[IC]Masks- Team Exiles [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Ant0in

2016-08-10, 01:14 PM

OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069516&postcount=1)
Team Exiles
Issue #1

Cover Page: There are five variant covers for this issue. One for each of our intrepid heroes and one for Psynapse.

For Iconoblast, the cover shows him in a generic pose. However, flip the page and you see a second cover of him as Kagatsuchi, with shadowy images of his parents, his sister Amaterasu, her personal assitant Kunoichi, and Killdozer all in dramatic poses.

For Riesenlied, you see her as her human form on the cover. The alternate sees her in her dragon form standing in the exact same pose, but this time amidst the ruins of Halcyon City. In the background is the symbol of the holy order that is hunting her.

Dagny is seen wearing her fathers fur robe on the first cover... the second, however shows a dramatic shot of said robe torn in two. Dagny's face on one side... her father on the other.

Advent Omega... is not on the cover. Terminus is, laughing as he looks down upon Earth that is on fire. The alternate cover shows Advent in a solemn pose in the center of two groups. The Exiles on one. Terminus on the other.

---

...and so it begins. And as expected, we are in the city of Halcyon. South Central Halcyon, where, finally, a lead towards Ragnarok has been found!

Iconoblast, you are the reason this lead was discovered, thanks to Killdozer.

Remember the "Jormungandr"? The man actually rebuilt the blasted thing, amongst other devices from past events of Halcyon City history, and he plans on auctioning the weapon off to the seedier side of Halcyon City tonight in an abandoned warehouse. Obviously, Tama Ga Hara is funding this, aiming to get a cut of the proceeds.

Killdozer had to get the knowledge and tech from 'somewhere' and that is why you all are here. Shutting down this auction, however, has to be a close second, as already there have been several reportings of 'incidents' involving highly technological weapons being used in bank robberies and other crimes across the city.

That being said, you all can't just kick in the front door and say hi. This is going to be a supervillian convention and that means that you all will be severely outnumbered.

...thus, I need to ask: How did each of you infiltrate this auction? And what particular auction pieces capture your eye? Dagny, how many scumbags have hit on you? Advent what important investigation towards Terminus was interrupted to help out your teammates here tonight? Tristan, your father is here tonight. Have you spoken to him? And how do you plan to sneak away to become Iconoblast and rejoin your teammates? Reisland, how shaken up are you that you encountered those assassins again a few days ago?

Razade

2016-08-10, 01:50 PM

Iconoclast
Conditions: None

Icocolcast stands not too far from the Auction House, where the team had agreed to meet, well before the others. Not only because he liked to be punctual but because he'd already been at the auction the better part of the night. He'd come with his family to "put some independent bids" on the auctioned items and to help inflate the numbers on the other things deemed not worth the organization's times. He'd also been sent to keep Killdozer company as the Taka-ma-gahara liaison to his company. It had been a busy night was the point. Thankfully such auctions were seen as more of a party to the crime syndicate.

This thankfully allowed for him to slip away when the bidding hit a lull, one couldn't sip wine all night without biology doing its thing and that had been an easy excuse. He'd go missing soon but bythat point he suspected the rest of the team would have put their foot in it and he could excuse his further absence with fighting the would be heroes. That was the hope but hope was an illusion and it cut deeper than any blade.

Have to roll for my Friends in Low Places. This one is for Kunoichi, I imagine she'd be here at the auction with the rest of the leading lights of Taka-ma-gahara. Good place for her to pop in I suspect if this roll is a hit.

[roll0]

That's a hit!

Merilan

2016-08-10, 04:00 PM

Riesenlied

It took some coaxing for Riese to agree to attend -- after what'd happened to Halcyon Central Station, the last thing she wanted to do was thrust herself into the mix of things once more. But... despite the warnings given to her by all her handlers and agents, by her parents, there was something in her that coaxed her here in the end -- perhaps, it was that heartbeat within that wasn't hers. A desire to finish things.

Still, she stood out like a sore thumb and that made her extremely uncomfortable. Here, amidst all of these supervillains, she was just a lone teenage girl sitting on her wheelchair, without a single iota of power save for what's within her. Her cover was that she was working with Kagatsuchi to "see how things are done", as a learning experience, so she'd been with him before it was time to meet the rest of the group. She followed Tristan as best she could, tightly wound up into her own seat as she kept her head lowered and barely talked to anyone. She wanted to assess what it was like inside, try to not feel too intimidated by the overwhelming number of villains within.

She did glance towards what appeared to be a large ceremonial athame, decorated with what may as well be scales, auctioned off at one point. It had a strangely familiar design to her, but she didn't know why. But more importantly, something in her heart resonated with it -- and she had no more knowledge of why, either. It was bothersome, and made her anxious. And then it was gone.

Let me know if I'm doing this wrong, but Riese wants to assess the situation within -- [roll0] (Superior - 0 for Riese).

That's a hit, so I want to ask: What here can I use to cause a distraction for the team?

Zen Gypsy

2016-08-11, 04:25 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

Cameron was pouring over Ava Wilson's AEGIS file, cross referencing her symptoms, and development with his own. If he could isolate any similarities, he could establish a baseline profile for reference, perhaps help him locate leads on other Aspects, and then go from there. Wilson hadn't surfaced from their last confrontation where ...

Psyche ...

He sighed. Just the thought of her filled him with a sense of loss, regret, and guilt.

Luckily, Iconclast was able to afford him a distraction, to prevent him from going down that road of self loathing, and depression. Killdozer, seriously?, apparently had recovered and repaired the Jormungandr and had established a black market auction of a wide variety of recovered technology and other relics of power from Halcyon City's history. Considering the city's past, the number of alien, other dimensional, and meta human threats that it's paragons had repelled, any recovered technology or relics from those encounters could present a city-wide threat.

A little research makes things ALOT easier, something he had picked up from Damascus. As such, Cameron had investigated that warehouse prior to the auction, and had been able to obtain the original blueprints and building permits from City Hall. He had spent all day familiarizing himself with the building, and the surrounding industrial area, so that he would be able to locate the various access points to the auction. He also spent some time reviewing the sewer plans, so he could locate the tunnels that ran beneath the warehouse. After all, most villains would bail when they showed up, and the sewers were usually their first choice. Rats on a sinking ship he supposed.

He had arrived early, in costume, it had been fairly easy to obtain access to the building, his ability to cloud the mental faculties of most people meant that the weak willed would not even remember him walking through the front door. Crouched in the rafters above the event, he felt confident that the shadows and his own mental illusions would obscure him from the most thorough scan, but what he hadn't planned for was the odd sensation he felt at the base of his skull.

It was similar to the thrum of the Anchor he called Sanctuary, and it seemed to be emanating from an odd, multifaceted orb of dark glass that floated, spinning slowly, over a dull metal base. An object that was garnering some attention from the various villains on site.

Cameron is going to Assess the situation, studying the various Villains in attendance, and referencing them with his own records, and the files he obtained from the AEGIS incursion with Blaze. He will obviously be looking specifically for Killdozer, and trying to make a mental list of who he is associating with that would have upped his game this much. After all he sounds more like a B-, or C- list jobber with a name like that. ;)

Here goes, though Superior, at -1, ain't my thing! [roll0].

Well now, that was a fortuitous first roll of the game! My questions;

What here can I use to find out where Killdozer got the knowledge & tech to pull this off?
Who here is most vulnerable to me?

Sojobo

2016-08-11, 08:28 AM

Dagny the Party Crasher
Conditions: None

So, recap. Neck deep in an abandoned warehouse, surrounded by rogue government elements, militarized gangs, organized crime, and oh look a supervillain or 10. All waiting for an auction for some pretty dastardly items - not least of which was a freaking weapon of mass destruction they had just destroyed last week - and no doubt all hoping something doesn't set off this powder keg of mental instability, bloated megalomaniac egoes, undisguised lust and greed, and deeply buried beefs and grudges.

But worst of all, the drinks were weak. She gulped down the last of whatever kiddie juice they were passing around as refreshments around here, then pressed the cup into the (admittedly) hulking chest of a random mafioso leering at her nearby.

"Marty" the Mafioso unfortunately had spotted her after she had phased through the warehouse wall, and had been tailing her ever since. But not out of suspicion. She had hoped to go in completely undetected, totally ninja-style, but she had gotten spotted almost immediately. Oops. Luckily, the form-fitting new outfit she had tried out for this outing and the little domino mask she was wearing matched the fashion of the "entertainment" - the hot guys and girls milling around acting as escorts - and no one had seen her actually phase in. So Dagny did what she did best -- improvise -- and hoped her team-mates had better luck infiltrating this shindig.

"Get me another one?" she asked Marty coyly, doing that thing with her eyelashes and her lower lip.

I hate rolling when its unnecessary, since just free-forming is my thing, but does the above trigger "Provoke Someone" or is that more for insults, barbs, etc?

Ant0in

2016-08-11, 03:09 PM

@Iconoclast

Your cell phone buzzes briefly, signalling that you recieved a text. It reads:

Heads up. We lost contact with two security details at the southside of the Warehouse. Both assigned to the aquaducts connecting to the sewers and the abandoned sewage plant.

That sewage plant was to be our emergency exit if we had unexpected company.

Izanagi is worried and he just put us all on high alert. Your sister just assigned me to look into this... and I need your help. I'm sure it's just some idiots necking with some of the loose women here, but If you could verify that, It'll be easier to get Amaterasu off my back. You know how she gets.

Thanks and I owe you one.

-Mai

Leave it to Mai to type up a paragraph long text in a matter of minutes. One of her secretorial skills.

So, how do you procede? Going alone, or are you going to bring backup?

Also, 'Kagatsuchi' was assigned this task... so seeing Iconoclast there will raise further suspiscions. Just keeping things in perspective here, Iconoclast.

So... what do you do?

@Riesenlied

Truthfully, Riese, what isn't here that can be a distraction? Drunk metahumans, posessvive and jealous men (and women) hanging out with objects and people of their desires, equipment that could become explosive given the right incentive, and the bidding, let's not forget that this is an auction. If enough attention is given towards something, it may spark interest and a bidding war that is sure to draw attention. You have plenty of options.

Which one is the right one? That's up to you.

Oh... and you have the feeling of being watched. Just so you know.

What do you do?

@Advent Omega

You spot a woman who is dressed more conservative than the rest here. She is actually dressed for business, rather than a social gathering.

She seems to be talking to Killdozer alot... as in she never left his side. She is either writing down something on her notepad, or she is talking to groups of people, apparently facilitating communications between Killdozer and other people.

...an assistant? She might have info.

You notice her break away, taking out a cellphone and sending a text. This might be your chance to strike. Judging how long she has been hanging around Killdozer, who knows what she knows. Will you take the shot? How?

@Dagny

As Marty leaves to flag down a nearby waitress for a drink, you spot Riesenlied across the room.

You also spot a man a few feet behind her, staring daggers at her. Then he glances at you, realizing he's been noticed. Someone walks infront of him... and he's gone.

Weird.

So, what do you do? Marty will be back any second. Do you hookup with Riese? Or do you do something to gather intel for the team?

Razade

2016-08-11, 04:10 PM

@Iconoclast

Your cell phone buzzes briefly, signalling that you recieved a text. It reads:

Leave it to Mai to type up a paragraph long text in a matter of minutes. One of her secretorial skills.

So, how do you procede? Going alone, or are you going to bring backup?

Also, 'Kagatsuchi' was assigned this task... so seeing Iconoclast there will raise further suspiscions. Just keeping things in perspective here, Iconoclast.

So... what do you do?

Iconoclast lets out a soft sigh as his phone buzzes, checking it quickly before stepping out towards the aqueducts.

[I will meet you there]

He types out quickly before finding a place to hide, his outfit shifting to that of Kagatsuchi. Not like he could bring backup, the others had their mission and this was more than a good enough reason to cover for his possible absence with them as well. Besides what ever it was, most certainly not something simple, he and Kunoichi were enough to handle the problem.

Zen Gypsy

2016-08-11, 10:17 PM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

He noted Riesenlied as he scanned the crowd, established telepathic contact, *Riese, it's Cameron. There's a woman, close to Killdozer, she seems to be his aide or assistant. She may be the one who has helped him re-purpose, or recover some of this technology. Are the other Exiles in place?*

Cameron returned his attention to Killdozer's companion, and studied the conservatively dressed woman, familiarizing himself with her mental energies. A person's thoughts, and emotions surrounded them, pervaded their very being. It was something he had learned under Psynapse's tutelage, and a skilled psychic was able to use that psychic aura to track thought patterns without visual confirmation.

The longer he studied her aura, the easier it would be to track her, perhaps discover more about the woman. He still needed to determine her connection to Killdozer, he began to pick through her neural patterns to discover more about the woman and who she truly was.

I am going to try to Pierce the Mask on K.D.'s companion. Rolling Mundane of +0, using a +1 from my Assess the Situation, for a total of [roll0]. Let's see how this mental scan works out!

Wow, the dice gods are going to turn on me anytime soon! My three questions are as follows;

What are you planning?
How could I get you to an isolated location away from Killdozer?
How could I gain Influence over you?

Merilan

2016-08-11, 11:15 PM

Riesenlied

Riese's uncomfortableness showed, even as she tried to look as natural as she could; she was nearly alarmed when Cameron pinged her telepathically, and she echoed, Ico was with me a while ago, I think he had something come up. I'm not certain where Dagny went... sorry, I'm not used to being at a party, let alone one with a lot of supervillains in it.

Her hands sweat a little as she gripped the armrest of her wheelchair. She couldn't shake off that feeling like she was being watched, glancing up and around, looking more anxious by the moment.

Ant0in

2016-08-15, 07:21 PM

@Iconoclast

Describe your approach to the aquaducts. Describe the area, and describe where you found the bodies of the missing sentries. They were well hidden, each one dead by a single arrow shot in a vital area.

How did you find the bodies, what trail did you find that might lead to the killer(s) and will you wait for Kunoichi or proceed alone while the trail is hot?

Oh, and unleash your powers to stay stealthy. Never know who might be watching.

@Advent Omega

The woman actually walks away from Killdozer after a quick peek at her phone. She is leaving the party entirely, infact. If that's not isolated, I don't know what is! Apparently, she has a place to be that is more important than the party.

As for influence... well, she looks to be allied, if not an outright member of Tama Ga Hara

Whereever she is going, she doesn't want to be followed... so the only way for you to gain influence over her is to prove you are an ally. That will NOT be easy.

How will you proceed. If you wish to stay stealthy and follow her, you're going to have to unleash your powers.

@Riesenlied

I don't blame you for being nervous. However, you have a job to do.

A bell sounds, marking the main biddings are about to begin. Before you could wheel yourself, you find yourself pushed from behind. Turning, you see that a man, a tan oriental with shoulder length hair tied in a ponytail and a bow over his back, is pushing your wheel chair from behind. He has on oriental robes, purple in color with a gold dragon trim.

"Allow me, my dear. It isn't every day that I meet someone new to one of these shindigs. Who are you? Are you new to the family... or merely an honored guest? I don't remember seeing youur picture on the escort list... so you have to be a VIP. Who are you with?"

He stops his questions and laughs to himself. "Oh, pardon me... the wine is getting to me. All these questions and you have no idea who the hell I am. The name is Carlo. No, I don't have a fancy villian name. Don't need one. I was given a nickname here and there, but nothing of importance. And what is your name, if you don't mind my asking?"

Well... you found an escort, it seems... and he is pushing you twards the Major bidding room... You might have found access to the main event!

What do you do? How do you respond to him? And now that I think on it... did you even 'plan' to have a cover story if you were ever interrogated?

Merilan

2016-08-15, 08:15 PM

Riesenlied swallowed, and tucked her head down. She had to compose herself. She couldn't look crippled with fear at the moment... but she had so little material to work with at the moment.

"I have no name, save for what they curse me as... 'Aži Dahaka', or simply 'Aži'," she at least didn't tell a lie -- back in the Middle East, they spoke of her in hushes, always in terror and fear staining their thoughts. "Kagatsuchi brought me here, so that I may better learn... how it is that you do your business, here, in America."

She made sure to focus her mind so that she was also transmitting that on their psychic link, so that Cameron could see and relay it to the others.

In all respects, it was probably not a bad cover story -- and as close to the perceived truth as she could brush... but she wasn't a practiced liar, and her nervousness and anxiety could prove fatal here.

Razade

2016-08-16, 02:11 AM

@Iconoclast

Describe your approach to the aquaducts. Describe the area, and describe where you found the bodies of the missing sentries. They were well hidden, each one dead by a single arrow shot in a vital area.

How did you find the bodies, what trail did you find that might lead to the killer(s) and will you wait for Kunoichi or proceed alone while the trail is hot?

Oh, and unleash your powers to stay stealthy. Never know who might be watching.

ICONOCLAST
Conditions: None

The walk to the aqueducts isn't far off from the Warehouse, it was why it was selected for a fallback point. Why they hadn't put one of the stronger captains at this point was behind him. It was almost like they wanted a fight. The walk gave him time to mull it over, he supposed he wasn't meant to be that stronger captain but it didn't do any good if he was also supposed to wine and dine Halcyon's finest. If Iconoclast is surprised to find the dead bodies of the guards he doesn't show it though it probably helps that he's wearing an expressionless mask. Who ever did it was prepared and had the advantage of range so he stuck to cover as he moved. There was no real way of telling if this was multiple people or a singular hero with a grudge so he moved slow, knowing that if he took his time Kunoichi would be able to come in and offer support should it be required. He did not expect it to be required but it was good to have back up when someone or someones had the drop on you.

Sure thing, don't think my freak is too high. Also going to roll an Assess.

Unleash Roll
[roll0]

Assess Roll
[roll1]

Edit: Those are not actually both successes. I got my danger and my Superior confused. That would be a 6 which is a failure and I am also a failure for the mistake. However, the Unleash roll is a success but I'm not marking a condition so....Temporary/Unstable it is!

Zen Gypsy

2016-08-16, 09:08 PM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

Cameron was able to pick up Riese's thoughts, *Calm down Riese, your doing fine. I just made Killdozer's contact, going to see what I can get off of her.* He watched the slim, well dressed woman move through the crowd, as she fingered a dark purple amethyst she wore at her throat, the stone shined with a dim light, it had a rough hewn look, as though it were obsidian, jagged, primal, but the angles of the cuts were just wrong, unnatural, and if you looked too long ...

The room darkened, and the gem stone began to vibrate, it's harmonics making the entire room swing off kilter, expand, into infinity. The stone seemed to fold into itself, and expand, obeying some sort of twisted non-euclidean geometry. Something shimmered in the center of the darkness, a form coalesced, and HE stepped through.

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q631/GamerDad1771/Terminus%20Negaverse_zpsjuvqdmmr.png (http://s1167.photobucket.com/user/GamerDad1771/media/Terminus%20Negaverse_zpsjuvqdmmr.png.html)

He scanned the crowd, and as his gaze fell on each of the mass of humanity that pressed against him, each living being burst into ash and flame, blackened bones collapsing into piles of ash. Like a fractal pattern, death and destruction spiraled out across the room, with Terminus at the epicenter.

Those empty eyes swung in Cameron's direction, and a noise, a vibration, a discordant frequency that echoed between dimensions called his name, I ... see ... you ... !!!

The voice reverberated through the base of his skull, and as the voice did, reality snapped back, the room took shape again, and the images of death, destruction and decay faded to be replaced by the criminals mingling beneath him. He focused on the woman, beneath her thoughts, her mental aura, her very psyche, there was an odd dissonant note, it pulsed like a breathing thing. Mae Yi ... Mae Yi ... MAE YI!

As he watched, a shudder ran through him, he felt, experienced some of her past, disciplined, confident, nervous, anxious. He wondered, absently, whether she was aware of what she wore around her neck, how she was connected to it, if it was gifted to her, either way he needed to discover the truth. From the vague impressions he gather from her, a criminal family, a legacy, a clan, an empire.

As he thought, his adaptive costume responded to a plan that he had only half formed. A shadow-clad warrior, stealth, a legacy of pain, a killer. He became Kage-Oni, a shadow demon, his ability to manipulate people's memories, and erased himself from the crowds short term memory, as he dropped, silently to the floor, and stalked his prey.

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q631/GamerDad1771/Kage-Oni_zpshtmyjkiy.jpg (http://s1167.photobucket.com/user/GamerDad1771/media/Kage-Oni_zpshtmyjkiy.jpg.html)

Rolling Freak of +2, to Unleash my Powers, using my Memory Manipulation to make myself effectively invisible to the crowd, and specifically Mae Yi, until I can get her isolated from the crowd. [roll0]. Lets hope the Polyhedric Gods are with me ...

Ant0in

2016-08-17, 02:35 PM

@Riesenlied

He pauses as you mention your 'name'.

"...I have heard of that legend, but I never dreamed that it was true. the destruction you caused, if that isn't exageration, is quite legendary my dear. So young, so destructive. Surely you will be quite the addition to the family. Quite an addition indeed."

He resumes the trip towards the bidding hall. "So tell me, Azi, have any interesting stories to share? You're quite a celebrity back at your home."

Oh dear... he's asking for actual experiences now? How do you answer to this? More lies? Some truths? Just how much of a leash will you give this guy... and if you get evasive, how much distance will you risk, considering that you maybe able to get inside with his help?

What will you do, Riese?

@Iconoclast

*KLICK*

On your approach, you realize, in your horror, that whoever did this, also set a boobytrap near his handywork. You just stepped on a pressure plate device. A mine, perhaps?

Oh dear.

You hear beeps below you, beeps that begin to rapidly increase. You have seconds to deal with this. You step off it, it'll go boom. You do nothing, it'll go boom. Disarm it wrong, it'll go boom. What will you do?

@Advent Omega

You follow her for a few minutes, and in a weird moment, you lose her amidst some foilege outside, where you find her clothes folded neatly on the ground. But you find her seconds later, dressed like a ninja and now headed in the oposite direction, now much faster and nimble. The hell!?

...regardless. she is now isolated, though that may not last long with the speed that she is moving. If you are going to strike now, how do you stop her? What do you do?

Razade

2016-08-17, 02:59 PM

So much for stealth. With several quick motions Iconoclast slides off the bomb as a massive dome of lava pulls from the ground, covering the mine in a thick shell as it cools. He'd have to be mindful of unseen and undetectable booby traps from now on. Who ever this was, they'd planned ahead.

Going to roll another Unleash

[roll0]

Well, that's a 12. So that's good.

Merilan

2016-08-18, 03:25 AM

"I have only merely awakened a few years ago," Riese answered in a kind of awkward, strange... half-truth. "I do not have much to call a history I clearly remember. ... but I remember, when I was first found."

Though she did not understand the full circumstances of her awakening, she knew enough that she first came to consciousness in a way no human baby ought to -- in the midst of an abandoned mine, alone. She explained, "It wasn't until the prospectors found me that I awoke... and I unleashed myself; in the wake of my breath, human flesh melted and bone disintegrated. The drilling machines the oil tycoons deployed crumbled and imploded upon themselves, as the ground sunk."

She squeezed her hands a bit tighter on her armrest. She was trying to not have a cold sweat as she remembered those memories; the way she caused that dig site to collapse onto itself, and flee in a majestic display of wings, frightening and alarming everyone in a wide radius... She wasn't convinced she was the same Dragon the legends spoke of, herself. But everyone of the holy order seemed to believe so; the sikhs always looked upon her with a measure of disgust on their faces.

"I would say that... you all have more interesting stories than I do, right now. So much that is new, and curious... even in this one building, a storm of powers, legacies, and their potential gathers..."

Zen Gypsy

2016-08-19, 09:04 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

Kage-Oni knelt by the discarded clothes, and watched as Ninja Mae took off moving at wu shu speed! As Cameron took off after her, thankful for his training with both Damascus and Aldebaran, his parkour skills, while not ninja level, when aided by his telekinesis were pretty damn convincing. His body moved by instinct, perceiving his environment, molding around it, over it, through it, a series of vaults and rolls, followed by a straight away, and then a flourish over a low wall, to an adjacent roof. He was gaining ground, albeit, slowly.

But even as his body moved, it freed his mind, to pursue her thought patterns, to sift through her memories, her experiences and to give those images, those recollections, shape and form. She was a criminal, given to being pursued, hunted, stalked, by rivals, both within her organization and without. Government organizations, police, FBI, were involved, and so too was AEGIS. Interesting.

He drew on that, the caution, the conspiracies, the manipulations that surrounded her. A man, conjured from her own self doubt, her own fears, stepped into her path. Broad shouldered, square jawed, close cropped hair, a wire running from his ear to the lapel of his jacket, "Target acquired!" He paused, withdrew a large caliber pistol, "AEGIS-3 take her!" A soft pfffft! The concrete beside her head exploded, as she looked over her shoulder, she saw Kage-Oni leap down on the AEGIS sniper, another phantasm conjured from her subconscious fears and doubts.

The cat-like mask peered at her, then at the Agent who blocked her path. Darkness swirled around his hand as he threw his shadow-shuriken with deadly accuracy. As the shuriken embedded themselves in the Agent, the darkness began to grow, he struggled against it, but it enveloped him until he disappeared into the night.

Kage-Oni vaulted from his perch to land infront of Ninja-Mae, "There are factions within your organization who wish you to fail, who wish to supplant your position. My masters bid me to protect you against such, I am Kage-Oni."

He placed fist into palm, took one step forward and held a stance that Aldebaran had called a cat-stance, and bowed respectfully.

After a PM with Ant0in, I am going to be using an Unleash Manuever to try to accomplish this task. I will roll first so I can narratively describe my success ... or failure! Polyhedric, Mighty Deity of Dice, hear my call! Rolling Freak of +2, A 14! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21118937&postcount=51). Polyhedric provides, once again. I fear when he shall turn on me!

Just to clarify, the AEGIS agents are actually my Psychic Constructs, and this is all an elaborate mental ruse to get her trust, to figure out what's going on at Killdozer's auction house. My goal was to gain Influence, as Kage-Oni, NOT Advent, with Mae Yi. We'll see if that works out, if not it should be complicated enough to be interesting.

Ant0in

2016-08-20, 01:55 AM

@Advent Omega & Kagatsuchi

Advent... or rather, "Kagi-oni", Mai pauses to stare at you through her mask, she then presses a hand to her ear.

"...Kagatsuchi, we have a situation... Aegis is here, they tried to attack me... but an... "ally" helped me from the ambush."

She pauses. It's obvious that she still has a bit of skepticism towards you, but your powers, combined with the Adrenalin from the false attack seems to be working in your favor. "...something stinks here. What's going on at your end? Any new orders?"

@Riesenlied

"Oh, I have nothing interesting to tell. I just kill people for a living." Shrug. "Anyway, What exactly are you here to buy? I heard there were priceless pieces here tonight."

As he asks this question, the two of you enter the main bidding hall, and it, is, HUMUNGOUS. Describe it. Where is the drilling machine, and how heavily guarded is it? And what other weapons of mass destruction do you see?

More importantly, what other major villains do you see here?

Razade

2016-08-20, 02:21 AM

@Advent Omega & Kagatsuchi

Advent... or rather, "Kagi-oni", Mai pauses to stare at you through her mask, she then presses a hand to her ear.

"...Kagatsuchi, we have a situation... Aegis is here, they tried to attack me... but an... "ally" helped me from the ambush."

She pauses. It's obvious that she still has a bit of skepticism towards you, but your powers, combined with the Adrenalin from the false attack seems to be working in your favor. "...something stinks here. What's going on at your end? Any new orders?"

This was certainly not going well. He certainly didn't want to give any orders that might make their stake out a problem but now he knew who was selling the drill. He could speak to Killdozer some other time. He could bring the team to talk to him too. "Auction is compromised. Retreat Route Α is compromised. Inform my sister. Use Retreat Routes β and Δ. I will clear this route." He scanned the aqueduct, claws clenching slowly. He was exposed. Nothing was here that he could use though. Guess it was just time to wait and see what the attacker had in store.

Going to do an assess.

[roll0]

Merilan

2016-08-20, 02:46 AM

"That drilling machine... Jormungandr, isn't it?" Riese said in a half-whisper as she stared towards the device that they thought they'd wrecked, back during the battle in Halcyon Station.

The Jormungandr was not a machine to be taken lightly -- named after the eponymous world-serpent, it was at least twenty feet in height and double that in length; but more curiously -- and it was an image Riese was trying to beam to the rest -- the machine was clearly repaired and in a manner too remarkable for mundane manners to accomplish. The group had to find out the knowledge and tech Killdozer had somehow, and she might just be seeing the first glimpse of it: the seamlines of the machine had a very faint green glow that suggested that it had been repaired in some magical manner.

But Riese didn't know what.

The Jormungandr... it's here... Riese echoed, staring closely at the machine.

She paused, and then glanced back to Carlo. "But I heard that it was destroyed recently... this is not a scam or a fake, is it?"

Of all the other weapons of mass destruction on display, one did catch Riese's eye -- and her blood froze as she saw Shieldmaiden of Ragnarok eyeing it too. She was a well-built, tall woman with braided hair, possessing superhuman strength and skill with conventional weapons. Except now she was staring at Gungnir, another one of Ragnarok's well-known weapons, a supposedly 'blessed' weapon of divine origin... whether it truly was Godly or not, what was clear was its destructive potential. Riese had heard that Ragnarok had managed to lose it and that was why it wasn't present in the previous battle... but that would conveniently explain why Shieldmaiden was both here. They wanted their weapon back.

Zen Gypsy

2016-08-20, 09:12 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

Kage-Oni stared at her stoically, though, there seemed to be some trepidation on his part. "I was to observe and assess. When I realized that a member of your organization was manipulating the AEGIS team in an attempt to remove you from play I acted." He paused, the nervousness again becoming apparent, "I did not wish to see you come to harm, Mai. Were I to follow my orders, I would now have to report my failure to my master, for which there will be ...," he paused, a flicker of fear perhaps, "repercussions."

He steeled himself, returning to a composed, stoic stance. "I will escort you to your destination, but then I must return to the Shadow-dojo, and report to my masters."

He paused, nervousness again portrayed through his body language, he looked around, being sure to pause on any areas of deep shadow, "But Mai Le, you cannot trust everyone within your organization. I bring you this warning without my masters knowledge or consent, but I do not wish to see a piece with such potential removed from the board for another's gambit."

Cameron then manipulated her short term memory, and removed himself from her visual cortex, for all intent and purpose, seemingly vanishing from her sight. He whispered, the voice seemingly coming from everywhere, "Go, do not rouse suspicion, I will aid you, if it is in my power to do so."

This is a Provoke attempt, I want to get Mai Le to begin to look for a mole within her organization. Treating members of that organization with indifference and caution. So I am rolling Superior of -1, [roll0], and if I did manage to gain Influence over her (unlikely as of yet), add a +1 to the result, as I am not including it in the roll above.

Again praying to Polyhedric to forestall my doom and not fail me just yet.

Ant0in

2016-08-22, 03:54 PM

@Riesenlied

Shieldmaiden!? Here!? Uh-oh.

And worse, she just happens to turn asround and walk in your general direction. Your eyes meet and she pauses.

"...you. I've seen you somewhere before..."

Uh-oh. This must've been tyhe battle in the subway station! Quick Riese! What do you do to distract her train of thought!?

And remember, you need either influence, or the means to push her buttons, to go for a provoke!

Advent Omega

Did your plan work? Tough to tell from your perspective. Mai runs off, leaving you to do... what, exactly?

Kagatsuchi

"...what was that? I didn't copy. Kagatsuchi, you are breaking up..."

The scratching sound of static marked things from bad to worse. The fact that a thin beam of red light pointing at your chest...

Oh dear. What do you do?

Merilan

2016-08-22, 04:16 PM

Riese's heart was pounding; she didn't think Shieldmaiden had seen her in human form before, given that she spent most of the battle as -- well, a fifty-foot tall dragon. But the way she looked at her suggested otherwise, like the villain had a different means to sense her. She looked to Carlo for a moment, then back at Shieldmaiden.

"I don't think I've seen you before. Miss... e-excuse me," she murmured in turn. She shifted her legs a little and fidgeted, before coughing and reaching for her little knapsack looped around the armrest of her wheelchair to take some of her medicine. Which... isn't actually an act at all -- the tension'd gotten to her, and she was starting to get the jitters again. She wanted to wait until this was all over to dose up, but she couldn't wait any longer.

"Carlo, I want some water, would you please find me some?"

I'm attempting to provoke Shieldmaiden by appearing weak and not worth her time -- Shieldmaiden's a very focused character who's only interested in the strong; she has a habit of not paying attention to those she deems "weaklings", thinking they're a waste of time.

[roll0] Roll Superior!

EDIT: That's a hit, so I want to say that she errs?

Razade

2016-08-22, 04:22 PM

Kagatsuchi

"...what was that? I didn't copy. Kagatsuchi, you are breaking up..."

The scratching sound of static marked things from bad to worse. The fact that a thin beam of red light pointing at your chest...

Oh dear. What do you do?

But of course. With another flurry of motion as the floor erupts in a series of large lava plumes, Iconoclast darting and dancing between them all to avoid that red beam. "You can come out now." he calls out, the plumes swiftly hardening into pillars. "If you do, I promise you mercy. If I must find you, then I will have to take something from you."

Yet another Unleash, keep working at it dice. Going for another Assess too.

Unleash [roll0] Shaping the area

Assess [roll1] Dang it

This is getting comical.

Zen Gypsy

2016-08-25, 05:34 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

He wasn't exactly pleased with the turn of events, he wasn't sure if his ruse had worked, but it certainly hadn't provided any further insight into Killdozer's auction. Either way, he needed to return to the warehouse, to support his team, and ensure their safety.

As he returned to the event, he hovered above the crowd, those that did happen to look up, forgot him before their minds were able to focus on any details. The upper floor window that he had opened prior to Kage Oni's appearance and subsequent exit was still ajar. He floated through, his adaptive costume return to Advent's familiar cape and cowl. He perched among the rafters and catwalks on the upper level, and reached out telepathically to his team.

*Riese, Dagny, any sign of Iconoclast yet? I think I found the contact that allowed Dozer to obtain, and repair some of the stuff we're seeing here tonight. A woman, Mai Ye, she's with some organization I've never heard of. Our best bet would be to secure the goods, and tip off AEGIS, that would help the story I fed Ye. Any thoughts?*

Ant0in

2016-08-25, 10:35 PM

@Riesenlied

Carlo doesn't hear you, as he seems to take out a cell phone and is speaking in hushed tones into it. You don't remember hearing a ring tone, so he must have it on vibrate.

This gives isolation between you and Shield Maiden. This would be very bad...

...if it wasn't for the fact that your coughing fit showed weakness towards Maiden, who seems to ease up. "...psssh. Whatever. I see dozen of you weaklings everyday. It looks like your friend is busy. I'll get you that water."

And she walks off.

Carlo is away. Maiden is away. You are all alone. This is a critical opportunity to do something without someone seeing you. What do you do?

And don't forget Advent. How do you respond?

Kagatsuchi

You don't get a response.

What you 'do' get is a grenade thrown between the pillars, landing perfectly at your feet.

This is a special grnade, one that puts fear into you. What type is it? Why is it so dangerous when it explodes around you?

Oh, and take a condition.

So... these attackers... the way they are so silent, almost like ghosts... any idea who they are? A rival family, perhaps? They sure seems to know how to strike at you...

Merilan

2016-08-25, 10:53 PM

Riese closed her eyes and submitted a quick message.

*No, I haven't heard from Iconoclast; I'm a bit worried. But, I'm by the Jormungandr -- I'm going to attach the tracking beacon now.*

Their plan, if it got this far, would have been to attach a tracking beacon to one of the artifacts -- the Jormungandr being ideal -- so that they could track the sales down and tip AEGIS off to where it'd get dropped to. It was foolhardy to openly and brazenly attack this auction when there were so many more supervillains gathered, after all; it was best to let everyone diverge and follow the prey back to its nest, then strike.

She slipped out the beacon, which was inside her purse next to her medicine -- and reached over to place it on an unassuming spot on the drilling machine.

I'm not sure what sort of action this is...

Razade

2016-08-25, 11:38 PM

Kagatsuchi

You don't get a response.

What you 'do' get is a grenade thrown between the pillars, landing perfectly at your feet.

This is a special grnade, one that puts fear into you. What type is it? Why is it so dangerous when it explodes around you?

Oh, and take a condition.

So... these attackers... the way they are so silent, almost like ghosts... any idea who they are? A rival family, perhaps? They sure seems to know how to strike at you...

It was going to be like that then, unsurprising really even if it was agitating. He was tired of them just lobbing things at him and with effort the pillars started to shift even as the grenade fell. In a split second he caught the symbol. A particularly nasty model of flashbang, it left a luminous mix of goop when it detonated that made it all but impossible to hide. A true problem for the operatives of his family's most powerful spheres. But it was their folly, only the Omi Clan used such weaponry and he'd found a way to bypass it. With another shift of his feet the pillars turned back fully to molten earth, jettisoning the grenade up and back to it's original arc as even more pillars washed about him to burn the resulting mess.

Going to mark Angry. Also going to roll yet another Unleash.

[roll0]

I am slamming these Unleashes out of the god damned park. That's 4 +10's in a row. Overcoming an Obstetrical.

Zen Gypsy

2016-08-26, 06:58 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

He dropped down to the catwalk beneath where he was perched, observing the gathering below him. His adaptive costume, it was getting a work out tonight. By the time he entered the floor of the complex, he was wearing a white collared dress shirt, a grey vest, black waist coat, white gloves, grey striped trousers, and polished black dress shoes.

As he moved through the crowd, he paid particular attention to the various notables he saw, their positioning and their associates. When the bidding started, he knew that they would be outnumbered and at a severe disadvantage, and would have to settle for information, and confirmation, rather than their ability to incapacitate the various factions present at the function.

Idly, he poured a tall glass of water, wrapped it in a neatly folded cloth napkin and walked it over to where Riese was located, "Madame, your water." He then took a position at the rear of her chair, looking every bit the disciplined, respectful butler.

*What's our play here Riese? No Iconoclast, I lost Dagny in the crowd. You and I aren't going to have much success apprehending all the bad in this room, did you get the tracker planted? I could contact Damascus, have AEGIS bust it up for us ... I don't know.*

Going to roll Superior of -1, to Assess the Situation. [roll0]. Hopefully my luck holds. Success! My question would be, How can we best end this quickly? Of course referring to the Auction itself & apprehending Killdozer.

Ant0in

2016-08-31, 11:24 PM

@Kagatsuchi

Safe behind your barrier, you await a follow up... and get nothing.

What is going on...

"...come on, Kagatsuchi, answer back! All hell is breaking loose! Aegis is here, some one in tyhe ortganization betrayed us!"

..wait, what!?

@Risenlied and Advent Omega

Riese, good move with the tracker... and not a moment too soon... as suddenly there is an explosion above the crowd and a group of men dressed in black drops to the ground by the help of drop lines. You recognize them immediately... Aegis!

However, as all hell breaks loose, you see Carlo. His bow is out... his arrow is drawn, and he is aiming for someone... Killdozer!

Needless to say, you and Advent need him alive! What do you do to stop him?

Advent, you have your own problem. Some of the Aegis agents has dropped down all around you and Riese. Riese, thanks to her unassuming appearance seems to have been over looked... but you, on the other hand, have quite a few guns aimed at you.

What do you do? And remember, these are law enforcement officials...

Back to Kagatsuchi

"...they have broke into the wartehouse, they have us surrounded and I was attacked earlier by one of their patrols ((OOC: This was the illusion caused by Advent, but there is no way you know that))!"

Kunoichi is breathless on the other end of the comm, obviously near panic. First the Omni clan, and now this? All you wanted to do was find out how Killdozer scrapped the Jormungandr back together!

This is a tense situation... what do you do?

Razade

2016-09-01, 12:21 AM

@Kagatsuchi

Safe behind your barrier, you await a follow up... and get nothing.

What is going on...

"...come on, Kagatsuchi, answer back! All hell is breaking loose! Aegis is here, some one in tyhe ortganization betrayed us!"

..wait, what!?

Iconcolast moved between the barriers, keeping his breath shallow. "Unlikely. They would have set up jammers." he responded. "Did I not inform you to report to my sister? No matter who is causing these concerns, the auction is already compromised. I will not repeat myself. The auction must be ceased." From the safe cover of the large pillars of still warm rock, he cast his gaze about again.

A thousand tries a charm? Assess roll.

[roll0]

How can I best end this quickly.

Also a Provoke Roll on Kunoichi.

[roll1]

Hey! One more and I'll have an advance.

Merilan

2016-09-01, 01:21 AM

Riese's eyes shot wide open as the AEGIS agents broke in -- were they tipped off somehow? Were they following the villains... were they following them? There was no moment to spare, though -- she saw what Carlo was up to, and she looked around frantically, knowing that she also had to give Advent a momentary distraction to pull all the guns away from him. Her eyes glazed over quickly and--

She found it.

She shot her hand forward and pushed a certain pot over. A precarious pot that was previously on auction, quote the auctioneer, "guaranteed to make your dreams come true... or at least, the illusions thereof, heheh! Just sprinkle some of this magical pixie dust and... poof!"

I think this should count as defending Killdozer from Carlo. I'm taking +1 forward from that earlier assess since I'm doing it via a distraction? [roll0]

arscott

2016-09-15, 02:36 PM

Riese
You knock the pot of pixie dust over. You, Carlo, and the slimy drugrunner who had bid on the pot in the first place all watch as it topples off the table, falls toward the floor and then--

just lands on the carpet with a dull thud, unbroken.

Carlo lets his arrow fly, and it striks Killdozer in the shoulder. He slumps over, dead or unconcious.

Carlo turns to you, gives you a friendly wink, and then slams his boot down on the pot, smashing it and releasing a cloud of pink sparkly dust that obscures any sight of him.

The slimy drugrunner, who caught a massive cloud of pixie dust to the face starts to giggle uncontrollably--you've been exposed to enough of it that the edges of your vision are warping, but you're not in a fantasy land, at least not yet.

What do you do?

Advent
You see the arrow fly and strike Killdozer, and a moment later, you see the cloud of pink dust. But you have your own problems. AEGIS commandos are everywhere, and several of them have guns pointed at you.

But this is AEGIS. And they know you. You recognized Agent Jackson Gregg, who was part of the cleanup crew who dealt with your team after the Halcyon Central Station incident. You may not be friends, but if you drop your disguise then they aren't going to shoot at you.

What do you do?

Iconoclast
You gaze out from behind the pillar, looking for some sign of the Omi clan. But they're gone--whatever they were trying to accomplish by engaging you is done.

And then Kunoichi on the communicator. "Killdozer is down. Repeat, Killdozer is down. The attacker was an archer disguised as one of the guests. I suspect this was Carlotti.

What do you do?

Razade

2016-09-15, 03:25 PM

Iconcolast
Conditions: None

What was this all about then, if the person wasn't going to stay and fight. "I repeat. Get everyone out of here." he snaps back, he hated repeating himself even in the best of circumstances. "I will meet the family back home. They're your priority. Do not make me repeat myself again."

Going to try another Provoke!

[roll0]

Zen Gypsy

2016-09-16, 08:36 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: Angry.

Riese had planted the tracker, he had identified a relic that resonated with Nega-verse, they had discovered an organization aiding Killdozer and then ... AEGIS f^&ked it all up ... again!

His image shifted, melted, flowed, gone was the butler, the tails, the gloves, Omega's cloak and cowl flowed around him, voluminous, and obscuring. He focused his attention on to the archer, now obscured in a cloud of hypnotic dust, reflecting the entire spectrum of visual light in a scintillating display.

His thoughts invaded Gregg's consciousness, it was done without the precision and the care that he typically used when establishing a neural network, it was quick, brutal, and tinged with anger, 'My team had this under control until you and your men allowed the killer to take his shot.' Establishing neural connections was a delicate thing, he didn't envy Gregg the migraine he would suffer later on this evening, but at the time he did not care.

He hovered, two feet above the floor, his arms rotated out, palms towards the ceiling and as he lifted them higher, a dark indigo field of energy rose from the floor swirling with dark energy drawn from the depths of the cosmos. The energy surrounded the glittering dusk, and fragments of the vase, entrapping the archer within the disorienting spray of color.

His thoughts jabbed into the agents consciousness again, 'Your would-be killer is captured,' he whirled on Greeg, his eyes surrounded by a corona of deep blue and indigo swirling like a whirlpool in the blackness of his hood. 'Have your men lower their god damn guns.'

I will use my Freak, +2, to Unleash my Power. [roll0]. I'll mark Angry, and reshape the environment to trap Carlo in the cloud of pixie dust.

arscott

2016-09-16, 09:08 AM

Advent

As the glittering mist swirls and condenses--you see that Carlo isn't anywhere close to where you thought he'd be he's--wait, he's just up there.

You might be able to do it, but you'd be pushing your powers to their limit

So normally I'd say the effect you went for there is closer to using the "wield your powers" adult move to neutralize an opponent. Reshaping the environment with "unleash" can get you partway there, but it's not enough to capture someone as slippery as Carlo the Assassin with a single success.

So by default, I'm going to read your success as having cut of Carlo's easiest escape route. On the other hand, your doom comes by overexerting yourself and this seems like a perfect chance to do just that. Push your powers to the limit by marking a doom sign, and you've got him.

This is short b/c I have to go to work. more this afternoon including a reply to iconoclast

Zen Gypsy

2016-09-16, 09:26 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: Angry.

As he reached for the source of his power, that connection deep within his psyche he heard something, a familiar, if discordant note. He snarled, angry at himself, for failing, a killer was going to escape and he knew he had the power within himself to prevent it from happening.

He did it. He reached through the void, he reached into the Negaverse, the true source of his powers. He knew by doing so he would reveal his presence to Terminus, his rage prevented him from caring. His fear of Gregg, of consequences, had caused him to hesitate, to let the archer take the fatal shot.

The same disconcerting energy surged from around him, flowing from his folds cloak coalescing around the archer, immobilizing him, entrapping him in it's otherworldly grip.

Hell yeah! The Doomed is all about the Track, and using it not avoiding it. I'll go for it!

Merilan

2016-09-16, 05:34 PM

Riese's senses were beginning to cloud, and she clutched onto the side of the chair as she started to cough profusely, inhaling too much of the dust that no doubt had particularly terrible effects on her, even outside of their psychedelic effects. "No, I--"

She felt the heartbeat pulse within her.

"I shouldn't... I shouldn't..." she whispered to herself, but she was already feeling the sensation build within her. The very sensation of primordial flame upon her veins, the sensation of ancient might and grace upon her nerves. She hadn't transformed yet, but the feeling was coming fast and inexorably.

Riese is going to charge her powers. [roll0]

arscott

2016-09-16, 10:39 PM

Iconoclast

"That is not yours to decide!" Kunoichi shouts.

And then, after a pause, she speaks much more quietly.

"I apologize, Kagatsuchi. I did not mean disrespect. But it is your sister's orders I must follow, not yours."

She's overreacting. Gain influence on her.

Then you hear something in the aqueduct. To noisy to be the clan omi ninjas who cornered you before.

And then they round the corner. It's an AEGIS strike team, all masked and armed.

What do you do?

Advent

Carlo is trapped in your swirling energy vortex. Knowing when he's beat, he holsters his bow and raises his hands into the air.

"Guns down, Bravo squad. This one's not a threat. Go for the primary objective. Welker, cuff the archer. With extreme caution--that's Luca Carlotti."

The agents that had their guns on you re-focus their attention on the table full of items for auction. Most of Bravo squad surrounds the table to defend it, while a few start to gather the weapons and artifacts and put them into containment canisters.

One of the Agents touches that strange glass orb that drew your attention earlier. As soon as his hand touches it, it sends out a single pulse of psychic energy. Something like giving out a flash of light, except this was a flash of darkness and only perceptible to those who can detect psychic emanations.

What do you do?

Riese
The dragon is rising within you-- and the pixie dust is effecting your perceptions.

Your view of reality is intercut with flashes of illusionary scenens. Happy thoughts.

What do your happy thoughts look like? Your wildest dreams are flashing in front of your eyes, so what is it that you see?

And then it subsides. You're back to reality. Not sure if that's because you didn't get a full dose or your forthcoming dragon-ness makes you less succeptible.

And you've got your perspective back just in time to see Shieldmaiden and two of her fellow Ragnarok members (The undead monster Draugar and the sneaky Ratatosk) charge the AEGIS team guarding the artifact table.

What do you do?

Riese, You say you feel the dragon coming on. Is that an inevitable effect of you charging up your powers--that is, is having burn the same as being in dragon form? can you only use flares while you're draconic?

Merilan

2016-09-17, 12:26 AM

Yeah, Riese has access to none of her powers outside of dragon form, and I'm thinking that creating Burn is how she transforms and uses her Flares.

Riese sees the happiest thoughts she'd never had and...

They don't make rational sense to her.

A primordial egg shatters into dozens of tiny, glass-like fragments; tender, fleshy wings erupt from out of them, and a halted cooing accompanies the birth of a new whelp into the flight. Ahead, a trio of leather-winged dragons fly on ahead to unknowably distant skies, marked by strange and heraldic stars that look nothing like the stars near Earth. The landscape is dotted with tall, craggy spires and massive buildings of draconic architecture, halls greater than any man need. The sunset sky is the colour of fire and dotted in hexes where the barrier that shelter the flight from the outside world stand.

And yet, it made perfect emotional sense.

It scared her. It scared her that her happiest thoughts had nothing to do with being home, with her foster parents, with doing human activities, with being Riesenlied. And that fear was the tipping point that pushed her.

A sudden burst of force erupted from Riese, and the wheelchair went flying and smashed in half against a marble pillar, the wheel axle coming loose. An electrifying dome of pitch-black arcane energy rose into the air, majestic wings soaring through and breaking through the feeble restraints that were the auction house building's awnings. Even from a few blocks away, it was clear to onlookers that something big just erupted into existence around the neighborhood. Something big and draconic.

It was the Dragon.

With an ear-shattering howl, the Dragon commanded the attention of the Ragnarok, rather simply using her bulk to swipe its massive wings to deter them from the path of the Aegis team.

Riese is *defending* the AEGIS team from Ragnarok's charge. Spending a Burn to use *Shielding* so I can roll Freak: [roll0]

Burn: 2/3

arscott

2016-09-17, 01:02 AM

The members of Ragnarok give you their full attention, though they're still keeping their distance.

Everyone else in the city block is giving Riese their full attention, for that matter.

Choose to add 1 team to the pool or to take influence over someone you protected (i.e. Agent Gregg). Normally you could also clear a condition, but I don't think you have any yet.

Razade

2016-09-17, 02:32 AM

arscott

2016-09-18, 02:48 AM

Iconoclast

The AEGIS team leader speaks into his radio. "Sir, we have Iconoclast on site as well. In the aqueduct"

After a short delay:

"Yes sir" The guns stay pointed at you.

"Iconoclast, stand down. Under Section 4 of the paranormal crimes act, we are ordering you to leave the area and cease any abberantly powered activity."

Then

The ground rumbles. It's definately not you--indeed, it's more than any kind of geokinesis you can manage. It has to be Riese's dragon.

The AEGIS team looks startled for a moment, but then it's clear that someone's communicating with their eirpieces.

They're distracted for the moment.

That was Agent Gregg (via wire) telling you how the world works. If you accept (or fail to reject), shift up freak and down savior. If you reject, feel free to take any actions before the quake or after, whichever matches the choices you make.

What do you do?

Riese

Draugar rises into the air, and the shadowy aura that always surrounds him grow bigger and bigger--before he wore it like a cloak, now it's more like the magical version of a mecha. His aura is not quite as big as dragon-you, but it gets close.

He opens his mouth and screams, and visages of skulls stream forth and swirl around you. you feel a twinge of cold where they touch you, and you're pretty sure if he keeps doing this it will not be good for your health.

What do you do?

Razade

2016-09-18, 03:22 AM

Iconoclast

The AEGIS team leader speaks into his radio. "Sir, we have Iconoclast on site as well. In the aqueduct"

After a short delay:

"Yes sir" The guns stay pointed at you.

"Iconoclast, stand down. Under Section 4 of the paranormal crimes act, we are ordering you to leave the area and cease any abberantly powered activity."

Then

The ground rumbles. It's definitely not you--indeed, it's more than any kind of geokinesis you can manage. It has to be Riese's dragon.

The AEGIS team looks startled for a moment, but then it's clear that someone's communicating with their eirpieces.

They're distracted for the moment.

That was Agent Gregg (via wire) telling you how the world works. If you accept (or fail to reject), shift up freak and down savior. If you reject, feel free to take any actions before the quake or after, whichever matches the choices you make.

"You have no power here. Exiled is not a member of your organization. We are not beholden to your authority. This is Exiled's mission, you are to stand down." The rumbling certainly didn't do anything to make him comfortable but Dagny and Advent should be with Riese, if they couldn't handle the situation him being there wasn't going to help.

Resisting Influence and Rolling Provoke.

[roll0] - I think I'm obviously acting countrary to what they're telling me, which I guess gives me a Potential or if I'd get a Condition with that fail down there maybe I could clear that instead? Also going to take +1 against them and Gregg doesn't have Influence over me anymore. I'll mark it on my sheet.

[roll1] - AAAAAAAND that's a fail and my first Advance

Zen Gypsy

2016-09-18, 05:25 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: Angry.

The psychic energy rippled outward, Omega braced himself, steeling his thoughts as the pulse of energy washed over him. It was cold and dark, almost familiar. Echoes, and vague whispers surrounded him, taunted him. He pushed out the alien thoughts, refocused himself, and when he did so the scene exploded into chaos.

Shieldmaiden, in her nordic armor, rune carved spear & shield raised high stood, flanked by the gaunt, slavering Draugir, and the lithe, furred form of Ratatosk. As they moved to the relics, Reise assumed her draconic form and things suddenly got very cramped in the auction house, her leathery wings, and steel-hard scaled coils prevented the three from moving on Gregg's AEGIS team.

Omega floated above his ally, his cloak billowing out behind him, he raised his hands, between them dark matter and psychic energy surged and coalesced, forming a galaxy in miniature. He threw the orb of dark ethereal energy at the three villains, and it shattered obscuring them all in wave of shadowy energy. When the Ragnarok came back into view, tenebrous tendrils of eerie dark matter were wrapped around the three new arrivals, dragging them slowly in a miasma of dark energy.

A single thought penetrated their consciousness. "Surrender!"

I will use my Danger of +1, to Directly Engage Shieldmaiden, Draugir & Ratatosk. Rolling [roll0]. With a 9 I am able to choose one, which will be Take something from them, their mobility. Now if Reise could see fit to spend a Team, I could take a second option and Avoid their Blows so I am not subject to return fire. Please? ;)

Merilan

2016-09-18, 08:57 PM

Riese

If Advent still had their connection active, he could listen in on The Dragon's thoughts -- unlike Riese's, hers was an archaic kind of thought, which sounds vaguely like song instead of speech, made of syllables unknowable and unpronounceable by mortal men. However, inbetween the Dragon's song, Riese's thoughts could be seen interspersed: ... musn't ... can't ...

The Dragon raised her head, and an indefatigable light began to gather at her mouth. A massive accumulation of arcane energy tremored from within that shine, causing the very ground to begin shaking again; the artifacts gathered around started to rattle and fall off their cases, and in some cases, react to it.

If the Dragon was affected by Draugar's skulls, she did not show it; the wash of skulls upon her scaled flesh started to spark and cause damage, but she was not about to play around for very long.

She released the energy -- and created an enormous sphere of destruction with a deafening roar, intending to catch the Ragnarok villains within the wake of its blast.

I'm spending a Team to help Advent out, of course!

Riese is spending two points of Burn to Directly Engage a Threat -- the Ragnarok team -- and using the second point to avoid collateral damage.

[roll0]

arscott

2016-09-19, 02:04 AM

Advent
Your shadow tendrils envelop Shieldmaiden and Ratatosk, Draugar is now the size of a house, so you'll need a weakness or opportunity before you can engage him directly.

Ratatosk gives up, allowing AEGIS agents to put cuffs on him. Sheildmaiden, though, has another plan. She flings her spear at the table of superweapons. Most knock over and a few shatter. Orange lightning emits from a half broken device and begins flowing across the assembled auction items. As the electricity channels into them, they glow brighter and brighter.

What do you do?

Riese
your sphere catches Draugar dead on and explodes with crakling energy on impact. He screams in pain.

You got an 8, so chose one option from the directly engage list. If you don't choose "avoid their blows", roll to take a powerful blow as the result of the skull breath and the banshee scream.

Then Draugar whispers in a thousand voices that only you can hear. "WhyWhyWhy dododo youyouyou protectprotectprotect themthemthem? YouYouYou areareare aaa monstermonstermonster likelikelike mememe. It'sIt'sIt's notnotnot ininin youryouryour naturenaturenature."

Telling you who you are. He's trying to raise your freak and drop your saviour, but since you're already maxed out in freak, you'd mark a condition if you accepted.

Merilan

2016-09-19, 04:56 AM

Riese wants to reject his influence, and she's taking "avoid their blows" in order to prevent herself from taking damage.

The Dragon's thoughts were nigh inscrutable, whether she accepted Draugar's challenge or not -- but Riese could be heard whispering, ... I do not... I am not... a monster...

The banshee's screams and the skulls simply washed over the Dragon's scales -- no, more than the scales, there was an aura of magic about the creature's form, scribed runes of a long-lost language of a species long forgotten that served to ward off unwanted effects.

Zen Gypsy

2016-09-19, 07:02 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: Angry.

Omega hovered over to the relics, he cast his cloak over his shoulder, and extending both his hands towards the glowing relics. His cloak obscured the table fromthe AEGIS agents, using his psychokinesis he picked up the small glass ord that emanated with psychic resonance and secured it within his cloak, his adaptive costume creating a small pouch for it, which would conceal it from casual inspection. As he concentrated, a small vortex of ethereal energy began to coalesce above the table, looking like a spiral galaxy slowly spinning, a barrier of similar energy began to encompass both the table and the relics. The vortex was out of phase with our reality, and would be able to shunt violent energy of an explosion into deep space, preventing significant collateral damage to himself, his team, or Gregg and his agents.

"Gregg!" He spoke this time, to save the AEGIS agent further discomfort from forced psychic contact, "I've secured the relics, have your men fall back. Riese and I have these b@$t@rd$!" He paused, "You can cite us the PCA1 after!"

As he prepared himself for the feedback that would bleed through the vortex, he reached out to Iconoclast and Dagny through the neural network. "Riese has gone full on Smaug, Ragnarok's here, and AEGIS is in our $h!t again! Going to need some back up!"

Damn! Iconoclast already has an advance?!? LOL! My dice keep succeeding! Heh! Not that I am hoping to fail! Anyways, rolling +Freak to Unleash my Powers, creating a Negaverse Conduit that will channel the force of the explosion into space, and away from the auction house. [roll0].

Though I am entirely unsure if my theft (Iconoclast would be so proud) of the orb needs a roll, or if we can leave it to fiction and it can bite me in the @$$ at a later date.

1 Paranormal Crimes Act as reproduced in the OOC thread.

arscott

2016-09-19, 11:53 AM

arscott

2016-09-20, 12:55 AM

Razade

2016-09-20, 01:16 AM

Iconoclast
So it turns out that if you keep melting earth and rock in a sewer system built in the 19th century and unmaintained since the late 30s, it may become structurally unsound! And giant space dragons might make it even worse.

The firs panel on this page shows the vaulted brick roof of the aqueduct, beginning to crack and crumble. The next shows bricks starting to rain down. The third shows AEGIS commandos diving out of the way of a collapsing ceiling. And the fourth shows A large chunk of masonry, falling towards an un-aware Iconoclast.

Take a powerful blow because of the collapsing roof. And describe the fifth panel, showing Iconoclast as he avoids, weathers, or succumbs to the falling masonry.

This night had become an unmitigated disaster, not the least of which because a giant chunk of masonry decided it was high time to randomly drop on his head. For a moment as the panel changes, it looks as if the blow would land the boy low. That is until the chunk of stone begins to throb and pulse with inner fire and a roar of rage emits from underneath as it splatters into a wave of molten goop revealing Iconoclast, a chunk of his mask shorn off and looking not at all the better for the ordeal. "Enough!" he bellows over the sound of falling rubble, the air shimmering with heat as he turned on a heel. He was told to secure the escape route. It was time to help those who needed to escape. With a single leaping motion the ground before him melted, up and up to where, in theory, the head family of Takama-ga-Hara lay watching events unfold.

Oh boy, the one thing I've never failed a roll on! Wagers on that being consistent?

[roll0]

Yep. Marking Angry and Insecure because it's forced him to flee.

Merilan

2016-09-20, 03:26 AM

My nature... my existence...
Who I am... what I am...
This pulse that ebbs within me...
The song that echoes within my mind...

Internally, Riese struggled with that accusation -- it made her feel horrible, like she were a vestigial remnant of a creature that wished to be free. But she couldn't really deny that there was some part of her that wanted to transform. That being induced by the djinn pot and influenced with the dust was just an excuse. It felt exhilarating, it felt like a rush of adrenaline beyond what her supposedly human body wished to experience.

The Dragon let out a deep roar, and its mandala grew two-fold, the emanations of lost runes simply growing more and more potent as she charged for a second wave of power. The ground was starting to shatter harder, smaller pieces of debris simply rising up and getting caught in the revolution of her aura of energy.

Riese marks insecure and guilty, and charges her powers again -- [roll0].

arscott

2016-09-20, 08:37 PM

Merilan

2016-09-20, 08:57 PM

The Dragon starts to howl in a noise that may sound like agony, but simply sounded like anger to the ears of mere mortals. She pulled against her frost bindings, flailing her claws and spreading her wings further. The Aura started to diminish, but the Dragon was not yet done.

She lowered her jaw, to ready herself for another blast. This time, she was not about to hold back. She stooped onto all fours, scraping at the floor as energy welled deep within her throat. Ambient motes of light gathered into her maw. The ground cracked and the flooring of the auction house began to give way to the piping and infrastructure underneath.

In a fell swoop, the Dragon revealed her move -- the energy buildup shattered enough of the flooring to break herself free of her icy trappings and drop her down to the aqueduct underneath the auction house. She'd put herself in a position below Draugar, such that she could aim at the Ragnarok villain and the sky behind him with less worry of collateral damage.

I may not understand anything yet, but...
I know enough to use the power I do understand!
Begone, elementalist of death!

Onlookers could see the sky flash white, followed by a beam of sheer arcane force, indefatigable and golden with furious lashes of blood-red electricity coursing through its girth racing towards the heavens.

Let me know if I can't do this, but Riese will use her Flare power Move to break her icy bindings (-1 Burn), then use her two remaining Burn to use Reality Storm to directly engage Draugnar again.

[roll0]

arscott

2016-09-20, 09:06 PM

Riese
Draugar shrieks, and his aura form shatters into a million invidiual ghosts that fly apart and dissolve. His physical form falls unconcious to the ground.

You got a weak hit, so choose one option from the directly engage list. And now that you're out of burn, what happens. Do you remain a dragon? or do you revert to human form?

Razade

2016-09-20, 09:08 PM

Iconoclast
It's amazing, but whatever room your mother and father are in always manages to look like a throne room. The room you find your family in was originally an overseer's office for the warehouse that housed the auction.

But it's been completely converted to a stark white room full of crystal and silk. A tasteful and stylish viewing room where the king and queen of heaven can watch their subjects engage in crude commerce without ever having to dirty their feet.

Your and father and mother sit on their throne-like chairs, still calm amidst the chaos. Behind them, your sister quickly but calmly relays orders to the many Takama-ga-hara lackeys and footsoldiers still in the building.

Izanagi speaks as you enter "I think we are done here." and then looks pointedly at you "The route through the aqueduct is not secure." He phrases it as a statement rather than as a question. But you know it's an invitation to explain your failure.

How do you respond?

Tristan still smolders as he enters the sterile room, carpets catching even as he clears the gaping wound in the wall he's left though he cools quickly in the presence of arguably the two strongest meta-humans in the entire city. Neither would be seen at such an event in their public personas, instead opting to one of their many matching and highly advanced costumes. Both hugged their frame, the power in the muscles beneath obvious as they moved with the grace only years of power could instill which only augmented what others might call a sense of awe that hung about them like a curtain. Not that it had much effect on him, or his sister who lurked in the back, they were of the blood. They weren't lesser people and the effects of Mandate weighed as light as a feather on their shoulders.

He didn't need to see either of their expressions, faces hidden behind similarly featureless masks, to know what they were thinking. His mother's dark brows would be knit in annoyance at her eldest child's less than pristine condition, lips pursed ready to order some servant to attend to "cleaning him up" but only after her husband had his time. Women spoke after men, or not at all, in the presence of Izanagi. The man himself wouldn't have an expression at all, outward displays of emotion were a weakness after all. There wouldn't be a reason to give an excuse either, this was all a test and if it was deemed he'd failed up to this point...well...nobility needed no excuses for their actions. "I have come to bring you out." was all he said, motioning to a nearby wall with a taloned finger.

Merilan

2016-09-20, 09:45 PM

As soon as the beam breath cascades away in a trail of light, the Dragon's form flashed brightly -- and what was once a menacing draconic figure had turned back to her diminuitive human self. The Dragon had placed its bet on the final attack, as evidenced by how she immediately fell over and collapsed into a heap in the aqueducts below. Even if she awoke right now, she wouldn't have a wheelchair to get around with anyway...

arscott

2016-09-20, 10:46 PM

"I have come to bring you out." was all he said, motioning to a nearby wall with a taloned finger.

"Then we will follow." Izanagi and Izanami stand, and effortlessly rise into the air. Amaterasu walks behind, still listening to her comlink.

After a moment, she speaks up. "Father, Mother, I have word from Kunoichi. Joseph Killgrave is at the hospital. The doctors say he will live."

Your father nods silently.

Where do you lead them? What is the new route to safety?

Razade

2016-09-20, 11:28 PM

"Then we will follow." Izanagi and Izanami stand, and effortlessly rise into the air. Amaterasu walks behind, still listening to her comlink.

After a moment, she speaks up. "Father, Mother, I have word from Kunoichi. Joseph Killgrave is at the hospital. The doctors say he will live."

Your father nods silently.

Where do you lead them? What is the new route to safety?

Tristan is the new route to saftey. He twisted a route in and he had every intention of twisting a route out. The other three were phenomenally powerful super villains. They'd be fine. He cast his broken mask off to the floor, brushing silvery hair from his face before turning back to where he came. His powers flared and he carefully tunneled his family out a few blocks from the Auction House.

Another use of Unstoppable. No way this can't fail. The Troll Engine whirrs.

[roll0]

Leaving my mask behind

Zen Gypsy

2016-09-21, 03:29 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: Angry.

As Shieldmaiden advanced on Omega he hovered high in the room, and while maintaining the siphon around the relics, hoping to contain the unstable energy, he concentrated on the immediate threat. He furrowed his brow, concentrating on his Anchor, the Sanctuary, acting as a conduit for the immutable power of the Negaverse.

It was, at first, a simple distortion behind the villain, the distortion began to spiral, spinning, and energies began to seep out, the temperature in the room dropped several degrees in a matter of seconds. The distortion began to form, shift and solidify, a portal to deep space, tendrils of shadowy darkness snaked forward, wrapping around Shieldmaiden, drawing her towards the void, the intense cold sapping her strength, assaulting her psyche.

"This is over Shieldmaiden, even you cannot stare into the void, for in the end it will consume you. I will ask you once again."

His final word cut through her thoughts and drilled into her psyche.

"Surrender!"

I will roll Danger, +1, to Directly Engage Shieldmaiden. [roll0]. A hit! We trade blows, so let me know if I need to roll to Take a Powerful Blow, but, with my one hit, I will chose to Impress, Surprise or Frighten the Opposition.

arscott

2016-09-21, 10:58 AM

Advent Omega
Shieldmaiden is absolutely terrified by the dark tendrils that wrap around her.

"No, no, not this, not like this!"

She presses her hand to the locket she wears in the shape of Thor's hammer. It shoots out a blast of lightning in all directions. AEGIS agents dive for cover. A few villains who haven't fled or been detained are struck and collapse twitching. And it strikes you, painfully.

Take a Powerful Blow.

Shieldmaided, who took her own share of the blast, slumps unconcious, steaming slightly.

Zen Gypsy

2016-09-21, 11:33 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: Angry.

As Shieldmaiden's lightning blast suffused the area, Omega concentrated on the siphon he had created over the relic's, meant to shunt explosive energy harmlessly into deep space. He increased it's magnitude, it's phasic gravity drawing the powerful energies surging throughout the room harmlessly into the void.

It held, and he breathed a sigh of relief slumped to the floor, he sat there contemplating the clusterf^&k this whole thing had become. That's when he realized that there was a distinct lack of steel hard, rune engraved dragons scales entwined about the room.

He stood up slowly, "Reise?"

At work on lunch break, will edit in the fiction when I get home from the office. As I recall Take a Powerful Blow is +Conditions marked, and as such would be a +1 currently. [roll0]. Lets see if I can mark Potential!

arscott

2016-09-21, 05:42 PM

Iconoclast
Your family escapes out the tunnel you made, slipping past the eyes of the AEGIS strike teams. You look behind you just in time to see Reise's be struck by Draugar's death-blow and shrink back down out of your line of sight.

Whad to you do?

Advent Omega
Ragnarok is down, as are the independent villans (that electricity blast saw to that). AEGIS seems to be giving you a wide berth for now. But you don't see any members of your team in the room.

What do you do?

Razade

2016-09-21, 06:24 PM

Iconoclast
Your family escapes out the tunnel you made, slipping past the eyes of the AEGIS strike teams. You look behind you just in time to see Reise's be struck by Draugar's death-blow and shrink back down out of your line of sight.

"Do you know how much this has jeopardized my mission with Exiled?" Tristan asks once they're free of the tunnel, glancing back at his parents and sister with a cold glare. "It will take months to undo the damage, I almost had the Dragon under our control. The others would have fallen easier after her." He turns back, already heading to where the fight still rages. "Do not interrupt my plans again. I will not be robbed the chance to bring our family glory." It was lip service of course, but it was lip service they'd more than likely prefer to hear. Either way, he had someone to burn to a crisp and he supposed someone to save.

Zen Gypsy

2016-09-21, 06:45 PM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: Angry.

He pulled himself from the floor, he figured that the AEGIS guys would start citing the Paranormal Act anytime now, so he needed to find Reise and get out. Brain activity continued to function when one was unconscious, he hoped that with his connection to the young woman, he would be able to locate her before she came to any harm.

Her empty wheelchair, overturned, the frame bent and distorted lay eerily on the concrete floor as he hovered in the middle of the room, extending his psychic senses seeking out his friend.

'Riese, where are you, we need to go. Please ...'

Going to roll Assess the Situation, in an effort to locate Riese and get our butts out of here. Assess uses Superior, -1, so here goes. [roll0]. Hoping that's enough to find her.

A failure, damn. Though, on second thought, would an Assess check be required to locate her? If not we can ignore the roll, and the Potential.

arscott

2016-09-22, 03:12 AM

Iconoclast

"Do you know how much this has jeopardized my mission with Exiled?" Tristan asks once they're free of the tunnel, glancing back at his parents and sister with a cold glare. "It will take months to undo the damage, I almost had the Dragon under our control. The others would have fallen easier after her." He turns back, already heading to where the fight still rages. "Do not interrupt my plans again. I will not be robbed the chance to bring our family glory." It was lip service of course, but it was lip service they'd more than likely prefer to hear. Either way, he had someone to burn to a crisp and he supposed someone to save.

Your mother and father float off into the sky without another word. Your sister stays behind.

"Dont push them, Tris". She says, with the warm tone of voice she only uses when she's alone with you. "Father will tolerate this Iconoclast business because it serves his purpose to give you some temporary freedom, but if you push too far, he'll force you to end it. He and I both know that your master plan begins and ends with "be friends with someone". And heaven forbid if mother ever finds out that you actually care for those people. Friends that she hasn't approved and curated? That don't fit her image of the friends that Tristan Cole should have? She'll have them thrown to the sharks."

Megane is telling you who you are and how the world works. In this case, she's saying you're less superior and more mundane. Accept or roll to reject.

What do you do?

Advent Omega

He pulled himself from the floor, he figured that the AEGIS guys would start citing the Paranormal Act anytime now, so he needed to find Reise and get out. Brain activity continued to function when one was unconscious, he hoped that with his connection to the young woman, he would be able to locate her before she came to any harm.

Her empty wheelchair, overturned, the frame bent and distorted lay eerily on the concrete floor as he hovered in the middle of the room, extending his psychic senses seeking out his friend.

'Riese, where are you, we need to go. Please ...'

Going to roll Assess the Situation, in an effort to locate Riese and get our butts out of here. Assess uses Superior, -1, so here goes. [roll0]. Hoping that's enough to find her.

A failure, damn. Though, on second thought, would an Assess check be required to locate her? If not we can ignore the roll, and the Potential.

Your thoughts brush against hers. You find her, at the bottom of a collapsing aqueduct. Her skin is pale and her breathing shallow--you know you won't be able to pull her out with your shadow tentacles, since their cold caress might disrupt her already weak health. You could physically wade into that collapsing tunnel and pull her out by yourself, or you could look for help.

If you jump into the pit to rescue Riese, that's "defend". It's also facing danger alone, so mark a doom sign. If instead you look for help, tell me how you do that.

What do you do?

Razade

2016-09-22, 03:19 AM

Iconoclast

Your mother and father float off into the sky without another word. Your sister stays behind.

"Dont push them, Tris". She says, with the warm tone of voice she only uses when she's alone with you. "Father will tolerate this Iconoclast business because it serves his purpose to give you some temporary freedom, but if you push too far, he'll force you to end it. He and I both know that your master plan begins and ends with "be friends with someone". And heaven forbid if mother ever finds out that you actually care for those people. Friends that she hasn't approved and curated? That don't fit her image of the friends that Tristan Cole should have? She'll have them thrown to the sharks."

Megane is telling you who you are and how the world works. In this case, she's saying you're less superior and more mundane. Accept or roll to reject.

What do you do?

Tristan whirls on his heel, a delicate movement owed only to the years of rigorous dance and combat training beaten into his body as the very ground melts. "You dare?" he shouts towards one who could be named after the sun. "I return because it suits me, not because I care. They are weapons, nothing more. Perhaps you should take care how you treat those close to you. Did you know that your Kunoichi would dare refuse the order of one of our blood? Trouble me not. I am loyal. My blood remains pure. The mantle of Izanagi one day will be mine. Do not forget. For I have not. I love you sister, more than our blood demands, but I have no time for you. My weapons lay tarnished."

Welp. Rejecting that. Because why not fail a roll? It's XP right?
OOC says I got a 10

Zen Gypsy

2016-09-22, 03:47 AM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

Omega floated down into the sewers, he expanded his mind, feeling it brush against the consciousness of the AEGIS team he narrowed it's focus, searching specifically for his friend. He felt a particular resonance within the field, a familiar neural presence, though it was weak, muted somehow.

When he saw her he was immediately concerned, his psychic projections, conduits that leeched energy from whatever they touched, feeding the infinite nothingness of the Negaverse. He couldn't use them to move her, nor could he risk using his psychokinetic abilities to move the rubble, for fear that it would shift and further injure the young woman.

There was only one answer, Sanctuary. He remembered his talk with Reise, god, it seemed like ages ago, before the Ragnarok incident, when they were all still friends. She had secluded herself from the others, was sitting on a balcony, she talked how her ... other ... form scared her. That power, that fear that if unleashed it could harm those around her, those she cared about. He remembered explaining his connection, to Terminus, to the Negaverse, and to his Anchor to her.

He'd never shared his Sanctuary with anyone, but he had deciphered it's teleportation matrix, and he knew that he could take her there. Now. Without risking further injury. Once there he knew he could help her, the Neural Resonator, it amplified his power, he could use it to reverse the flow of energy, allowing his abilities to act as a conduit, and transfer his vitality, from him, back to Reise, healing her.

It would be a delicate procedure, but he was confident. Besides, he needed her, her other self's ability to resist his psychic manipulation meant that she could do what needed doing, when it came time for it.

He shook his head, concentrating on the here and now. First, transportation to the Anchor, which floated high above the earth, unseen and unknowable.

A blueish purple light enveloped the sewers and then they were gone.

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q631/GamerDad1771/Negaverse%20Anchor_zps12lis00v.jpg (http://s1167.photobucket.com/user/GamerDad1771/media/Negaverse%20Anchor_zps12lis00v.jpg.html)

I envision when 'bad things' happen, and as my Doom approaches a dimensional rift will appear in the area between the curved arms of the Anchor and weird energy will flow from the Anchor itself to bolster and support that rift.

http://i1167.photobucket.com/albums/q631/GamerDad1771/Anchor%20-%20Interior_zps1tpj8chn.jpg (http://s1167.photobucket.com/user/GamerDad1771/media/Anchor%20-%20Interior_zps1tpj8chn.jpg.html)

Ignore the Negaverse Shock Trooper. For now ... mwah hahahaha! They'll only show up when I start hitting my 4th Doom track I am sure!

Actually, I forgot I have Influence over Riese, and as such I get an additional +1 on Moves directed towards her, like Defend! So I am rolling Defend, with a Savior of +1, and an additional +1 due to my Influence over Riese. So here goes [roll0]. Also marking my Doom Track.

Success! I am going to choose to clear a condition, specifically Angry.

Using the Teleportation aspect of my Sanctuary to get us there. I am going to use my Sanctuary, specifically the Power Amplification, to heal Reise by transferring my a portion of my life force to her. Let me know which conditions I must meet to do so, up to 4.

arscott

2016-09-22, 05:21 PM

Iconoclast

Tristan whirls on his heel, a delicate movement owed only to the years of rigorous dance and combat training beaten into his body as the very ground melts. "You dare?" he shouts towards one who could be named after the sun. "I return because it suits me, not because I care. They are weapons, nothing more. Perhaps you should take care how you treat those close to you. Did you know that your Kunoichi would dare refuse the order of one of our blood? Trouble me not. I am loyal. My blood remains pure. The mantle of Izanagi one day will be mine. Do not forget. For I have not. I love you sister, more than our blood demands, but I have no time for you. My weapons lay tarnished."
Your sister's eyes narrow and the smile is gone from her voice.

"Very well, if that's how you see it. Then I suppose you don't have many friends after all. You certainly don't have one right here." She activates a small device from her belt, and it begins to glow--brighter and and brighter, like the sun. And when the glow fades, she's gone.

You get back to the remnants of the warehouse just in time to see Advent and Riese disappear in a flash of light. You see Riese's discarded and broken wheelchair lying sideways on the floor. Elsewhere, Agent Gregg is wrestling an unconscious Shieldmaiden into a pair of handcuffs that aren't quite big enough for someone of her stature. If you approach him any closer without your mask, he'll get a good look at your face.

What do you do?

Advent Omega
The Neural Resonator is powerful, but also dangerous.

Using the Neural resonator casts echos of your psyche into the cosmic void. And there are... things... in the void that might sense those echoes, might develop a taste for them, and for the mind they came from. In order to avoid their notice, you dare not use the resonator on anything above the lowest power setting.

So, use can use the Neural Resonator to heal Riese, but:

The best you can do is a lesser version, unreliable and limited
OR
You and your team will risk danger from the Hounds of Tindalos

What do you do?

Merilan

2016-09-22, 05:38 PM

Riese let out a weakened groan as she began to stir back to wakefulness. Her head was aching, her body was aching... and the song was still going on in her head. It felt like a lamentation, of some sort, but one that she couldn't really understand... and yet, she knew perfectly well. A song of contradictions.

"Where..." The halls of the Anchor were still a little foreign and unknowable to her, as she glanced around.

Razade

2016-09-22, 05:49 PM

Iconoclast

Your sister's eyes narrow and the smile is gone from her voice.

"Very well, if that's how you see it. Then I suppose you don't have many friends after all. You certainly don't have one right here." She activates a small device from her belt, and it begins to glow--brighter and and brighter, like the sun. And when the glow fades, she's gone.

You get back to the remnants of the warehouse just in time to see Advent and Riese disappear in a flash of light. You see Riese's discarded and broken wheelchair lying sideways on the floor. Elsewhere, Agent Gregg is wrestling an unconscious Shieldmaiden into a pair of handcuffs that aren't quite big enough for someone of her stature. If you approach him any closer without your mask, he'll get a good look at your face.

What do you do?

Iconoclast offers only a snort as his sister departs. They'd speak later, they didn't have much of a choice, irritating as her dismissal had been. The whole day had been irritating, especially the fact that his allies had teleported away making the whole trip back needless. And without his mask no less. There was no reason for him to stick around, they'd be in touch and he wanted to put an end to this evening. That meant going home, a glass of wine and a long shower. Not much more he could do without his mask anyway. Also changing into his civillian clothing when he got a few moments break along the way.

Plan is just leave the scene back to his apartment.

Zen Gypsy

2016-09-23, 10:31 PM

Advent Omega (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21069690&postcount=5)
Conditions: None.

He placed his hand on Riese's shoulder, "Try not to move, the resonator is still scanning and mapping your bio- and neural field." He circled around the chamber, it would be easier to speak with her if she could see him. He still wore his adaptive costume, but his cloak was draped across a console, his mask down exposing his concerned look.

He walked around to a chamber that mirrored her own, "The resonator will transfer my bio-energy to you, through the neural network." He didn't mention the risk that he was taking, the psychic flare that would be sent out into the cosmos, yet he was confident that he would be able to prevent any of the malevolent entities from tracing his psyche back to him.

She was a friend, and she was injured. The risk didn't matter.

"This is Anchor, pretty ... grim, eh?" He tried to smile, "I know, it's alot to take in. Sometimes I come here, and just ... float ... it makes me feel small. Reminds me of how big it is, space, and how small we are, our problems."

As the resonator began to scan him and transfer his energy, he grimaced and tried to bolster his psyche as it was cast out into space. He fought through the pain, secure in the knowledge that his sacrifice would help Reise, heal her. Take her pain.

"Just a few more ... GrrrrrGah! ... minutes ..."

Hounds of Tindalos? You can't dangle Cthulhu mythos in front of my and expect me NOT to bite!

Merilan

2016-09-23, 10:59 PM

Riese winced and tried to pull herself up -- at least, her upper half. She could feel his resonance, in her own way; she didn't quite understand his psychic powers, but she knew enough that he was in pain. "I--I will be all right, Advent... you don't have to-- nghh-- put yourself up to this..."

She wasn't quite sure what Draugar did to her -- the memory of the battle was a little hazy, a confusing mix of conflicting emotions.

arscott

2016-09-24, 03:17 AM

Riese and Advent Omega

After a few moments, the energy transfer is complete. Advent feels exhausted, but is not in pain. And Riese feels calm and re-energized. The physical and emotional injuries from her encounter with Draugar are completely healed. Indeed, she felt healthier than she had in a long time.

Riese, clear both your conditions.

Elsewhere

Meanwhile, in the black void of the negaverse.

A shadowy figure watches as the weapons that Advent Omega exiled drift weightlessly by. They are mostly shattered and broken. Here, we see an Omnicronian Energy Pistol with a fried powerpack. A cracked Jar of Basilisk Venom, its contents dried to a useless powder. Odin's great spear, Gugnir, snapped in half.

And then a dagger. Intact. Its strange runes--the same ones we saw when the dragon manifested--glowing. The last panel gives us a close-up of the dagger. And refleced in the dagger's polished blade, is the face of that unseen watcher. Terminus, Lord of the Negaverse. And he is smiling (https://youtu.be/5AYEohTJxd4?t=40s).

End issue #1

Do your end-of-session moves!