so catastrophic as to leave one of her teammates dead would be but a speedbump for someone of her power.

Sadly, that wasn't always the case.

Calliope steps into the hallway and begins making her way to the situation room. She keeps her speed fast, but not quite 'winds-of-destiny' fast. Meanwhile the little storyteller casts her voice to a lonely corridor of the Sentinel where her ally Tempo sits, reading.

~You did well today, Tempo.~ Her voice is frank, but carries an undertone of compassion with it. ~You scouted out Rimilin's hideout and assisted Touch in locating the Core. Be proud of the work you've done today. I know that I am.~

She arrives at the situation room still clad in her mask and robes, taking her usual seat almost directly across from Odin. On the subject of food, she maintains her trademark terse demeanor. "Pass."

Starsign

2015-06-13, 11:41 PM

Sharkguard gets barely a glimpse at Tempo's leave, lowering his smile for a moment when considering the time hero's situation. Living mostly in a cell would be a nightmare for Sharkguard; he can't stand that sort of limited space. It's better than the Pit at least; now that is something worse than death. Sharkguard is extremely glad he and his fellow aberrant Typhon had not ended up there.

The shark-man smiles once more as the topic of a celebration dinner comes forth. "Now that is something we want fish for! Early enough to cut and cook it too!" It's been awhile since the shark-man has been in his natural habitat, where he is at his strongest. Going fishing is as good a reason as any to trek back there. He can probably pick up a drink while he's at it. "Wouldn't mind heading out again anyway. Typhon, you want to come?" While the younger aberrant may not quite be as good at gathering fish, Sharkguard always did like bringing Typhon for the camaraderie. There isn't any aberrant like one who has your back.

Hyperbolic sine

2015-06-14, 02:09 PM

"Celebration dinner, hu? Well, why not." Blake comments with a little smile, his suit changing back into his usual attire. "You did have your revenge, after all." he adds, glancing at Firestorm's members.

CandyLaser

2015-06-14, 02:14 PM

While Aurora doesn't need to eat, she still can, and she does, joining in the celebratory meal as a show of camaraderie and fellowship. After that, she goes out on patrol (as she calls it), circling the globe in the upper atmosphere, looking and listening for small wrongs to right and people to help.

Dienekes

2015-06-14, 07:56 PM

One of Typhon's faces smiles at Sharkguard. "I'd like to, but I want to aid Syntherion with the Core. I have a few ideas on what the technology Rimilin was using may be for." If my admittedly baseless hunch has any merit to it anyway. "I'll be back for the party."

Starsign

2015-06-15, 12:24 AM

Sharkguard gives a nod to Typhon hearing that the younger aberrant will be working with Syntherion on the Core. The shark-man is quite envy of Typhon's intelligence, given Sharkguard has spent much longer with the Guardians than a lot of the other diamond-tier members... Though that is perhaps what he gets when he spends a lot of his time doing superheroics for thrill-seeking. It's not like anyone else here are being a hero partly for the adrenaline rush.

"Sure thing then," he responds to Typhon's decline. Sharkguard's smile lessens as a result, though still looking quite upbeat. "I'll be heading off soon. Shouldn't be too long myself; not like there's any fish faster than me in the ocean." Sharkguard pauses for a moment before waving to Warp, indicating his teleporting prowess might be handy soon.

Wanting to talk a bit more before Typhon becomes too busy in his studies, Sharkguard waves the younger aberrant over to another room, a simply hallway with a vast window showing Earth and space in all its wonderful beauty. He leans back against the metal wall opposing the window, wishing that space was literally an ocean that he can breathe in. "So, what's this hunch you mentioned about?" he asks Typhon, starting with the topic discussed earlier before. "You know I'm useless with this technology stuff. But I'm quite curious, considering how great that brain of yours is." Sharkguard's toothy smile widens in a friendly way, tapping his finger on his own head as if to indicate what some would call his 'thick skull'd' compared to Typhon.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-06-15, 12:34 AM

"That we did," Tommy said in response to Blake's comment, satisfaction in his voice.

"Sounds good, Sharkguard. I'll get started on prep," Tommy said, giving a general wave to the room and heading off for the kitchen.

Dienekes

2015-06-15, 12:37 AM

"It's nothing but a feeling really. Rimilin needed the Core to create his drug, but he already could create many things, not just monsters but I saw him create a sort of liquid steel. Of course none of it is permanent, being made of magic. Therefore it'd be a tough thing to sell and make a profit off in a business like the drug trade. Where wares can sit in storage for months before they're distributed to the street level gangs and then sold. But if Rimilin found a way to harness his power, study it, and then make permanent replications in his Core. Then that means that there are ways of harnessing our powers through technology in a way we haven't even considered." Typhon stopped for a moment to think. It wasn't usual that Sharkguard had an interest in this sort of thing, but it felt nice to bounce his ideas off someone for a change. "Can you imagine? What if we found a way to replicate Warp or Tempo's power? The potential for solving the world's problems is almost limitless. Overcrowding? The trash problem? Even the use of fossil fuels could theoretically be solved in months or years instead of decades."

Then Typhon sighed and shrugged. "Or it could just be a normal chemical lab, Mind's Eye could not be magical in origin, and Rimilin just stumbled upon a formula no one else has. Either way, I think it's worth an afternoon of study just to check."

Starsign

2015-06-15, 08:50 AM

Sharkguard considers Typhon's theory with interest as the subject of gaining powers comes up. While empowering normal people is something Sharkguard has dealt with a few times, this is probably the first where the prospect of it is dumped right into the hands of the Guardians. The intrigue of it all can be seen in the shark-man's face, though for somewhat different reasons than Typhon. "Harnessing power? That sounds amazing! If we had something like that, we could share powers between each other. Just imagine if I had Tempo's and Gallant's powers!" His excitement dies down a bit, letting reality clear his mind for a moment as he realizes who in the world would let the shark-man try and be that powerful. "...Though not like anyone's gonna allow that sort of fusion. 'Sides, could remove what makes us unique."

The shark-man walks forward and leans his hands lightly on the walkway railing, looking out into space again, a vast ocean of possibilities and worlds. "But hey, at least it's out of Rimilin's hands. Would've been horrible if he got to do anything with it." He turns his head towards to Typhon with a gleaming smile and a wonderful vision in Sharkguard's mind. "But with us, it'd be amazing. Like you said, overcrowding and pollution could be cured. With Aurora we could populate new worlds... Hell, we can give people the choice if they want to evolve!"

The last bit is blatantly what Sharkguard is most interested in, and the one that makes most Guardians groan. "Evolve" in Sharkguard's case meant "becoming in aberrant," which for him meant to be greater than neohumans. Yet he's always been opposed to methods of forcing such transformations, seeing that people not being able to decide is a trauma and nightmare. The shark-man knows that his first couple years as an aberrant were extremely unpleasant, in part because he had been so unprepared for it. But if humans could prepare themselves and be able to choose to evolve or not... that will be something the shark-man takes interest in.

Volthawk

2015-06-15, 10:03 AM

Warp, who's gotten up by now, raises an eyebrow at all this. "Sure, or we could get carried away with it and wreck things even more, get too extreme, go too far. If that's what this stuff does, people need to be very careful with how they use it." He seems lost in thought for a few seconds. "Anyway, if everyone's ready I'm good to get us topside and getting whatever we need."

Dienekes

2015-06-15, 02:46 PM

Typhon nods as Sharkguard gives his thoughts on the project. Or, it could be used to get these changes off of me, I could go back to being Mike again. He doesn't say it of course, no reason to open up that argument with Sharkguard.

"That's why I need to see if it is what I think it could be." Typhon said to Warp. "If Rimilin was able to accomplish a fraction of what I fear then someone else will do the same. We can try and be careful, scientific, about our applications. I doubt others will be as reserved."

Starsign

2015-06-15, 10:02 PM

Sharkguard's response to Typhon consists of a nod at the warning of misusing these potential abilities. "Alright, alright. I get the point," he responds, understanding the concerns but also a little disappointed that Typhon and Warp aren't as excited. "You be careful then Typhon. And have fun too!" With that, the shark-man gives the younger aberrant a friendly bear hug, lifting Typhon slightly off the ground. It is one of the forms of care which the shark-man gives to Typhon, especially impressive given Typhon's physical appearance is considered monstrous even among aberrants. Not that Sharkguard ever minded the looks. n aberrant is an aberrant and it's something one should be proud of; they have to look after each other.

As the shark-man puts his fellow friend down he walks over to Warp, leaving the room with the young Guardian. "Well about time we should get going," Sharkguard mutters to Warp as the large aberrant is excited to get back out to sea. He decides to strike up a little more conversation while he's at it. "Been a Guardian for a year now. How's it been? Gotta say my first year here was a hell of a lot different than yours."

Oroboros

2015-06-16, 10:41 AM

After roughly a day, the compound is fully secured. Bronze and Silver-tier guardians patrol the edges of the compound. Syntherion, along with any of the Guardians technologically-minded enough to work with the Core, have come down to investigate Rimilin's operation. Odin, back in the Sentinel, was currently pouring through multitudes of logs recovered from Rimilin's office in an effort to find clues about what he was attempting to do here.

Syntherion stops in front of the Core, and turns to address the assembled Guardians in front of him.
"Our mission here is to determine exactly how the Core functions, among other things. You will all be allowed to examine it both individually, and as a team."
Everyone who wants to look into the core can make an Expertise (technology) roll.
Syntherion's roll: [roll0]

Volthawk

2015-06-16, 06:01 PM

Warp, still clinging onto the ceiling after teleporting after the pair, drops to the floor now he's in an actual conversation. "Well, like I've said before, it's a den of weirdos, but I guess you get that with people like us. Fun though. The big thing is the...scale, I guess. I mean, sure before I joined, I fell into crazy high-stakes stuff but now it's more expected, y'know? Anyway, let's go." Warp, now unmasked, touches Sharkguard and brings him along to his destination.

The first destination is a small sandy island, with clear tropical sea all around. It seems fairly untouched, although a wooden bench, covered with a large umbrella, sits on a rocky part of the beach. To the side of this is a wooden crate that, if investigated, would reveal a few beers and simple food that doesn't need much if any preparation. "There's a place a short port that-away that speaks English and does damn good pizza. I'll go there and get that sorted. As for you, I can't tell you what fish are what, but I've seen a bunch here before. Have fun!" With that, he disappears again, continuing his quest for food.

Starsign

2015-06-16, 09:35 PM

Sharkguard takes in the wonderful sea and tropical air as he is teleported along with Warp. What a wonderful place, rested between a human's ideal vacation spot and the shark-man's own ideal home. He looks down at the cases of beer, tempted to grab one right away before going in the water. He instead imagines there will be time for that as he grabs a nearby fishing net. "See you back here then!" Sharkguard says with enthusiastic glee as he gets a running start and dives into the water.

The ocean has always been such a remarkable place to live in, though one certainly isolated by human society. A lot of the time Sharkguard would have felt lonely if he wasn't constantly swimming or finding things to do, and even then wrestling whales or actual sharks gets boring after doing it long enough. There is however a rush when it comes to chasing and catching fish. The shark-man zips through the water like a torpedo, easily capable of catching fish within his own teeth. A net makes it way too easy, however he is in the need to catch a lot and fish probably wouldn't be good to cook if it had a giant shark's teeth marks riddled all over it.

Forty or so minute pass before the shark-man rises back from the sea; his massive frame and muscles shining under the afternoon sun as he carries a net worth of a few dozen fish containing some salmon and trout. He casually places it down on the beach as he sits on the sand, reading in the basket and grabbing a bottle of beer. Due to his large hands, carefully opening the bottlecap is far too much work; he crushes the cap and a small chunk of glass with it, letting him raise his arm and let the cool taste of alcohol rush down his throat... too bad it's only a bottle.

Sharkguard looks towards Warp as he eventually returns. "Sure was fun," the shark-man says as he points his thumb towards the net of fish. "Bet the group's gonna love all that for dinner." The more people that eat fish, the better. Sharkguard does enjoy it when his fellow Guardians eat healthy... in spite of his own 'slight' drinking issues. "But as we were talking before, being a Guardian this high up means that it usually doesn't get any bigger than this. And hell we're diamond-tier; the best of the best! What ain't wrong with working on a scale sort of this?" The shark-man actually has a couple honest answers to his own question, ones he had no intentions of saying. As far as he cares, he'll live with any negatives that don't outstrip the positives.

Volthawk

2015-06-17, 05:53 PM

When Warp returns, he isn't so much carrying his orders as standing next to it, keeping contact. He nods when he notices Sharky, appreciative of the haul. "That's a lotta fish. Sure it's not too much?" He shrugs. "I guess we could always store some. And hey, I wasn't complaining when I mentioned the scale, it's just different, is all. I ain't got your decades to get used to it." He pops his food over next to the fish, grabbing a beer of him own and drinking it before shrugging. "Guess we better get all this back to the others. Good to go?" If there isn't any complaint, he'll bring them back aboard the station, in a place where a net-full of fish won't cause a massive annoyance.

Oroboros

2015-06-17, 05:57 PM

Two days after the raid on Rimilin's base, all of the information available had been collected and compiled by the Guardian's analytic personnel. Once again, Odin summoned all of the Guardians to the simulation room for a debriefing on the acquired intel.
"Guardians! Those of you present all likely have varying degrees of information on the results of our investigation into Rimilin's operation. As you have likely guessed, I am here to present the full picture. First off, the analysis of the Core. Syntherion, if you would explain?"

"Thank you, sir. As you all know, I performed a detailed analysis of the object known as the "Core". It's operation is fairly simple. A slurry containing several common chemicals is poured in one end. Some time later, the machine produces a glowing form of the drug known as "Mind's Eye". This drug causes incredibly vivid hallucinations, and there are numerous reports of overdoses triggering violent rampages or feelings of being trapped in one's own body, disconnected from the world. The glow slowly fades from the drug, and there is an accompanying release of energy in the form of light wavelengths commonly associated with radio or broadcast emissions. Intercepting these emissions has yielded naught but gibberish. The truly interesting process, though, occurs inside the Core. The processes that occur within are fairly mundane, and include heating and compression. The truly interesting part, though, is this."
A compartment opens from within Syntherion's back. From it, Syntherion removes a tablet engraved with strange glyphs, placing it on the conference table.
"This tablet is magical in nature. I consulted several Thaumaturgic specialists on the matter, but none were able to determine the precise function of the tablet. There was, however, a general consensus that the tablet manipulated energy on an atomic level, in a manner somewhat consistent with a computer processor.One interesting thing to note is that passing under this seems to initiate the "glow" that the newly produced Mind's Eye possesses. Interrogation of Rimlilin's lackeys revealed that none of them knew exactly how this worked. Such a magical construct lies well out of Rimilin's area of expertise. At this juncture, I will pass the floor back to Odin. "

My thanks, Syntherion. Before we move on, I would like to bring up the issue of the level of technology encountered within the compound. The plasma rifles and turrets were obviously Neohuman-made, as well as the flying casing that transported the core around. We managed to locate a number of communications between Rimilin and a mercenary organization known as Foxhound. Greyhound, I am sure you recognize the name. Foxhound was acting as an intermediary between Rimilin and an as of now unknown third-party benefactor. This leads me to the issue at hand: we need to identify who was supplying Rimilin. As it so happens, the Sentinel has detected Wolf himself and a cadre of mercenaries en route from base in South America to job somewhere in Japan. We have two hours to intercept the flight. Everyone who volunteers will be sent over by Warp to NON-LETHALLY capture Wolf and his men. The most simple way to do this will be to have Warp teleport on and get everyone off. However, because the transport is currently moving at supersonic speeds, and Warp isn't, teleporting onto the ship right now would likely kill him. Thus, the other Guardians will have to slow the transport to a stop without killing everyone on it. Once it is stopped, I can project an illusion of the inside of the ship, giving Warp the perception he needs to teleport on. At that point, it will be a simple matter for him to teleport everyone into prison cells for interrogation. The difficult part will be slowing the supersonic transport to a stop without killing everyone inside. Unfortunately, not every Guardian will be able to contribute to this mission. Do not fear, you will all have plenty of time to interrogate the mercenaries after the mission is concluded if you elect not to attend. So, Guardians. Who's ready to be on the fun end of a kidnapping for once!

Anyone who wants to go on this mission has to volunteer below. We will be using the Firestorm thread for posting.

Kymme

2015-06-17, 06:08 PM

Calliope nods. "I'm in. I can probably stall their transport, not to mention keep the mercenaries within alive."

Quellian-dyrae

2015-06-17, 06:23 PM

"I'm in," Tommy said. "I won't be able to stop the transport outright, but I should be able to keep up with it and throw enough wind at it to slow it down, at the very least."

IndianaO'Grimes

2015-06-17, 06:32 PM

Tempo looks up. I could speed Warp up so that he is moving fast enough to get inside the plane and from there we can simply attack the cockpit to slow it down.

Oroboros

2015-06-17, 08:51 PM

That could prove risky, Tempo, as even a relatively slight difference in velocity could still prove quite injurious. if Warp accepts the risk, then I will allow it.

Starsign

2015-06-17, 10:56 PM

After a night of a wonderful meal and a satisfying day of superheroics, Sharkguard comes in wearing a black wetsuit covering his neck down to his ankles, though not covering either of his heavily-muscular arms. Normally these sort of suits are designed for swimming and underwater travelling but the shark-man largely wears it as a simple aesthetics choice as a superhero costume when he's not going simply shirtless with his tight, dark pants.

Sharkguard listens to both the results and the plan. Unsurprisingly he isn't too happy with it. His idea of stopping a supersonic transport amounted to, "block its path with his body." The resulting collision would very likely and literally obliterate the transport; Odin knows far too well to send someone like the shark-man if the transport needs to be undamaged. There is a slightly grouchy grumble from Sharkguard as he folds his arms. "Ah, guess I leave this to the others," he says. Since he's not going on a mission he won't need to use his pirate accent. "I'll remain on the Sentinel when you need me to interrogate these Foxhound chumps. Don't wanna keep me waiting too long now." He puts out a half-hearted smirk, attempting to sound like his jovial self.

As the rest of the Guardians begin volunteering, the shark-man considers what he can do while waiting. It shouldn't take long for the volunteered Guardians to slow or stop the truck for Warp but Sharkguard won't mind a little warm-up in the meantime. "Aye, for anyone not coming right away, you wanna spar a bit in the combat simulator while waiting? Typhon? Aurora?" Of the Guardians currently still around, Typhon and Aurora remain probably the only two who are capable of doing toe-to-toe in a serious fight against the shark-man; even in sparring, Sharkguard is less-than-sure of asking anyone else... though he won't mind if they wish to test his ability to evade projectiles that the heroes can throw out.

CandyLaser

2015-06-17, 11:16 PM

Aurora was quick to volunteer. "I'm in. I can't imagine that this thing is fast enough to evade me in the air."

When Sharkguard makes his offer, she declines. "It sounds like we'll need to move out soon. Perhaps when I get back." She found the aberrant to be a bit too willing to fight, and not quite discriminating enough in her targets. The didn't mean she wouldn't train with him; on the contrary, she thought it very important to know what he could do.

She did take a moment to pull Typhon aside. "Just wanted to let you know Solstice did well down there. He was decisive, and took good care of his team. You should be proud."

Volthawk

2015-06-18, 09:44 PM

Warp considers Tempo's idea, sitting next to the speedster munching on a curry from the Indian takeaway he'd gotten before the meeting. "Sure, I'm up for trying. Could be fun." He reaches into the bag in front of him and pulls out another bit of takeaway, passing it over to Tempo. "Here. If you're doing that kind of stuff, you'll need some food in you. Besides, you missed the spread a few days ago. Kinda owe you some food."

Oroboros

2015-06-18, 11:17 PM

"Alright, since Warp has agreed to this plan, our job could be simplified somewhat. However, you would still be teleporting alone onto a flying transport filled with mercenaries specifically trained to deal with Neohumans. We can enact both plans simultaneously, if you wish: Warp would teleport onto the ship, then a flying strike team could provide distractions and cover, allowing Warp to safely teleport all of the mercenaries on board the Sentinel."

Quellian-dyrae

2015-06-18, 11:30 PM

"Really, one way or another, it'd be wisest for Warp to bring along some backup, wouldn't it? People who can hold off any enemy attacks while he does the teleportation."

CandyLaser

2015-06-19, 12:59 AM

"One of us could fly alongside the vessel, carrying Warp - that would make it easier to match speed."

Dienekes

2015-06-19, 09:29 AM

"If we can get into the ship, I'm in. Won't be much use if it doesn't work though." Typhon spoke up to the group before he addressed those closest to him.

"Sorry Sharkguard, we'll spar next time. I've come up with a few ideas against you I've been meaning to try. But for now, duty calls." Truth be told, he was a little relieved he had an excuse. Sharkguard was one of the few in the Guardians he could fight toe to toe with, and he hit hard. Last time he was still battered and bruised for weeks later, despite his increased healing.

To Aurora, Typhon nodded. "Excellent, it seems I've made a good choice this time. Please keep taking care of him, for me" For not the first or the last time, Typhon was glad Solstice was with the veteran Guardian. He could be a bit emotional, and cooler heads and experience will keep him useful, and more importantly safe. There was a great potential in the younger Guardian, and Typhon trusted Aurora to help him realize that potential.

Oroboros

2015-06-19, 04:35 PM

"One other possible obstacle to consider is the strain that would be placed upon Warp's body flying around at supersonic speeds. This would likely require some sort of cockpit, in order to shield him from the wind."

"That should be a relatively simple task. I will have one functional in a few minutes." Syntherion heads off to his laboratory, the 3D printers already firing up in response to his approach.

Starsign

2015-06-20, 09:26 AM

Sharkguard gives a reasonable nod as his response to Typhon and Aurora. He isn't all that surprised, given the shark-man's last battle with Typhon had been quite the bout. That sort of fight had made Sharkguard consider when he actually should be going all-out. It was at least a good reminder of Sharkguard enhanced reflexes, given Typhon can, will, and has been able to pierce and breach through the shark-man's hide if given the chance; and that is before factoring in how Typhon can be in his rare yet powerful rages. "Aye then. I'll be here as well if you need backup on the ship. Probably ain't gonna come to that."

Sharkguard walks over to Warp, looking down at him proudly. "This shouldn't be a problem for you. You've got some of our best fliers coming with you, and you have Calliope." Despite working as a Guardian for nearly 25 years, Sharkguard still knows too little about Calliope. Even Odin might not know her all that well... Yet her powers and experience have been far too accomplished to not commend her for all the work she's done in the Guardians. "Go have fun with the kidnapping. Just be sure that they're scared enough to make the interrogation fun." The shark-man gives his wide-open sharky smile.

Oroboros

2015-06-20, 11:30 AM

"Alright. If we are all prepared, we can begin the mission. Warp, the transport is over the Pacific Ocean at latitude 28.304381° and longitude:-156.796875°. Teleport Solstice and Calliope about 10 miles to the northwest. Then, teleport yourself down inside Syntherion's pod, along with Aurora. Aurora should then fly you so that your vector is exactly parallel with the transport. You can then safely teleport in. At this time, Solstice, Calliope and Aurora should all board the Transport and create a distraction so that Warp can safely teleport everyone out. Remember, we will be using the team Firestorm radio channel for this mission. Warp, begin whenever you're ready."

Kymme

2015-06-20, 12:12 PM

Calliope couldn't help but glance over at Sharkguard when he mentioned her. The titanic brute got on her nerves occasionally, what with this boisterous nature and eagerness to hurt himself, but underneath all of that bulk was a trustworthy soul. Calliope hoped that he wouldn't have to see any combat today. A midair assault was dangerous enough, especially for someone who couldn't just fly out of there.

Volthawk

2015-06-20, 10:48 PM

Warp nods, fiddling with his comms before pulling his mask back up. "Gotcha, go time." Before teleporting everyone away, he looks up at Sharkguard. "Relax, Sharky. I got this." He then walks towards the others on the mission, clasping his hands together. "Well then, let's be off. Getting you guys in position above the ocean should be fun, given that I have to come with. I'll need one of you guys to grab onto me and keep a hold while I'm getting back into gear after the long teleport there, and then I get back here and get sorted for my entrance. Okay?"

Quellian-dyrae

2015-06-21, 12:11 AM

"Sounds good," Tommy said, taking to the air and getting a secure grip and Warp. "Ready when you are."

Volthawk

2015-06-22, 03:02 PM

Warp nods, grabbing Calliope and bringing them both to the point specified. After shaking off the daze, he returns to the station, looking for the pod Odin mentioned (he wasn't really aware of Syntherion's production capabilities, but from how they've been talking he guessed it should be done now). On the way, he grabs Aurora. "They're in position, good to go now if you are and the pod's ready. If you're grabbing onto the pod, I should be able to bring you along while I'm inside, even though you're not touching me."

CandyLaser

2015-06-22, 03:11 PM

Volthawk

2015-06-22, 03:24 PM

"Sweet. See ya when we get there, then." Warp climbs inside and straps in, and then gets to work teleporting them topside. It shouldn't be a problem (testing has put the general amount of mass he could bring with him in a long teleport up at around 1,600 tons, so he was well within his limits), but he still always felt a bit weird about bringing big inanimate things with him. Just one of those things, he guesses.

Starsign

2015-06-23, 12:39 PM

Sharkguard watches Warp teleport Aurora, Calliope and Solstice before the teleporter leaves via pod. Unless something went wrong, those four should be able to handle a simple kidnapping. Aurora and Calliope are more experienced than Sharkguard anyway; he can entrust Warp's safety to them when the shark-man can't come along. With control out of his hands, he's only capable of doing one thing now: planning how to handle the upcoming interrogation.

He walks over to Typhon, Greyhound, Brandywine, and waves over for the other Guardians, Draco and Gallant especially, to come over. "Alright, guess we ought to figure out how to interrogate 'em once Warp's got them back here. Bet they're trained enough that they won't fall for scary looks and threats?" Sharkguard never found the idea of physical violence "fun" when it came to getting information out of people. Not only was it not heroic but there's absolutely no fun doing so against something that can't fight back. "Could scare them with a show of force but that's the most I got. Anyone got any better ideas?Mind reading? Heat? Any sort of government training that might help?" Sharkguard imagines that someone smarter than him, such as Typhon, might know better, while Gallant, Draco, and Greyhound probably has their own ideas. Interrogation can be a rather dirty job; plenty other heroes may know better than Sharkguard.

Just a bit of RP'ing for now, to plan ahead as well. :smallsmile:

Hyperbolic sine

2015-06-24, 05:08 PM

"I'm afraid not, I think I've skipped most Interrogation classes. Blake replies jokingly: interrogation...was never exactly the focus of his training, as it required targets to be taken alive. He ponders for a moment, then says in a professional tone:"Mind reading would likely be our best tool to get what we want out of him, but since he's an illusionist it'll probably be hard to break his mental defenses - we might want to somehow weaken them first. Maybe Syntherion can build something useful."

Oroboros

2015-06-24, 10:42 PM

"I'll see what I can whip up. Torture devices are... not part of my preferred methodology. A device that could analyze cranial activity in response to certain prompts would not only be far more effective, but also less... barbaric."

Starsign

2015-06-25, 07:56 PM

"I bet most of us aren't used to torture," the shark-man shrugs casually at Syntherion. Sharkguard's smile twirls to a smirk as he continues, "Course that ain't saying I'd break if some lucky fool ever tried torturing me. Been a Guardian too long for that!" Another day, another boisterous claim made by the shark-man. Experience helps make his claims with such pride, though experience is probably why some of the other Guardians here are willing to trust him. "But do what you can Syntherion. If you can make those damned magnetic cuffs, you can make damn well anything."

Sharkguard thinks for a moment, placing his hand to the bottom of his shark-shaped mouth. Is there really anything else he can offer beyond a show of scary teeth and muscle? He's had a good deal of experience when it came to using the ocean and sea to his advantage against villains who aren't accustomed to the water's thick pressure. "...Ay, Odin how much time do you think we'll have? I've got an idea. We capable of partly filling a room up with water?" Drowning someone probably won't be the most effective way of interrogating someone. Filling the area with some water however opens many more possibilities.

Oroboros

2015-06-26, 12:27 PM

"Filling a room with water... That shouldn't be too hard. These days I hesitate to put near anything past Syntherion's engineering capabilities. What were you considering, Sharkguard?"

Starsign

2015-06-27, 08:46 AM

"I just thought we could tie one or two of them up and fill the room up with sea water, just about halfway up to their face or so so they'd have to tilt their head up to breathe." The plan sure is something the shark-man has never properly acted on in his superhero years, partially due to interrogation never quite being his strong suit. It is still better than physical torture at least.

The shark-man's smile dims a little, being a little uncomfortable with the subject matter of interrogation. "I can't imagine any sort of human wanting to be in that position for long. Eventually their neck will ache enough that he'd need to move it, but requiring to hold his breath in the water. And a human can't hold it for long so they'd have to creak their neck right back up. They ain't gonna live with that for a few days; eventually they'll talk after being stuck there for long enough." Sharkguard does his best to look proud of his idea but his actions always did speak louder than his words, much like how his fists always spoke louder in battle than the plans he tried to make in his past years as a Guardian.

Oroboros

2015-07-14, 01:58 PM

The guardians emerge on to Atlantis's unmistakable beaches: strewn with volcanic rock, the waves themselves seeming to add material slowly and surely. The Atlantean city hall, which doubles as Triton's home and and castle, looms over the horizon off in the distance. Tendrils of water swirl around it, like fountains frozen in impossible shapes.

The reaction of the civilians here is much less startled than the reaction back in Philadelphia. Here, teleporters and the like are commonplace. However, even the Atlanteans recognize that there is something out of the ordinary with three (four, but it's kind of hard to tell with Draco) Aberrants in the same place. Additionally, Atlanteans tend to follow Neohuman matters more closely that the average Pennsylvanian, and so just about everyone can recognize the Guardians on sight. Because of this, the Guardians still earned a reaction from just about everyone around them, usually stares, cheers, or even disgusted looks at the Aberrants.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-07-14, 02:22 PM

Solstice gave a cheery wave to the onlookers as he started towards the city hall. He made it a point to functionally ignore the people who were giving dirty looks to their Aberrant members, although he kept a keen enough eye on them to be ready to step in if it developed to anything more than looks. That aside, he looked around the city with undisguised interest. Solstice had never been to Atlantis before, hadn't even heard of it until he had joined the Guardians, and the place had long captured his imagination. A land specifically for Neohumans, where their powers were in abundance and well-understood. How different, he had often wondered, might his life had been had he grown up here, among people who could have help him learn to control his powers from an early age?

Starsign

2015-07-14, 10:18 PM

Sharkguard can't remember the last time he had been to Atlantis. Given how Atlantis hates his kind it's not a place he makes frequent visits to. This makes the diplomatic mission with Triton all the more questionable as to why the shark-man and Typhon are coming along. A lot of places in Atlantis probably wouldn't accept either of them; the meeting with Triton however could help his opinion on aberrants. The truth however is that Sharkguard is sooner likely to punch Triton's face in after an escalating argument before either of them come to agreement on the opinions of aberrants. Even despite Sharkguard's boisterous attitude and gleeful smiles he can't help but try and hide a sense of frustration with him. Yet he knows that this mission is best left to Solstice and Calliope. Besides, proper muscle is going to be needed later.

One thing for sure however is that Atlantis is a stunning place. A land crafted by and for neohumans produces sights certainly found nowhere else. Between the volcanic rock of beaches and the tendrils of water surrounding Triton's castle, a person from any other continent could find a dozen unique sights each day. In contrast to this is the hoagie sandwich now in Sharkguard's hand. Sure the hoagie is relatively mundane but it gets the job done for most people. Though it is a lunch for most it is barely a snack for him. Seeing how he probably won't be immediately needed for Triton, Sharkguard carefully removes the aluminum foil on his sandwich before swinging the whole thing in his mouth, munching and devouring the sandwich like it was a cookie.

Sharkguard brings out his pirate accent now that he's back on ground. "Best ye be gettin' a move on, aye?" he says to the other Guardians as he waves and smiles to the neohuman civilians of Atlantis. Being cheered at is a pleasant surprise; being given disgusted looks just makes Sharkguard amused given how he's "evolved," being an aberrant. "Can't help ye much if ye want Triton's fortune. How's 'bout I be meetin' ye back later, once we got permission from 'im?" 'Sides I bet Solstice'll get in a better word fer aberrants than I ever could." He gives a wink to Solstice before looking to Warp. "Bit early to visit the restaurant. Ye wanna sail out across Atlantis, see if we find anythin' t' visit?" Sharkguard takes a moment to think. "Ye think they got an arena or sparrin' grounds? Wouldn't hurt havin' some practice or give some pointers t' any neohumans workin' t' come aboard th' Atlanteans." Whether or not what they think of him, Sharkguard is willing to have an aberrant such as himself help out a neohuman citizen he has some responsibility to protect. He glances to the other Guardians, seeing if any of them might be interested or coming along or interested in going elsewhere while Solstice and Calliope plan to speak to Triton.

CandyLaser

2015-07-14, 11:52 PM

While Solstice was being friendly and Sharkguard was being surly, Aurora looked over the crowd for any potential threats. If Triton knew of this facility - which seemed likely - then he might have been compromised. While she didn't expect an outright attack, there was no sense in taking unnecessary risks. Aurora hated to see her teammates endangered. There weren't many things that could seriously threaten most of the diamond-tier Guardians, but that just made it all the more important that no one got complacent.

To Sharkguard, she said, "We're not here to fight. And knowing how you fight, I don't think seeing their best men taken down by an aberrant is likely to improve their attitudes."

Starsign

2015-07-15, 06:07 PM

Giving a smirk, Sharkguard simply shrugs as Aurora warns him about heading off to fight. "Ye ought t' put a bit o' faith in me Aurora. I ain't gonna go out sparrin' just t' rile up Atlantis. 'Sides, I thought we learned I ought not t' go all out in a spar." He moves his head over to Typhon, giving a bit of a embarrassed look that lets Typhon know that the shark-man still remembers what happened the last time they sparred.

He brings back his smile as he attempts some sort of compromise with Aurora; he knows most of the other Guardians would take the side of the older Guardian than Sharkguard's. "But aye aye; I can just be goin' t' the Atlantean's trainin' grounds; see if I can't find any newcomer that wouldn't mind a bit 'o trainin' from 'ol Cap'n Sharkguard. Bet it could help one or two o' 'em, aye Warp?" Sharkguard isn't considering that he might not be allowed in said training grounds, given his status as an aberrant. He may have been once offered to join the Atlanteans but it may not mean he'd be allowed to help that team out. In most cases however it's probably worth trying, if only to give the shark-man something he considers fun to do.

Hyperbolic sine

2015-07-16, 09:35 AM

"The more we remain idle, the more time this Neomagus or whatever will have time to prepare...we're not exactly incospicuos." Greyhound states, wishing that Warp had teleported them to somewhere less public. "We should get going."

Dienekes

2015-07-16, 10:13 AM

As much as a 10 foot tall monster could, Typhon tried to shrink into his own shadow. He hated this, people looking at him with disgust, and fear. He walked silently behind the rest of the group as they planned what they were going to do. Here it was, the haven for neohumans, and he was skulking around like a child. He hated it, but he didn't stop. The group split up, and Sharkguard decided to go off to find someone to spar. A horrible idea. A crew of builders were still cleaning up rubble from the last time the two of them had sparred. It almost made him want to tag along and make sure his friend didn't get anyone killed, but he was here on a job. And against his better judgment he trusted Sharkguard not to get into too much trouble.

So long as he didn't hit the booze, anyway. Oh God, he's going to isn't he? That would be a disaster.

No, trust him. He's not a child. And focus on the mission.

Oroboros

2015-07-16, 11:03 AM

The Guardians arrive at Trition's hall. Two guards wearing stylized scale-like armors wave them in.
"We have been expecting you. Odin called us and told us you would be coming. Right this way, please."

The Guardians who will be meeting with Trition are led toward Triton's meeting hall. The hall is breathtaking. Huge varieties of fish swim through more still-water decorations. Triton sits on a throne of water, at the end of a large obsidian table. He, too, wears an ornate, but merely decorative, suit of armor. Water is worked into its design, and from the descriptions of his power, probably protects him better than the steel. Unlike, the guards, he wears no helmet. His hooked nose, brown hair, and blue eyes complement his regal figure. A large trident sits next to him, but it is just as decorative as his armor.
As you enter the room, you see him smell the air.
"Are those... "
He chuckles and shakes his head.
"Odin knows me too well. Come, sit down. Apparently, we have much to discuss."

I specifically left it vague as to who was meeting with Triton. Anyone is free to have their Guardian be there, although I believe that Solstice and Calliope were going to be the main speakers. Anyone else is free to find another activity. Feel free to assume that whatever facilities your Guardian is seeking exist on Atlantis, for example, Sharkguard's training grounds.

Kymme

2015-07-16, 11:44 AM

Calliope proceeded through the streets of Atlantis with an unflagging gait. Her eyes never turned or glanced away from the tall spires of Triton's castle. Her silence hid her nervousness. This many eyes focused on her wasn't something she could ever get used to, no matter how long her fame lasted. Crowds were, in many ways, more terrifying than any supervillian could ever be. But finally, they arrived at Triton's hall.

The minuscule Guardian approaches the great hydromancer, eyes fixed on his face. She curtsies before addressing him.

"King Triton, Ruler of Atlantis, we come before you today with news of the utmost importance. The information we carry pertains not just to the Guardians, or to your fair city, but to the whole world. We come with news to relate, and a favor to ask, oh wondrous King. Will you hear us?"

Quellian-dyrae

2015-07-16, 04:23 PM

"We appreciate you making time for us, Sir," Solstice added, dipping his head to a degree that was more bow than nod. At the Founder's invitation, he headed over to the table, taking a seat and passing out sandwiches. "How much has Odin filled you in on?"

Oroboros

2015-07-16, 04:33 PM

Not much, Solstice. He claimed that the information had to be delivered in person, for security reasons. I trust Odin's judgement, and have taken measures to secure this room against any sort of listening ears, both magical and mundane. Pray tell, what is causing all of this commotion?
The Lord of Atlantis leans forward in his throne, gazing intently at the two Guardians addressing him.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-07-16, 08:33 PM

"Have you heard of the mage Rimilin? Nasty piece of work, been peddling a drug called Mind's Eye for the past three years. We captured him a few days ago, but we're still trying to tie up loose ends and make sure his organization is dismantled."

"To that end, we've traced several weapons and technology shipments to Atlantis or its environs, including some that apparently had to do with this 'Core' of his that allows him to produce the drug. From what we've learned, the Mind's Eye drug might not have been Rimilin's idea at all. His supplier apparently is the brains of the operation, and was using Rimilin to sell and protect the drug."

"Here's the thing, Mind's Eye isn't the only weird substance this guy has access to. He gave Rimilin something that boosted his magical power. Produced outright stronger magic, like taking a mage and giving them a superpower. It's a serious deal. If these guys can create a drug that supercharges magical ability, every hedge wizard and dabbling alchemist with delusions of grandeur can become a Diamond-tier threat."

"So what we'd like is Atlantis's cooperation in our search for these guys. Anything you can give us information-wise would be greatly appreciated, and if you could just give us the go-ahead to bring them in once we've tracked them down, that'll be great. We wouldn't ask your people to assist with bringing them in. If they have more of these...Neomagi as we've been calling them on staff, it'd be a bigger risk than we'd be comfortable exposing local troops and LEOs to, even Atlantean ones."

Oroboros

2015-07-16, 10:29 PM

Triton's brow furrows.
A supervillian! Operating in Atlantis, right under my nose... Hmmm. Things may be more grave than I thought. You certainly have my full permission to track them down and arrest them. Unfortunately, I will be unable to give you aid in this endeavor. The strongest Atlanteans are currently taking down a supervillian in Mongolia, and I cannot in good conscience order anyone not able to hold their own in combat into such a dangerous mission. I cannot directly assist you, either. You see, Atlantis has a dire weakness. I hold up this landmass myself, and I fear that, were something to happen to me, the backup supports would not hold for long. There are contingencies in place, evacuation plans and safety measures, but I cannot risk everything I built here being destroyed. That being said, I will do what I can from here. My precision is limited when acting at a great range, but I should still be able to help."

"This leaves us with the matter of locating this... Neomagus. This is the troublesome part. I trust your word, but how sure are you that they are, in fact, operating in Atlantis? You see, I do not publicize this, but part of my hydrokinesis is the ability to detect the location of each and every person on this island. 70% water, and whatnot. I find it odd that such a group could operate here for so long without me noticing. Do you have any possible explanation for how and where they might be hiding? Are you even sure that they're here? "

Hyperbolic sine

2015-07-17, 04:51 AM

Greyhound, who had accompanied Solstice and Calliope (he might have been asked to get an idea of the type of person Triton was), against his own expectations speaks up. "With all due respect, Lord Triton, their lair might be shielded against your detection. That said, while we're not sure this is the main Neomagus base, we have enough data to determine that there's a secret one which the intermediary between them and Rimilin had been using, in the South Beach district."

Quellian-dyrae

2015-07-17, 12:46 PM

"It's also possible that they are, by and large, a legitimate company that's just doing this sort of work on the side. Part of how we learned of them involves shipping manifests and such, so they do seem to follow standard business protocols. It might be that you are detecting them, but they don't appear to be anything other than an ordinary shipping business or something. Maybe; I am of course not sure about the specifics of how your powers work, but that'd be my guess if it's primarily straight detection of position and movements due to the water in their bodies."

Volthawk

2015-07-17, 09:08 PM

Looking back up at Sharguard, Warp shrugs. "Well I guess if you find a shmuck willing to go toe to toe with you, more power to you. Me, I'm not in the mood for that unless we really need to. I'm happy enough to act like its the old days and just go wandering around for something interesting." He grins, a short laugh escaping. "And I guess make sure that you don't get into much trouble, big guy."

Oroboros

2015-07-17, 09:24 PM

"Shipping manifests, you say? I can only think of one organization in the South Beach district that would produce those, they go by the name of ExGen shipping. They're a simple shipping organization, they handle getting things like food and water onto the island. They've never made trouble in the past, but if you have reason to believe that they are causing this trouble, then I suggest you investigate them. I can procure you a digital warrant before you even arrive, if you would like to go and check things out. You may wish to be discrete about this, as if the true suspects catch word of you investigating, they may have time to hide any evidence. "
Triton stands up from his chair.
Assuming you choose to investigate them, I shall go about obtaining the warrant immediately. Good luck, Guardians.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-07-18, 11:29 AM

"We'd appreciate it Triton, thank you. And yes, it definitely sounds like a lead worth following up on." His point about discretion was well taken though. Not only might they not be involved, but even if they were, it might not be the entire company; it could just be certain employees or managers. He considered approaching as a contact of Wolf, but dismissed the idea quickly; he wouldn't know who to talk to, and for an operation like this, it was too likely that there were protocols in place if Wolf were sending a subordinate or referral. A stealthy infiltration seemed most practical, but it would help if they had a distraction.

For a moment a vision of a giant shark-man, screams of terror, cardboard boxes flying everywhere, and a flurry of pirate lingo flashed across his mind. It brought the flicker of a smile to his face, but he decided that probably wasn't the most...prudent option.

"Triton, would a company like that be subject to some manner of random inspection here on Atlantis? Or for that matter, has anyone heard of ExGen? Might they answer to a corporate office or something that might call for such inspections? See, I'm thinking, a couple of us might go in as, like, inspectors or auditors or whatever. That'd give us a chance to explore the place, and also probably keep them so busy trying to make everything look good that nobody will be paying attention to a more stealthy infiltrator going through. And of course, if any of them are running underground deals, they'll probably try to conceal them as soon as they learn about the investigation, so if either team spots someone acting suspicious or trying to hide stuff or whatever, we know what to check more thoroughly."

"Assuming that sort of subterfuge wouldn't violate our warrant, of course?"

Oroboros

2015-07-18, 04:10 PM

Triton raises one eyebrow.
"A surprise inspection? We better hope that the Neomagus doesn't give his subordinates copies of the Evil Overlord's Handbook. I suppose it could work, but you'll need a reason. ExGen is responsible for most of the foreign foods imported to Atlantis. As it so happens, there was a nasty stomachache going around last week, bad batch of fish or something. I can give you a warrant to check that ExGen is handling their food correctly. In addition, I can give you suits of Atlantean Guard armor. This would serve both to conceal your identities, and your... conditions." The Lord of Atlantis mentions the last part with the slightest bit of distaste.
"In addition, the suits will allow both Odin and I to discretely remain in contact with you. An associate of mind has developed an experimental headpiece that transmits sonic vibrations straight to the inner ear, creating a fraction of a percent of the noise that a standard communications device would create. Unless anyone has any questions, I can lead you to the armory right now."

Assuming that everyone is OK with the plan Solstice proposed, we can divide up jobs in the OOC. Post there saying whether you wish to be one of the "inspectors", or one of the "infiltrators". We will be continuing on this thread until the mission starts. At that point, the inspection team will stay on this thread, and the infiltrating team will go to the Firestorm thread. This is all, of course, assuming nobody proposes another plan.

Oroboros

2015-07-20, 08:03 PM

The ExGen building looks less like a combination of a warehouse and an office than it does a smaller version of Triton's castle. The front doors are styled too look like an ornate iron gate, and the sides of the building are covered in alternating strips of spotless windows and stainless steel. An attendant strides out of the front of the building. She nods her head respectfully, before gesturing towards the front doors. Hello! Welcome to ExGen shipping and processing. I am Valarie, and I will be guiding you through your inspection of our facilities. Feel free to ask me any question you may have about our operations here. Right this way, please.

If you haven't posted whether you are investigation or infiltration yet, feel free to jump in. In the meantime, we will continue with Solstice's plan. I am not making a post to "set the scene" for the infiltrators, because it wouldn't make sense to do so before a method of infiltration has been decided on. Feel free to sneak in any way you want, and make your own post on Firestorm whenever you can. Available "entrances" include, but are not limited to, going through the vents, walls, or coming in from behind through the entrances to the warehouse on the port.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-07-20, 08:57 PM

Solstice was a little uncomfortable in the Atlantean Guard's armor - his wings, in particular, were all scrunched and cramped. But he bore it stoically. He gave the woman a smile, remembered she couldn't see his face, and nodded instead. "It's much appreciated, and we do apologize for the inconvenience, but when you get so many people calling in about food poisoning, you know how it goes, we have to roll out and check everything." He hoped he was putting enough resigned annoyance in his voice to properly communicate the eye-roll that, again, he remembered too late that she couldn't see.

"We basically just need to take a visual inspection of the premises, make sure that there isn't any environmental factors that could have contributed to the outbreak. Molds, refuse, any odd chemicals that might be leaking out of their assigned places, and so on. Have you seen anything of that nature around here?"

Hopefully someone with an Insight skill is here to read her reaction, particularly when he mentions chemicals.

Oroboros

2015-07-20, 10:06 PM

Well, sir, here at ExGen, we take safety very seriously. If we were aware of anything of the nature beforehand, we would have ordered a recall of the affected products. Anyways, please head this way. Valerie leads the Guardians into the facility. Murals cover the walls, depicting, in typical Atlantean fashion, the greatest accomplishments and achievements of Neohumankind.

The attendant seems perfectly innocent. Either she is a truly accomplished liar, has been kept out of the loop of any illegal activities, or ExGen really is innocent of any perceived crimes.

CandyLaser

2015-07-20, 11:41 PM

Aurora walked a bit behind the rest of the group. The subterfuge of the guard uniform wasn't a bad idea, but she wasn't comfortable with it. She always preferred to avoid deception. So she looked agitated, and she was probably fairly conspicuous despite her doing her best to act casually. During a moment where Valerie was distracted and no one else was obviously watching her, her eyes flared with light for a moment as she did a quick scan of the facility, peering through the walls and looking for anything unusual.

Oroboros

2015-07-21, 08:04 PM

Aurora sees what appears to be a fairly normal facility. The warehouse is mostly full of things like food and clothing, although there is one area filled with large stone pillars and spheres. Other portions of the building contain what appears to be a series of offices and management facilities.

Odin's voice can be heard through the subsonic comms. Remember to keep an eye out for anyone acting suspicious, as they may be trying to cover up criminal evidence. Try to think of ways to maneuver them into incriminating positions, ask to see areas that might be hiding something important. Finally, recall that ALL Atlanteans have powers, so don't be too hesitant to use yours should the need arise. That being said, don't flaunt your abilities either: you are all far more powerful than the Atlantean guard would be.

Oroboros

2015-07-23, 06:51 PM

*Valerie leads the Guardians deeper into the compound, taking them on a tour of the storage area. She leads them into the middle of a large, cavernous warehouse, before flickering and disappearing. A mysterious shadowy figure appears in her place, materializing in the midst of the Guardians. Time seems to freeze as he speaks, rendering the Guardians incapable of movement.
"A "surprise inspection"? Tell me, do you attempt to fix mechanical problems by "reversing the polarity"? Hack computers by typing rapidly?
His tone drips with condescension and sarcasm. One wonders if your potent abilities have led you to neglect any actual training in preventing crime. It matters not. You hardly could have been expected to match wits with one such as I. You were just another bump in the road, the last major obstacle in the way of a process larger than any of one man. Now, you will be crushed with the same contemptuous ease as each obstacle that came before. The shadowy figure vanishes,and time returns to its normal pace. The crates around the room all begin to rumble. One by one, they burst open. Large objects can be seen flying out of the crates, bursting through the walls and falling into the harbor outside.

they're bad news.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-07-23, 07:09 PM

"It lured you out, now didn't it, smart guy?" Solstice retorted as time went back to normal. He quickly removed the breastplate/vest/shirt/whatever the top portion was from his armor to free up his wings, considering how best to respond to those devices as he did so.

Well, a cursory check seems to indicate that our current roster has basically squat for Technology skills, so I'mma just go ahead and spend a Hero Point for Inspiration. Specifically, these devices, are they bad news in a "Destroy them ASAP!" sense or in a "Get them away from anything you care about but for the love of God don't damage them!" sense? :smallbiggrin:

Oroboros

2015-07-23, 10:32 PM

Solstice's information: Well, they're not technology. They are magic, or at least magitech. This makes judging their purpose somewhat harder. If you can get a good look at one, Syntherion can cross-reference it with known magical items and workings. To directly answer Solstice's question, more the first than the second.

CandyLaser

2015-07-23, 11:51 PM

Aurora takes flight, her aura glowing brightly as she unleashes her power. "Guardians!" she calls over the comms. "We're under attack in the warehouse!"

Starsign

2015-07-24, 06:32 PM

Over the commlink, the Guardians can hear a response from their aberrant juggernaut of an ally. "Ahoy Aurora. Ye got a kraken o' a mess on board already? Ye barely gave me enough time t' warm up fer any disasters goin' on!" His voice is boisterous and cheerful as expected, though he does his best to hide the extremely mild concern of timing. "Warp, ye know where's this be happenin'? 'Warehouse' ain't remindin' me o' any specific pirate cove or lair 'ere in Atlantis."

Wanted to get this short post in case Aurora, Warp or anyone else wanted to respond to Sharkguard. Getting a similar (but longer) post over on the Tempest thread as well in preparation for moving back here.

Hyperbolic sine

2015-07-25, 11:44 AM

"Onto them!" the cloaked Greyhound replies over the comm, as his Nanite Rifle instantly assembles itself in his hands. He shoots a burst of plasma projectiles at the nearest object, then dashes off to the nearest cover available.

Free: Rifle configured to Assault.
Standard: attack at [roll0] for Damage DC 25 + Multiattack
Move: Up to 120' (rank 3-1 = 2), Stealth [roll1]

Status: Concealed from All Visual Senses

Quellian-dyrae

2015-07-25, 11:56 AM

Solstice took flight through the shattered wall, the winds of Autumn exploding around him in a gale as he flew out over the harbor. He descended upon the thickest cluster of the devices, and unleashed a chaining blast of lightning upon them. ~Twee, I think these things are some sort of magic device! You want to see if you have any insights on what they can do?~ he sent through the link.

Move: Fly out above the densest group of them.

Standard: Attack with Annum Knight, Variable Descriptor: Electricity. All enemies within 30' of Solstice get a DC 22 Dodge save for half, followed by a DC 27/21 Toughness save vs. Damage. In addition, due to the Linked Environment, all enemies within 120' of Solstice take -5 on Perception checks and have their speed ranks reduced by 2. Solstice's vision now Counters All Concealment.

Current Status: Normal.

Oroboros

2015-07-25, 03:48 PM

The objects shatter against the onslaught of the Guardians. Bolts of lighting and plasma shatter some, but many, many more are making it into the harbor below.
"Guardians, this is Syntherion. I am analyzing your visual feeds. Those objects seem to have a durability similar to stone. I am running a program to analyze the glyphs on their sides as we speak. Solstice is correct in his assumption about their magical nature, but I can't determine their function. We need more images of the glyphs, or it will be like reading every third word of a book.

A glow begins to emanate from the harbor below. Bolts of energy crackle out from beneath the waves. Guardians! Whatever's happening down there, it's cutting off my connection to the water in the area. I can't interfere with whatever is going on down there!

CandyLaser

2015-07-25, 06:12 PM

Aurora flew deftly among the spheres, smashing some with her fists and others with powerful blasts of cosmic energy. As she did, she scanned the area carefully, peering through the walls and looking for the shadowy figure that had taunted them.

Perception, using the full suite of superhuman senses: [roll0]

Oroboros

2015-07-26, 08:37 AM

Unfortunately, Aurora, the Shadowy figure appears to have disappeared into thin air. Perhaps it was teleportation, or magical concealment, or perhaps it was just an illusion in the first place.

Starsign

2015-07-27, 07:02 PM

As the Guardians begin dismantling and destroying the large objects one by one, an object from the sky rapidly approaches the ExGen building. The object is too small to be any sort of transport but also too big for a typical neohuman. The identity however quickly became clear as the object dives right into the ExGen roof headfirst, smashing through it like tissue paper, as well as the floor below it. In an instant he smashes right down to where the other Guardians are, crashing into a huge crate where large objects were just about to escape out to the harbor.

"Ahoy mateys!" Sharkguard calls out as he rises from the rubble and crater he made, crushing an object in each of his hands as a third snaps in half beneath his huge right foot. "Ye Cap'n's on deck!" He gets a quick look at the objects with escape into the ocean; if there's anything worse than a villain attacking on land, it's one attacking the seas. "How 'bout ye stop these things from enterin' th' sea. I'll crush the ones that dare try t' threaten th' god o' the seas' home!" If Triton can hear this now, he'd likely be groaning at Sharkguard's proud quips as the Guardian smashes straight through a wall himself in order to dive into the harbor. "And let's save one or two for Synth, aye?" As usual, he rushes in to act on a situation immediately, for better or worse.

Oroboros

2015-07-28, 07:02 PM

As Sharkguard dives into the water, the flares of light from beneath the waves suddenly intensify. With a concussive blast, Sharkguard is sent flying out of the water, into the side of the warehouse building. Almost all of the objects have dropped into the harbor now, and the ones that haven't are lying smashed on the ground. There is one last massive flash, a blinding flare of force and light. When it subsides, all is quiet for but a moment. Then, suddenly, a massive stone hand reaches up over the pier, dragging up a body behind it. The rune-carved figure that emerges from the water towers over the surrounding buildings. Its body flares with the same runic light as before. Water pours off of its sides as it emerges onto land. Perched upon its head, there is a figure cloaked in darkness. Back in the warehouse, the shadowy figure seemed to be formed from the natural shadows in the room. Now, it stands directly in the sun in defiance of the light. Its form waves in in the wind, giving it an ethereal appearance. The figure on top speaks in a voice that seems to come from everywhere at once.

Now, insects. YOU DIE! The stone figure slams its fist on the ground, and a shockwave of blinding light ripples out along the ground.

The shockwave extends to about 10 feet above the ground, and seems to be mostly blocked by solid objects. You can either get out of the way or make a DC 30 toughness check. Here's a pic of the golem, or at least a close approximation I google imaged. Imagine it with more runes, minus the club. For size, one of the rock shards by it's toe is about Guardian-sized. http://pre14.deviantart.net/f941/th/pre/i/2013/007/b/9/abisal_golem_by_nerkin-d5qr1k5.jpg

Edit: For initiative, we are going to have all of the Guardians go (or at least, all of the Guardians who post in a reasonable time frame), and then the golem/shadowman will act.

Starsign

2015-07-28, 09:00 PM

It takes Sharkguard a moment to recover from the massive blast which had practically happened at point-blank range. The concussive blast gave enough force to bruise the shark-man's chest as he flies into the warehouse wall. Perhaps making that huge leap took a lot more out of him than expected; he found himself panting a bit as his feet land on the ground... even in spite of a massive smile sprouting on his face in extreme excitement. "Ha... Ha! Yar har har! Finally, somethin' from th' seas that can hit hard!" he shouts, shrugging off such a blow with such bravado and endurance. He can't help but get the chance to show off how much strength the shark-man really is capable of.

"And now ye get t' see what sort o' foe ye challenged, ye stoney, moss-lovin' beast!" With the shark-man's courageous cheer, he marches forward at the stone giant, relatively ignoring the shadowy figure on top. Making direct contact with the golem, Sharkguard rushes forward as fast as he can. Everything about his rough voice spoke about how much he is looking forward to his feats of strength in action. "C'mon mateys! How's 'bout we give this this thing a drink?!" Without any hesitation, Sharkguard leaps up, widely swinging his fist into the golem's torso. The shark-man's words should tell enough that he wants this beast into the water, where Sharkguard is at his most powerful. He'd just have to apply enough force to do so... or failing that, have Aurora, Typhon, and/or Warp help move the beast backwards. Though even if that fails, Sharkguard will be happy if he's capable of punching straight through magus-infused rock.

Alrighty, the best thing to do I think is to get this thing away from land and force it to face Sharkguard in the ocean (or at least get it out of our way while we can focus on the objects that did fall into the sea.

Making a full Charge and Power Attack, DC 34 Toughness if hit: [roll0]

Oroboros

2015-07-28, 09:23 PM

Well, Guaridans, I present good news and bad news. The good news is that that golem is allowing me an accurate visual of its constituent runes. The bad news is what those runes signify: they bind the golem together, and grant it not only incredible strength, but a resistance to Neohuman powers as well. Act with caution, Guardians.

I just realized that the picture may have confused this matter a bit, but the golem is pretty clearly made of the objects that fell into the water. You can see all of the runes covering its skin, and you can even sort of see the borders where the pillar-like objects fused together.

Sharkguard's punch sends the golem reeling, shards of rock shattering out from the impact point. The insides of the golem seem to be lined with even more runes.

CandyLaser

2015-07-28, 10:48 PM

Resistant to our powers, hmmm? Aurora thought. That was unfortunate... but on the other hand, there was this convenient warehouse right here, and it was, as far as she was concerned, pretty much expendable. She'd already gotten a pretty good sense for what was where with her visual scan. She flew toward an uninhabited corner of the warehouse and smashed through the wall, yanking on a girder and ripping it free from the structure. The creature might be able to resist her powers, but being bludgeoned with tons of solid steel ought to make an impact.

Aurora's up in the air, so I believe there's no need to resist the shockwave. No attack this round, because I assume that it'll be necessary to use an action to find a girder that can be ripped out without hurting anyone in the building and then to actually do the job.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-07-28, 11:10 PM

Solstice flew up high to avoid the shockwave, rising up until he was only visible as a dark silhouette against the brilliant sun.

This was Solstice's element. It would be a long time, if ever, before he truly felt comfortable as a leader, directing others in battle, acting as a face for the Guardians. In truth, the assignment was probably one of the best things Odin could have done for him. Solstice had spent so much of his life trying to minimize the harm he caused. That was what responsibility meant to him, trying to get through life without impairing the lives of others. His role in Team Firestorm was starting to change that, was letting him see he could be responsible for others in a way that actually helped them, rather than merely not hurting them.

But at the end of the day, Solstice didn't feel like he was the right choice for the job. He didn't feel like he deserved it. He wasn't a leader.

He was a warrior. Because for all his training, for all the time he had spent trying to master his powers, to gain control of them, at the end of the day they were really, really good at one thing - harming others. When he drew steel and called the elements to command against a dangerous enemy, beside his friends and in defense of others, it was a task he knew he was suited for, knew he was good at.

When he came down, the browns and oranges of Autumn had been replaced by the vibrant reds, greens, and golds of Summer, and a tremendous, flaming claymore was held tightly in his hands as he dove upon the golem, bringing the weapon down in a hewing chop for the creature's back.

"Buddy, please! Your oversized action figure couldn't take on the Guardians you buy at the toy store, let alone the real deal!" he taunted the shadowy mage as he attacked.

Move: Avoid the shockwave, then dive down at the golem all cool-like.

Standard: Attack the golem with Summer Knight, All Out Attacking for 5, Power Attacking for 5, at [roll0], critting on 18+. On a hit, Toughness DC 32 vs. Damage. If the target's Toughness save (not counting Bruises) fails to beat DC 27, it also loses points of Toughness equal to the difference. The Damage portion has a Secondary Effect and if it hit will trigger again at the end of Solstice's next turn.

Current Status: -5 Defense this turn.

Kymme

2015-07-28, 11:50 PM

~Luckily, I have no intention of using my powers on it.~

Like a flash of white lightning, Calliope sprints (through the air) past the golem's face, her cloak passing only a hairsbreadth from the monster's rune-etched brow. She lands on the crumbling dock of the warehouse, standing defiantly before the titanic beast. Fixing the shadowed man with a glare that could melt a brass section, the minuscule woman begins to sing.

"Out of the night that covers us.
Black as the Pit from poles to poles.
We thank whatever gods may be.
For our unconquerable souls."

At once, every Guardian around Calliope feels as if a weight has been lifted from their shoulders. Their movements are faster, and minor cuts and scrapes across their bodies vanish as if they never existed.

At that moment, every citizen in South Beach hears a faint music, reminiscent of what they might hear over the course of a long elevator ride. The music fades away, replaced with a matronly voice. "Attention citizens of Atlantis' South Beach District. This is Calliope, the Wandering Eye and member of the Guardians, speaking. We are currently engaged in a battle against an international criminal in the wharves. The Guardians ask that no citizen interfere in this engagement, and we would also request a temporary evacuation of the waterfront sections of South Beach. This has been Calliope, of the Guardians, speaking. We thank you for your time."

Calliope is using her move action to join the battle, then using her standard to activate 'For If Good Men Do Nothing'. She's positioned to effect as many people as possible with the burst. If it's no trouble, please state in the OOC if you are close enough (30 ft) to receive the benefit of her power.

Every Guardian effected enhances their speed by 5 and gains Regeneration 8. These both stack with existing Speed and Regeneration abilities.

Hyperbolic sine

2015-07-29, 06:34 PM

Greyhound was hunkering down behind one of the few unopened crates at the far end of the warehouse. The bad news was that he was too far from Calliope to benefit from her song: the good was that he was also far enough from the golem to do some good, old sniping. His weapon changing shape in an instant, Greyound swifly alignes the improved optics with the head of the creature, focusing on the target and relying on his invisibility for protection. Then, he pulls the trigger, shooting a hypervelocity plasma projectile.

Free: Switch to Sniper Config
Move: Aim.
Standard: All-out Power Attack the golem at [roll0], crit 16-20. Toughness DC 36 vs Damage and Fortitude DC 31 vs Impaired/Disabled.

Status: Concealed from All Visual Senses, -5 active defenses this turn, Vulnerable this turn.

Starsign

2015-07-29, 07:28 PM

"Ye be too worried 'bout us Synth!" Sharkguard says as stands in the hole he had made in the golem. A look of pride shined on the shark-man's face. Holding onto the sides of the hole, he leans out to look up towards the golem's head. "Ye call this 'resistant'?" he speaks on his commlink. "I can't even be givin' it me all on land and it's already reelin' like it's made outta rotten wood." As a Guardian, Sharkguard sure knows when to talk and when to fight. But when a massive magical golem blasts you out of the water and its master threatens to kill you, how can the shark-man not respond with a little brute force?

"'Sides, I be havin' Ol' Callie 'ere with th' crew. When's the last she and I had trouble?" Sharkguard's little nickname for Calliope is made for fun, probably infuriates her, and Sharkguard makes no apology to calling her that whenever he's using his pirate accent. Given that in the past, the two work by Calliope generally giving little concern to the shark-man's safety while fighting villains, being given a somewhat amusing or embarrassing nickname is quite a light punishment for throwing empty vehicles, fireballs, rubble, sonic booms, and giant monsters at Sharkguard. Besides, given his attitude he practically is asking for it.

Oroboros

2015-07-29, 08:04 PM

Solstice's flaming sword swings into the golem's back, sending cracks spiderwebbing around its shoulder. However, the real damage is dealt by the Summer fire left in the wake of the claymore. Rock melts, and drips away. Greyhound peers through the scope, years of experience guiding his barrel. The bolt of plasma he fires off slams into the golem's arm with perfectly calculated precision, leveraging weak points in the structure for maximum effect. In a massive shower of dust and rubble, the golem's shoulder joint shatters, sending its left arm tumbling to the ground. With a mighty roar, the golem collapses to one knee, chunks of rock falling off.

"Heh. I appear to have underestimated you heroes. " The Shadowman's voice echoes once again into the minds of all those around, like a perversion of Calliope's warning.
"It matters not. Arimfex Endrapuse!" With that incantation, the Shadowman seems to disappear into the golem, melting into its stones. Rivulets of a tar-like substance begin to run down it's head. Suddenly, the hole in the golem's chest that Sharkguard occupies begins to spew black ichor. The force of the fluid is enough to knock Sharkguard off of his feet, sending him flying down to the pavement below. The golem's missing arm also begins to spew ichor at an incredible rate. The flow of the black fluid out of the various injuries begins to stem, but more of the black material is left behind like a scab. Even the golem's left arm socket now holds a thick tendril of the black fluid. The golem stands back up. Its movements are more limber now, faster, more assured. It turns to Solstice. Remembering the burn of his Summer fire, the golem's eyes light up with a malevolent purple light. Without warning, it swings its new tendril-arm at Solstice with blinding speed.

[roll0] DC 35 damage check if the tendril hits. Both Sharkguard and Solstice (if it hits) have to take a DC 28 Fortitude save to resist the Black Ichor's paroxysm (Incredible amounts of pain, dazed --> stunned --> incapacitated)

Starsign

2015-07-29, 09:32 PM

So unwary of the black ichor, Sharkguard only got to look back at the hole he had made in the golem before the ichor suddenly bursts like an explosion, covering the shark-man as he smashes into the pavement while a small pool of the horrid liquid surrounds him. The pain is immediately noticeable; he hasn't been in so much pain since he was submerged in lava. Were this applied to most neohumans, they'd likely pass out in an instant; instead Sharkguard struggles to his feet, giving a slight groan as he does so. The ichor drips and sloshes like acid from his rough hide; bits and small slugs of it drip from the end of his shark-shaped head, including from the dorsal fin which sticks out from his classic blue-and-white bandanna.

As he attempts to speak, Sharkguard immediately finds himself hurling a chunk of the black ichor which had flung into his mouth when he got sent flying. The taste is of course terrible but the aftertaste of horrid stinging and burning senses made it all the worse for Sharkguard to deal with. Were it not for the pain, he'd be smiling at fighting this increasingly-abominable monstrosity. "Bah, this Cap'n's gonna need a swim after this," he mutters to himself out of annoyance. Given how powerful this thing is, continuing to fight it on land could be a real uphill slog. He knows the best way to fight is in the water... except pure strength might not accomplish that easily.

Instead he turns on his commlink again to speak to Warp, probably the only one who can move things as big as this. Sharkguard's jovial tone attempts to hide the seriousness in his look. "Lad, can ye get this thing down t' th' sea? I be thinkin' it's gotta learn what it really means t' fight a god if it thinks to drown me in this barnacle sludge!" Given the pain and utter uncleanness of the ichor, Sharkguard himself is due for a swim soon.

Delaying my actions until after Warp's, and possibly after Aurora's. I think a team attack might be called for at this point. :smallbiggrin:

Hyperbolic sine

2015-07-30, 04:24 PM

Greyhound curses under his breath as the golem's arm - supposedly destroyed - transforms into that of some sort of black, slimy creature.

Whatever. If it has a body, I can kill it. Hold on, Solstice! he thinks, aiming for the creature's head.

Move: Aim.
Standard: All-out Power Attack the golem at [roll0], crit 16-20. Toughness DC 36 vs Damage and Fortitude DC 31 vs Impaired/Disabled.

Status: Concealed from All Visual Senses, -5 active defenses this turn, Vulnerable this turn.

Oroboros

2015-07-31, 03:22 PM

The bolt of plasma ripples across the back of the golem's head, dissipating into the air. The golem turns away from Solstice, and scans the area for the source of the blast. Suddenly, the purple lights in it's eyes flare, and it's head snaps towards Greyhounds hiding spot. It turns, and begins approaching the sniping position at a frightening pace, its tendril snapping menacingly behind it.

Starsign

2015-08-01, 01:02 PM

While Sharkguard wants to fight the giant golem in the water, where he is at his strongest, his mind shifts gears as he notices the massive creature quickly marches towards Greyhound's position. If there is not something to distract or hold it off, there probably will be no stopping it from tearing through the weaker Guardians, not to mention much of Atlantis. There is no neohuman able to go toe-to-toe with this magic-infused chunk of rocks. Sharkguard's mind gives him a thought; this is just like Monarch isn't it? Sharkguard remembers what happened in Tokyo back in 1996; many Guardians there, ones he knew, died in futility and senselessly to the rapidly mutated aberrant. The shark-man feels his love of battle bolstered by a need to protect his more frail allies. As a hero, he has to protect the Guardians; if he can't then he knows that there will be more casualties among the Guardians today.

"Alright, that does it!" Sharkguard belts out, his accent slipping as a look of indominitable focus and anger flash on his shark-headed face. With his impressive reflexes he charges out back towards the golem. "Now ye see how great th' god o' th' seas is, ye mad rock beast!"

Once again Sharkguard jumps up right at the golem, bringing his hands together as he swings them over his head and down like a hammer onto the magus-infused creature. His mind races with thoughts that amplify his bravado; there is no one but him who can stand up to this monstrosity. There is no one that can put down a god like him. An aberrant god should never lose, and Sharkguard will absolutely refuse to die by losing to a villain!

Decided to get my action done now. Didn't want to hold things up by having to wait on another player. :smallredface:

A friend of mine last night gave me a bit of advice for another game I'm in, largely stemming from writing too much like an omniscient dictionary and getting my tenses messed up. Gonna try to work in some improvements for my post here too. :smallsmile:

Anyway, making another attack on the golem. Charging + Power Attack +5/-5: [roll0] Main goal is to try and single out the golem's immediate available options for who to attack.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-08-01, 04:25 PM

Solstice cried out as the golem slammed him. The cleansing heat of Summer fire helped diminish the agony inflicted by the ichor, but it was still a disorientingly-searing pain added on top of the shock of several ribs cracking beneath the golem's blow. He could feel Calliope's power flowing through him, making a start at repairing the damage, but it wasn't going to be fast enough. Solstice gritted his teeth and prepared to go down fighting.

Except the creature went after Greyhound instead.

The breath of relief that Solstice wanted to give at that would have hurt too much, so he didn't bother. Still, that ichor made the creature too dangerous to engage up close, and its augmentation meant his conventional tactics would prove ineffective. He could play defender, but it would take Spring magic to withstand the creature's blows, and Summer to purify him of its ichor. It would be a losing battle either way.

But Solstice was a warrior. He wasn't giving up that easily.

Oh, sure, the golem outpowered him, that much was clear. But sometimes, it wasn't all about how much power you had.

It was about how well you used it.

"Hey!" Stolstice shouted, voice raw with pain but determined nonetheless. "I'm not finished with you yet!"

Summer fire blazed into being around him, a red-gold aura of flame. His eyes blazed especially brightly, like two rising suns. He pointed one finger at the creature.

Normally, Solstice channeled his power through his weapons, using his strength of arms to strike past enemy defenses so the magic could blast through uncontested. Sometimes, he released it in tremendous blasts of elemental power.

This time, Solstice took all the energy he would normally spend to spread consuming fire over a thirty-foot radius - and focused it all into his fingertip.

A beam of fire barely half an inch in diameter and brighter than the sun exploded from Solstice's outstretched digit, flying for the golem arrow-straight. There wasn't any more power in that blast than any of Solstice's energy attacks. But what power there was was so focused, so concentrated, that it would pierce through just about anything.

And let it burn.

Extra Effort - Power Stunt off of Seasonal Change: Summer's Spear: Weapons Master gains (Ranged, Alternate Resistance [Dodge]); Immunity 30 (Fortitude; Sustained, Limited [Half Effect]); Feature 1 (Radiates gentle warmth and can warm small objects or spark small fires freely).

Move: Staggered.

Standard: Attack the golem with Summer's Spear at [roll0]. On a hit, Dodge (not Toughness) DC 27 vs. Damage.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Staggered, Fatigued.

Fortitude to remove the Daze: [roll1]. Recovers

Regeneration Progress: 8/10.

Oroboros

2015-08-01, 06:52 PM

The lance of fire carves a furrow through the golems lower back, nearly carving off its leg. The golem roars in pain, its head rotating around to an unnatural angle to stare at Solstice behind its back. Its glowing eyes convey a sense of malice that regular human expression can't match. It reaches up to its tendril-arm, and tears off the top half. The bottom half begins to fountain ichor, which hardens into deadly spikes upon contacting the air. It turns its arm toward Solstice, firing a barrage of razor-sharp spears.

The Shadowman's voice echoes around the waterfront, now emanating from the golem's entire body. This whole city shall perish before me. Ego animas eorum ad Deskari!

Once more, the runes on the golem's body flare. Tendrils of magical energy lance out, sinking into the ground around the golem like bolts of lighting.Arrrrrrraghhhhhhhh! The ground trembles, and cracks begin to appear along the concrete. Beneath the cracks, a layer of barely 30 feet of volcanic rock separates the surface and the ocean below. More disturbingly, that layer appears to be shrinking.
GraahhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHH!! Power... cut off.... like.... aahhh.... having a limb severed.... sinkiaaaAAGGGGGGGG!! The floating water decorations around the island begin to thrash and swirl around, some crashing into the ground, and other exploding into swarms of droplets in the air.

Guardians! That golem is extending its power nullification glyphs to affect the hard-water substructure holding up Atlantis. Triton is lying semi-conscious in the throne room, desperately trying to hold this island together. You need to incapacitate this golem, and quickly.

Since Sharkguard is close to the golem, if the below roll is over 17, he gets splashed by the ichor from Solstice's wound and has to save vs the DC 28 Black Ichor's paroxysm
[roll0]

For the attack on Solstice: [roll1]
If it hits, DC 32 dmg and ichor save

Starsign

2015-08-01, 10:08 PM

Sharkguard's attempts at punching the golem worked about as well as trying to fly through space by breathing out a huge gust of stored air. He doesn't get it; he smashed a huge hole in this golem before yet now it's barely scratched by his immense strength. What in the world did that squishy mage do? The shark-man felt like he really is fighting Monarch all over again; an enemy where going toe-to-toe with is less about beating up the villain and more about proving how tough the hero really is.

As a result, Sharkguard is surprised when the golem does roar in pain from Solstice's brilliant lance. Good ol' aberrant power, demonstrating what it can accomplish once more. With what the shark-man hears over the commlink however, it is not all for good. His reaction about Triton is a grim frustration. "He what? That damn, good fer nothin', landlubbin' neohuman of a ruler thought his place be fine lyin' on that throne of his?" Sharkguard never quite got why Triton preferred to talk when crap like this comes loose; frankly there seems to be little reason to understand. If the duties of a ruler include protecting the country then Triton should actually go out and help fight villains such as these. "Well I hope he be learnin' his lesson when he wakes."

The shark-man's sour frustration dims out as he looks back to the other Guardians. Disagreement or not, there are people to save and the collapse of an entire country would spell far, far worse than any grudge the shark-man has. "Alrigh' Guardians! Let's hit this cursed monolith back t' th' locker below!" As the self-proclaimed captain of the group, Sharkguard believes that he shows no falter when leading, even when he's covered in black ichor all over and is dealing with stinging pain at every moment. "All together now!" he cries with a strong heart as he makes one giant fist at the golem in the attempt to either distract it or take it out. Sharkguard is confident enough that Aurora and Typhon will be there to help power through this monstrosity.

Probably best to state that, trying to put Sharkguard's opinions and viewpoint thoughts into the writing/POV itself, very little stated here actually represents my own thoughts on the matter. Being a ruler after all is a lot more than "fight villain to protect country" after all. :smalltongue:

Anyway, performing another Power Attack as that seems to be the most I'm capable of here :smallredface: Would like Aurora and Typhon to assist in a combination attack... that still exists in 3e, right?

[roll0]

Dienekes

2015-08-02, 10:53 AM

****, ****, damn, ****, were all that was going through Typhon's mind as he charged toward the fighting. Caught out of position, unable to aid his friends against the monster that was destroying the city. Magic, he was starting to despise it.

Making a mental note that his current studies were obviously not up to task on this topic, if he survived he would need to learn how this all worked, and more importantly, what would be used to get rid of protection runes.

As his giant lumbering form slid to a halt before the battle, he took only a moment to see what was happening, the fight with Sharkguard and the black tendrils that spewed out. Alright, time to think, if the tendrils were stronger than the rock, the mage woudn't have used the rock at all. Meaning they should be a weaker point. But the rock is what has the runes, stopping our more offensive powers from working.

"Sharkguard is right, hit it hard, together. Pick a joint, weakpoint, or one of those runes and give it everything you have. And watch your footing, this rock is sinking." Typhon shouts as he charges for the golem.

Move Action: Battle Commands: Grant allies Favored Environment: Sinking City, Teamwork, Fascinate, Improved Critical 4
Charge (-2) All-Out (+5) Power(-5) Team (+5) Attack with Environmental bonus (+2) [roll0]
Toughness DC 31 with Penetrating 5, and a crit on 16-20

Ok, everyone involved with the Team Attack, Favored Environment and Teamwork grants you +7 to the attack roll.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-08-02, 11:56 AM

Solstice managed to avoid the majority of that blow this time. So he only got his left arm cracked instead of his chest caved in. Progress!

"Guh-h!" he gritted out as more of the ichor doused him, only the cleansing flames of Summer keeping the pain sufficiently at bay that he could still think straight. Mostly. The world was feeling a little wobbly.

The bruising around his cracked ribs had faded. That was good. He thought if they played a defensive game, they could probably win this. They had sufficient access to healing. Wolf pack the thing. Get it to spread its attacks around them, so Calliope's mass healing would do the most good...

Odin's message came in.

****

No time to play defensive, no time to fight safe. This thing had to go.

Whatever the cost.

Solstice took a deep, painful breath, pointed his finger once more, and released another pinpoint blast of Summer fire, this time holding the beam on the creature sweeping it around in a complex pattern to try to maximize the damage...although being forced to focus his attention fully on it rather precluded any possibility of defense.

Dodge-resisted attacks: Because some enemies are immune to literally everything else! :smallbiggrin:

I'm delaying to after the Team Attack, just wanted to get this up now. IF the Team Attack doesn't bring this thing down:

Free: Power Stunting Summer's Spear once again. Except this time its Feature is replaced with the Precise Extra. Just because it's more fitting.

Move: Staggered.

Standard: Attack with Summer's Spear, All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 5, +2 from Favored Environment, at [roll0] 34 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19618166&postcount=227). On a hit, Dodge DC 32 vs. Damage.

Regenerates 1 Bruise.

Fortitude to remove Dazed (DC 19): [roll1]. Fails

Current Status: Bruised, Staggered, Dazed (F19), Fatigued, Exhausted as of next turn, -5 Defense this turn.

Kymme

2015-08-02, 12:36 PM

"In the fell clutch of circumstance
We have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeoning of chance
Our heads are bloody, but unbowed."

Again, reality twists to reflect Calliope's words. Wounds vanish as quickly as the appeared, and all of the Guardians feel a sense of alacrity well up within them from seemingly nowhere.

"Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Lies but the horror of the shade.
And yet the menace of the years.
Finds, and shall find, us unafraid."

Her voice swells, and so too does the music that begins to suffuse the air around her. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSF3RPAJ5ic&feature=youtu.be&t=29s)

"It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scrolls!
We are the masters of our fate!
WE ARE THE CAPTAINS OF OUR SOULS!

Calliope is going to keep maintaining her healing aura. She'd aid the team attack, but her damage is utterly pitiful in comparison to everyone else's.

Hyperbolic sine

2015-08-02, 03:55 PM

The island was starting to fall apart. It was NOT a good sign. With nothing more then a thought, Greyhound's rifle changes again and the nanosuit's repulroslif thrusters come to life.

"Heads up, Sharkguard! Support barrage, incoming!" he comms to the shark-man as he flies out of the warehouse and up into the air, flooding the air around the golem with plasma projectiles in order to distract the beast and let his teammate land a strike in a vulnerable point.

Free: switch arrays (Assault, Repulsorlift Thruster)
Move: well...move?
Standard: Team Attack with Sharkguard, Accurate Defensive attacking at [roll0] 26. One degree of succes gives +2 to the DC to resist Sharkguard's attack, three or more give +5.

Status: Concealed from All Visual Senses, + 5 active defenses this turn.

CandyLaser

2015-08-03, 11:27 AM

Aurora wrenched a girder free from the warehouse and flew up to join her compatriots in attacking the golem. Her aura blazed brightly, and a white streak marked her progress as she flew straight for the golem, holding the girder in front of her like a lance. This was no time for subtlety. Her defiant roar was lost in the crack of a sonic boom as she broke the sound barrier. Giving no thought to her own defense, she smashed into the creature, carrying tons of steel in front of her to grant some distance and protect her from the creature's ichor.

Let's go for a slam attack. Using high-speed flight, power- and all-out attacking for 5 each. If it hits, it's effect rank 25, meaning a DC 40 Toughness save is needed. Adding the circumstance bonus for favored environment to the attack as well. Attack roll: [roll0]. If it hits, Aurora has to make a save against a rank 12 effect: [roll1] against DC 27. This might be too big an effect to participate in the team attack; I think that's fine, though. Also, Aurora's active defenses are all effectively 0 for the round - she's not defenseless (and so can't be auto-crit) but she is easy to hit.

Oroboros

2015-08-03, 08:30 PM

Typhon charges forward, swinging his claws into the golem's leg. The first strike scrapes off of the blackened stone with negligible effect, but the second cuts into the back of the golem's knee as Typhon runs by. Even this barely draws a glance from the golem. A glance is all Solstice needs. Once more, he attacks the golem with a burning lance of Summer fire. The beam carves through the golem, dropping it forward and sending ichor spurting everywhere. With the skill of a seasoned marksman, Greyhound hammers bolt after bolt into the back of the golem's head, before Sharkguard crushes the weak spot with a mighty two-fisted overhand hammerblow. The golemss head drops forward, dangling on threads of ichor. It straightens up, stumbling through the the barrage of attacks. Just as it rears its head again, a silver meteor crashes into it, a fist from the heavens, a divine judgement. The golem shatters, fragmenting into a spray of rocks that fly miles in all directions. The ground beneath it explodes upon the impact, and a massive fountain of water juts up in Aurora's wake as her momentum carries her under the sea.

All is calm for a moment, until a black hand reaches up from the depths. The creature that pulls itself back up barely resembles the golem from before. Mere shards of rock drift around in it's tarry form, and its maw drips with black ichor. Its body is now more amorphous, and tendrils of the ichor still glow from inside with the same runic light that was present at its birth.
The island's collapse seems to have barely been halted, and more cracks are propagating in the rock all around the Guardians. Screams of terror can be heard from the city as the island gradually begins to collapse back into the sea. The beachfronts are fading back into the ocean, and in costal areas of the island such as the warehouse, chunks of rock are starting to crack off and sink. The island is thin, barely 30 feet thick in some places, and the strain of losing Triton's support is causing it to fracture and flood. Triton's strained voice can barely be heard over the noise. I... will... not... let... this creature.... destroy.. my... ISLAND!

Fun fact: The hypothetical energy carried by Aurora's strike (assuming the girder weighs about 1 ton, and not even counting any hitting force, just the impact) released about as much energy as 5 grams of antimatter, or enough to power a typical household for 10,000 years. If we factor striking force into it, it gets ridiculous, releasing (almost exactly) the same amount of energy as every single nuclear bomb detonated. Ever. For obvious reasons I'm handwaving this with the power of superhero physics.

Typhon, Sharkguard, and Aurora all have to make the DC 28 save against the ichor from damaging the golem in melee.

Finally, a change in form that drastic probably mandates a new picture. This is the closest I could find:

http://nuldi.com/media/2011/12/30/rejected-green-lantern-concept-art-shows-off-a-very-different-parallax-1-148299.jpg

Quellian-dyrae

2015-08-04, 12:47 AM

Solstice let out a harsh, hissing growl as the creature changed again. His entire body felt like it was on fire, spots were dancing before his eyes from the effort of focusing his power that intensely. The creature's new form might be better about to avoid his beams, and he didn't think he had the strength for more attacks like that unless he knew it would work. He took a breath and let the flames of Summer and Calliope's healing magic do their work, basking in the vigor.

Move: Staggered.

Standard: Recover from Exhausted.

Regenerates 1 Bruise.

Fortitude to remove Dazed: [roll0]. Recovers

Current Status: Staggered, Fatigued, +2 Defense this turn.

Starsign

2015-08-04, 10:38 PM

"Then ye better be tryin' harder!" Sharkguard's boisterous voice echoes more loudly than the collapsing earth beneath his feet as he responds to Triton over the commlink. "We ain't wanna see this place drown cause some swabby neohuman thought bein' a cap'n is all 'bout givin' orders!" Sharkguard felt that now is the best time to sprout off attacks and angry orders to the ruler of Atlantis. Anger usually doesn't inspire power in the shark-man but he sure knows it can in other beings. Rile up Triton enough and Sharkguard bets it'll help keep the whole island together... even if it meant just for Triton to try and slug the shark-man. Ha! The aberrant would love to see Atlantis' ruler try.

Not that Sharkguard is the picture of health at the moment. Even compared to other Guardians he has exposed himself to the black ichor to an incredible degree. A lot of his shark hide is covered by the icky, painful black slime which oozes slowly down his body. The aberrant clenches the teeth fighting off the pain; oh how he wishes he can just charge through and around this amorphous abomination. Is this thing really not an aberrant? It has all the might and looks to be one yet seemingly is a construct developed by a magus.

Of course the identity may ultimately not matter; if it bruises, Sharkguard can beat it; if it bleeds, someone can kill it. All that's needed is a little more muscle and a little more willpower. He looks up at Aurora, the flying neohuman who makes him jealous of her strength and flight. "Ahoy Aurora! Ye be needin' somethin' with a bigger bite than a girder," he calls up, flashing his large, though ichor-covered teeth to her. In the meantime he looks for the nearest huge chunk of rubble that fell off from the building he had crashed through earlier. In doubt that this may actually do much, he heaves a massive steel-clad rubble piece several times bigger than him as he throws it with his mighty strength at the monster. Almost thinking that his attack is just filler, Sharkguard keeps speaking to Aurora trying to devise a plan. "How's 'bout ye strike me into this beast!?" The strategy of throwing himself into this beast is working to an extent. If he had more time he'd try something safer like throwing objects at the monster. Yet the possibility of awesomely crashing through this abomination head-first faster than the speed of sound is way, way too thrilling to pass up.

Wanting to support Aurora should she attack or Slam again, preferably in the manner that Sharkguard described above :smalltongue: Will go make my attack check for a normal/team ranged attack, All-Out Attack and Power Attack +5/-5 for DC 34. (DC 41 if I manage a crit due to Improved Critical 4 via Typhon) [roll0]

Hyperbolic sine

2015-08-06, 05:14 PM

The Nanite rifle shifts once again into the sniper configuration, and though this time Greyhound has to shoot without aiming in order to bring himself out of the golem's range (hopefully).

Free: Switch to Sniper Config
Move: Distance rank 3 away and up.
Standard: All-out Power Attack at [roll0] crit 16-20, Toughness DC 36 vs Damage.

Volthawk

2015-08-06, 07:01 PM

Warp suddenly appears next to Sharkguard, his suit looking a little ragged. "Sorry I was gone, some other things came up that may have been relevant, but they came up blank mission-wise. Interesting to me, but not relevant here." He takes a moment to actually assess the situation. "What the hell is that thing, and how can I help deal with it? Is it causing this place going to ****? Want me to get it off the island?"

Starsign

2015-08-06, 09:53 PM

It takes Sharkguard a moment before he realizes Warp is next to him, who the shark-man assumes has seen a good degree of action while Warp has been gone. "'Bout time ye came lad," Sharkguard says to his fellow Guardian, smiling like the shark-man is glad to see reinforcements from his fellow allies. "Bet teleportin' might work. Think Synth said somethin' 'bout it havin' power resistance. Hell I can't tell what it is 'sides from somethin' that's we ought t' shove into Davy Jones' locker!"

He gives a quick check of his surroundings to see what the other Guardians are doing... and anything that the teleporting hero can use to his advantage. Warp's a bright kid, and being able to teleport anything should allow for all manner of fun things that he can drop on this crazy thing. "Ye can try teleportin' it but I bet ye be better off lookin' t' squash it flat. It ain't got much left in it; a good ship or two'll put it down." For a second Sharkguard imagines the idea of Brandywine dropping his battleship right on the amorphous beast. The sight of that would be amazing. Nothing is quite as extraordinary as dropping thousands of tons on top of a monster just as big... Then Sharkguard remembers that more than Brandywine are on the ship and they probably won't appreciate being in something while it collides with something else... Bah, at least there's always other options. "...Course if ye can't find anythin' suitable, ya can always drop me onto it from a few miles up." The shark-man smiles wickedly, always up for that next run into excitement.

CandyLaser

2015-08-06, 11:29 PM

Another geyser of water marks Aurora's return to the surface. She still carries the wrecked remains of the girder - the end that made contact glowing a dull red, the metal twisted and deformed, looking for all the world like it ran like a liquid (https://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2013/hypervelocity_impact/12635239-1-eng-GB/Hypervelocity_Impact.png) in the hyperfast impact. The water clinging to her body flashes to steam as she channels cosmic energy through her. She casts the useless scrap of the girder aside, and slams her hands together hard. The clap sounds like thunder, and the brilliant silver-white beam that blasts from her joined hands is brighter than any bolt of lightning.

Attacking the golem with an energy blast. All-out and power attacking for 5, and putting the favored environment bonus into attack. Rolling [roll0] to hit; effect DC 34 if the attack lands, +5 if the natural attack roll is 16-20. This can be a team attack with Sharkguard if desired.

Volthawk

2015-08-08, 03:57 PM

Warp just laughs. "Hey, if you're up for that kinda dropping, sure why not. I guess you can survive that, no problem. For now, let's see if I can't do it the other way around..." With that, he vanishes again, reappearing next to the golem and putting a hand to it, pumping his power into it before reappearing next to Sharkguard to see if his efforts did anything.

Gonna switch to my attack telelport, port next to the golem, use the attack teleport on it, then Turnabout back to where I started. Using the advantage-less PA/All-out for +2 DC, -2 defence I guess.

Attack: [roll0]
If it hits, that's a DC 26 save vs damage, a DC 26 Fort save vs affliction (dazed, stunned, incapacitated) and most importantly a DC 26 Will save against teleporting....hrm. He's probably gonna nope fall damage, so let's stick him in the ocean 60 miles out away from land if he fails.

Oroboros

2015-08-08, 09:05 PM

The Golem strides through the Guardians barrage unfazed. The Shadowman's dark laugh echos through the docks. "You Guardians are pathetic! This island will crumble, and there is nothing you can do about it!"

Guardians... Clear... out.
Suddenly, the water around the palace begins to shift. It draws near to the entrance, where it picks up a figure. Triton stands atop a geyser, in the middle of a shattering city. Even from this great distance, there is strain visible in his form. When he speaks, the oceans themselves vibrate in tune. Triton's voice is carried through the water this way, drowning out even the Shadowman's sardonic laugh. I am TRITON, LORD OF ATLANTIS. Trespasser, prepare to be destroyed!

"Fool! Even now you can barely stand. You can't even control the water under my feet. How can you lay a finger on me?"

Triton's reply does not come in the form of words. Instead, water begins to flow up. The oceans begin to rain into the skies. The water flows up, up to the top of the world, up above the power nullification aura. Triton raises his hands above his head, his hands gripping eachother. The water mimics his movement, hundreds of meters above his head. He brings his hands down in a furious crushing gesture. The water hurdles toward the ground, propelled faster than it should be able to fall. Even as it passes into the nullification field, it continues its descent toward the golem. The golem stands unfazed as the fists fall down toward it. The water crashes into the ground, and the concrete, already strained, now shatters beneath the impact. The golem plunges down, toward the.... water? Where only moments ago there was the ocean, now there looms nothing but an abyss. The golem plunges down into the darkness, disappearing in the chunks of concrete.
"Heh. Bet he... didn't see.. that... coming." The sound of a body hitting the ground can be heard through Triton's microphone.

Guardians, this is Odin. Apparently, Triton managed to clear out the ocean below the golem, opening up a pit beneath that seems to lead all the way down to the sea floor. The golem has a three mile fall to look forward to, but I doubt even that will kill him. You need to find a way to the seafloor, and finish the golem once and for all. Be warned, the golem will negate Triton's abilities as he falls, collapsing the tunnel behind him. You either need to get to the bottom quickly, while there is still air, or be ready to endure enough water pressure to turn a steel safe into a crumpled tin can. Whatever you do, you should move quickly. Good luck.

The golem has to make a DC 31 save for the fall
[roll0]

Quellian-dyrae

2015-08-08, 09:50 PM

Solstice just kinda...stared down into that abyss.

There was no way. With the power of Summer, he might have been able to endure the ichor and hold his breath enough to engage the golem in melee, maybe, but that was assuming the fiery power of Summer would even work miles below the ocean, surrounded by water on all sides. The earthen magic of Spring he might have been able to draw from the sea floor, and would give him the resilience to survive the pressure and the golem's physical strikes, but the ichor and the lack of air would do him in. Autumn would let him strike at range, ignoring the ichor, but he doubted its air magic would work under water, and he would be crushed for sure - by the golem if not the pressure. Winter magic was based on water - and would provide precisely zero benefit against the golem.

No single season could accomplish everything he needed, which left him with one option...

Calliope's power settled over him, healing the remnants of his wounds, filling him with renewed vigor.

...And it absolutely wasn't some deranged attempt to combine the powers of all four seasons at once. That would have been silly.

The reds and greens of Summer faded to the greens and golds of Spring as he flew over to Triton. In some ways, he wanted to blame the hydrokinetic for making their already difficult fight even harder, but this wasn't the time for such feelings. The positive emotions of Spring kept such thoughts at bay. The simple fact was that Solstice didn't have what it took to help his team win this battle - and Triton did.

He placed his hands on the fallen ruler's chest, and cast the verdant light of Spring upon him. It wasn't a blaze of power, like when he had focused the fire of Summer. The light of spring was ever-gentle, shining down over the two as Solstice poured his strength into Triton - all that he could give. He might not have pulled it off on his own, but

He would sway some as Triton's eyes blinked open, gritting his teeth as fatigue crashed back over him. He had far overextended himself.

"It's beneath...the waves...bottom of the sea...your domain..." he gritted out, grabbing the front of Triton's shirt and pulling him to his feet.

"Help. Them." Solstice demanded fiercely, before collapsing to the ground.

Move: Fly to Triton (assuming he's within sixteen miles), since I'm no longer Staggered.

Standard + Extra Effort: Power Stunt off of Season Change. Spring Renewal: Healing 10 (Resurrection, Invigorating). Healing Check: [roll0]. If this fails to beat DC 20, Luck Reroll: [roll1].

If needed, I'll Move-by Action to get onto dry land before Solstice collapses, but it sounds like Triton was over ground.

If Triton is currently Dead, he is revived.

If he is Incapacitated due to Fatigue, he is improved to Exhausted. If he's only Exhausted he becomes Fatigued. If he's only Fatigued it is removed.

If he is damaged, he heals one damage condition, plus one condition per five points above 10.

Solstice gains one level of Fatigue, rendering him Exhausted, and due to the Extra Effort, he will gain another level at the start of his next turn, resulting in Incapacitated.

Current Status: INCAPACITATED!

Oroboros

2015-08-08, 10:23 PM

Triton slowly blinks open his eyes. When he does, reacts ever so slightly at the sight of an aberrant waking him up. Shock, embarrassment, and shame flicker through his eyes, before they settle on gratitude. Shaking his head, he stands up.

My... my thanks, Solstice.

Speaking over the comms now, he addresses all of the Guardians.I fear my gambit may have been less effective than I predicted. Mark my words, though, this monster will not triumph. Guardians, you need to go and stall that thing. I can draw back the water at the bottom of the sea, create a bubble, like what I did before. Down there, the pressure is thousands of times more intense than at the surface. Once I draw it back, it will snap forward like a rubber band. A rubber band that weighs millions of tons. The problem is that if the golem can reach the edge of the area it could swim off into the water, dodging the collapse entirely. You must stop it from escaping and licking its wounds. FOR ATLANTIS!

CandyLaser

2015-08-09, 07:37 AM

The beast was falling down into the lightless depths. There weren't many Guardians who could handle conditions under the sea and survive - but luckily, two of them were right here. She looked to Sharkguard and gave him a wry grin. "What are you waiting for? An invitation?" she said, playfully. "You just going to jump down, or do you want a lift?" Aurora rolled her shoulders and then followed the beast down into the abyss.

Starsign

2015-08-09, 12:25 PM

Sharkguard is actually impressed that Triton came out and face the massive golem. It took an island on the brink of collapse and a good minute before the ruler actually decided to come in and help his damn country. Did it ever make a difference, unleashing a void within the ocean that allowed the golem to fall far, far down. The shark-man leans over the edge of what volcanic rock remains with a smirk. NOW that monster is right where he wants it. He'd jump down but he knows well that it's a long way down. Despite how fun it'd be to deliver a huge elbow drop from miles above, it'd be quicker to get down through Warp or Aurora. Besides all the Guardians are doing fine.

...Until Sharkguard turns around and notices that not only Warp is covered and mired in that ichor in his attempt to teleport the monster, but also Solstice on the ground as Triton stands up. The shark-man holds back a painful groan as he considers giving the ruler a piece of his mind before dealing with the golem. Triton frankly deserves it, needing a good decking to remind him who exactly he is calling "mistakes." Sharkguard narrows his brow and gives a quiet growl just looking at Triton as the shark-man walks over to the ruler.

Yet keeping the golem in mind, Sharkguard barely manages to hold himself back as he instead walks over to pick up Solstice in his arms. Real good kid he is; got a bigger heart for others than other aberrants do. Sharkguard looks at the unconscious aberrant in his arms before looking straight at Triton in the eye. "'Bout damn time ye be doin' somethin' for a change Triton," he says with a cold look and a rude, boisterous tone. "Ye be lucky we got bigger fish to fry." He looks back at the void, remembering Triton's plan. "Or I guess crush."

Sharkguard turns away from Triton as he brings Solstice's unconscious body to Calliope, giving an order in a more relaxed tone. "Ye get 'im back on his feet, aye? Ye Cap'n and Aurora got a golem t' beat!" He then turns around to smile confidently at Aurora. "I be havin' more duties than jus' smashin' Aurora," he responds in an amusing mood. "I be too long behind ye were I t' jump. Best t' go with ye." He honestly didn't want to need a lift by Aurora; he shouldn't need to hang on tight to a neohuman when he can get there normally. Yet time is of the essence so the shark-man must swallow his pride here. Careful not to accidentally bruise Aurora's skin under his strength, Sharkguard places his hands on Aurora's shoulders; the most modest way he can think of when it comes to holding onto someone he'll be getting a lift from. "Let's set sail t' the abyss!" he cries out in excitement as the two begin their way down after the golem.

...And as expected of the shark-man, he mentions another one of his absolutely brilliant ideas to Aurora. "Jus' had me an idea lass. How's 'bout ye throw me down? Maybe ye strength'll plummet me down faster than falling right on top o' that beast!"

Hyperbolic sine

2015-08-09, 12:38 PM

Strangely enough, Greyhound's nanosuit didn't include a life support system. Going down to the depths of the ocean would be suicide for him, so he just tries to get into the golem as much shots as he can before the water pit starts closing.

Move: Aim
Standard: All-out Power Attack at [roll0] crit 16-20, Toughness DC 36 vs Damage
Extra Effort Standard: All-out Power Attack at [roll1] crit 16-20, Toughness DC 36 vs Damage
Extra Effort Standard: All-out Power Attack at [roll2] crit 16-20, Toughness DC 36 Crit. DC 41 vs Damage

Status: Concealed from All Visual Senses, -5 to active defenses this turn, Vulnerable this turn, Exhausted from next turn.

Oroboros

2015-08-10, 10:13 PM

Aurora and Sharkguard fly at blinding speed toward the ocean floor miles below. Emerging in a fountain of water, the two land on the sandy seafloor. Strange rock formations and deep-sea plants cover the ground. Aurora's brilliant glow illuminates the massive undersea pocket, large enough to fill with hundreds of football fields. The golem lies in the middle, it's tendrils slowly dragging it toward the edge of the dome, the runic glow coming from within bathing the area around it in a blue light. A hole in it's center still glows with Greyhound's plasma. The shadowman's figure stands over it, desperately knitting the ichor back into it's proper form.

The golem was unconscious upon taking Greyhound's shot. Shadowman is making a healing check using the healing 5 skill
[roll0]

CandyLaser

2015-08-10, 11:09 PM

Once they get close enough, Aurora glances back at Sharkguard. "Ready?" she asks, grinning wolfishly. As they draw near, Aurora turns a somersault in mid-air, and right at the end she reaches up and grabs Sharkguard, flinging him toward the golem.

Not really sure what to roll for this, so here's a ranged attack roll. Aurora's ranged attack bonus is an impressive +0, so: [roll0]

Starsign

2015-08-11, 04:26 PM

Sharkguard's wide and sharp teeth-visible grin outshines that of Aurora's once her plan comes in motion. The solution of "throw the giant shark-man at it" always has ended up working out in favor of the heroes... Or at the least it gives a frightful image to the villain right before they end up being given a headbutt by Sharkguard at a good hundred miles an hour. He's got no problem when Aurora grabs his torso and launches him like an oversized javelin. The cylinder of oxygen Triton made sadly meant there isn't enough time for Sharkguard to absorb water; just one more thing he can complain to the ruler once this is out of the way.

The shark-man feels his heart pump as he is thrown by the insanely strong Aurora. The rush of speed amplifies his excitement many times over as he moves far faster than he ever can by himself. His hearty, pirate laugh echoes proudly in the sea, "Yar har har har har har!" as his body head-first crashes right at the golem, hitting with such force that such force would have torn and ruptured the shark-man's own body had he not been so invincible. Ah, how wonderful it is to be a god!

Assuming that the golem is unconscious due to being Disabled twice, I would like to perform a coup de grace please. Will be doing a Power Attack and All-Out Attack +5/-5, as well as making this a Slam to add on +2 to DC. Total should be 36 normally, with Sharkguard taking a DC 25 that he ignores due to his Impervious.

Oh, will also roll to try and guarantee an auto-crit on the golem: [roll0] Total DC should be 41. Go ahead and imagine how strong THAT is :smallbiggrin:

Oroboros

2015-08-11, 04:35 PM

Sharkguard's headbutt crashes into the golem, the ichor splashing like a puddle with a rock dropped in it. The shadowman's figure disperses back into smoke at the impact. What was once an intimidating foe now resembles nothing more than a twitching pile of tar at the bottom of the ocean.

Starsign

2015-08-11, 05:46 PM

Sharkguard stands up almost as quickly as he lands following his shattering headbutt at the golem. He doesn't even bother taking a look for the shadowy figure he saw moments ago; Sharkguard is demolishing this golem that was such a threat a few minutes ago. "Hah! Look 'ere Aurora. This barnacle's still twitchin'!" His voice fills the ocean around him with a small sonic wave as he begins slamming down his foot hard on the pile of ichor. The shark-man doesn't even feel any more of the sting coming from the ichor slugged and oozing over his body; the thrill of battle, and thrill of superiority made all his troubles go away as he pounds down on what remains of the golem.

"I be puttin' it down for good, ye just watch ye Cap'n!" It's rare to see the shark-man be so merciless as he stomps the pile with his feet, smash it with his fists and tear it piece-by-piece by his hands, all with that black-covered, crazed, thrilled toothy smile seemingly frozen on his shark head. The one thing he isn't doing is tearing it apart with his teeth. The taste of that ichor is awful. He may as well be eating toxic waste. He has no issue getting the rest of his hide covered however, not when there's a bath surrounding his huge form.

Yep, gonna try to get this in now so we can hopefully get everyone else involved again. :smallsmile: Power/All-Out Attack +5/-5. Coup De Grace for a crit: [roll0] DC 39 if it hits.

Kymme

2015-08-11, 10:25 PM

Calliope rolls her eyes as Sharkguard and Aurora descend into the void. You're not my captain. Then her gaze shifts, and she takes a few tenative steps towards Solstice and Warp. She sighs and stoops down beside them. They're both good boys, true heroes in their own right, with a youthful zest in their hearts. Calliope hopes with all her heart that they'll never have to see the things she's seen.

~As slumber lulled them ever-deeper with it's unfurling peace, the two young Guardians nearly succumbed. Despite the great force that weighed down upon them, they struggled to their feet. Shoving aside wounds that would incapacitate a lesser hero, they held their heads high and faced the challenge before them.~

And so it came to be.

Using And That Is Why I Sing. It'll hit everybody within 30 ft of her.

[roll0]

CandyLaser

2015-08-11, 10:43 PM

Sharkguard seemed to have things well in hand. Aurora scanned the black lightless depths, looking for the shadowy figure that had empowered the golem.

Perception: [roll0]

Oroboros

2015-08-12, 06:08 PM

Aurora scans the cavernous underwater hollow for the shadowman, but he appears to have vanished into thin air. Just as the golem's last twitches begin to cease, a voice once again rings out around the cavern.

"Well, well. I suppose you vermin will live to see the end result of the Great Work after all. To think, that after all this time, this is Earth's greatest line of defense. Pathetic. Still, you should count yourselves lucky. Of all who have ever stood in my path, only are fortunate enough to witness the finale. I recommend that you find yourselves a comfortable location to live out the rest of your days, heroes."

The last word is pronounced with disgust. Even as the shadowman's voice fades away, the final glimmers of light inside the golem die out. The ichor begins to evaporate away, dissipating into the air.

CandyLaser

2015-08-12, 08:54 PM

Aurora wasn't sure if whoever spoke was still listening, but she replied anyway. "Another two-bit villain pronouncing doom and destruction. Do you guys all buy scripts from the same writer, or something?" To Sharkguard, she said, "We should go. The pressure down here won't hurt either of us - but I don't want to be on the receiving end of millions of tons of water when Triton loses control. Want a lift back to the surface?"

Starsign

2015-08-12, 09:32 PM

Sharkguard laughs off the shadowy figure's words of warning. "Hah! Empty words from a cowardly landlubber!" He can't take such villainous "threats" seriously. If it wants to really strike fear in one's heart it needs to be able to back that up; never has Sharkguard gone a week without backing up his boisterous words with his humongous might. Though Sharkguard's bar of actually being threatened is very high. Not much that can top being completely unfazed and unharmed by a barrage of tank fire or by a rival aberrant god. Even the golem failed to leave any lasting injuries on Sharkguard outside of a simple but huge bruise that had once been on his chest.

The shark-man begins walking to the edge of the dry void as he turns his head around to look at Aurora. "Ain't no need," he says with a casual wave of his sharky hand, still covered in what is now evaporating ichor. "Bet ye I can take a few million tons o' water. Ain't ye remember th' time Odin' tracked me limits underwater?" His teeth finally began showing its natural, slightly worn form as the ichor dissipates from his body. "But I guess I can show off t' Triton later. Jus' gonna be rinsin' meself on th' way up. Ye tell Triton it be all clear t' vent and crush th' water 'ere."

With that, Sharkguard dives into the "wall" of water as he cleanly begins swimming away from the hole and slowly upwards. The rush of water coursing around and into his body is so invigorating. There really is no home like the sea when it makes the shark-man so powerful. If there was a civilization that lived under the sea, Sharkguard would have been a long-standing resident there decades ago. As is he twists and twirls through the water almost like an agile homing torpedo as he shoots his way up to the surface.

Oroboros

2015-08-13, 10:47 AM

Sharkguard and Aurora rocket out of the ocean, both arcing through the air before landing on the ground. Triton sits in the middle of Atlantis, legs crossed, eyes closed. He looks up at the two heroes, nods, and releases his attack under the water. Even from up here, miles above, there is a tremor that can be felt throughout the island. Triton stands up and approaches the Guardians.

"Thank you, all of you, for your help. Without it, this city might have suffered a fate all to similar to its mythological counterpart. I have called the Atlanteans home from their mission. They will spend the next few weeks helping me repair the island. Currently, I have stabilized it, and no further damage will occur. You have my gratitude, for your assistance in combating this threat."

With that, Triton returns to his palace, floating on a disc of water.

"Well done, Guardians. With that threat dealt with, you should return to the Sentinel posthaste. Syntherion has important news."

Warp, whenever you're ready.

Starsign

2015-08-13, 04:39 PM

Sharkguard had little interest in hearing Triton's claims; such praise must have been aimed towards the neohumans and humans of the Guardians, not to so-called "mistakes" such as Typhon and Sharkguard. He hadn't come here to look for any sort of praise in the first place, only to fulfill his job as a Guardian, seek out some thrills, and maybe prove to the Atlanteans that aberrants are actually worth a damn. Saving Atlantis may have meant something but the impact of it probably has been lessened due to the presence of heroes such as Aurora and Calliope.

Sharkguard would have coped with this had Odin not mentioned the Guardians would be leaving immediately. "Odin I ain't leavin' jus' yet," the shark-man quickly retorts on his commlink. He smiles as best as he can, straining a bit to keep it as his eyes look over at Triton. "I be havin' a few words t' say t' Triton 'fore we go. How's 'bout Warp come pick me up in a bit? I be boardin' th' Sentinel once I'm done." Sharkguard is absolutely not heading back before he's done his personal business here; he's got the best chance possible now. Besides, one of the Guardians should be able to catch him up to speed, right?

Volthawk

2015-08-14, 02:38 PM

"Boss, you sure that's a good idea? Want me to come with after I've gotten everyone back?" Warp didn't really know what exactly Sharkguard had to say, but he had an idea of the whole aberrant issue with Atlantis and Sharkguard's opinion of it all. Although he agreed that the attitude was stupid and wrong, he had some concern that the...attitude that Sharky had wouldn't help much to solve it.

Starsign

2015-08-14, 10:37 PM

"Hah, ye ain't gotta worry 'bout me Warp," he says, turning his head to look to the teleporter with the shark-man's usual smile. "I ain't thinkin' o' pillagin' this island. This got nothin' t' do with most o' th' inhabitants anyway." Sharkguard feels he knows better than to broaden the aberrant "issue" of Atlantis to believe that every single member of the island should be at blame for such prejudice. The majority of that should be place upon the leader and his closest subordinates. Even then, not all of the Atlanteans have reacted in disgust or frustration to Sharkguard. Triton however represents the worst of the aberrant "problem" on Atlantis; there's nothing that won't change Sharkguard's mind on who's actually to blame and who's actually in the right.

"I'll let ye know when I be done. If there be some giant monster comin' outta nowhere then ye lemme know, aye?" He winks.

This is a shorter post than my usual for this game. Figured there might not have needed to be much in this instance. :smallsmile:

Dienekes

2015-08-14, 11:03 PM

Typhon walked forward holding his head. The ichor was still affecting him, leaving his body aching. It was embarrassing, really, how poorly he handled himself this last fight. But he tried to push that out of his mind as a new task came to his attention.

Behind Sharkguard's back Typhon gave Warp a nod. "I would like to accompany you my friend. There's more in this place I wish to see."

typed up on my phone and I don't know how to do colors. I'll fix when I can.

Kymme

2015-08-14, 11:11 PM

"Warp, it will be all right. I'll stay with him. You have nothing to worry about."

The tiny Guardian dashes beside Sharkguard as he moves towards the king. She is silent, but even so doesn't give her fellow Guardian the opportunity to dismiss her.

Oroboros

2015-08-15, 08:36 AM

Triton turns to Sharkguard, and the Guardians that seemed to not be returning to the Sentinel.

Is there something else you wanted to say?

Volthawk

2015-08-15, 11:40 AM

"Er, if you're sure..." Warp still looks a little dubious, but shrugs. "Well then, everyone else let's get back home. See what's so important."

Starsign

2015-08-15, 03:06 PM

Sharkguard looks behind him as Warp teleports the Guardians, excluding himself, Typhon and Calliope, to the Sentinel. The shark-man manages to avoid groaning, not wanting either of the two to be in on this conversation. Even if Calliope is older and more knowledgeable than him, Sharkguard disliked having her involved in his own affairs. Did she not trust him? Probably the case; she didn't seem to trust many in the first place. Sharkguard isn't sure what Typhon wanted on this island now that they had the option to leave. What was there that he is interested in?

Having to keep the others in mind, Sharkguard folds his arms as he looks at Triton. Finally the shark-man can begin saying what he's wanted to say. "I think you know what I want to say," he begins, dropping the accent entirely and speaking in a mean tone. "Why the hell do you still look down on aberrants so much? You know every damn thing I've done for the past two decades and if it weren't for us, you would've lost the entire island." There is a lot that the shark-man can say, some which spoke much louder than words... but with Typhon and Calliope, there's no way that either of them would let the shark-man get away with it. Hopefully he can get way with preaching for aberrants. "Maybe if you even thought about bringing in aberrants on Atlantis, you might have had more Atlanteans to protect this place!"

Oroboros

2015-08-16, 05:43 PM

Odin is waiting for the Guardians as they return to the Sentinel. He looks around.
"Where are the others?" He counts the Guardians present
Warp, Aurora, Greyhound, Solstice. That would mean that the ones who stayed were Typhon, Calliope, and... Oh dear."

"One moment, Syntherion. I'm afraid there is something I have to take care of first."

*********************************

Triton's face immediately turns into a scowl. The truth of Sharkguard's statement bites. He turns angrily to face the aberrant. "You dare speak to me about how I should run Atlantis! I pulled this island from the deeps, drawing it from the lifeblood of the earth itself. Through naught but my will, I cradle a nation in my palm. I will not be told how to rule my land. If you hadn't come knocking on my door today, Atlantis would still be in one piece! I should have never let you mutants set foot here. Begone!" Triton storms off back to the palace, riding a wave of water.

Odin takes this moment to speak up over the comms. "Sharkguard, that's enough. More words will not sway him. I have known Arthur for a long time. I can guess how he is feeling right now. He holds views somewhat... contrary to your own, that aberrants are a step back from "normal" neohumans. You have to understand, Triton was raised in a family that thought that all neohumans were monsters. Even though his views have obviously changed quite radically, he has redirected some of that prejudice towards those he saw as the true monsters. Between the damage to Atlantis, and being upstaged and saved by those he formerly held in some contempt, Triton is shaken. Leave him to his thoughts. He needs some time to cope with what happened. I believe that if you give him space, he will, if not fully change, at least start to come around."

Odin pauses to let his words sink in. "Be the bigger man, Sharkguard." The mild irony of his choice of words is not lost on Odin."Please, come home now. There is an issue of grave import."

Dienekes

2015-08-16, 07:06 PM

Typhon put his hand on his friends shoulder. "Listen to Odin, Sharkguard. For all Triton's power, we all know he's a fool. After all, what kind of moron would make a country that will instantly cease to exist as soon as he passes?" Typhon hoped his attempt at humor would sway his compatriot. Painting the target of Sharkguard's wrath as a fool that was beneath his notice may do the trick. "You can't argue with idiots, they either ignore you, or drag you down to their level. Just keep proving them wrong, so that no one else can share their delusions."

Kymme

2015-08-18, 12:09 AM

Still such anger... Calliope places a hand on Sharkguard's knee, an acceptionally rare occurance. The tiny Guardian almost never touched her fellows, even to heal them. Her magic was spread through voice, not touch. Before the titanic hero can respond to Triton's final insult she steps into the air and ascends to be level with his face, filling his vision and blocking his view of the retreating king.

"Sharkguard**, enough of this. Holding this hatred in your heart will get you nowhere. You maintain this division of your mind between Aberrants and the other Neohumans, never acknowledging that all of us are like this. You feel that you have something to prove to Triton and the world and all else, when the only person who needs convincing is you." She lifts up her left hand and places it on her mask. "The fact that there are places like Atlantis weights heavily in your heart, but it weighs too heavily. The opinions of a land's ruler are not always shared by his subjects, nor are they shared by the rest of the world. We are not the outcasts you paint us to be." Her fingers tighten around the magically-harded ceramic and she plucks it from her face. A stray lock of brown hair falls out of place, and she quickly brushes it away with her right. Calliope's features encapsulate the innocence of a child: round cheeks and a small mouth beneath a button nose. Her eyes hold no youthful innocence, though, and every Guardian knows why. "Look at me, Sharkguard**. I have not aged a day in eighty five years. Syntherion has analyzed my growth--or, abject lack of it--since the day I joined the Guardians. I do not age. Nor does my body require food or water. I am capable of surviving in the vacuum of space or deep beneath the earth. I am no less 'Aberrant' than you."

She descends to the ground and dons her mask. "We are all Neohumans, Sharkguard**. Freaks of nature, one and all. Some of us wear our deformities on the outside, and some hide it within. Neither is better. Neither is worse."

Though Typhon and others eavesdropping in on the conversation hear Sharky's superhero name, the big man himself hears "Erik" reverberate in his mind.

Starsign

2015-08-18, 01:03 PM

It has been a long time since Sharkguard felt so frustrated at anything. Not only does he get nothing through to Triton but the blasted ruler had the cowardice to run off back to his throne. If there is anything Sharkguard really wanted to do now it would be to smash that idiot's face in even had Typhon and Calliope tried to stop him. Instead the shark-man gets left on the harbor as he both Odin and Typhon try speaking to him. Sharkguard tries shutting down as much of Odin's voice as the aberrant can; Odin may be leader and mission control but he's got no part in a problem that he's never witnessed first-hand. Typhon's words however are a little more soothing to the shark-man's ears, if only because Typhon called Triton a fool.

Sharkguard's attention however is drawn towards Calliope whose attempts to reason with him are shockingly done with more effort than he's usually seen her put in. The shark-man has known her for decades but has never seen her with her mask off until today. It got through to his head that she is serious in convincing him against his own ways. He feels a horrid sting in his mind as he hears the singer speak his real name. While her, Aurora, Odin and Syntherion all know Sharkguard as "Erik," it's a name he gave up long ago. He never wants to hear that blasted human name spoken again. We're she not trying to hard to convince him, Sharkguard probably would have walked off in disgust.

Instead he tries respecting Calliope as much as he can by responding to her. "If that's what you think of people Callie, then why do you hide it?" He knows the immortal neohuman will not like what she is about to hear, if Sharkguard's serious and undaunted tone and expression hasn't already made it clear. "You think none of it matters, like it won't be any different on Earth than in a vacuum? Look at me! Look at Typhon! What makes you believe that it won't be any different if we could hide ourselves?!" The shark-man surprisingly keeps himself from shouting. Even if he is frustrated with Calliope and Triton's backtalk, Sharkguard has calmed down a bit... though only a bit. "We are forced to wear our physical identities out in the open. That's what people can use solely to judge us by before anything else. Ain't that one reason why you wear that mask?"

Sharkguard doesn't give Calliope any time to react as he turns to look out to the sea, folding his arms as he continues explaining himself. "But we both know neohumans are sooner 'defined' by their powers before their appearance. People are going to look at you and think of you as a hero with incredible singing powers before they think you're a girl too young to play hero. Aberrants aren't given that. We can be sooner classed by looks before acts and you know how many times people have thought of me as monstrous as the villains I fight."

Sharkguard's voice begins to rise in volume as a spark of joy and cheer comes back to his voice. "And you know what? They're damn free to call me a monster! If I'm scarier than the villain than I'm all the happier for it." Finally he begins smiling again as he looks back to Calliope. "That's the thing about being an aberrant. Part of why we're stronger is that we learn to live through that prejudice, or even use it against your foes! It makes it all the better to use our incredible powers that way. I don't feel more alive when I'm using my strength and durability to the fullest, knowing that it's something I wouldn't have if I were just a neohuman. My body evolved to give me these powers. If a person's ready for it, I ain't got a problem if they want to evolve as well. It certainly ain't easy getting used to it, but that's what we got each other for, aye?" Sharkguard slings his arm around Typhon, bringing him in for a side hug. The bigger aberrant is the one in need of the most convincing as far as the shark-man is concerned.

"So yeah, I do have a thing to prove to that fool. But it ain't about bringing down neohumans. Ain't we all people, humans, neohumans and aberrants alike?" Sharkguard's growing cheerfulness is marked strikingly by the growing return of his accent. "Aberrants just got the course of most resistance with the greatest treasure at the end. 'Sides Callie, ye ol' Capn would've jumped ship long ago if I be wantin' t' run down humans and neohumans. Don't ye remember that attempted aberrant coup in London 13 years back?"

Feeling proud about himself, Sharkguard's explanation certainly did a lot to improve his mood. "Well I suppose we've taken up enough time for now." He speaks on his commlink to those on the Sentinel. "We're all done here. Warp I think we're ready for you to take us back. Don't want to keep Odin waiting if there's another thing to smash, aye?"

While I would have been happy to keep Sharkguard and Calliope and Typhon in discussion for longer I also don't want to delay the game more. Hopefully everyone will be fine with this, unless Typhon or Calliope wants to immediately object to Sharkguard anyway. :smallsmile:

Oroboros

2015-08-19, 10:43 AM

Odin looks mildly relieved as the rest of the Guardians teleport up. Quick, Guardians, to the briefing room. Syntherion is waiting there.

A brief trip down the chrome hallways and gleaming corridors leads the Guardians to the situation room. Specially-designed chairs lay around the room for the different Guardians. In this case, specially-designed refers mostly to the two enormous chairs over in the corner. Syntherion is working at the holo-projector above, bringing up visuals to accompany his message.

Guardians. I fear we may have been deceived. When you encountered the Shadowman, I did a search through our databases in an attempt to find a potential culprit. There was nobody in the database who had demonstrated this degree of magical proficiency in both runic magic and golemancy. Even Rimilin would be incapable of such a feat. Normally, this would be where I begin to suspect that this golem was the result of a collaborative work, especially given Rimilin's previous involvement. Indeed, this is likely what I would still believe, save for one thing. While we were in Atlantis, there was a raid conducted on the above-ground management facility for the Ronald Bulman Metahuman correctional facility, otherwise known as the Pit. The culprits entered, obtained what they were looking for, and left, all within a few minutes. I sent in team Earthquake to investigate, but they were repelled by similar constructs to the one you fought. They weren't as powerful as the Atlantean one, and the Guardians fought through after only a few minutes. Unfortunately, a few minutes was all the invaders needed, as by that time they had already obtained what they came for. They had opened some sort of portal within the facility, and used it to make a quick escape. Portals were thought to be impossible to create, due to the difficulty in both stabilizing and fueling them. Despite this, I have clear footage of said portal being created, although its destination was obscured. A magical feat of this level would require an equally powerful mage. Perhaps, even one strong enough to create the golem you fought earlier. I believe that this is what the Shadowman was referring to when he claimed that his goal was already accomplished. The Shadowman was likely a projection, due to his ethereal nature. While you were fighting in Atlantis, the real Shadowman was in the Pit facility. What's worse, however, is what he took. Before I go on, though, does anyone have any questions?

This is going to be a pretty huge exposition post, so I decided to break it up into 2 to avoid wall-of-text syndrome, and to give people a chance to post in between. To anyone who doesn't know what the Pit is: I mentioned it all the way back on the original character creation thread. It is the highest security prison in the world, used to hold villains like Bloodlust and Epoch. More info on its defenses below. The management facility is much less secure, residing above ground. It is there that prisoners are teleported into the pit, among other things.

Copypasta from all the way back in the recruitment thread: It resides in a free-floating capsule about 500 miles beneath the Earth's crust. As it floats around in the magma, the location is constantly changing. The only way to get in is through a single teleporter pad that scans your genes and requires a key. The teleporter pad is not capable of being reversed, and is only active for 5 minutes once every month. It is guarded by a Neohuman-designed state of the art security system. There are no human guards. Instead, all guards are remotely-controlled security drones. Once a month, new prisoners and supplies are teleported in. All prisoners are sent in in specially designed containment pods, that are created on the surface and maintained by the drones. It is protected by every magical and Neohuman defense that could be layered upon it, from antimagic fields, to superalloys to an A.I. security system so advanced it borders on precognitive.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-08-19, 12:21 PM

Solstice was a little bleary from just waking up (and still completely exhausted), but he listened as attentively as he could manage to the briefing. He had no questions, so just shook his head.

Starsign

2015-08-19, 09:34 PM

With the pain of Atlantis behind him, Sharkguard finally is able to go back to looking forward to better things, like fighting and smashing and taunting. Heck perhaps he may be getting that chance soon by what he's hearing from Odin. The Pit getting broken in? That's a new one. Sharkguard always thought that place was supposed to be impregnable; one very good reason why the shark-man prefers to be a hero and not a villain. Hearing that people can somehow get in and out sure isn't fun when your supposedly foolproof security system gets fooled... on the other hand, it means one of the Guardians might be able to escape in case one of them somehow ends up there... He hopes no one here ends up there.

"Well that shadowman gave us a giant beast to fight. I'd say my time was well-spent," he speaks up when Odin offers a pause. Sharkguard wants to be the cheerful guy of the group when damning news such as this arises, even when it may amount to, "I got to fight villains" given his love for combat."So what happened to the drones there? Weren't there any to do something about the golems?" Sharkguard figures he knows what the answer to this question is, unless somehow the AI supercomputer got shut down or couldn't get access to the drones at the management facility.

Oroboros

2015-08-20, 12:08 PM

"The Shadowman only entered the Pit's management facility. The main compound is, as far as we are aware, still impregnable. In fact, given what the intruders took, I don't expect a raid on the main Pit anytime soon. You see, in the management facility, we keep various articles pertaining to the prisoners. One such item we keep is a standard DNA and fingerprinting sample, in case of any impostors. The Shadowman stole these DNA samples. Our obvious concern is that he is attempting to clone the residents of the Pit. If successful, these clones would not only pose a major threat, but also have a huge impact on the public's confidence. Imagine, every nightmarish Neohuman ever imprisoned, every boogeyman that children have been raised hearing tales of, is suddenly wandering the streets once more. That isn't even taking into account the risk of them being organized and led by their creator."
Syntherion doesn't often express emotion, but even his mechanical voice seems to be concealing fear. Odin steps up and continues speaking."Luckily, as far as we know, successfully cloning a neohuman is nearly impossible. There is only one person who has ever accomplished such a task. Unfortunately for us, that person is Genesis. Genesis, a Neohuman genius who specializes in biology, was the daughter and protégé of Dr. Darwin. This is the same Dr. Darwin who created the Genesis plague, becoming the second ever person to threaten life as we know it. Dr. Darwin is still in the pit, but Genesis took on the name of his "cure for humanity" in his honor. She is... not a criminal. However, she has associated with a number of shady figures in the past, not the least of which is her own father. She is a recluse in the extreme: she hasn't left her mansion in over a decade and a half. We need to convince her that whoever took the DNA is likely to come after her next. Unfortunately, there are no ways of contacting her through normal means. I will attempt, along with Syntherion, to send a messenger from a nearby city. Should that fail, though, we may need to kidnap her for her own safety. There's no telling what the Shadowman will do if she doesn't cooperate, or worse, if she does. You can either help Syntherion and I contact Genesis, or hold tight for now. We should be back in a few hours with news, one way or the other."

Quellian-dyrae

2015-08-20, 12:33 PM

Getting in contact with people wasn't really Solstice's forte, but... "If you can reach her, let me know. I might be able to help convince her. Failing that, though, could we just stake out her mansion or something? Maybe get some Silvers to keep an eye on it and contact us if anything happens? Although there ought to be at least one Diamond there for rapid response if necessary."

He yawned after making the suggestion. "Until then though, I'm taking a nap. That golem took a lot out of me."

Unless there was anything else, he'd give the group a wave and head back to his room to catch a couple hours sleep.

CandyLaser

2015-08-20, 01:59 PM

"Don't we know where her mansion is? Why bother with a messenger when Warp or I could be there in a blink of an eye? We should keep watch on her no matter what, as well - if our shadow man isn likely to be heading there, then we can trap him."

Oroboros

2015-08-20, 07:43 PM

"We do know where her location is. We are sending a messenger, because trust is almost as important as time here. Genesis is quite reclusive and paranoid, so if we want any chance of cooperation we will need to play this smart. As for why we won't send you or Warp, well, it kind of sends the wrong message if the messenger can double as a one-person wrecking crew. Syntherion is already training the Sentinel's Eye on her mansion. I also hesitate to set a trap for an enemy with heretofore unknown capabilities. Such a maneuver could backfire if we underestimate our opponent. It is better to be able to leave ourselves the ability to react, should such a situation occur. Thanks to Warp, our response time could be less than seconds."

Starsign

2015-08-21, 07:46 AM

Sharkguard struggled a bit to keep smiling in the face of this plan as he stood at the back of the group, arms folded. Having to deal with a reclusive, probably insane woman isn't his idea of a fun time, even in the possible "kidnapping" part. Between the raid and Atlantis nearly crumbling, Sharkguard really could use a drink right about now. Only problem is that Odin kept stashing the alcohol in a different damn place each time the shark-man came back and he usually doesn't have the time to search around. It'd be easier to get out on Earth and get something there, at least when he's allowed to.

"Think there's something I can help with?" Sharkguard's boisterous voice still manages to echo in the room with such strong brilliance. "I don't know where this city of yours is but I could take a look down there to find this messenger if you can't send a Guardian out to meet Genesis." At this point Sharkguard would like to have a good excuse to go down to Earth beyond simply as free time. He's always found himself entertained the most when he's being productive, though this includes fighting and brawling. He can really go back to Atlantis right now and check out the arena again but he is absolutely sure the rest of the Guardians will try to stop him. So playing messenger to the messenger, and getting something heavy to drink along the way, will be the next best thing.

Dienekes

2015-08-21, 10:41 AM

"I'm no use for a diplomatic mission. Is it possible for Syntherion and I to check out the Pit? I would like to run some tests on the areas the portals appeared. There could be some clues to how they were achieved or where they connected to."

Oroboros

2015-08-21, 02:59 PM

"Syntherion is getting in contact with our chosen right now. There is a member of the Guardian support personnel who volunteered for this mission. She often does jobs like this, and is being flown out to the mansion right now. As for you, Typhon, if you could get Warp to teleport you down, then go ahead and check out the facility. Syntherion is busy managing the Eye systems, but there are some forensics-specialized silver and gold Guardians down there right now whom you could work with. Just be back quickly, in case we need to respond to anything."

You can make an investigation and insight roll to determine what you find down there. The investigation roll gets a +5 circumstance bonus from working with a bunch of people with forensics-related abilities.

Starsign

2015-08-21, 10:43 PM

Sharkguard shrugs his shoulders and holds back a sigh as he sees he isn't going anywhere for the next couple hours. The Guardians will probably need Warp in case things go awry... and by Sharkguard's experience things do usually go mildly awry at best. Perhaps the Guardians just want him away from Earth for now; they're probably worried he'd cause some massive incident should he decide to head back down after having an argument with Triton. Bah! Did they not trust him enough? He's been a Guardian for around two decades and he has no interest in stopping anytime soon. The sheet thought of possible doubt and worry over Sharkguard feels like it's making his blood boil.

He really does need a freaking drink now.

Sharkguard gives Typhon a pat on the shoulder as the shark-man turns to leave. "Enjoy yourself Typhon," he says with a smile. A place such as the Pit's management facility ought to be quiet and relaxed, giving the larger aberrant and Syntherion time to focus and do work without having to be worried about the whole "public image," outlook Typhon seems to have. And after what happened in Atlantis, he may need something like this. Just having Typhon around helps ease Sharkguard. The bigger aberrant is like a little brother to the shark-man and perhaps the only real sense of "family" he'll ever have again ever since he had lived in the sea so many years ago.

As Sharkguard is leaving, he turns to look at Calliope. The young-looking girl had certainly made a scene in front of Sharkguard and he hadn't quite given her a chance to speak again due to Odin requesting everyone back minutes before. With a couple hours of spare time this may be her best chance to continue things if she wants. "You've got something on your mind Callie?" he says, speaking to her as he has always known the oldest of the Guardians. He gestures his head out the door as if the two might be speaking on their own while they have the chance.

Kymme

2015-08-21, 11:20 PM

Calliope's brow twitches under her mask as Sharkguard adresses her. The boisterous Guardian had always called her 'Callie' as one of his little jokes.

"You already know the answer to that question, Sharkguard. There's always something on my mind." At the moment, her mind was dead set on Genesis. Odin's description of the reclusive, morally ambiguous woman reminded her of herself. She steps out of her chair and strides up to Sharkguard, walking beside him through the halls of the Sentinel.

In Odin's mind, he hears the Muse's voice. ~In all honestly, sir, I believe that I am uniquely suited to this task. A mission to contact Genesis would require subtly that is foreign to the majority of our organization. I'd enjoy company, but feel free to send me alone, if you'd like. I knew her father, after all.~

I wanna roll an Expertise [heroes and villain's] check, using Jack of All Trades. She makes the check at +20.

What does Calliope know of Genesis and her father? [roll0]

Oroboros

2015-08-22, 12:16 AM

Odin opens up a private link between his and Calliope's comms before replying. "Fear not for the tact of our messenger, Calliope. I did send someone with quite a deal of experience in diplomacy. She works in Public Relations, and does field work like this on the side. I sent the messenger to avoid being threatening. Even as the least... offensive of the diamond-tier Guardians, you still pose quite the threat to someone with no abilities whatsoever. Genesis is almost certainly aware of your ability to twist the fabric of fate to bring injuries upon your enemies. Despite this, you are more familiar than I with both diplomacy and Genesis's father, so I will leave the final decision up to you. Do you think Genesis will be more receptive to a threatening, yet charismatic Neohuman, or a nonthreatening, ordinary diplomat."

Note: Dr. Darwin's real name is Octavian Darnos. He took on the name Dr. Darwin when he discovered his powers. Genesis's real name is Isabella Darnos. She went by Isabella until Dr. Darwin was arrested, when she took on the name Genesis in honor of his project.

Calliope had known Dr. Darwin even before he became a supervillian, although not very well. He was one of the foremost doctors in the world, and practically created the field of bio-prosthetics. On top of his work as a doctor, he was a humanitarian. He foresaw conflict between Metahumans and non-Metahumans. How, he thought, could people coexist peacefully with such an imbalance of power? He set out to make his masterwork, the Genesis serum. His focus on the project made him narrow-minded, even fanatical. He wanted a serum that could grant regular humans incredible strength, durability, and speed. However, evening the gap between humans and Metahumans was not enough for Dr. Darwin. He wanted to make his serum as the cure to all man's ills. It would cure diseases, regrow limbs, and prevent hunger. Even this wasn't enough for the doctor. He looked around him, and saw mankind abusing their power. It was then he realized that he couldn't entrust mankind with the free will to use, or misuse, his serum. He built in a neural back-door that would let him control entire populations through airborne pheromones and chemicals. He knew that people wouldn't willingly surrender their volition, so he inserted his "cure" into a strain of bacteria. This was when his Genesis serum became the Genesis plague. The Guardians only barely managed to intervene and prevent the release of the plague. Dr. Darwin was interred in the Pit, and the plague was destroyed.

Isabella Darnos grew up distant from her peers. Her mother died in childbirth, and her incredible intelligence made it difficult to relate to anyone but her father. She grew up close to him, and even worked with him on the initial phases of the Genesis serum project. As her father's paranoia and distrust for mankind grew, he drifted away from his daughter. He began to do more and more of the work on the serum in secret, until all other people were kicked off of the project. This did nothing to lessen Isabella's devotion to her father. In her mind, he was going to be the savior of mankind. The day Dr. Darwin was stopped was a crushing day for Isabella. She could not wrap her mind around the claims that her father was one of the most dangerous men alive. To this day, she believes that he was simply misunderstood. She could not stand to live in a society that had condemned her father, and so she withdrew to her mansion. There, she worked tirelessly to create cures for mankind's ills, just as her father did. However, she never releases the cures to the public. She toils away, producing antibiotics and performing biological miracles, yet she feels that the world does not deserve to reap the benefits of her work. Her mansion is completely self-sustaining. Several custom-bred strains of plant create electricity and food, taking in energy and nutrients from the surrounding forest.

That was a bit longer than I thought it would be :smallbiggrin:

Starsign

2015-08-22, 10:52 PM

"Of course you do," the shark-man says with no big shock from Calliope's response. Among the Guardians who still work in the field, Sharkguard has always considered Calliope to be the most serious of them. It'd be quite surprising for one to first see her and then realize at how pragmatic she can be. Sharkguard however has no fear of Calliope now. She's done enough of using him as a distraction or bait that he's used to trusting Calliope to be untrustworthy towards his own preservation for the best of everyone. He's practically indestructible; she doesn't really have a reason to worry about his condition. In a way, that makes her one of the shark-man's most preferred partners to have out on the field next to Typhon.

As the two leave the main room, Sharkguard continues. His voice is relaxed now, though trying to hide a insignificant-yet-substantial thing that he should say at some point. "I was mainly wondering if you had anything more to say about what we were talking about on Atlantis." He leads back against a wall of the Sentinel, arms folded behind his sharky head. "I've never seen you react so seriously over my actions before. It wasn't going to be anything more than an argument with Triton. You acted like I was about to make myself an enemy to all of Atlantis." Beneath his cheerful smirk hid the fact that Sharkguard absolutely will dare to make himself an enemy to Atlantis should it ever slide off the mark and take its degree of aberrant-hate to another level. Calling aberrants "mistakes" and "mutants" is inexcusable, but can be tolerated. But if any group or place ever turns aberrants into outright slaves, experimental guinea pigs or otherwise nothing better than living corpses... Heaven and Hell are going to cry when Sharkguard comes knocking on that place's door. And anyone who's been with the Guardians as long as him knows this well.

Had some serious net problems. Hope I didn't keep you waiting for me to post too long Kymme. :smallsmile:

Oroboros

2015-08-25, 12:32 PM

After a few hours pass, Odin calls all of the Guardians back to the situation room.

"Unfortunately, our messenger was rejected by Genesis. She refused to believe that there was any danger to her estate that her defenses couldn't handle. Unfortunately, I don't think that that confidence is merited in the face of the threat from the shadowman. There is a silver lining, though. Genesis let slip a bit of crucial information about her cloning process. She uses a device known as the Crucible. The Crucible was the result of a collaboration between not only Genesis herself, but also Dr. Darwin and several other notable scientists, many of whom were Neohumans themselves. Genesis "borrowed" the device from the shared laboratory shortly after the death of her father. Given that she could not replicate the Crucible on her own, the priority now turns to keeping the device out of the hands of the shadowman. Assuming that Genesis's defenses are insufficient, there is no way that we can protect the Crucible while it is still in her hands. This leaves us with the option of stealing it. Despite what Genesis claims, it would be for her own safety. There's no telling what the shadowman might to do to claim what he wants. If we can take the Crucible, we can transport it somewhere safe. The Pit seems like an attractive option, given how the shadowman is apparently incapable of directly entering it. I understand if any of you are uncomfortable with this idea, but it is the best option we have."

Odin sits down, and gestures to Syntherion. Syntherion rises from his chair, and pulls up a 3-D blueprint of the mansion.

"Unfortunately, we do not know where the Crucible is in the mansion. If we did, Warp could jump in and grab it, making our lives much easier. We do know that it looks like a clear tank, about three meters tall, two meters in diameter, full of liquid, and with various spheres lining the outside at irregular intervals. We will need to enter the mansion, locate the Crucible, and have Warp jump away with it. Despite what Odin already said, Genesis's defenses are still formidable. The air in the mansion is filled with a deadly toxin. She has immunized herself, but everyone else will need a gas mask or some form of poison immunity. There are likely other biological defenses inside that were are unaware of. Fortunately, you will not be alone. In recognition of the importance of this mission, Odin contacted and called in a specialist in infiltration. Guardians, meet Mr. E."

Mothdust

2015-08-25, 09:19 PM

The sound of the heavy steel door opening at the back of the room alerts the Guardians to their visitor. As the door lifts you see a pair of well-polished black and white loafers. The right foot tapping as if keeping beat to a song. Next are his smart well pressed charcoal grey pants. You can’t help but notice a black cane topped with a stunning diamond orb resting along his right side.
His suit Jacket is once again charcoal grey and leads up to his red and white mask completely hiding his face. Finally his head is topped with a brown fedora.
“ Well well well, If it isn't the legendary guardians! I must say it is indeed a honour to be in your fanTAStic facility!”
He Strolls down towards the group and spins in the chair before coming to a stop. Finally resting his feet up on the table.
“Allow myself to introduce….heh. MYSELF. You may call me Mr.E scourge of the underworld! I know some of you by Reputation, and I have already had the absolute pleasure of young Warps delightful company on what was a rather quick yet fascinating trip. But I do go on. Word on the street is that you have need of a particular skill set that I may be able to provide"

Starsign

2015-08-26, 12:14 PM

Sharkguard turns to look around at the hired specialist. The shark-man gives something of an amused look to Mr. E, all dressed up almost like some criminal mastermind. Sometimes Sharkguard wonders how Odin and Syntherion decide on specialists to help out the Guardians. There's certainly a ton of style to this Mr. E but Odin and Synth wouldn't have chosen this newcomer if he didn't have enough substance to back himself up.

"Good t' meet ye," Sharkguard speaks to the specialist, having his arms folded and his accent out. May as well introduce Mr. E to how Sharkguard normally speaks down on Earth. "Me skill be mostly 'bout hittin' and smashin' whatever comes in our way. I ain't much for sneakin' in but I be sure t' give Genesis' defenses a good poundin' if it thinks this Cap'n will go down to some gas." The idea that Genesis' neurotoxin would be a threat to Sharkguard is laughable; he has no need of a mask to protect himself. He may not be able to speak but he can certainly hold his breath long enough that being in a mansion won't be a problem.

What does seem to be a problem is the Crucible, specifically how the Guardians are supposed to handle it. The shark-man looks back to Odin with a slowly fading smile. "Why are we just going to pillage that thing anyway? We'd have to put it through the management facility. If the shadowman's got enough ways of getting around he could probably try to take it there while we attempt to move it." He then smashes his two fists together, giving the, "let's brute force it" sign. "Why don't we just smash it? It ain't of any value to us and it's the quickest and safest way to keep it out of the hands of anyone else. Not like Genesis is getting it back when it goes to The Pit, aye?" Sharkguard has all the wisdom that a long-time Guardian should have... mixed with copious amounts of preferring to do things the "fun" way.

CandyLaser

2015-08-26, 12:53 PM

Aurora greeted the newcomer with a wary nod. She was well aware that she wasn't an investigator. She simply didn't have the knack for drawing connections and tracking down clues that others did. For the most part, she'd gotten on just fine without it. Few would-be criminal masterminds took the time to pack their hidden lairs with radioactive materials, or obscure themselves from orbital surveillance. But her ability to see through walls could be stymied if she didn't know where to look. So she saw the wisdom in Odin's plan. But that didn't make her like this Mr. E, or mean that he'd earned her trust.

As Sharkguard spoke, she joined in. "I'm not partial to breaking anyone else's things for no reason. We're not gods, Sharkguard, and we aren't entitled to simply barge in and destroy things we don't like. That said, I think that you might be on to something nonetheless. Rather than take the device by force, could we perhaps persuade Genesis to let us put the Crucible in safe-keeping, and then use a false device as a lure to draw the Shadowman out? As far as where we'd put it, I can go stash it somewhere inaccessible - perhaps the asteroid belt would do?"

Quellian-dyrae

2015-08-26, 01:37 PM

"I'd also think another attempt at negotiation would be preferable," Solstice agreed. "We didn't go the first time because we didn't want to hinder the chance of it by bringing too much power to her doorstep. But since the more...polite negotiations have failed, perhaps a visit by a few Diamond-tier Guardians will impress upon her the seriousness of the situation."

"I think Odin's idea of using the Pit might be the more practical plan than another presumed-secure location. The Shadowman has augmented magical powers; we can't know exactly what he can and cannot do, but it does seem rather certain that he can't directly access the Pit, or else he wouldn't need the Crucible in the first place."

Also, just because this is the second less-than-legal mission we've been assigned to now, gonna roll Deception to oppose any Bluffs on Odin's part, just to be properly paranoid. [roll0], reduce result by 16 if Odin makes a DC 26 Will save.

Mothdust

2015-08-26, 05:35 PM

Mr.E sits up and zooms in on various parts of the 3d map.
These are all wonderful suggestions. And, I feel there is a valid part to each and every one. I especially like the part where Sharkguard smashes the device.
BUT.
Unfortunately I get the idea that the reason it needs to be..
*Mr.E holds his hands up and dose the quotation mark thing with his fingers*
“Liberated” Is because we don’t know how volatile the liquid inside is. I assume it’s not a slushy machine. And the rather stunning Aurora has a good point. We can’t rule out other disposal options. Finally I think Solstice and Aurora have a grand plan there. Another attempt at communication would be a diplomatic way of getting our intent across….ahem ..it also makes a delightful distraction. You see this gas needs to be generated somehow, and I’m sure if it has nasty gas then it may have all sorts of other mouse traps to lose a toe in as well. Once on site. I can use my little stick here to see a time that the defences were installed. IF I can disable the defences while another diplomatic solution if being practiced. It Removes part of the danger to our diplomatic team and gets part of the job done for extraction…I Mean heheh we can’t have them walking in with gas masks on and try to be diplomatic.
Mr.E dose his best impersonation at speaking with a gas mask on
“ohmmmww hellwwwoo Wmmmee arewwhh herew towhoo thake wyouw wifesw work. Canw wee whave a bwhisket?”

All we would need to do is agree on the plan B.

Oroboros

2015-08-26, 08:11 PM

As far as Solstice can tell, Odin's being straight with you.

"If there's anyone that Genesis will absolutely refuse to negotiate with, it's those directly responsible for the arrest of her father. Feel free to attempt diplomacy, but everything I know about her tells me that that strategy likely won't work. Sharkguard's plan to destroy the Crucible does have some merit, I must admit. It would put it safely out of reach of the shadowman. My only concern would be provoking a reaction from either him or Genesis, but stealing it would likely do the same. Aurora brings up another interesting point, though. As long as we hold the Crucible, we force the shadowman to make the next move. If we merely destroy the Crucible, there's nothing to stop our mysterious friend from disappearing back into the underworld, only to resurface later. If we wish to address this issue at it's roots, we need to lure him out and capture him. The Crucible may be our only tool to do that. If we destroy the Crucible, the shadowman may have some way of knowing. It is more than likely that someone of his magical skill could use Thaumaturgy to scry the location of the true Crucible. With this in mind, the we may need to use the real deal as bait."

CandyLaser

2015-08-26, 11:02 PM

Ugh, magic... Aurora thought. It could do anything, or so it seemed. Granted, she could do almost anything, but she still had to obey some rules. Magic appeared to be almost limitless. She could go tuck the Crucible away, out past the orbit of Pluto, floating in empty space - and any joker with the right spells could summon it back, or go retrieve it.

Oh well - no sense griping. The world was the way it was; her job was to make it better. "Given that there was no guarantee that we could hide the Crucible, we might as well use it as bait - and then we'd be on hand to destroy it, if it came to that."

Quellian-dyrae

2015-08-26, 11:36 PM

"Maybe Syntherion could even create some sort of failsafe. An explosive or something. So worst case scenario, if he gets through us and gets it before we can destroy it, we can blow it up remotely."

Starsign

2015-08-28, 07:15 PM

Sharkguard backs from attempting an argument with Odin and the others. He did have a point; without the Crucible, the only thing that would be accomplished is delaying the shadowman's scheme, even when it prevents said scheme from rapidly happening. Leaving it as bait comes off as being little better than just leaving it alone. It feels like a plan that would work have the Guardians been dealing with a completely tangible threat. As is, the shark-man at least knows enough about intangibility and teleportation that leaving something as bait can instead be more of a five-finger garage sale.

"He may not even need to go through us Solstice." Sharkguard's tone expressed a little frustration, being in a situation that again is outside his comfort zone. Granted, his comfort zone generally is restricted to the battlefield. "Me and Aurora have seen him teleport before. We didn't even 'fight' the real thing and it still somehow had enough power to risk sinking Atlantis. We leave this as bait and all he needs is two seconds to get in and out before we can do something about it." Teleporters, intangibility... these magic-slinging magus villains are almost not worth looking forward to fighting. Conjurations are great to beat up, less so when the thing that needs beating up decides to stay out of Sharkguard's reach.

"Good idea at least keeping something on it as a failsafe. Maybe we can slap on a tracking device or three too? If the shadowman is gonna get it no matter what, we can at least use the Crucible to take us right to him." His hands curls to fists just thinking that, should a tracking device work, Warp can take Sharkguard right to the shadowman's home and rampage and pillage the villains there to his heart's content. The shadowman wouldn't even expect it! ...Okay maybe he would; Sharkguard really should know better than that supervillains won't think of precautions to counteract precautions. But hey, that's probably a good reason why the shark-man should be teleported first.

Oroboros

2015-08-29, 04:02 PM

Odin sits in contemplation for a moment. Nodding, he looks around the room at the assembled Guardians. With a matter of such grave import, it is difficult to come to a decision. Nevertheless, we are hardly given a wealth of options. With that in mind, you have my permission to deploy how you see fit. Decide upon your own plan to obtain the Crucible, and then execute it. I will be available, should you seek counsel or information. I trust your experience to guide you well. When you have decided upon an exact course of action, Warp should help you get down to the ground.

Starsign

2015-08-30, 01:43 PM

Sharkguard takes a moment to think as the decision will come down to the assembled Guardians. His own experience should state enough. If the Crucible is smashed then there's nothing the shadowman can do; if the Guardians steal it then they can bait out the shadowman but risk losing both the Crucible and the shadowman's trace should that backfire. A tracking device and explosive device can help keep the shadowman from both having the Crucible and escaping with it but the safest thing will still be to destroy the device if it comes to that. Genesis is going to be infuriated no matter how this goes down. Unless Calliope or Solstice can try to rationalize with her, unlikely as it is, the Guardians may just end up making another very active enemy for themselves. Sharkguard's mind however is on the device first, Genesis second. Unless he is needed to negotiate he'd rather deal with the smashing and plundering. "Alright, best to keep our options open. Synth how quickly can you make us something that can we can plant on the Crucible to track it? And detonate if we gotta do it?"

The only remaining thing is the other aspect of a pirate's life when it comes to pillaging places, kidnapping. "Ain't a few hours ago Odin, you said something possibly kidnapping Genesis. Will that be something we may have to do or is our attention completely focused on the Crucible?" Kidnapping is a classic part of a pirate's life... if not really romantic outside of the most delusional of stories. The idea of an aberrant kidnapping an innocent, even if she has a shady past and is taken for her own good, does not shine well for someone who's supposed to be upholding aberrants as a superior yet responsible species.

Giving himself one more thing to consider, he looks back at Syntherion as the shark-man remembers what the cybernetic genius had been doing earlier. "By the way, did Typhon find something back there at that facility?" Sharkguard's interest are clearly on the larger aberrant, whose intelligence seemed like being right up there with Syntherion and Odin. It is really something Typhon should be proud of, further confusing Sharkguard as to why Typhon seems to view his aberrant form as a curse.

I'm assuming that Typhon is currently not at the meeting and will be shortly. I can change my post Dienekes if you'd rather have Typhon always being with the others for this scene. :smallsmile:

Oroboros

2015-08-30, 04:54 PM

I have already prepared such a device in anticipation of a situation such as this.
A compartment opens on Syntherion's upper shoulder, from which he withdraws a small disc. This device should be able to track the Crucible anywhere short of another dimension, and should it be needed, explode with enough force to level a building. Whoever wishes to use it may take it.

Mothdust

2015-08-30, 06:00 PM

There is always an other option.
I do note the amazing tech you have here. IS it possible that a cloaking device could be placed on the crucible?
Since Genesis has no idea that I am working with you. We could use my reputation to make her believe I have absconded with her life's work.

Or The same plan only we create some doubles of the crucible. Place real item in a safe place, take the not real illusion some where guard it heavily and wait for our foe to show him self?

CandyLaser

2015-08-30, 06:01 PM

"The Crucible is our best hope of drawing the Shadowman out. I say we use it, as we've been discussing. If he gets hold of the Crucible, we'll destroy it, and whatever threats he concocts from it."

Mothdust

2015-08-30, 08:15 PM

Mr.E nods.

Mmmmhhmm Ok so It looks like we agree that the crucible is out and its bait for your foe. What attack plan are you thinking here?

Quellian-dyrae

2015-08-30, 10:54 PM

"I do kind of like the 'take one more swing at diplomacy, have second team moving in to steal it if that fails,' plan myself. Worst case, it means she's personally distracted and not going to be presenting a hassle for the retrieval group. Best case, we get it free and clear without burning any bridges."

Starsign

2015-09-01, 07:39 AM

Sharkguard gives a accepting shrug and his upbeat smile as he walks over to take the disc from Syntherion. "Always one step ahead of me, ain't ya Synth?" Sharkguard puts the disc away in his suit for now, not planning to have it for long. Once the sneaking team is decided he'll hand it over to them; the shark-man should never be sneaking around. Not only is that ridiculous for his size and frame but it also has no sort of honor and worst of all means he'd be avoiding combat! Thank goodness some of the other Guardians are more cut out for stealth.

"Hah, you always have been quite the persuasive guy," Sharkguard says in amusement as Solstice mentions his plan. "Ain't gonna stop you if you want to try. Sure might get the message through to Genesis better than some human." Sharkguard is a little more hesitant towards Mr. E considering the idea of sending him to steal the Crucible as a way to keep the Guardians' standing with Genesis in a mostly-comfortable position. The specialist has a point though, if nothing else than to tag the device on the Crucible. "Guess that makes you our sneaking 'team,'" the shark-man speaks to Mr. E as Sharkguard warily hands the disc over. His smile hides any doubt he has over this specialist; relying on a mysterious person on a vital task is exactly the kind of desperation that few are comfortable with... In Sharkguard's case the only real concern is whether Mr. E means well with following the plan, as otherwise this sort of desperation is part of what can make things exciting.

"So Solstice and maybe the rest of us meet Genesis, try to convince her, while our new mate E," Sharkguard playfully points his thumb behind him at the specialist, "sneaks in, tags the thing with that disc, and maybe gets Warp to pull it outta there if the ship goes up in flames." By "ship" Sharkguard refers to Genesis' house, the kind of destruction which would occur if things got really bad. Given what's happened lately, perhaps the worst should be expected. "I'm good with that plan, even when it ain't the most thrilling."

Volthawk

2015-09-01, 01:48 PM

Warp nods. "I'll be able to support either side of things depending on the situation. I've been known to be rather sneaky myself, after all, especially with this suit, and if need be yeah I can move everyone around to fit the situation. So yeah, new guy, you need an assist or a convenient teleport, you just need to give me a whisper. The ranges involved will be well within what I can do non-stop, so if need be I can get you and be gone before anyone knows what happened."

Dienekes

2015-09-01, 07:22 PM

"Sadly, all I found at the site was that the portals required a lot of set up and several magical reagents. I've collected samples and brought them for Syntherion, but from my own notes they seem pretty standard stuff." Typhon answers Sharkguard's prompting. "Oh, and the other side probably was not on the ground, could have been in a particularly sterile underground room or somewhere else, with magic, I'm not throwing out insanities such as parallel universes or whatever else you can fathom."

"As to the plan, a lack of thrilling heroics can be just what we need after the golem fight. I have a feeling before our time with the Shadowman is over, we'll be dealing with something just as strong if not stronger." Typhon paused for a moment, considering. "Though, we do have to take into account the possibility that our wizard will try to attack while we're distracting Genesis. He seems clever enough to try and manipulate out plans to get us and Genesis to fight each other while he gets what he is after. Personally, I suggest also giving our new partner an explosive as well. As a last ditch effort if it appears our teleportation plan doesn't work."

Mothdust

2015-09-01, 11:08 PM

Mr.E rubs his hands together gleefully before he accepts the disk.

Oh goody gumdrops!
Mr.E spins the disk on the table like a coin.
Now may I be so bold as to suggest that I take two of your Original members to assist me on this part of the mission. I will absolutely be honoured to have warp by my side. In addition I request Greyhounds presence. From what I know, he has a big gun and knows how to remain silent when needs be.
Mr.E makes no effort to hide the fact that the disk was placed inside his jacket.

Now if Greyhound and warp agree to join me, can I suggest we make a preliminary recon of the place. You see if I am on site I can use my cane here to see into the facility’s past. I will try and see a time when the defences were installed and how to disarm them. I may even be able to see if your Shadow man has been there before. Annnndddd if you both are willing to join me. Could I suggest a modified costume that in no way suggests you are a member of this illustrious crime fighting team. It would be a shame if we were to sully our diplomatic efforts. Once we know the lay of the land…so to speak. We can ready our 1st choice diplomatic team and make plans on how to go once fully informed.

CandyLaser

2015-09-02, 12:09 AM

"I'll hang back, with Sharkguard - if you need heavy hitters, we'll be on comms."

Oroboros

2015-09-02, 07:49 PM

Having decided on a plan of attack, the Guardians teleport to outside of the mansion. The building lies on the side of a sloped hill, surrounded in forests on all sides. A small cobblestone pathway leads up to an imposing front door. The mansion appears to be Victorian in style, with sloping rooftops and circular windows. Beyond that, much of the architecture is difficult to make out. The walls of the building are coated in various vines, leaves, and other, stranger plants. Syntherion points out a certain strain growing on the walls, indicating that it is the plant that filters the neruotoxin out of the air leaving the house. The parts of the walls that aren't covered in vines are covered in strange devices. Blinking lights abound, covering everything from radar dishes to solar panels to odd metal plates. Cameras stick out from every angle, and a more in-depth examination reveals that they are meticulously arranged so as to leave no blind spots. All in all, it strikes an imposing image, a stunning fusion of the natural and artificial.

The Guardians arrive just within viewing distance of the front of the house, but not so close as to trip any sensors.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-09-02, 07:56 PM

Solstice looked to their new ally. He could admit, he wasn't entirely sure what to make of the guy. But if Odin deemed him skilled enough to call him in on something this important, he'd put his trust in him. "Quite a bit of security. You still want to do recon first? It might be easier for you to sneak in if she's distracted by talking to us."

Starsign

2015-09-03, 09:18 PM

Sharkguard observes the mansion with mild interest as the Guardians have been brought just beyond its sensor range. It absolutely looks like a proving ground for thieves and sneaks between the sensors and the general absurdity of security there is. It's amazing that the messenger had managed to get in contact with Genesis at all; there's no way in or out without a trick such as teleportation. Sadly this meant that the shark-man's amazing might has absolutely no use if things are to stay peaceful. Sure he can probably tear down the entire house if he really wants to let loose but that will burn far, far more bridges with Genesis than anything else he can do.

"Solstice's got a point 'ere, aye?" Sharkguard says to Mr. E with a wink. The shark-man's voice is quiet while the group remains outside of the mansion's field-of-view. "He wants t' talk it over; I be willin' t' wait and let him try. If ye need it, Warp can get ye in there. If th' worst comes and hell and high water be comin', yer Cap'n, Aurora and Typhon'll come in t' take things by force." The shark-man has a lack of interest in waiting around for too long. In fact he'd prefer being ambushed by villains while waiting for everyone else to finish things with Genesis. Too bad there's a damn good chance things will go loud as otherwise he could wander off and see whether there's crime to fight in a nearby city. He keeps smiling as he turns to look at Solstice. "Ye may need t' do some barterin'. Girl's a mad scientist last I be knowin' of; see if ye can think of somethin' she'd be willing to have in exchange for her Crucible."

He raises his arms over his sharky-head and leans back against a tree... before the tree cracks and breaks due to his frame and size. He gives a curious look behind his shoulder to notice the tree before choosing instead to lean on a small rock wall. He waves to Solstice, Mr. E, Calliope and Warp. "I be waitin' 'ere. Have fun charmin' and pillagin' mateys!"

Given Sharkguard will be hanging back for now, I'm up for a bit more RP'ing with Typhon and Aurora should Dienekes and CandyLaser are good with it. :smallsmile:

Mothdust

2015-09-03, 09:44 PM

Your right my friend. This is quite the pickle.
Mr.E touches his hand to his chin and looks deep in thought.
This reminds me of the time I broke into Dr.Nulls headquarters and destroyed his dooms day device. What I did was created a power surge in the area, which knocked out the sensors and cameras for a short moment allowing me access.
I can see the facility I can attempt to see the past. I hope to get some inside to the defences installation and how to bypass them. Now I will be quite venerable while I do this. So please be so kind and don’t put me in awkward poses please.
Mr.E gazes into the diamond on his cane. A bright yellow light shoots into his eyes from the diamonds heart. He gasps as the initial impact hits him. Then his body slumps down to his knees. His posture is limp and lifeless but his eyes never leave the glow of the diamonds core.

Post cognition is perception based. The DC is quite high so If I dont roll above 30 I will use a luck roll and attempt it again. I'm looking for details on ways to counter the defences. passcodes etc.
[roll0]

luck reroll in occ thread http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19768688&postcount=315

CandyLaser

2015-09-03, 10:19 PM

Aurora eyes shone with unearthly light as she scanned the facility, using her enhanced senses.

Perception: [roll0]

Oroboros

2015-09-04, 08:56 PM

Since two people are scanning the facility with various senses, I am going to put all of the composite information gathered in one spoiler here.

The mansion started out as a fairly ordinary home/research lab, back when it belonged to Dr. Darwin. As he, and later his daughter, fell into the depths of paranoia, the mansion was gradually reinforced. Steel-plated walls, surveillance systems, and eventually even chemical weapons. The center of the mansion was as much grown as made. The walls are made of live wood from a plant specifically cultivated for that purpose. Several radioactive chemicals, as well as lead and nitrates, flow through veins on the inside of the plant, blocking Aurora's sight. The other chemicals block the vision abilities of other well-known Neohumans. Meanwhile, a Faraday cage blocks off many technological means of observation. It appears that Genesis specifically prepared this "inner sanctum" to be immune to outside observation. Given that the Crucible is nowhere to be seen outside, it is a safe bet to assume taht it is contained inside. The entire inner area appears to be surrounded in an enormous seed-pod like structure, with the vision-blocking materials flowing through the shell. Several stems serve as access points, but they contract when Genesis is not using them. The chemicals in the plant are refreshed via a reservoir of materials beneath the house. This basin of chemical sludge flows up through the roots of the sanctum-seed, into the veins, and eventually back out. Several large roots serve as intake and outtake pipes for the chemical waste. As long as the sludge is flowing through the plant's shell, it will be impenetrable to Aurora's vision.

Starsign

2015-09-06, 04:57 PM

Given the overall scan that Aurora and Mr. E made and told to the others, Sharkguard considers what can be done with such an imperviously-looking shell covering the mansion. "If we can't go loud, best ye go in kind and quiet, aye?" He looks back to Solstice, considering that the best possible way in just might be through persuasion. "If ye can in then, Warp's got an idea of where t' bring in th' sneakin' or raidin' party. Blind teleportin' ain't gonna work 'ere." The shark-man holds off on a mild grumble. Why can't some heavily-armed places just use mountains of metal where the only answer to that is sending the juggernaut of a shark-man at it? He knows the answer of course, because it'd be predictable and too much effort for a scientist to do. This mansion was designed with what Genesis and her father had available; it's clever to quite a large degree.

Sharkguard notes the large roots which are treated as intake and exhaust ports for the sludge. "One of us oughta take out that cursed plant. I be havin' nothin' fer that if ye wanna keep it quiet. Bet we'd sail away with th' plan if we take it out quietly while Solstice's talkin' with Genesis." He gives a nod to Solstice, letting him go forward with the persuasion plan if he wants, before looking back to the others. "Got somethin' we can fire silently at a distance? It ain't like a pirate t' be stealthy and unnoticed now."

Mothdust

2015-09-07, 08:41 PM

Mr.E shakes his head as the light slowly fades back into the diamond tipped cane.

“I have never seen anything like this before. The mansion started out as a fairly ordinary home, back when it belonged to a gentleman who she named Dr. Darwin. It looks like he, and later his daughter Genesis, fell into the depths of paranoia, the mansion was gradually reinforced. Steel-plated walls, surveillance systems, and eventually even chemical weapons. The centre of the mansion was as much grown as made. The walls are made of live wood from a plant specifically cultivated for that purpose. Several radioactive chemicals, as well as lead and nitrates, flow through veins on the inside of the plant. Meanwhile, a Faraday cage blocks off many technological means of observation. It appears that Genesis specifically prepared this "inner sanctum" to be immune to outside observation. Given that the Crucible is nowhere to be seen outside, I assume that it is contained inside. The entire inner area appears to be surrounded in an enormous seed-pod like structure. Several stems serve as access points, but they contract when Genesis is not using them. The chemicals in the plant are refreshed via a reservoir of materials beneath the house. This basin of chemical sludge flows up through the roots of the sanctum-seed, into the veins, and eventually back out. Several large roots serve as intake and outtake pipes for the chemical waste. Genesis synthesized the sludge in her lab, then poured it into the reservoir. When it was time, she primed the plant to start pumping the sludge in and out of its veins, activating an organ that serves a similar function to a human heart. The plant's "heart" pumps the chemical mix up, letting gravity to the work of emptying it out.”
Mr.E stands up and lifts his hat. He rubs his temples deep in thought.
“Given her level of paranoia and security here I hold little hope for diplomacy. But one thing is for sure. We are going to need a distraction to get in. Warp and I might be able to teleport to the back door. I can do what I can to disable security and get in. But It’s a sure thing that unless attention is diverted we will be seen. On the plus side. I haven’t seen any staff. Maybe her paranoia won’t allow her to have staff here. But I only see bits of the past. Not all details. What are your thoughts?”

CandyLaser

2015-09-07, 09:00 PM

"Even if diplomacy won't get us what we want, talking can be a valuable distraction. Solstice, I think you or Calliope are our best bets for convincing her, and also the most likely to keep her attention on you while Warp and Mr. E do what they need to do. I can hang back with Sharkguard as backup, or come with you to provide the big stick for your talks with Genesis, whichever you prefer."

Quellian-dyrae

2015-09-07, 09:26 PM

Solstice nodded, "I'll do what I can to convince her. Failing that, I'll do what I can to keep her attention. And yeah, Aurora, if you could come with me, that'd be great. It's not so much the big stick that I think will be important, as having someone who can demonstrate utter immunity to her poison gas. Evidence that she's not as secure as she thinks might help with getting her paranoia to work for us," he said.

And then, he headed for the house, approaching openly with no weapons summoned, even giving a cheery little wave to one of the cameras. Assuming nothing jumped out and ate him on the way, he'd knock firmly on the door. He wouldn't press any doorbells, even if there appeared to be one - they were probably trapped.

Kymme

2015-09-07, 09:59 PM

Calliope sets off behind Solstice. He heard the small woman's voice echo in his mind. ~I, too, do not need to breath. If a demonstration is nessessary, I will be happy to oblige. Also, we don't want anybody going down if Genesis decides to spring a trap on us.~

Oroboros

2015-09-08, 06:45 PM

As the contingent of Guardians approach the mansion, several cameras turn toward them. A green light blinks on beneath one of them, and then Genesis's voice echoes out from several speakers at once

"You again. I already told you to leave me alone. I refuse to involve myself in your affairs. I don't want your help, I don't want to help you, and I am certainly not interested in your "protection". But since I refused to play your games, you up the ante, send in the muscle, make a statement. What will you do next? Come breaking down my doors, unless I do as you wish? I've already heard your arguments, and likely from someone far more persuasive than yourself."

Quellian-dyrae

2015-09-08, 08:53 PM

"So, polite greetings are out of the question then. We're going straight to angry confrontation?" Solstice answered, all calm confidence. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's fine. Just seems a little rude is all. You seem real concerned about me just smashing my way in here and taking what I want. I gotta say, Genesis, I find that interesting. Seems to me that if you were really confident that your security measures could hold up against the level of power someone like me can bring to bear, you wouldn't be trying to open the conversation by trying to guilt me into not trying it. Let's be real here. I'm sure you've seen the news. I've been at this for a few years now, and the women beside me a good bit longer than that. I'm sure you have a rough idea what we're capable of, so let's ask the obvious question: do you honestly believe that you could keep us from smashing through your defenses, wrecking your guardians, and taking what we're here for, if we chose to do it?"

Starsign

2015-09-09, 11:43 PM

As Solstice, Aurora and Calliope head off to the mansion, Sharkguard leans back against the rock wall and sits down, placing his hands over his head. He may as well have a chance to relax now that he isn't immediately needed yet has to stay nearby. Unless there is a town just over the hill being terrorized, there isn't anywhere for the shark-man to go. Instead he closes his eyes and tries daydreaming of him fighting crime, making the best use of his strength and invulnerability. It's a great feeling but also hollow; there's nothing like actually experiencing those sort of events. Dreaming about them just brings the shark-man so close, yet so far from what he enjoys the most.

Sighing, the shark-man opens his eyes again as he frowns slightly. Looking out to the mansion once more as both a supervillain lair and a simple house belonging to an innocent person. If the shark-man wasn't a Guardian he absolutely would have busted into the place the moment it came into view. A great deal of his actions are tempered by the group he is a part of; the benefits he has as a Guardian is way too great for him to completely ignore protocol when he feels it's best to. He still has freedom in how he wants to handle things... just not always.

Still sitting down and relaxed, the shark-man turns his head towards one of the remaining Guardians who is staying back with him. Trying to smile, he speaks to Typhon. "Bet we could be waiting out here for awhile," Sharkguard begins, dropping the accent. He's speaking to a close friend who's practically a brother; no need to have an accent which can drive some people crazy. "I've been wondering something about Genesis... She says she's some scientist wanting to do good and I bet she's got some crazy ideas on studying... How much do you think she'd be interested in studying an aberrant?"

The topic almost comes out of nowhere as Sharkguard speaks thoughtfully. The question is almost an idea of Sharkguard's for a bargaining chip if Solstice needs more to convince Genesis to hand over the Crucible. It'd also be a test of Genesis' character. She'd have the life of a famous aberrant in her grasp and how she'd study him could develop future relationships with the Guardians and the world. Besides, the shark-man would love to have his reputation grow by having part of his body or genes be an important part to the betterment of biological science... so long as it doesn't get him killed of course.

Hoping this is good as something for Dienekes to respond to. Figured some RP'ing in-game conversation might help give us something to do while Solstice, Calliope, and I presume Aurora negotiate with Genesis. :smallsmile:

Oroboros

2015-09-10, 07:11 AM

Bah! If you could just take what you wanted, you would. It's not like it has ever stopped you before. Don't think that I'm not aware of the importance of public relations. These days, if some pictures were to make their way to the internet of you tearing down the home of a law-abiding civilian, there would be an outrage. It wouldn't matter if you were "justified" or not. Your public relations budget isn't just for show. "

Quellian-dyrae

2015-09-10, 11:08 AM

"There is, in fact, a substantial gap between 'feeling justified' and 'knowing it is absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of the entire planet', but that's not really relevant. You seem to have entirely missed my point, so allow me to clarify. Do you think that your personal defenses exceed the sum total military might of Atlantis?"

He let that percolate for a moment, and the continued, "Because only a couple days ago, Atlantis came under attack by the individual who is going to come after your Crucible. This man possesses the capability to augment raw magical power. He is to a normal mage what a Neohuman is to a normal person. And he came within inches of sinking Atlantis to the bottom of the ocean. An entire city occupied solely by Neohumans, led by one of the most powerful Neohumans on the planet, and it would have been destroyed had we not been there."

"I'm not here to test you, or figure out how to help you fortify. I'm here to tell you, flat out, your defenses are insufficient against the level of offense this man can bring to bear. Off the top of my head, I'd say he'll go for straight up disintegrating building around you. It would release your poisonous gas, of course, but he isn't going to care about the casualties. If you try to fight him personally, you will die. And then millions will die for your hubris."

"You cannot protect the Crucible. That is simple fact. We can. But I don't expect you to take me at my word; tell me what evidence you require to verify my claims, and I'll see to it that it is provided to you."

CandyLaser

2015-09-10, 11:56 AM

Aurora, for her part, did her best to seem non-threatening. Unfortunately, her mere presence was an implict threat; she had little doubt that she could rampage through Genesis's home and wreak massive damage if she so chose. That wasn't what she wanted, but just by being there, she made it clear that the Guardians had overwhelming force at their disposal.

Dienekes

2015-09-10, 03:58 PM

"She might," Typhon shrugged. "But I wouldn't try pestering her. She's smart, and if she gets a clue what we're trying to do, you wouldn't want her know more about you than she already does."

Caution first, plus unless she was using a false name, Typhon didn't remember her doing any particularly noteworthy research on the subject of aberrants. Though that may have changed, he had been so busy recently with Guardian work, that his studies had been forced on the back burner.

Oroboros

2015-09-11, 06:36 AM

Suuuuure, I'll believe you. Even beyond the risk that this is all just a fabrication to get what you want nonviolently, how can I trust you to protect the Crucible any better than I could? Atlantis hardly looks like it is in the best of shape right now, and I doubt that you are aware of the full nature of my defenses. I hardly need evidence to know that you fear this man. If you believe that toxic gas is the extent of my safeguards, you are sorely mistaken. If you were truly worried about this threat, you should go and deal with it preemptively. Of course, this is all based on the assumption that you aren't just trying to con me out of my most prized possession. All I wish at this juncture is to be left alone!

Starsign

2015-09-11, 08:11 AM

Sharkguard gives a quiet laugh in response to Typhon. "And what's wrong with not being more well-known? C'mon it ain't like I'd be coming in handcuffs like a captive. I like being able to contribute more to the world. I'd love to become a legend by the end of my life!" One of the reasons why Sharkguard dropped the name Leviathan is, in his own words, he didn't want to be known by a legend. He wants to be his own legend, both as an unstoppable force in battle and as a timeless hero on Earth. The only thing better than fighting is fame after all.

He turns his head towards the house again, seeing Solstice, Calliope and Aurora still at the front door. Looks like things haven't been working out so far. Sharkguard wonders exactly what the three have tried arguing for by this point to even be allowed in the house. He gets his comm ready as he speaks through to the other Guardians. "Fortune smile upon ye yet mateys?" Despite having nothing to do on hand, Sharkguard sounds like his usual, cheery self. In this case, it means one of two things. Either he's very much looking forward to an inevitable fight... or he has a plan of his own. In many cases, the latter isn't preferable; this may be one of those cases. "Got me an idea o' me own. Mind if I be comin' there t' talk t' Genesis?" His plan is probably the last thing the Guardians have before being forced to attack the mansion outright if they really want that Crucible.

Starsign

2015-09-12, 10:00 AM

Having waited long enough, Sharkguard stands up from his position and stretches. His wickedly smile appears in full as he begins making his way down the mansion. He doesn't quite have an idea of this will work, given Solstice has yet to actually enter the mansion without incident. Still, might be worth an attempt. If that doesn't work then all that's left is to send the sneaking team in... or let Sharkguard "knock" on the door and come in fists flying.

He appears next to Solstice, Calliope, and Aurora with his smile as he looks up at the mansion. With a loud and clear voice he begins talking to Genesis. "Ahoy Genesis! S'pose Solstice be given ye all the details 'bout why we be here, aye?" Whether using the accent now is a bad idea or not, Sharkguard isn't entirely sure. He's on Earth, on a job, speaking to someone not another Guardian; good enough reason to use the accent. "But had he offered th' option of a barter at all? Bet we could trade ye somethin' if ye be preferin' that."

Sharkguard doesn't give Genesis much time to respond to his question. He has an idea of what makes her tick; it's just a matter of getting it out right. "Ye want t' find a cure, aye? Want t' make a contribution to th' world that'll help protect humanity." He finds the idea of a "cure for humanity" ridiculous, especially given what her father had ended up doing in the process... Though on the other hand, should this shadowman be able to replicate metahumans, humanity is sure going to need a lot more protection. "But if ye been lookin' fer a way t' go forward on yer biological studies, can I be suggestin' th' chance t' study an aberrant of godly strength, of one who's fortitude survives th' worst o' conditions? Of one who, should ye be agreein' t' this, will cooperate how ye need for th' best o' humanity?"

His smile widens. "By which I mean this very Cap'n himself, Sharkguard." He hopes that his reputation and stories of his incredible might makes him stand out from the other aberrants that Genesis might have looked into in the past... If Genesis has even gotten the chance to study a real life one up close before.

Alright, if it isn't apparent, Sharkguard is offering himself as a study (possibly test) subject for Genesis in exchange for the Guardians to protect the Crucible. I imagined that, should this work it might give Sharkguard a chance to converse with Genesis quite a bit, open up topics concerning his might (and his less-than-savory issues, such as his liver :smalltongue:) And... well hopefully be interesting at least.

Will make a Diplomacy roll for this. Might decide to reroll if this isn't a good one: [roll0]

EDIT: Yeah I'll spend an HP on the OOC to reroll that. (and now rerolled. Result of 26)

Oroboros

2015-09-12, 09:44 PM

"Truly, Sharkguard, your might is matched only by your self-importance. First you plead, then you threaten, then you bargain. What could you possibly offer me that would be worth the treasure of my father? Your powers are as much Neohuman as they are biological; studying them is an exercise in futility. When will you recognize that I refuse to bargain with the likes of you?! Take your little scam to someone who will buy it. "

Quellian-dyrae

2015-09-13, 06:14 PM

Solstice was starting to grow annoyed, although whether it was more because of Genesis' continued willful ignorance or because she had insulted one of his friends, he wasn't quite sure. "Really?" he asked, voice rich with snark. "I mean, seriously, Genesis? Are you really so arrogant that you believe your defenses exceed the full protective power of the Guardians? You're a super-genius, aren't you? Or is delusional paranoia your true superpower?"

"Here's the facts. The Shadowman attacked Atlantis with a giant golem strong enough that it required the combined force of multiple Diamond-tier Guardians to so much as dent the thing. A golem would be immune to your gas. One that strong would shrug off any bullets, energy blasts, explosions, or other technological attacks you might throw at it. Unless you've got a few nukes in there and a way to focus all their power onto a single target, it's going to ignore whatever traps you have set. It is strong enough to destroy any physical barricade you can raise against it. And, because you decided you just had to fill your house with a deadly toxin and surround it with a plant that absorbs it, when it attacks you, it will smash a hole in your building, that gas will be unleashed, and hundreds or thousands or more will die."

"No, Genesis. We are not afraid of this mage or his creations. We are afraid of what will happen if he comes after you. We are afraid of the collateral damage that he will cause destroying your defenses. And we are afraid of the deaths that will occur when you fail to defend the Crucible and he gets to use it as he chooses."

"I get it. You don't like us. You don't want to trust us. That's fine, you don't have to. But your goal here is protecting your father's work, right? That's what's most important to you, isn't it? So work with us to do it. We're not saying you have to give it to us and hope it all works out. Come with us and help us figure out how best to protect it, how best to defeat the person who is after it. Because I don't care how confident you are, it is logically impossible for you alone to protect it better than you plus us can, and you don't need superhuman intelligence to know it, either."

"You're a scientist, right? That means more than just inventing gadgets and using big words. It means learning the truth through experimental evidence. Your hypothesis is that we can't be trusted. Fine. I'm not asking you to trust us. I'm asking you to learn for yourself if your hypothesis is true or not. We aren't here to take your prized possession from you. We're here to help you keep it."

Oroboros

2015-09-14, 01:17 PM

Genesis is silent for a long moment. When she speaks up, her voice is slow, calm, as is she is reassuring herself of facts. "There are three possibilities: The first is that this is all an elaborate scam to obtain the Crucible peacefully. If this were the case, I should not allow you in. The second scenario is that this... Shadowman... isn't even going to come for me, in which case I also shouldn't let you in. The final scenario is that you are telling the truth. Even if you are, I have no way of knowing if your defenses are sufficient to the task of preventing the Shadowman from taking the Crucible. In this situation, I would rather keep the Crucible, because it would not matter either way. This is final. Please take your leave now."
At those words, the light at the bottom of the camera goes out. The audio feed shuts down, and the speakers retract back into the walls. For a moment, the mansion is calm.

CandyLaser

2015-09-14, 01:43 PM

"So much for doing things the easy way," Aurora said with a sigh. So often, people couldn't be persuaded to see reason. "Solstice, you're running the show. Let me know if we should use force."

Starsign

2015-09-14, 02:27 PM

Sharkguard lets Solstice's sharp tongue do the talking after the shark-man's own offer got shot down hard by Genesis. Good thing there's someone there who can speak with a lot more logic; Sharkguard probably would have gone with the fists by now had he been sent alone like back in the day. Being with more Guardians now, he can often follow what others suggest when they are in control. In this case, Aurora is absolutely right when she says Solstice is running the show here. Force can be used but it's when Solstice says so. Yet in a way, Sharkguard is actually hoping he might not need to go rush in now that he had stated his idea before.

"Aye aye, me offer still stands if ye'd be interested later," he says just as Genesis shuts down the audio feed. That woman's lack of active criminal activity is probably the only thing that has kept her from having her mansion attacked, which has made the shark-man's situation difficult. Villain doing stuff? Smash smash smash! It's an easy way of life, and a very exciting one to boot. Not the case here. Even then, Genesis is a lot lower on Sharkguard's list of people he wants to punch, where villains and aberrant-haters tend to be at the top. Besides he has enough experience dealing with anti-aberrant groups as a Guardian that he can't solve everything by punching it... yes, even when they have tanks so long as they're focusing on the hero they can't hurt. It'd be fun if he CAN see the world in white-and-black but he's been a hero for far too long to believe that way.

In spite of being trashed-talked, Sharkguard's attitude is hardly deterred as he keeps smiling. He looks down to Solstice with a wide smile. "Great job gettin' somethin' through t' her lad," the shark-man says as a compliment. "I be all up t' kick th' door down and breach its hull. Course it ain't th' only answer. Hopin' she might reconsider me offer, she ain't gettin' another chance for it." He stretches his arms and legs as he realizes that, if he's waiting for the stealth team then he'll be here for awhile. It'll depend on what Solstice thinks.

Mothdust

2015-09-15, 04:52 AM

Mr. E swallowed hard as he listened from afar. He had been doing this for years. Taking whats not his. Casing a joint out. Causing mayhem. But this one felt wrong to him. She is mad but she is innocent. But worse yet, he felt under prepared.

"Warp my good man its time to make our move. But, should my attempts to enter rouse suspicion. Get out as soon as possible. If you can, salvage what happens by appearing as the hero. Arrest me or take me down...I'll be fine. But if the worst happens I ask that you hold my body for a week before sending me to the earth or ashes. Its ..its in my will."

Mr.E takes Warps hand in a firm handshake.
"Lets go"

First roll is to disable cameras and security (technology) [roll0]
Next to open locks [roll1]
If you want a perception roll here is one [roll2]
Should I not like the look of the rolls Ill add luck in occ.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-09-15, 11:16 AM

Well, Solstice though. Time to be a distraction, I suppose.

"Hey!" he yelled. "This conversation isn't over, Genesis! Now I know you can still hear me. There is more at stake here than just your pride!"

~Sharkguard, Aurora,~ he sent through Calliope's mental link, ~could one of you be so kind as to pound on the door a bit? Not hard enough to break it down, mind, just to make sure she hears the knocking.~ Not only should that help cover any noises from the stealth team, but if it shakes the house enough, it might mess up motion, laser, and vibration based sensors.

Starsign

2015-09-15, 11:32 AM

Sharkguard smirks to Solstice before walking up to the door. Sure knocking might not exactly be his kind of thing to do, especially when he's more known to obliterate walls but there has to be some value in it when it comes to distracting Genesis. Besides if she ends up taking any sort of aggression out for it, at least it'll be Sharkguard who she'll see first.

The shark-man taps the door very, very lightly with his knuckles, each one having the force of a human trying to punch a door with all their might. This door may be fortified but it still feels like one which is all too frail for Sharkguard to handle. Heck if he tried turning the doorknob he may outright crush it accidental. Still, it's working out. The only real issue is the lack of talking and the lack of actually hitting things. It's not a fun task for Sharkguard to do but it IS part of his job. At least this way it might seem like it's Solstice doing the knocking until Genesis looks at the outside cameras again. Were she to know that it's Sharkguard doing so then she might panic like she thinks he's trying to break the door down.

Hopefully the stealth team won't take too long now. All this knocking might drive Sharkguard crazy out of boredom.

Volthawk

2015-09-15, 11:39 AM

Warp nods, although he gives a short response. "It's really unlikely that I'll have to let anything serious happen to you. Teleporter, remember?" With that said, he then gets to work finding a place to teleport to that'd get them into Genesis' mansion, and preferably into the inner sanctum. He also gets cloaked, just in case (although he was fairly sure she'd have better sensors than the suit defended against, it was worth doing).

Dienekes

2015-09-15, 07:22 PM

Uh, so much for that, Typhon thought ruefully. Threats and arrogance won't work on a narcissist. Appeals of vanity is usually the best way to go. Without any prompting one of Typhon's heads glanced to Sharkguard at the thought.

"Perhaps, I could try speaking to her." Typhon heard himself say as Sharkguard started tapping on the door. What? No. I'm not a negotiator I'm going to **** this up worse than it already is.

"Genesis, assuming you can hear me. We are both rational people, and scientists. Though your achievements far outstrip my own. Can we speak? Alone. No threats, no need for anyone to get upset. And in a territory that you feel comfortable with."

Oroboros

2015-09-15, 08:15 PM

Warp and Mr. E vanish in the blink of an eye, reappearing outside of the inner sanctum. While it would be easier to teleport straight in, there was no way to tell what was inside the pod without the benefit of Aurora's vision. The next best thing is to get straight to the apparatus that appears to be the "door". Luckily, the door is in nature, so there are no issues with tricking some plant into opening up. Unluckily, there are a retinal scanner and fingerprint scanner, both presumably set to only open for Genesis. At the very least, the pervasive network of cameras outdoors does not seem to extend to the inside of the house. Mr E. quickly gets to work disabling the lock. As is to be expected from someone of Genesis's paranoia, the lock is custom-made. However, it would seem that being a genius in the field of biology does not make one an expert locksmith. The inner mechanisms of the lock only take a few moments to dismantle. Soon, the door is unlocked.

On the outside of the house, the wall remains as unresponsive as the bricks composing it. It appears Genesis is content to sit back and watch for now.

Mothdust

2015-09-16, 05:00 AM

With a level of paranoia that would rival Genesis herself, Mr.E opens the doorway and slowly pokes his head into the room. It was around this time that Mr.E got the tune of God save the queen stuck in his head. He takes a breath and carefully looks around.

First left.

"God save our gracious Queen"

Then right.

"Long live our noble Queen"

Perception check for key security measures and shiny objects [roll0]

Oroboros

2015-09-16, 08:31 PM

Peaking through the barest crack in the window, Mr. E peers into the room. A large monitor covers one end of the room, facing away from the door. It is there that Genesis sits in a long-backed chair, her head in her hands. She does not notice the Guardians breaking into her sanctum, or if she does, she gives no hint of it. The left side of the room is full of laboratory equipment, much like several other areas in the house. The right side of the room is dominated by a massive cylindrical piece of equipment, with a hollow inside. Various devices, controls, and monitors dot the surface. Without a doubt, this is the machine that Syntherion had shown in his presentation. This is the Crucible.

Starsign

2015-09-17, 01:44 PM

After the overall pointless attempt at knocking, Sharkguard shrugs his shoulders and turn around. "Bet she ain't wantin' t' hear from th' crew now," he begins, keeping a small smile while looking towards the other Guardians. He knows what's probably the best thing to do now, much against what he'd rather be doing.

...He has to wait.

Sharkguard stretches his arms as Mr. E and Warp presumably work their way inside the mansion. They better not be getting lost, not in a place such as that. If there isn't much activity so far then those two probably haven't accidentally turned it into a gauntlet of set-off traps. Pity there isn't a lot to do, though with any luck it won't take too long to grab the Crucible and get out thanks to Warp.

"Maybe someday someone's gonna find somethin' in this ol' Cap'n that'll help others," he mutters. Genesis is probably one of the few scientists that might be willing enough to take risks in studying Sharkguard, which is what he had been banking on. "Ah wouldn't have been th' most fun thing t' do." The shark-man turns on his commlink. "Odin, we be sailin' slowly but surely so far. There ain't anythin' a couple miles from 'ere, landlubber or otherwise, in need of Sharkguard, aye?" He probably shouldn't be wandering off, not when things can still get loud... but he does enjoy being active when possible. Nothing like a feat of strength or durability to get his mind off things... Unless he gets objections from the others of course.

CandyLaser

2015-09-17, 03:41 PM

"Keep on mission, Sharkguard. Genesis may not be willing to listen to reason right now, but I'm sure she'll come around." Aurora's next message was addressed to Genesis. "All right, you've said you won't let us take the Crucible, even if we offer up one of our own as hostages. So what do you want? Is there anything that would convince you that we're on the level?" Aurora hoped for one of two things: either Genesis would be willing to deal, or the infiltration team would finish the job.

Mothdust

2015-09-18, 06:57 AM

The tune played on in side Mr.Es mind.
"God save the Queen"
He moved in time with the slow anthem. Slinking into the room each step deliberate and scanning the room for traps, the band played on. Getting wrapped up in the moment, Mr.E uses his cane to conduct the invisible orchestra as he prowls to ward Genesis's crown jewels.

"Send her victorious
Happy and glorious
Long to reign over us"

[roll0] Should it fail expect a luck roll in occ
MR.E pulls out the disk from his magical jacket and quietly attempts to place it on the Crucible

"God save the Queen"

Oroboros

2015-09-18, 08:41 PM

The device drops onto the crucible, making an ever-so-quiet click as it sticks on. At that tiny noise, Genesis whips around in her chair.

YOU!

She reaches under her desk, pulling out a glowing green tube about the length of her forearm. A small handle flips out from the underside as she whips it around to point at Mr. E. Still, Genesis is a scientist, not a fighter, and it shows. Her grip on the tube trembles slightly and she hesitates as she takes aim at the intruder.

Starsign

2015-09-19, 10:13 PM

Sharkguard gives a laugh to Aurora as she tries to reassure him. "Yar har har! I just don't like waitin' 'round too long when me strength can be o' help elsewhere." He flexes his right arm, showing the clear strength and muscle that helps empower him. He knows well enough; that's not going to impress Aurora. The two know each other since he came on board the Guardians and he knows that all the muscle in his body doesn't match up to the ridiculous might Aurora has. Heck, if muscle size purely determines physical strength then Typhon would be able to overpower the shark-man every time they've fought. As is, Sharkguard is more along the middle-ground of might between Aurora and Typhon... while being overall far more durable than either of them.

Not that strength and durability matter right now unless the shadowman's plan of taking the Crucible is to send a horde of supervillains to take it by force. Sharkguard simply raises his hands behind his head while speaking. "Ah c'mon now ye know I can't go chargin' in, fists flyin'. Wouldnt've been a Guardian fer long if I be doin' that!" It did not take long back as a "rookie" Diamond-tier Guardian to realize his superheroics can't involve smashing whatever is in the way if he's fighting in a town, city, or any other place where innocent people will miss having their stuff destroyed. It can suck when that's the case but there isn't a way out of it sometimes. Besides, supervillain bases more than make up by being a sandbox ripe for destruction; not that Genesis' mansion is a supervillain base.

"But maybe she'll come 'round, or maybe the shadowman's gonna come and give us another good fight." He does his best to leave out the stealth team, especially if Genesis cleverly has her speakers still on. "I alwyas be a Cap'n on th' move. Can't figure out how scientists got so much patience if they can sit 'round like she could. A pirate's life like mine's always been sailin' endlessly 'cross the seven seas! Ain't usually a moment of waitin' when the whole world's yer ocean." Sharkguard makes a passing glance and wide smile to Typhon, knowing him as someone far more knowledgeable in academics and science than the shark-man. He finds it funny how science works; it seems so dynamic with what gets discovered all the time yet so static as to usually focus in one place. Heck maybe that's why Sharkguard is interested in being studied by some mad scientist like Genesis; he really wants to know what can really be accomplished with his body in an area where his fists and might are useless.

Just having a post here to keep some dialogue going while waiting for Mothdust.

Also, happy Talk Like A Pirate Day! :smallbiggrin:

Mothdust

2015-09-20, 02:43 AM

“I’m about to pull a great heist right from under you and those Guardians noses. And all I get is a YOU?”

"DAM IT!
These things always go so much better in the movies", Mr.E thought to himself.
“Now to see if I can salvage the team and play the villain.“

“You’re lucky the Shadow didn’t pay to have you dead. It’s only your little device here that he wants”
With that Mr.E activates his cane, emitting a bright light once he sees her eyes.

Initiative [roll0]
Bluff check deception [roll1]
Please make a will save vs Dazzle rank 5 Will save. For blindness.

Oroboros

2015-09-21, 08:09 AM

Genesis cries out, dropping the tube as she reaches up to cover her eyes.
"Lies! You think me a fool!? I am perfectly aware of your affiliations, Mr E. You must be working with those Guardians! I'll bet they hired you for this, didn't they! They were planning to steal the Crucible all along, distracting me, baiting."

Mothdust

2015-09-21, 08:07 PM

Mr.E gives Genesis another blast from his cane. Old habits die hard, and a nice treasure from her lab was rolling across the floor. Mr.E makes a grab for the Green tube, justifying to himself that it was a clever tactic to remove her defences.
“I just need Warp to get us out of here and it’s off to the base for tea and biscuits” he thought to himself. “I need to keep her guessing”
Having do idea on how to activate the disk himself Mr.E decided to cause confusion the best way he knows how.
By being annoying.
Mr.E breaks into a random song singing at the top of his lungs.
“When I wake up yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
When I go out yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you”

If its the next round, another Will save vs Dazzle rank 5

Dienekes

2015-09-22, 02:21 PM

"It's not really that hard to think about." Typhon shrugs at Sharkguards talk of science. "Just imagine someone who gets the same sense of excitement you get from winning a fight, except for them it's from solving a problem no one else has figured out yet. Or from discovering something no one else has even imagined. Aurora probably feels the same way, whenever she reads a new primary source, or an old one that she can interpret in a new way that changes how we believe our ancestors lived."

Volthawk

2015-09-23, 03:40 PM

Warp looks on for a few moments as he assesses the situation. It appears that she can't see him through his cloaking so far, so that's useful. Time to make his move. He teleports between E and the Crucible, puts a hand on either and then takes them away - 45 miles north, to be precise (the thought had crossed his mind that his ranges might be known, so going for a shorter range would suggest a weaker teleporter doing it). This all takes a few seconds, hopefully before Genesis could react further (although unless he was wrong and she can get past his suit's cloak, he doubted she'd be able to).

Oroboros

2015-09-23, 05:05 PM

With an incoherent scream of rage, Genesis leaps at the sound of Mr. E's voice. She stumbles through empty air, however, as both he and the Crucible suddenly disappear.

Back on the ground, the Guardians feel a tugging sensation, before disappearing. When the reappear, they are standing next to Warp and Mr. E with the Crucible. Before the bewildered Guardians can regain their bearings, a shadowy mirage manifests behind them, slowly clapping. The Shadoman's stygian illusion pulls itself from the shade beneath the trees.

"Well done. Very... well done. You have not let me down, Guardians. Oh, but first, I apologize for dragging you all here without even asking. This will just be much easier if you are all in one place, so I dimensionally tethered you to Warp before he made his teleport. Tricky piece of magic, that, especially when you are working it through a proxy illusion. Still, as one can clearly see, I managed. Down to business, then? You see, I very much desire that Crucible of yours. I did not know where to find it, at first, but you have so kindly taken care of that part for me. Now, I am a fair man, so I shall give you something of commensurate value in exchange: five million lives. You see, I have planted a bomb beneath London. This bomb will detonate in... two minutes, unless I tell it to disarm safely. Now, to convince me to do so, you must place the Crucible in London-on top of Big Ben, to be precise-and immediately leave for a period of twenty four hours. I wouldn't wish to destroy my prize, after all. I will know if any of you have stayed behind, and I will detonate the bomb if you do. It would represent a major setback to myself, to be sure, but I just cannot resist the opportunity to remove one of my enemies so easily. I will come back in ten, twenty, or thirty years with another plot, and one more person who opposes me will not be there to stop me that time. In conclusion, that Crucible, and nobody else, must be in London in... 40 seconds. With that, I bid thee adieu."

With a flourish, the Shadowman's illusion disperses in a puff of smoke, leaving the weight of his words hanging over the assembled Guardians.

Dienekes

2015-09-23, 06:43 PM

And I'm here now. Typhon thought as he appeared.

"My God, you're boring," one of Typhon's head mutters right in the middle of the shadows speech, hoping at least to break the man's stride a bit. See if that would make him reveal anything further.

No such luck.

When the man disappeared Typhon signaled to Warp and Mr. E to come close. The magic bastard was apparently able to see and follow them, he could probably hear them too.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-09-23, 08:01 PM

"Yeah, that'll happen," Solstice muttered with a little smirk. It was the classic mistake, made time and again by countless supervillains. You don't get a Guardian to do what you want by threatening something else. All that accomplishes is getting them to neutralize the threat.

~Calliope,~ he sent over the Worldsinger's mental link, knowing it was perfectly cloaked against detection, ~Haste Aurora. Typhon, give her a rundown on what she should be looking for. Warp, get us to London. Aurora you're going to find the bomb, then Warp will teleport us to it, and we'll figure out how to deal with it. Sharkguard, we stand ready to absolutely crush any conjurations that try and interfere with the rest of them.~ Solstice had never worked with Mr. E before today, so he really had no idea what the guy could do. And, well, considering the job he'd been hired for was technically complete, wasn't entirely sure whether or not he was willing to assist. Never could quite tell with the more mercenary type, and at the moment, Solstice didn't have the time to ask. He figured if the man was willing and able to help, he'd find a way.

Mechanically speaking, what we really need is for Aurora to get a boost to both her Speed and her Quickness to ensure she can perceive things fast enough. Solstice just turned to Calliope for that because he knows she has a speed boosting spell, but really it'd take a power stunt (from her or maybe Aurora) to get what we need. Aurora already has both Perception and Investigation, so Typhon's Battle Commands can boost those. I figure London probably doesn't have lead-lining beneath every inch of its streets; if she searches the city and doesn't find any bombs, but does find areas where her sight can't penetrate, well that's where the bombs probably are.

Anyway, Solstice is being decisive about it because there's not much time, but it's just my idea. If anyone has other options they'd rather try, that totally works too.

Kymme

2015-09-24, 08:45 AM

It's always a trap. Why is it always a trap?

~Done and done, Solstice.~ She began to speak. "And so, as the clock clicked down, Aurora found her perception of time slowing. The forty seconds stretched onward to infinity, and it was almost as if time had graciously stopped. She could not fail. The world had seen to that." She shudders for a moment as her magic takes effect, then calls through her telepathy. ~She's ready.~

Calliope is power-stunting to hit Aurora with a very strong speed boost. Now she's fatigued.

Mothdust

2015-09-24, 08:16 PM

Mr.E had worked alone all his life. He knew it was going to be hard to fit in with the existing team. But he didn’t think he performed so poorly under the circumstances, such as to be left out of the attack plan. The one thing he did know was that these kids had zero chance of disabling a bomb without him. Punching, blasting, and talking. All very covered skill sets. But not so much the field technician. Adding to that, he had spent a long time in London during the war and he would be dammed if he was going to miss out on either saving the city or being blown apart with it. So Mr.E allowed his mind to speak through the jumble of the mind link.

~Well since I am partly responsible for this debacle, I must insist I journey to London with you. I know the lay of the land quite well, and I’m probably your best shot at disarming the device should it be the most suitable solution.~

Mr.E lent back on his cane and waited for the team to make their move, quietly tapping his foot to the beat in his head.

Starsign

2015-09-24, 08:19 PM

Sharkguard, due to his experience, stands looking apparently unfazed by the shadowman's coercion towards the Guardians. The shark-man might have found this a little impressive had the entire villain plan not seemingly get told right in front of them. Did this villain like the bravado of appearing before heroes in such a way? Certainly Sharkguard likes to be so against villains but he is having trouble seeing the shadowman's practicality in doing so... if it didn't think that this was all a fun game, which it very well could have. Alternatively it may be lying; there might not be a bomb, or if there is one, it's not where it says it is. What the shark-man is sure however is that the bomb is going to go off whether the Guardians comply or not.

Sharkguard feels ready to chime in on a plan as soon as the Guardians are left to think of what to do. He isn't much of a planner even when he's capable of leading the diamond-tier down on Earth. As such, Solstice and Calliope get out something before the shark-man can say anything. Given Typhon's signalling towards the stealth duo, Sharkguard keeps himself from speaking anyway. He knows when Typhon is taking precautions, where the best plan is to follow the larger aberrant's idea.

Sharkguard does at least have something he can help with when the time comes to move or disarm the bomb. Smashing through incantations might not be the best application of his powers though; he was always more a guy who likes to throw himself in front of something, both to protect someone else and to have that exhilaration of facing something of which possibly only he can survive. And with a bomb that risks blowing half of London or more? Hell yes Sharkguard will want to use himself to contain the explosion.

...But it would be preferable to disarm or move the bomb away.

Hearing the plan go, Sharkguard turns his head back towards the mansion. It seemed quiet enough but there's no indication of whether Warp and Mr. E were spotted or not. It might not be long before Genesis spots her precious Crucible having been stolen, if she hasn't realized it's gone already... She's going to have another reason to hate the Guardians; with that direct form of aggression towards her property the Guardians just might have made themselves another supervillain.

Sharkguard's made a lot of villains over his years as a hero and a good number of those have been as much his fault as it has that person's choice to be a villain. The shark-man's recklessness and love for battle, along with his boisterous and boasting attitude, has probably given him a larger rogue gallery than any of the other Guardians. Not that it's a problem for him; the more there are the merrier battle is! But for the entire group to have roped an innocent into revenge? That's not good.

Sharkguard walks up to Mr. E and Warp as they are signaled by Typhon. The shark-man kneels down to whisper to them. "She didn't see either o' ye, did she?"

Mothdust

2015-09-24, 09:13 PM

Mr.E stopped tapping his foot at Sharkguards question. He leans in to whisper in his ear (if he has them).

“Short version is yes she saw me. The long version is given more time I would have waited hours to slip in and place the disk. AS it was I took a risk and stole it from under her nose.See saw me, I blinded her before she saw Warp. She accused me of working for you but I claimed I was in league with the Shadowman. She probably didn’t buy it, but you never know your luck. It could have been better, but could have been so much worse. But then again. I guess it did get worse heheh”

Dienekes

2015-09-24, 09:41 PM

Alright, multitasking time.
Calliope was using her power on Aurora, it was smart. Aurora was the only one to have a reasonable chance to pull this off.

It was a rare moment where Typhon felt that his multiple faces was actually a benefit, but now was one of them.

Typhon's main face pointed toward Aurora, "Take me with you, you're strong enough to carry me, I'm tough enough to take the speed. And I know enough about the bombs to help find them. Speaking of, you need to look for..."

As his main mouth listed out the various identifying markers for both magical and technological bombs, his second face looked to Warp and Mr. E and started talking in a whisper. "Shadowman is probably listening in, not much time, if Aurora can't find anything. Contingency: place a tracker and a bomb in the Crucible, if we deliver it to Shadow we can still warp to him and if not, blow the bastard up."

The small twisted half-formed face, started to speak to Sharkguard. "If... we don't... make it." The elongated teeth of the twisted face poked through itself as it struggled to speak in a soft barely perceptible voice. "2 things... tell Syntherion... password past all... defenses on computer... name of child... killed when transformed... Odin knows. Many experiments... many ideas for him. And Sharkguard... second thing... tear the Shadow limb from limb."

CandyLaser

2015-09-24, 11:18 PM

Aurora rolled her shoulders and, for a moment, closed her eyes. Calliope's worldsong closed over her, and Typhon's orders filled her mind. When her eyes opened again, they were aglow with lambent energy. Without a word, she grabbed Typhon and lifted him, easily. She had to trust that he knew what was coming, because there wasn't time to explain anything of check to ensure he was comfortable. At least he could handle the sudden strain of acceleration.

She took flight, accelerating to her top speed in the blink of an eye. The loud crack of a sonic boom marked her passage, along with a glowing contrail streaking up toward the upper atmosphere. Even in this moment of crisis there was no reason to cause undue collateral damage.

Seconds later, she was in London with Typhon in hand. In her first overflight of the city, she simply scanned the area looking for anything that stood out. That took a small fraction of a second. Then she did a more thorough search, first by quartering the city, then by searching each quarter in a grid pattern. At her hypersonic speed, there was no way to prevent some damage caused by her passage. But it was a necessary evil; if the bomb went off, millions of lives would be lost.

First, using Extra Effort and the Extraordinary Effort advantage for a pair of +2 circumstance bonuses, applied to Expertise: Magic and Expertise: Science. With that and the +5 from Inspire, hopefully that will be enough. Now, onto the rolls: Expertise: Magic [roll0], Expertise: Science [roll1], Perception [roll2], Investigation [roll3]

Starsign

2015-09-25, 08:40 AM

Sharkguard gives a rare frown as Mr. E mentions he got spotted, and worse, accurately guessed that he's working for the Guardians. There's no reason now that Genesis wouldn't target the great superhero group were some form of consolation not be done soon.

Unfortunately there's a bomb to deal with first, one which the shark-man simply can't deal with on his own. This would actually take careful eyesight, rather than one of a shark's who've been roughed and aged after decades of battle. As a result, he gives a rough sigh as he sees that the initial flight will be handled by Aurora and Typhon. The older aberrant's knowledge stands out far better to the shark-man's might in this case; and with how Typhon continues to evolve, he might even surpass the older aberrant in strength too. Even if that's the case, Sharkguard will be delighted. Typhon has a long ways to go to match up with a god such as the shark-man, but the younger one is getting there. Might even be just a matter of time now.

...Except for the part where Typhon speaks like he might not survive, prompting an displeased shark-man to place his hand on Typhon's shoulder before he and Aurora left. "I ain't hearin' none of that matey," he rebukes, speaking with such a sharp, disciplined tone that is a leap from the jovial attitude most know him for. "Ye go an' stop that bomb an' come back alive. This Cap'n ain't gonna go fishin' for th' rest o' ye if ye can't." He then gives a small smirk as he gives Typhon a swift-but-soft slap on his shoulder. "Now get t' plunderin' matey!"

There's nothing Sharkguard can do now as he watches Aurora and Typhon head off at really, really incredible speeds. Why can't Calliope enhance his strength the same way she improved Aurora's powers? Maybe she will one day, though today sadly is not that day. Hopefully the right call was made with Aurora and Typhon.

Oroboros

2015-09-30, 07:50 AM

Aurora stares over the entire city, searching for anything out of the ordinary. The first pass-over simultaneously reveals both a wealth of information, and nothing of use. A city such as London is full of potentially dangerous objects and strange things, but none of them seem to be large enough to cause significant damage. Marking down the locations of the hazards for future reference, a more detailed search of the city begins. Aurora is churning with power and information, the powers of her teammates coursing through her veins. The more detailed search reveals nothing of a technological nature. Given the nature of the Shadowman as a potent mage, a magical bomb seems plausible as well. The difficulty with finding such a bomb is that, should it be composed of runes, it could be anywhere. Upon closer examination, telltale signs of dark magic can be found throughout the city. Unfortunately, none of that narrows down the location of the runes, which could be hidden anywhere throughout the city. Even at the incredible speeds that she is moving at, each location can only be briefly examined before moving on to the next one.

Syntherion's nervous voice counts down through the comms. "Only thirty seconds remaining. Whatever you do, Guardians, do it quickly. The Shadowman did threaten to take out out with the bomb if it came down to that."

Mothdust

2015-09-30, 05:55 PM

Mr.E had to act, he had wasted valuable seconds trying to figure out a way to foil the Shadow man’s plans. He was a most worthy adversary to be shore. The team has been forced to split up and removed any chance for a committee to come up with solid plans. This led to decisive action on the Guardians part, and once again Mr.E was about to act on his own. He thought to himself.

“I know my Jacket has protected me from the Scrying of wizards before, my only hope is the Sahadow cannot actually see me. Even so I better be doubly careful. I can try and remove a valuable component from the Crucible, and hope we find the bomb before he gets a chance to set it off.”

Mr.E set to work, firstly he touched the Crucible and used his cane to peer into its past construction. Looking for a time when Genesis made her greatest discovery
Perception roll to peer into its past and see the best bit to remove or disable/sabotage[roll0]
Technology skill [roll1]
Finally slight of hand to hide what I'm doing from the Shadow encase my Jackets power is redundant, also to hide me pocketing any thing taken because...you know.... Trophies[roll2]

Mothdust

2015-09-30, 06:05 PM

Typhon's idea was good to set explosives. But Mr.E was not in the habit of holding dynamite, and seriously doubted if Warp could get hold of any in the precious seconds remaining.

redo of Perception to see into the past (aparently when luck is used +10 is added)

[roll0]

Oroboros

2015-09-30, 07:59 PM

The Crucible is an incredibly complex and delicate piece of machinery, and the removal of any number of parts would render the machine inoperable, so the best part to remove can be decided by other means. One particularly "promising" component is a chip that helps guide the development of the embryo, preventing mutations that would otherwise render the entire clone into a mutated mess. The best part about removing this component is that the Crucible will still seem to work without it, which could make any deceptions much more potent. It is also essentially impossible to replace without a superhuman knowledge of biology.

Quellian-dyrae

2015-10-01, 11:09 AM

"Warp, can you take us there? As soon as we're there too we can communicate with Aurora through Calliope's mind link," Solstice requested.

Starsign

2015-10-01, 11:57 AM

Sharkguard waits impatiently by the Crucible as he hears nothing back from Aurora and Typhon. Shouldn't they be at London by now? Did they not find the bomb right away? It'd be bad if the Guardians have to hand over the Crucible even if Mr. E seems to be placing a tracking or detonation device on it. Better that it's in no one's hands than the shadowman's; a permanent solution, even if it had to be a problem in the first place.

The shark-man folds his arms and keeps an agitated look on his face as he turns on his commlink. "Synth, ye there? Can th' Sentinel get a scan o' London or anythin' beneath it? I think we be needin' t' know whether th' bomb's visible from above or buried like hidden treasure." Sharkguard assumes that a bomb of such presumed magnitude can explode underground, where most people wouldn't be able to find it. It would make a fantastic place to hide something that's used to coerce the Guardians into such a trade.

Sharkguard makes a number of loud mutters following his commlink messages, generally aimed at no one in particular except for his own frustration and amusement. "Arr, an' this be why every villain ought t' make me carry their armed explosives. Least then I can get a kick outta bein' a walkin' time bomb!" The path of being a hero, especially for one as invulnerable as Sharkguard, is always a hard one when innocents are involved as victims of blackmail and coercion. Falter enough and they'll end up getting injured or killed when the shark-man should be taking that danger for them. Granted there's a reason why back when he worked on his own as a Guardian, Sharkguard was used as the enforcer for when a dangerous villain refused to back down. A bomb-defusing situation isn't quite something he is good for, so after this the shadowman will learn what happens when he attracts the excitement and ire of what might be the Guardians' most terrifying hero... attitude-wise anyway.