New Aeon A IC

[Queen Sapes]

Issue 1: Hell’s Bells

December 23, 2016, 9:23 P.M.
New Aeon City, Michigan

Settled on the northwestern shore of Lake Huron and nestled beneath the massive peaks of the Legacy Mountains are the glittering towers of New Aeon City. Supposedly named for its settler’s dreams of what it would become and then renamed upon its rebuilding, New Aeon is a gleaming metropolis that rivals the other great cities of America from New York to Freedom to Los Angeles to Emerald. New Aeon is a city of the future, with a bustling heart of massive skyscrapers that shine in sun and moonlight, advanced technology at every corner, and a booming economy to rival any city in the world. New Aeon is a place where fortunes can be made overnight, where people can make their lives, loves, and families. It’s a place where the everyman can be hopeful about the coming day, and be assured in their hope. And compared to places like Los Angeles, New York, Freedom, and Emerald, it’s a place people can feel safe. At least it used to be.

The holidays have come to New Aeon, and with them came the winter and the endless snow falling from the sky New Aeon is almost famous for. New Aeon is remarkably well-prepared for the snow every year, and while they streets are still nearly choking with snow, the constant army of plows keeps them safe to use. The roof of every building in the city is coated with at least a foot of snow, trees and bushes across the city have replaced their leaves with snow and ice, and the temperature regularly dips near zero thanks to the icy chill off Lake Huron.

Living in the frozen north doesn’t get to the spirits of the people of New Aeon, however. If anything it makes them bolder as you regularly see people out on the streets shopping beneath the twinkling of Christmas lights, there’s a group of carolers at every other block, and children playing in the snow everywhere you turn. New Aeon is a wonderful place at Christmas, the already brilliant city taking on a magical feel as winter sets in and the people beat the falling snow back with smiles.

But snow wasn’t the only thing that fell out of the sky this year in New Aeon. Exactly one week ago the sky opened up in a sudden display of the impossible as a rift between dimensions tore through the peaceful night. Thousands of objects poured out of the rift, including rubble, whole vehicles, random junk, an entire skyscraper that thankfully landed in the bay, and thousands of people. It was only with fast action by New Aeon’s large superhuman population that almost every one of these falling people were saved, but it quickly became apparent there was no going back as the rift sealed itself, leaving parts of another world stranded in New Aeon.

In the week since the city has been a busy place. Construction crews have been working 24/7 to repair damage across the city, numerous humanitarian groups have been working to relocate the displaced dimensional refugees, new supervillains believed to be from that other world have been dealt with, and new heroes have been spotted across New Aeon. If one were to listen to the right people on the streets, the right rumors, and know the right people, one would find the city changed a lot more than a sudden population growth the night the rift opened.

New Aeon’s underworld was rocked by the rift and in the chaos much of the status quo has changed. The old-fashioned and long-standing crime boss of New Aeon, the Conundrum, is pushing his Strangers to take more of the city to put under his influence. The Dacani mob, formerly interstellar refugees, now wants a piece of the action outside the Alien Quarter for itself. Rumors and scattered reports of werewolves, vampires, zombies, and other nightmares continue to pour into the police department. There is word of the Dire Queen making moves on the city’s underworld, and people continue to report vigilante action by the “hero” Thanatos as well as a doppelganger with one white wing.

A strange blue eye has appeared on the phones of numerous people across the city, a man on the other end attempting to speak with them. The police force speaks in hushed tones about a pair of mutilated bodies they fear may be the early work of a serial killer. A madman in a homemade costume screams about how he is supposed to be the greatest hero of Aeon. Conspiracy theorists claim proof the man who killed JFK is in New Aeon. Artifacts have disappeared from museums and private collections across the city without a trace. The Conqueror Worm lives. There are mumblings of celebrity villains like S.E.L.F.I.E. and the Clique coming to New Aeon. A few people have reported seeing a robotic golem of hard light appear out of nowhere to disrupt crime around the city. People have nightmarishly realistic dreams of crossing paths with a man with stars for eyes who laughs.

It’s almost all rumor, of course, but the feeling is identifiable in the city. Every person on the streets from the smallest child to the oldest senior knows the same thing. New Aeon needs heroes.

But for the moment, New Aeon City is quiet. The city of approximately two million people is sitting calmly, with a lazy snowfall covering the streets as cold water laps at its feet. It’s a relaxing kind of quiet that is too rare in today’s world, helped by the muffling of the snow and the lack of traffic due to construction. It’s almost quiet enough that you’re tempted to call it a night, but just before you leave the city to sleep, you hear the bizarre scream of what sounds like a wolf crossed with a bison howling at the moon. It’s time to go to work.


The sound of the howl draws you to downtown New Aeon, where the streets are filled with stores, restaurants, cafes, and people. Skyscrapers still make up most of the skyline although the towers themselves are much shorter than their uptown cousins. The streets of downtown were hit hardest by the rift debris, and most of the roads are still blocked off due to the holes in the asphalt and chunks of buildings and vehicles filling them.

Despite the damage to downtown New Aeon, this is still the busiest place in the city. The stores that went undamaged by the rift are all open, still pushing out last-minute gifts to customers in need of a present, and even some of the damaged ones are selling their wares. The streets are completely packed with people, including a number of police and AEGIS agents who stand guard at a perimeter near fallen debris. Amidst the crowd are a number of people dressed up as Santa, elves, gingerbread men, and snowmen, all of whom are wearing full-body costumes with masks. They hand out flyers to the passing crowd with a silent merry wave to those who take a flyer.

Most of the crowd appears oblivious to the strange howl that drew you here, save for a few random citizens scanning the area in confusion, and a number of police officers who are scanning the skyline as well.

[Arcran]

Cupid glided gracefully across the cities' skyline, wingtips controlling his flight as he goes into a slight bank, scanning the streets below as he focuses on the bracelet, taking in the emotions pouring through the city. Out of all the new powers that the bow had deigned to give him, this was perhaps the most pleasant, especially this time of year. All the selfless giving, the holiday cheer, and the exuberant children had waves of emotion rolling off of them in waves, nearly all of it pleasant. Cupid closes his eyes for a moment, allowing his white wings to catch an updraft as he gains a little altitude, his flawless form flying through the sky.

Of course, that was just a glamour, or an illusion, or whatever the hell the bow was able to do to his body at this point. Cupid had thought he had the damn thing figured out by now, but whether it was his time as a Horseman of the Apocalypse or this new world, the bow was changing. Shapeshifting, reading emotions like a book, hell, even some of his new arrows; they all shouldn't have been possible, but here he was. Not that he was complaining; he was tired of that hideous visage.

A flash of annoyance crosses Cupid's face as the positive, holiday-infused emotions are tarnished by a brief flash of fear. With a sigh, Cupid begins to turn towards the source while a Santa hat materializes on top of his head. Might as well give the kids something to point at other than the half-naked superhero, right?

As he comes in for a landing Cupid's bracelet unfurls into it's full golden glory as he walks confidently towards one of the police men.

"Cupid, Archer of Love at your service," Cupid says jovially, extending a hand to the officer. "What seems to be the issue?" he asks, hoping that the officer would have a better idea of where the roar came from.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish glides on batlike wings over the city. For her, flight was one of the greatest benefits of vampirism, even though the drawbacks far outweighed the benefits. She blinks as she hears the howl, slightly pointed ears twitching, and she draws her blade mid-flight, blackened silver seeming to drink in any light nearby as she dives towards the area the howl seemed to come from, flying in the shadows of the skyscraper until she eventually lands in an alley, waiting for something to happen so she can find it and intervene.

Just making a note of this, Tarnish has acute and accurate infra-sight, so if there are things that are invisible to the naked eye but emit heat, she knows about them.

[Esprit15]

The girl known as Sara looks up from her evening cup of cocoa at the cafe, looking up and around for the source of noise that rang through the city. It was concerning, but not as much as no contact from the others. It was quite possible that she was the only one of the Hunters who fell through. Perfect. Nobody has responded to the marks I've left in a week. If anyone was here, they'd have met me by now, she thinks to herself as she snaps shut a pocket watch that she had been watching, a fourth hand whirling around like a tiny blur to the average observer, but ticking by calmly to her own view. With a sigh, she finishes her drink and leaves some money on the table to pay, before disappearing off in the direction of the noise.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Jake trudged through the slush, grimacing. Jessica had finally finished at the stupid boutique she liked to shop at all the time and they could finally go home. Of course, his arms were ladened with colorful bags full of designer clothes and fancy perfume's with frilly names that didn't mean anything. C'mon Jake! We can't be late for Daddy's party! You know he likes us to be there early. Jessica called back to him, holding only a small gift bag with her. She was decked out in a bright red coat with some designer label Jake couldn't bother to remember, and she somehow was able to avoid the dirty slush that the pervaded the shopping district.

Jake heaved, readjusting the bags and boxes to keep them from falling over. He walked carefully for the next few feet, finally getting them close enough that Winston took over, pulling bags and boxes into the trunk of the limo. Thanks, Winston. The elder butler nodded with a small smile and finished packing the trunk. Jessica was already inside, pouring herself a glass of wine. Jake raised an accusing eyebrow at her and she retorted with a sneer. Don't give me that look. I've seen what's in your third drawer under you underoos. Jake's cheeks burned crimson, darting his eyes away from Jessica's accusing gaze. Winston, for his credit, remained neutral. With a gesture, the butler ushered Jake inside.

Jake, however, stopped for a moment. He heard something, a strangled cry he couldn't quite place. Uh, I think I'll walk home, Winston. The butler couldn't resist raising a questioning eyebrow but didn't protest. Of course Master Jake. Shall I inform your father you'll be late?
Ya, please.

Winston shut the door. Jake started to walk away, calmly, still able to hear his sister's protests. He's what!? Fine, whatever. Let him deal with Dad. As the limo pulled away, Jake started jogging. And then running. His head was swiveling left and right, but he couldn't find what he was looking for. No secluded corner or back alley in downtown. Not this time of year. Too many people, too many lights. A small sound caught his attention, the gentle sound of swooping wings. He looked skyward, a nearly naked man with white wings glided through the air and landing on a street corner, near some police. He announced himself (pompous azz) and addressed the officer's about the issue. Deciding to wait before treeing out, he approached the cops, keeping a distance to not arouse suspicion.

[Eshkigal]

Meanwhile, one of the snowmen seemed to be less about handing out fliers and more just doing his own thing in front of a diner, children (and by extension, their parents) gathering around outside a small place called Edna's owned by an elderly couple as the snowman danced aboit comically while he glowed, then had bright colors pass along it's interior as small reindeer pull a tiny sled across the Aurora Borealis. Which had puzzled the owner's, since they hadn't hired the snowman in the first place, but as Edna's business grew felt that a hot meal was earned at least. And so it was that Puck got food for a day, from a pair he knew well, in a different world. A world where their son at least came home for the holidays despite his time in jail, or stealing advanced technologies. A world where Matthew O'Machmurchadha still cared about his parents, seeing them do okay too, instead of growing his own power and wealth by eliminating the competition on the streets.
"Thanks, much appreciated. Merry Christmas, folks. Stay warm, and happy holidays."
As he headed off with a thermos of his doppel-parent's chili to stay warm and confused looks from the old couple as to why the gravelly voice had sounded so familiar, Puck turned a corner and rappelled up to a rooftop after ensuring he had turned on a few projectors he had planted earlier to ensure no one saw a flying snowman, he ditched the stuffy costume without hesitation, pulling out the duffel bag with his armor and more dangerous kit inside and using it as a chair as he ate. The first good meal he had been able to score since landing, he was savoring it as the bison wolf howled, causing him to jolt and spill part of the steaming liquid on his legs, making him then shoot upright and try to shake what he could off.
"Gah! Sh**! F***! Dammit, stupid strange things, stupid prolly horrorshow monsters dunno how to friggin' wait fer a guy to finish eating, stupid alternate dimension bullcrap-"
As he looks to the remaining chili, he sighs, capping the thermos and storing it as he mutters to himself, then pulls out his armor and gets each piece on. Soon, Puck is suited up, fixing how his grenade launcher sits folded on his back as he looks at the city.
"-pid bloody idjits who can't take a day off, it's personal this time."
He stomps off towards the roof he rappelled up to, before pausing by the snowman head he had taken off, snatching the Santa cap off and slamming it on his helmet and angrily fixing it to hang on his head. With that, he slung another shot of the adhesive rope that the zip line he had "borrowed" from Second Shooter's used, taking off into the night and swinging above the lights without a soul seeing. All while still muttering obscenities about whoever had interrupted his time off.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Their world had ended in late spring.

It was a strange sort of mood whiplash, mourning the destruction of your world while everyone around you was happily preparing for the holidays. Especially when said holidays were more than half a year away a week ago. It was one more bit of culture shock for the people of the Other Other Earth, one more thing that was just similar enough to what they were familiar with for the differences to be especially jarring.

But it was something they could work around, something they could ignore. Devote their efforts to finding some way to settle in, to integrate into this new world. There was a lot of work to do. Over a thousand people who not just needed to be fed and sheltered, but to become a part of this society. With close to a hundred wizards among their number, the material needs weren't really a huge problem to meet. Sure, magic could only go so far on the large scale, but the power required to fulfill the physical needs of a group of any given size was going to naturally be substantially lower than that required to jump them safely to another dimension entirely. But their money, identifications, documents, everything was more-or-less useless. Even if they could survive here, they were not a part of this world, this society, and that was a matter that had to be remedied as soon as possible. There was little time and effort to put into celebrating for the refugees, and frankly, they had little enough to celebrate.

...

Yeah, smite that!

Not if Nathan and Naomi Elders had even a word to say on the matter! It would have been easy. It would have been so, so easy to just give in to despair, just focus on the practical matters and logistical challenges, push anything on the emotional end of the scale as far away as it could go. Just cling to survival, say it was all that mattered. But the thing is?

Winter is always brutal. Winter is always cold.

It had been that way for even the earliest humans, of both their Earth and this one, and they found an excuse to celebrate anyway. Despite the longest of blizzards and the darkest of nights, humans had always cast aside the despair of winter with feasting and song, the giving of gifts and the kindling of light. They were alive. They had their family. And through not just the power of their magic, but the compassion of the people of this world so like their own, their people had roofs over their heads and food on their tables. Not three days ago, they had become an aunt and uncle, their brother's son Tyber the first descendent of their world to be born on this one. No matter how diminished, life went on. If that wasn't something to celebrate, then humans had been doing it wrong since the dawn of history.

Flame-blast if they would let their people forget the True Meaning of Christmas.

So the twins were out shopping. It didn't really matter for what. Food for holiday meals, gifts to brighten the days of their family and their people, books from which they could learn more about this new planet...whatever. (The attentive might recall that they had arrived on this planet without any proper money, but if you honestly think two skilled wizards would have trouble earning a few thousand dollars in a little under a week, you're adorable). They strode down the streets and into shops as caught their eye with smiles on their faces. Seeing all the people going about their holiday business, listening to the music in the stores...it was almost possible to trick yourself into forgetting what you had lost.

(Okay, granted, the two of them had burst into tears in the middle of a supermarket when "There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays" had started playing, but whatever. It's a work in progress.)

Both of them were bundled up heavily against the chill (and had replaced their traditional wizards' hats with Santa hats, because of course they did), a blessing of the transmutation enchantments on their clothes. They had grown up in Southern California. An Aeon City winter was like nothing they had experienced outside of the odd battle against Unseelie fey. Naomi was taking a certain child-like glee in the snow. Nathan had admittedly been slightly turned off to the whole affair when his sister had hit him in the face with a snowball, but he could appreciate the novelty, at any rate.

Their excursion, though, was cut short by a piercing howl, sounding not all that terribly far from their current location. Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Werewolf?" he speculated.

"At Christmastime?" Naomi returned incredulously.

While Nathan would grant that Halloween seemed much more thematically appropriate for such an encounter, he was fairly sure there was no hard rule prohibiting werewolves around Christmas. But there should have been! 'Course, it was all idle speculation. This world had more types of superhumans than you could know what to do with. For all he knew, Wolf-Man was no B-movie horror monster, but a beloved costumed mutant vigilante alien hero whose fearsome howls of JUSTICE! struck fear into the hearts of criminals. Or something along those lines, anyway.

They burned the time for a quick teleport home to drop off their bags, and blinked back swiftly, heading as best as their finely-honed memories allowed in the direction of the howl. They didn't pull out their staves or gather elemental forces around them for battle. Not yet. As of now, the howl rated more as interesting than threatening, and one could not get far as a wizard without an abundance of curiosity. They took in the scene with attentive eyes, fully alert to any potential-

"Oh my God how is he not freezing!?"

[Red_Jenny]

Evelyne Beauchere isn't getting ready to call it a night. In fact, she just woke up. That's what makes this the best time of year - it gets dark early. Those who had encountered the fearsome and flamboyant Lady Sanguine would hardly credit the huddled figure in flannel pajamas and an Aeon University sweatshirt as the same person.

The vampire sits in her windowseat, watching the glow of downtown through the snowfall, and sipping appreciatively at a mug of heavily spiced tea. The caffeine has no effect, but she likes the taste. A nearby thermos of blood provides more sustenance, even if it's a bit like having cold pizza for breakfast.

She spares a glance around the apartment. Evelyne wasn't usually much for Christmas - for much of its history there were a lot of holy symbols involved, and that made it a non-starter. Angie, though, had insisted that they do it properly, and so the pair had filled the house with lights and decorations and the biggest Christmas tree the ceiling would allow. She had to admit, it was worth it. Wonderfully cozy.

An ear-piercing howl broke the reverie. Oh no...

With inhuman speed she was up and scanning the skyline for trouble. A werewolf? She didn't think so. Evelyne knew that sound quite well by now. Of course, a lot of strange things had been dropped into their world in the last week. No sense in sitting and guessing.

"Ev? What was that?" Angie stood in the doorway, hackles raised even in human form.

"No idea. Might be someone new?" Evelyne swiftly changed into Lady Sanguine's ornate outfit. "I won't be long. Just going to take a look for myself, see if I can help. Dinner's in the fridge. The wrapped up package in there is for Christmas, don't peek! ...How do I look?" Of all the things the curse took from her, not being able to see herself in mirrors was easily the most annoying.

"Fantastic. As usual. And you know I can smell the present, right?"

"I know, just... pretend to be surprised on Sunday, yes? Evelyne grinned and hugged the girl before vanishing out the fire escape in a puff of crimson mist.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The mist coalesced back into the form of a person, and Lady Sanguine peered curiously down at the roped off rubble and the gawkers from a rooftop. The police seemed to have noticed the sound, and at least one... hero? A man with wings and far too little clothing for the weather. No immediate sign of trouble, though. She waited in the shadows. No need to announce herself quite yet.

[Queen Sapes]

Downtown New Aeon

The officer Cupid approaches was intently scanning the skyline and is taken aback by Cupid's sudden appearance. The officer is an older man, maybe late fifties, with a large bushy mustache that went grey decades ago. Perhaps it's the bow drawn, but in his brief shock the officer reaches down to rest his hand on his gun. The officer remains wary of Cupid as he extends his hand. "Sorry, who did you say you were?" the officer asks while eyeing Cupid suspiciously. "Cupid? Thought your name was Thanatos. Don't know why you're here but there's police and civilians everywhere as you can see. Best come quietly now..." the officer orders, starting to pull his pistol from its grip before he's interrupted by a much younger officer with dark, buzz-cut hair.

"Hold on, Lou," the officer says, placing a hand on Lou's shoulder. "I don't think this is the guy. Thanatos has black wings, he has white. Let's see what he has to say." Lou pauses for a moment before giving a nod to the other officer and latching his pistol back in its holster. The other officer approaches Cupid and extends his hand. "Officer Parks, good to meet you," the younger officer says, shaking Cupid's hand. "Cupid you said? Well Cupid, we've been on patrol in this area for a while now, keeping the peace and making sure nobody gets on the rubble. We heard a weird howl a couple minutes ago but it seems fairly far-off from here." He casts a glance at Cupid's bow and frowns.

"Could you please stow the bow? It's likely making the people around here a little uncomfortable," Officer Parks says, scanning the gathered crowd. "Anyways, we don't really have any specifics. Can I help you in any way?"

Scanning the horizon you spot something that piques your interest. In this area of New Aeon most every story of the buildings have ledges built on their outsides, which during winter accumulate quite a bit of snow and hang ice sickles from their undersides. What intrigues you is that several spots suddenly come loose from the ledges, sending snow tumbling to the ground. This isn't unique as a sudden balance shift causes this to happen all the time, but what you notice is that it appears to be happening at several spots very close to each other in quick succession on multiple stories, almost like dominoes falling in a path across the sides of the buildings.

The sudden appearance of the winged man caused a lull in the crowd which has nearly fallen silent and still as everyone watches the exchange. Some people have cast angry glares at the man while others stand visibly in fear. What draws your attention is the members of the huge Christmas shopping crowd that doesn't mind the man. The various individuals dressed in Christmas-themed costumes continue to usher flyers to people, seemingly unaware or unconcerned about the man like the rest of the crowd is.

Scanning the crowd further, you notice one exception to this rule. One man passing out flyers has stopped to glare angrily at the winged man from beneath his Santa mask, and the flyer he was about to hand out is crumpled in his fist.

[Arcran]

"No problem," Cupid says jovially, the bow warping and twisting into a bracelet that hangs loosely on his wrist. "And sorry about that, didn't realize there was a winged menace! I'm one of those from the portal, just trying to keep my new home safe," Cupid says, flashing a wide grin. It wasn't like that fact was worth keeping secret, right? "I'm one of the good ones, no need to be alarmed!" he says happily, putting his hands up to show everybody around he wasn't hostile, even pulling off his Santa hat for a moment to show nothing was hiding under his hat.

"Any idea what direction the howl came from?" Cupid asks, scanning the skyline. "Strange noises are my specialty," he says with a wink, oblivious to the Twins standing only a few yards away.

Persuasion to make the crowd not hate me: [roll0]

[Eshkigal]

Scanning below for the source of the disturbance, Puck was not paying the best attention to where he was reeling himself in towards, trusting the buildings to be rather solid with the new construction. Which they were, mind you. The ice and snow, however, were not, which is rather unfortunate as he launches himself across an intersection five stories up only to feel the line go slack midflight. Looking up it, he sees it seems to have been attached to some black ice on the side of a building, falling with a clump of snow.
"Oh ffffffff-"
As he loses upward momentum, he hastily reels the line in, tumbling in the air as he tries to find a target to attach to. As he rapidly fires for a gargoyle above, he gets a bit louder as he misses, at least until the line goes taut and carries him towards a building wall at good speed. Not one to question a chance to not take a five story drop onto pavement, he quickly reels himself up the stories as he unwittingly takes a ride with Tarnish, just barely clearing the rooftop next to a certain Lady garbed in clothes unbefitting the weather with the scrape of stone on metal, skidding across the rooftop before hitting an air duct hard.
"-K!"
The adhesive rope likely dislodged from his ride with the sudden stop, vampiric strength on the other side, and desperate death grip Puck had on the other as the air duct holds, he shakes his head to clear away some of the pain before noticing Lady Sanguine, who he had likely just distracted with that quite severely.
"...Hi. Name's Puck. An' you?"
He groans a bit as he works to push himself up from where he landed
"Swear to friggin' God, next thing I get for this is gonna be a glide pack..."

[Ionbound]

Tarnish glides along the side of a building, noting the strange pattern of the ice falling from the building, just about to alter her course to follow the disturbances when the other end of Puck's zipline impacts her chest-plate with a loud *THWACK*. Her eyes widen as she realizes there's a line attached to her, and her wings struggle and ultimately fail to support a whole extra person's mass out of nowhere. Her glide quickly becomes a dive and despite her desperate efforts, she crash-lands on a mercifully-snowy roof.

Her rolling crash is punctuated by several angry, "Oof! Ah! Dracu!" before she comes to a stop, and stands up after a moment, taking the offending zipline in hand and yanking with superhuman strength, hoping to pull the offender to herself for retribution.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Routining the Perception check.

Honestly, to the twins, the people who didn't notice the angel-looking dude were not the ones that struck them as weird. It's like, sure, they noticed that, but that was more-or-less what they expected. Back on their world, people were surprisingly proficient at just not noticing supernatural things happening in their midst. Or at least, at rationalizing what they had seen as something mundane.

The other half of the crowd, meanwhile, was reacting with fear and anger towards a guy who looked like an angel descending from the sky. In the middle of the holidays no less. That...that was weird, wasn't it? Were angels considered bad on this planet? They'd grant, you don't want to judge a book - especially a supernatural one - by its cover. White feathered wings weren't exactly difficult to emulate with all manner of transmutations and glamours. But still!

Regardless, this wasn't really the matter at hand. Keeping an ear on the conversation between the angely dude and the cops, the twins took hold of their staves (currently shrunk down to look more like scepters, holstered on their belts) and chanted some quick spells to detect magic, in case there was anything supernatural afoot.

Activating Arcane Sight. Active Perception: [roll0], with an additional +8 for detecting magical effects and beings.

While active, they can pinpoint, identify, and analyze all magical effects and beings in a radius around them, and can identify and analyze magic they can see, as well as see lingering trails of magic that has passed. They ignore invisibility, darkness, and illusion, and can see ten times as far as normal.

[Eshkigal]

Aaand then Puck gets pulled off that rood too, onto the rooftop of the next one with a much angrier vampire.
"Jesu-"
The snow muffles the rest of the likely obscenity as Puck lands hard yet again, taking longer to surface from this, wondering which deity he has offended this evening in particular as the time as a Miracle Man had definitely offended a few, and slowly looking up at the girl he had accidentally landed a line on, looking down to the zip line, and back up to where it connected.
"...Sorry. Still getting used to this piece, an' accidentally hit some ice. Ah...thanks fer the unintended save?"

[Ionbound]

Puck will find himself looking up a blackened blade, but as she listens to his explanation, Tarnish sighs and says, in a thick Romanian accent, "I see." She still looks very displeased with Puck as she continues, "I suppose you're a hero, zen? You might be interested to know zere's something moving along the ledges up here. I vas tracking it vhen you knocked me out of ze air."

[Red_Jenny]

Evelyne is indeed distracted as Puck goes yelling past, ducking at the last instant to avoid a boot to the head. This town is full of surprises...

"Bonsoir, Puck. A pleasure, I'm sure. To one such as you? I am Lady Sanguine." She punctuates the greeting with a low bow, laughing at his situation, an expression that does nothing to disguise her fangs. "Here, let me get that for-" Before she can finish the sentence, Puck is yanked away with another yelp.

Evelyne follows after him, reappearing on Puck's new landing strip in a puff of scarlet, having graduated from amused laughter to full-on tears-in-eyes cackling. "Oh, gods above.... that was... y-you are all right, yes? I don't-" The smile turns acid as Lady Sanguine sees who the zipline was attached to.

"Ah. Allo, Tarnish. And here I was, having a good evening. Is he with you?"

Down below, the twins notice a very obvious, rather evil source of magic go flitting past in the night sky. A curse of great strength and unfortunate familiarity for a pair whose old world was Dresden Files-esque. There's a vampire on the roof.

[Eshkigal]

Puck pauses, hands raised into the air with a kind of sullen acceptance and lowering as she seems less inclined to run him through.
"Mostly. Where did ya last spot it?"
Then Lady Sanguine shows up again, addressing Tarnish as Puck backs away, hands inching near Riotbreaker cautiously as he watches Sanguine.
"Pleasure t'meet ya, though gotta say, ain't had the best times with vamps in the past, so don't mean no offense or nuthin'. Just ain't a fan o' droppin' a rung on the food chain. You two know each other, then?"

[Esprit15]

Midnight speeds through the town, but nobody else seems to be paying any mind to the odd sound that rang throughout the city moments ago. Well, almost nobody. She had a sense that the angel with no shirt talking to the police might have been following it as well. Off in the distance it appeared that some other beings were moving in the direction of the noise as well, only to collide midair. It might be prudent to follow them in a moment. She could keep pace, though, and she was curious at the unusual reaction of the man in the Santa hat. While he had fought lesser, fallen angels in the past before, normally they were seen as a force of good.

"Excuse me, sir, but do you happen to know who that winged man is over there, talking to the police?" she asks, just a twinge of accent in her voice from her last assignment.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish frowns as Lady Sanguine appears and says, "As vas I. And yet, here you are. As for zis particular improvised anti-air veapon, no I am afraid not. And besides if ze unpleasantries are over, I must be going. Vhatever zis it is it isn't going to deal vith itself." With that her wings fold back out of her back and she launches herself into the sky, trying to follow the patterned icicle falls, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever is causing them.

[Queen Sapes]

Downtown New Aeon
At Cupid's reassurance the crowd calms down noticeably and begins going about their business as usual. The moment of absolute silence and stillness passes and the crowd of hundreds becomes a shifting sea of people once again. Officer Parks waves off Lou as the crowd calms down and redirects his attention to Cupid. "Thank you for that, with the rift and the holidays this area has been stressful to work in," he says to Cupid. "The noise came from north of here, much higher up by my guess. We're not sure what it is, but we heard it earlier, much farther off the first time. Some of the officers are worried it's getting closer, like when you hear a storm approaching from the thunder."

Elsewhere in the crowd, Midnight approaches one of the men dressed as Santa. He hangs on for a moment longer than the rest of the crowd, glaring through the sea of people at the pair of white wings. "I- I think I do," the Santa states to Midnight. "He may be Thanatos, and if he is the vigilante, this is a very dangerous place to be," the man explains, his voice carrying an edge to it that mixes fear with anger. "I wouldn't stay long if I didn't have to," he warns, handing Midnight one of the flyers before turning to reenter the crowd.

Up in the sky, Tarnish goes after the snow disturbance which tapers off as she follows it. After a few short seconds of chasing it, the disturbance cuts off completely.


CHRISTMAS EVE CONCERT

Tomorrow night only from 7 PM to 10 PM

The intersection of 2nd and Lewis St.

Come to celebrate the season and show support for the new world!
Scanning the crowd, you see a vast number of magical sources before your eyes. The first that springs to your eyes is a number of magical artifacts random citizens appear to be carrying in their bags. Most are small trinkets that appear to be enchanted with a variety of Illusions, all appear mundane and weak, and are likely being sold out of a local shop. The next sight is the man with wings, who reeks of Divine magic in every facet of his being. There is a slight mix of Demonic magic within him as well, and the two sources appear to be in conflict within him due to their opposing natures.

There is a small lingering of Death magic in the crowd that crosses the entire area to the point you can't pinpoint its source. It seems concentrated in a few small pockets around the crowd numbering just over a dozen. Though in truth Death magic is deposited all over the city following the rift opening, a natural result of lots of people dying unnatural deaths in the chaos. You also note three pockets of Death magic in the area wrapped up so tightly they can only be integral to a being's existence. Two are above you by several stories, one atop a rooftop and the other moving through the air, and the third is somewhere in the crowd. A spot of Time magic rests close to the source of Death magic in the crowd, wound tightly within its host.

Finally, while you can't pinpoint its source or even where it's concentrated, there hangs a heavy curtain of Black magic over the area, the kind that only bodes well for truly hellish summonings and creations. The sky above the area is thick with the magic and it moves like water in the air, unable to settle yet but preparing to land.

[Arcran]

"I'll check it out then, see if I can't do something about it," Cupid says confidently, stretching his wings out. "And, hey, mind me doing me a favor and spreading the news that the one with white wings is a good guy?" Cupid says with a wink before stretching his wings out, taking off in a smooth motion.

"Merry Christmas!"

As Cupid takes to the air, he lets out a small sigh. Of course there was a hero with wings who the public hated. He'd thought adjusting to the new reality would be difficult but, well, this was just getting excessive. Wasn't it enough to be broke and unknown. Still, he had other things to focus on. Cupid adjusts his bracelet, ready to unfurl it into a bow at a moment's notice should something appear as he flew to the north, rapidly gaining altitude.

[Esprit15]

"Hm... noted. I'll keep an eye out, then. Although..." Midnight grabs the man's hand as he tries to slink off into the crowd. His response was anger, not the more appropriate fear. Also, Thanatos, assuming his name was not just a coincidence, did not seem an appropriate name for the white winged, fit, bow wielding man. She'd more expect black or grey, with a scythe or similar, and shrouding his form. "Could you describe Thanatos for me? I'd rather not go around falsely accusing people, and given that man's willingness to speak with police, I doubt him to be the vigilante you claim he is."
Insight to see if the man is lying or otherwise being deceptive: [roll0]

[MesiDoomstalker]

Jake watched the winged man take flight, more confused than anything. That wasn't terribly helpful. Jake kept moving, ducking into the first dark alley he could find.

Checking to make sure no one was watching, Jake inhaled slowly, trying to steel his nerves. He shucked off his coat, bracing himself against the winter chill. With a dramatic intake of breath, Jake's body started to creak. As he exhaled, his chest remained expanded and then continued to expand some more. The fiber's of his shirt started screaming in protest as his body quickly outgrew them. His limb's lengthened, his fingers growing thick and rough as bark started to replace skin. He let a low sigh as the strain of maintaining his human form eased, his towering height becoming more apparent. His shirt tore down his back, before he grabbed it and tore the remnants from his body. He thanked his forethought for buying some stretcy pants that could (mostly) handle his transformation.

With a hollow crack, Jake finished his transformation into Weald. He stretched his arms and trunk-like legs, the sound of wood scraping wood filled the alley. Alright then. Up is probably best. He braced his legs, before pushing forcefully against the concrete. He soared into the air, clearing the roof of the nearest building. He steadied himself on the rooftop, scanning the skyline for the winged man. Duh! He smacked his forehead, before closing his eyes, reaching out and sensing for the winged man's lifeforce.

Using Lifesense to find Cupid. Also, with Leaping 3, I can clear 250 feet. Assuming average floor height of 10 ft, I can clear 24 floor building (with some room to spare for the roof)

[Eshkigal]

Watching first Tarnish, and then Cupid about to head off, Puck looks to Lady Sanguine, then back, and then shrugs as he takes the chance to reach one of the few faces he has seen from home.
"Ah, hell wit' it, I get ate I get ate, I don't an' yer fine wit' me, Here, hold this."
He slides his helmet off with a shrug, before tossing it over towards her general direction and giving a sharp whistle towards Cupid.
"Hey, Cupid, keep an eye on the snowbanks! Jus' got a tip that somethin's bouncin' round up here, an' it's trackable that way! 'Nother flier wit' ya lookin'!"
Attempt made at playing nice with pretty boy and former star, since he was supposed to be a big shot in this scene back home, what with fighting a Cold War supersoldier and a zombie apocalypse. He scans the landscape for the disturbance that Tarnish had mentioned, or for Tarnish herself-her location could hint at where it had been at least, and a place to start would be helpful.
[roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Even for wizards of the Circle, there's always a sinking knot in the stomach when you cast a spell to detect magic, and come up with far more and worse than you had expected to discern.

Two vampires, and another source of necromantic energies. That would have been bad enough on its own. The pervasive feeling of black magic, likely a ritual summoning, was worse. Were the vampires involved? It seemed probable enough. On their world, vampires didn't usually have much personal proficiency with magic, but the smarter ones usually knew enough lore to perform rituals.

Fortunately, their spell did confirm the angely dude as what he appeared to be, or divinely powered at the least. (Granted, with a touch of demonic power within him, but it was fairly trivial compared to the overall divine reading, and such a mark could have come from any number of sources). Less fortunately, he was already flying off following the police officer's directions. He appeared to want to help, and someone with as much divine magic as him would almost certainly be a useful ally against the darker forces that they appeared to be up against. Flip side, the howl could have come from the source of the ritual, and if so, that was where their attention should be focused.

The twins took a moment to scan the cloud of black magic more closely, seeing if they could track it back towards its source. Regardless, Naomi took her attention from that spell then, taking to the air and flying after the angely dude. She didn't strictly want to stop him, but when you're dealing with black magic, coordinating with the guy who was radiating divine forces was simply good sense. "Excuse me!" she called to him.

She, of course, had no idea that her voice would sound to Cupid's ears identical to that of one Ariel Elders.

Nathan, meanwhile, approached the police officers the angel had been speaking to. "Pardon me, officers. My name is Nathan, I'm..." he hesitated for a moment. Old habits died hard, and keeping magic secret had indeed become habitual. But that was a responsibility for a different world. "I'm a wizard." He made a casual gesture, summoning up a little glowing sphere of sky blue light, just to get any needless incredulity out of the way. "I'm detecting some powerful and dark magic around this area. I'm working on investigating its nature and putting a stop to it, but if your people could safely and discretely evacuate this area, it would probably be wise."

Reconfiguring Arcana array (using Dynamic from staves) to Flight 6, Senses 6 (Acute Analytical Tracking Awareness [Magic], Darkvision), Enhanced Perception 8 (Limited [Magical Effects/Creatures]).

Routine Persuasion for 25 to get the officers to respond favorably to the suggestion.

Routine Perception for 30 to try to Track where the pervasive black magic is coming from.

Routine Expertise (Magic) for 30 to analyze the black magic with Analytical sense or otherwise better identify it.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish frowns as she flaps her wings to hover and thinks a bit, wondering why the disturbance cut out before alighting on a rooftop away from Lady Sanguine and surveying the skyline for any other oddities.

Perception: [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"Yes, you could say zat." Lady Sanguine's own French accent bleeds through as she gives the departing Tarnish an icy look. "We..." There's an audible hiss as Evelyne grits her teeth and forces herself to takes the high road for the stranger's benefit. "We want the same thing, but we have very different ideas of how to do that, and that is as polite as I can possibly be."

She smiled at Puck's food chain comment. "I understand. That is, perhaps, one of the reasons I'm out here. We're not all evil. And don't worry, darling, I already had breakfast." The smile that follows makes "We're not all evil" ring a little hollow, but Evelyne catches the helmet and waits without complaint.

She scans the skyline for Tarnish and her quarry. Despite their differences, she'd be the first to admit the other vampire was skilled. If there was trouble, she would likely be in the thick of it. "Puck and Cupid, huh? Well, those are rather revealing names. What's your story?"

Perception, take 2: [roll0]

Rolled in OOC. Result of 18.

[Arcran]

Cupid gives a quick tip of his festive hat to the strange man on the roof, glad that his reputation was spreading among the heroes in the new city. That at least made things a little easier, right? He quickly banks to the side to come closer to the snowbanks, actually unfurling his bow at this point.

Of course, that was soon followed by almost dropping his bow as Ariel flew right next to him. They'd come through the breach as well? How hadn't he noticed them?

"Ariel? Glad to see you made it through!" Cupid says with a grin. "Who else on the Spades is here? Please tell me arm-cannon girl didn't make it," Cupid says, more for her benefit than anything. If black-winged heroes were so disparaged against here she'd have more than a bit of trouble operating here. "I don't suppose you and Aaron have already cracked what's going on yet, have you?" he says jovially, keeping an eye on the snowbanks.

[Eshkigal]

Puck pauses a moment before shrugging, taking back the helmet.
"We both fell here. Ain't met before, but over there he was fairly famous as a hero, so figured it can't hurt. As for what else, well, doesn't do fer a trickster to tell you what they can do, yeah? An' the best don't lie, but that don't mean they're telling the truth."
He gives a bit of a grin at that before sliding the helmet back on.
"Anyway, you got a bit of a story too, I would assume. At least if yer part of the local Bright Undies Brigade, anyway. Assumin' they tend to dress the same here, that is."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Even up close, it would have been easy to mistake Naomi for Ariel. They were the same height, and the sky blue eyes were as alike as with their own twin's, which was to say identical in every respect. The subtle differences in their facial features would have been difficult to recognize if they were standing side-by-side. Naomi, though still slender, didn't have the same fragility of build as Ariel did, but that little difference was more-or-less impossible to discern beneath the heavy winter coat she was wearing. Really, the only really clear, obvious difference in their appearances was the shade of their blonde hair, Naomi's visibly darker than Ariel's. Which wasn't exactly something that couldn't be changed in general, let alone for a wizard.

No, the most significant sign that Cupid was talking to a different mage, was the response she gave him, a single, hard blink followed up by, "Buh? Um, sorry, I think you're mistaking me for someone else. My name's Naomi. Naomi Elders. I'm a wizard of the Circle. Listen, I just, um, well, I noticed you earlier, and overheard your conversation with the police officer. My brother and I are investigating the disturbance as well, but you should know, there's a cloud of black magic hovering over the area. We believe it might be a summoning ritual. We've spotted some vampires as well, not sure if they're involved, but they're next on our list to check out." The vampires hadn't appeared to be actively working magic, so it wasn't certain that they were part of it. Heck, it was entirely plausible that the dark energies had just subconsciously attracted them to the area. Regardless, it just wasn't good magecraft to let vampires go about unattended, other priorities allowing. "We heard the howl too. It might be the source of the ritual, or it could be unrelated I suppose. If you're going to check that out, it might be good to have a way to stay in touch. Do you have a phone handy? I can create a telepathic link, but it does require some measure of concentration, and I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep it up constantly."

[Arcran]

"Huh?" Cupid says, blinking in some confusion. "You're not messing with me, right?" Cupid asks, Naomi's blank face giving him all the answer he needs.

"Damn dopplegangers," Cupid mutters under his breath. "Yeah, I've got a phone," Cupid says before rattling off his number. "Shoot me a text so I've got your number, and if I find something I can't handle I'll shoot you a message," he says with a wink. "How about you and your brother try to disrupt that summoning. Could be nothing, but in my experience nobody ever summons anything nice," Cupid says before taking off to try to find the source of the howl.

"Name's Cupid, by the way! If you get back to your Circle, tell Ariel and Aaron I say hi!"

[Quellian-dyrae]

If we get back to our Circle? Naomi wondered. Was there already a Circle on this world? Or...or maybe that other world that had apparently had parts of it dropped onto this one? Or something? "Sounds good. Good luck!" she said, sounding chipper, although Cupid's power to sense emotions would have easily picked up the utter befuddlement that she was otherwise quite competently hiding. Shortly thereafter, he'd get a text reading: Hey! This is Naomi. The other number in the group text is my brother Nathan.

~Hey, I'm not crazy, we don't know an Aaron and Ariel in the Circle, right?~ she sent to her brother through their mystical bond.

~We do not.~

~Yay I'm sane. Any thoughts on that whole...thing?~

~Several, but more important matters first, I'm thinking?~

~Alright. But when we get a chance, we should definitely see about meeting with him again and seeing what he was talking about. Otherwise my brain might eat itself.~

~Yes, I can see how your wizardly curiosity would demand such a meeting. In completely unrelated news, exchanging phone numbers seems like an incredibly sound tactical decision.~ It wasn't impossible that Cupid would have been able to sense is sarcasm from there.

~Your statement is factually accurate and the subject need not be examined in any further detail.~ Naomi sent back without missing a beat.

[Eshkigal]

Gazing about, Puck eventually spots a giant wooden man on the shop next door. With a sigh and a shake of the head, he looks to Lady Sanguine before pulling a commbead out of a side satchel, handing it to her.
"Oh for the love of-Well, I spotted something at least. Gonna go say hi, since fer all I know he's a tree piloted by the Lorax or sumthin'. That's keyed to my helmet's comms, so if you begin hearing cursing, turns out it ain't friendly."
Once she takes it, he uses his zipline to position over one of Weald's shoulders, likely popping up as a blob in the night sky before touching down to his life sense, kicking his legs lightly like a kid sitting on a treebranch as he waves from the giant's arm.
"Hey. Jus' checking, but yer not some crazy thing like, say, the spirit of all the trees cut down called fer vengeance, right Evergreen?"

[Red_Jenny]

"That's a handy trinket. My thanks." Lady Sanguine pops a gem out of one of her earrings and replaces it with the commbead.

"Well, it's not someone I know. Another portal refugee?" Buoyed more by curiosity than any thought the tree-man might be a threat (Lady Sanguine tended to assume the best of unusual creatures), Evelyne followed after Puck in person rather than waiting for confirmation (or screams) through the comm, hovering some distance from Weald in her mist form while Puck made his introductions.

[Queen Sapes]

Downtown New Aeon

The man dressed as Santa looks back at Midnight with a mix of confusion and annoyance in his eyes beneath the mask. "Wait, you mean you don't know?" he asks, genuinely surprised after a second pause. He takes a moment to consider the situation before continuing with a sigh. "First thing you'll notice is the black wings, least they're usually black," he explains, removing his hand from Midnight's. "Dark like the night sky and big as a car each. He wears full-body combat armor, I think, with a mask to cover his face, but I've heard he can change it up now and then. Usually carries a sword but I've heard he sometimes prefers guns or explosives to attack. He shows up without a warning, attacks, leaves his target maimed to the brink of death, and takes off without a word, no worries about casualties."

The officer that Parks identified as Lou looks as Nathan like a madman. "Son, I'm impressed by your fancy light show, but you see all this?" he says, waving to the crowd of hundreds around them walking the street given it's free of traffic. "It could take hours to get all these people moved out of the area. Besides, how do I know you're not trying to create a distraction and rob the place?" Lou asks Nathan suspiciously. Up above them, Cupid turns to leave as Weald, Lady Sanguine, and Puck speak on a roof and Tarnish hangs in the air watching the whole area.

Not a split second later something falls from the sky. It's a quick event, one and a half seconds at the most, as suddenly the air begins bleeding shadows five stories up. The shadows coalesce as they fall out of the sky, conversing into a shape that pours shadows from its form like smoke that vanishes instantly into nothingness. The shape falls as it builds, growing a torso, arms, legs, a head, and other appendages from the shadows that bleed into it, the darkness vanishing from its form as it falls below the second story and lands with a loud boom in a clear spot of road sectioned off for some rubble. The rubble inside the police line is a thin rectangular block of stone roughly the size of an adult male, and the creature wraps its claw fully around the stone as it lands and stabilizes itself.

The thing that immediately springs to mind about the creature is that it's massive, around two stories tall at its head. The creature is covered in a mix of patchy brown and black fur which covers it from head to foot, only stopping short at the ankles and wrists. It's clearly able to walk upright, although it's currently crouched atop the rubble, and it appears to walk on hooves instead of feet. It's hands are human-like but end in black claws that scrape the edges of the rubble. It's head is similar to an elk's, but with spots missing that expose the skull beneath but don't appear to hamper the creature in any way. It's eyes are empty holes that pour wisps of shadows from within the skull. Atop its head is a full rack of horns that end in a dozen spear-like points. The teeth inside its jaws are sharp as daggers and grind together in an uneasy fashion. A tail whips behind it lazily as it appears the scan the area silently, not even breath emerging from its nostrils to cloud the air. Across its body the creature has chains that wrap around its torso and limbs before digging into and submerging in its flesh.

The monster scans the square for a few seconds before opening its jaw and letting out a long and fearsome howl that mashes together a wolf's howl and a bison's roar. The crowd that watched the creature in stunned silence now turn from the beast and run in the opposite direction, screaming their heads off as they rush away from the beast. The police immediately arm themselves. "Alright, I'll buy it," Lou says to Nathan as he pulls his gun and trains it on the creature.

As far as you can tell, everything the man says is the complete truth.
You can't determine where the Black magic is coming from, it's too pervasive through the area and flows within itself like a river feeding into itself, although you do spot a new cluster of Nature and Divine magic interwoven suddenly light up in your vision, obscuring a lot of the black magic from immediate view. It's entirely within possibility the Black magic is a natural occurrence or the remains of some long-gone spell or ritual.

That idea goes out the window though when the magic suddenly vanishes as it collapses into a single point within the creature that appears and lands in the street. Far as you can tell it was a summoning but only a partial one unsupported by ritual which is why it took an odd form before fully materializing.

[Arcran]

"Well then. I suppose that settles where the bad guy is," Cupid says, looking at the beast with no small level of apprehension. Still, it wasn't as if he was a slouch at dealing with giant monsters like this. Hell, he might even be able to put it under his control and have a nice little pet for the holiday season.

"Hey, ugly! Looks like you forgot your pants!" Cupid shouts at the top of his lungs as he pulls back his bow, firing a shimmering pink arrow right above the creature before aiming a second right between his eyes. "Why don't you just take a seat and chill out?"

Cupid will Deception to Feint as a Shift Action! -5 penalty.
Deception: [roll0]

Cupid uses an Arrow of Love! Power and All-Out Attack for +/-5 each.
AC: [roll1], Critical 16+
DC 25 Will against Dazed, Compelled, Controlled.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nathan bristled some at the officer's rather rudely-put response. It wasn't that he didn't respect the authority of the police, but he was still a wizard, after all. When a wizard tells you that there is dangerous magic afoot and offers advice on how you should respond to it, the correct response is not a casual dismissal based on the difficulty of the course of action advised.

That the officer thought he would need to resort to guile if he had ill intentions that the police were in the way of was annoying for a different, though not entirely unrelated, reason.

But the sudden appearance of a giant monster kinda made Nathan's point better than any snippy response ever could. "Mmhm," he replied to Lou's final statement with a sort of bemused grimness, taking to the air. "We'll deal with the monster. Do what you can to keep the people safe," he said. Frankly, he doubted the cops' handguns would do so much as tickle this thing, but if they organized the crowd it should keep people from hurting each other as they fled. Hopefully.

Naomi flew back to the site of the attack, aware of the beast through her link with her twin. They faced the monster from opposite sides, each about fifty feet away from it.

They pointed their staves, and a searing beam of fire shot from Nathan's, while a ray of bitter cold shot from Naomi's, the two bolts of elemental magic aiming to strike simultaneously. Not only would that subject the creature to the full force of both energy attacks, but the antipodal forces clashing would degrade its physical structure, hopefully leaving it open to further attack.

Move: Within fifty feet of the creature but on oppose sides, about fifteen feet in the air.

Free: Reconfigure Arcana array to Flight 1, Extra Limbs 2 (Projection, Subtle 2), Elongation 3 (Quirk [Extra Limbs Only]), Senses 10 (Ranged Acute Analytical Accurate Radius Mental Detect [Magic]; Darkvision, Extended Vision 1).

Free: Scan the creature with Analytical Detect [Magic] to try to learn more about what magical abilities it has. Expertise (Magic) to understand the data provided: [roll0].

Standard: Attack with Antipode at [roll1]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage, Defense DC 20 vs. Weaken Toughness. CRIT! DCs become 30 and 25.

Current Status: Normal.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Weald jumped, knocking Puck off his shoulder-perch accidentally. Weald spun around wildly, bringing his arms up in a fighting stance. Slowly, he relaxed his stance as Puck quips at him.Don't bugging scare me like that! I could have flattened ya if... I saw ya coming. Stretching out a hand to help Puck back to his feet. Name's Weald. You new here? Never saw you 'round. Before Puck could respond, the shadow-y stuff forms a giant monstrosity on the streets below.

Weald peered over the roof's edge, his eyes widening. Well ****. Puck, you up for some tag-teaming? I hit him low, you hit him high. Before Puck could confirm either way, Weald jumped off the building, diving towards the monstrosity.

Init and then we'll see about actual attack rolls

[roll0]

[Esprit15]

"Hm, doesn't really sound like–" is as far as Midnight gets before the creature forms. "One moment," the woman says with a sigh, voice speeding up before she vanishes from sight entirely.

Sizing up the creature, Midnight finds several places to set up in an impromptu blind. Alleyways, windows of buildings, plenty of locations that would be difficult to see someone in, even if you knew where to look. Once she's in a secluded spot, the huntress begins throwing knives at the creature, confident in her hidden location making up for her lack of defensive posture.
Initiative if it matters: [roll0]
Expertise (Jack of All Trades) to know anything about the creature: [roll1]

Stealth (Hide in Plain Sight): [roll2]
Question: What is the benefit of attacking an enemy that cannot see you?

All Out Attack: -5 to Active Defense, +5 to hit
Hit: [roll3], 16-20 Crit for +5 to Toughness DC
Multiattack
DC 24 (One degree success on attack)
DC 26 (Two degree success on attack)
DC 29 (Three degree success on attack)

[Ionbound]

Tarnish can't help herself but grin when she sees the beast materialize, and dives at high speed towards it, bearing her fangs as she brings her sword to bear against the demonic monster, swinging in a wide arc as she flies towards it.

Damage Effect, Toughness DC 27, linked to Weaken Stamina, Fort DC 20: [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"Oh." Lady Sanguine had met giants and demons. Giant demons, on the other hand, was new.

My normal response may not work here. Still, it was very clearly a threat to the whole city, so ever forward!

Evelyne dropped to the ground in front of the big beast and gave it a wave, hoping to catch its attention. "Down here, grand démon. Look me in the eyes, dear."

The unsettling red orbs pierced deeply into one's mind, seeming to whisper, to command. Would such a beast even notice? There was only one way to find out.

Likely her action for the next round, as I rolled poorly on Init. DC 20 Will for the critter (if he looks at Lady Sanguine), vs Entranced, Compelled, Controlled.

[Eshkigal]

Even as Puck gives a far more practiced and smooth tumble off Weald's shoulder, landing on his feet and looking at the big bruiser.
"Yeah, pretty new to this universe. So there's tracks-"
Then thunder cracks, a beast is delivered unto the masses, and Puck falls silent in contemplation as he regards it, pulling Riotbreaker in one fluid motion and setting it to the flashbangs.
"...That might be the fifth biggest demon I have seen. Y'know, if it had a long, rolling tongue, I'd assume it was the Krampus. FLASH OUT!"
Even as he fires, he considers making an illusion of Santa Claus riding around it to face the great beast.

(Rolled in OOC, Initiative 27, flashbang accuracy 26, DC is 20 vs dodge)

[Queen Sapes]

Downtown New Aeon

Cupid is first to strike at the beast, firing an arrow of love straight at the massive creature. At the sound of Cupid's taunt its head snaps in his direction and its black smoke pits for eyes watch the pink arrow fly closer and closer to it. A split second before the arrow finds its target though, the creature's jaw hinges open and it snaps at the arrow with its teeth, shattering the arrow as its mouth closes around the archer's arrow. As the crowd flees the creature just stares silently at Cupid, or at least in the direction of Cupid, the only indicator of it being alive still is the low gurgle noise coming from deep inside its throat. It remains perched on the piece of rubble, claws digging into the stone, as the Twins, Midnight, Puck, and Tarnish all set up to attack.

Its attention is drawn back towards the ground as Weald smashes into the road, Lady Sanguine following in a much softer fashion. The vampire draws its attention to her, the head of the beast snapping to her gaze as its thick shadows gaze emptily into her red eyes. While the beast is distracted by the vampire it fails to notice the four-pronged attack from the Twins, Midnight, and Tarnish all striking it at once, with Puck's flash-bang lighting up the square in blinding light that doesn't seem to faze the creature as much as a thick slice from a sword, multiple daggers embedding in its flesh, and two blasts from Nathan and Naomi.

The beast is knocked off-balance by the assault and tumbles forward a bit, pulling the piece of rubble it was holding onto free from the street as it stumbles and drops it. The monster's claws go in front of it to brace its fall and it lets out an injured cry similar to an elk. With multiple wound open across its body, it struggles to remain upright for a moment before falling over, the ground shuddering as it falls and chains rattle around its body. It falls on its stomach and remains there for a moment, the darkness pouring from its eye sockets reducing to a tiny trickle.

That only lasts for a few seconds though, as the shadows quickly flare back up like throwing gasoline on a fire. Shadows pour out of thin air into its wounds like sand filling a hole, and it begins to slowly prop itself up. The shadows emerging from its eye sockets flare up and a single blink later the creature disappears. Even for Midnight, the monster hunter perceiving faster time, the creature vanishes in a blink. It's not difficult to tell where it went to though. The sound of it scaling the skyscrapers is a loud thunder that fills the street as snow and stone shaving fall from the side of the nearest tower. Claw marks, hoof prints, and cracks dot the stone side it decided to scale, and as soon as our heroes look up to see the creature, it's already reached the roof thirty stories up and peers down over the side at them. It vanishes again before the heroes can give chase, and the sound of it moving across the rooftops is as loud as its climb.

Downtown New Aeon Rooftop

The creature waits for the heroes just over a half mile away, on a flat roof of a thirty-five story building marked only by a water tower and row of air units. It crouches on the roof not in an aggressive stance but in one clearly defensive with one arm held in front of it with the other slightly behind. Its chains have come alive and are attached to various spots on the snow-covered rooftop, hooking it onto the roof, the air circulation units, and the water tower. It stands ready to act but doesn't show any clear signs of preparing to attack, simply watch.

The creature has no obvious magical abilities, at least given its physical body. The black shadows emerging from its eye sockets are likely for show or a result of its summoning or just a physical trait native to its home. Given the Black magic that exists within it, it's possible that the creature could have organs vital to rituals, or perhaps some small abilities like a breath attack, teleportation, or invisibility. It's hard to tell with Black magic given its versatility and the nature of the creature's physical body. Magic native to a creature is difficult to determine the effects of as well, so without knowing what the creature is it's likely impossible to tell its abilities without studying it.
Secret GM rolls for this one. (Totally not because I previewed and ruined lots of rolls before realizing so I just did it myself.)

Creature is at a -1 disadvantage to Toughness and Dazed though.

[Eshkigal]

As it runs, Puck tries to keep up with the zipline, coming to a stop at the rooftop with the strange beast, regarding it with scrutiny as he slowly puts Riotbreaker back. However, he does swap over to gumball rounds and hold a hand up to stop any others attacking, and toss out a few of his illusions to feel better about his life choices, doppelganger Pucks shuffling about with him.
"Hang on, I know that look. Made it many a time when I knew I was cornered. 'Specially when I was the bait."
He slowly moves forward, looking the creature over.
"You actually a problem, or jus' another traveler, lost an' confused an' wantin' to go home, mate? Brought to a place without knowin' where ya are, fer reasons ya don't know. Because while we're assumin' the first...I dunno, maybe I can see a bit of a kindred spirit right now. But I am guessin', since ya seem more intent wit' runnin' away an' survivin', that yer meant to be a big an' obvious show. That right?"

[Esprit15]

Midnight smiles as the creature goes down easily, but stops as it gets up. Hm... an undying creature. Annoying. Given its behavior, it may not have a will to live for her to break. This would be a challenge... The huntress moves through the streets, quickly diving between alleyways and into buildings as she follows the tracks and sounds of the creature.
Moving at -1 rank (1/2 mile every six seconds) while still hiding in plain sight.

Perception if needed: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

The twins wore identical frowns as the monster rapidly recovered from most of the damage the heroic assault had inflicted. Also...were the vampires attacking it? That...was that weird? That seemed weird to them.

Anyway!

They took off after the creature. It was powerful, but they had it outnumbered. As long as they kept hitting it and stayed scattered enough that it couldn't hit them all with any wide-area attacks it might or might not have possessed, it should go down eventually.

And the more it was focused on them, the less harm it would be doing to the city.

The twins swooped up the skyscraper, once more taking to the air on opposite sides of the monster, some fifty feet away. They raised their staves, gathering power to unleash a flurry of elemental attacks and...paused as the guy who had thrown the flash-bang tried to address the creature.

That...that was risky. They had already seen it could recover from damage, and what little was left from their first assault might not last long. Their instincts as combat wizards urged them to press the attack, to not surrender the initiative. Still, they supposed it was just barely possible that it was a giant monster summoned by black magic that nonetheless had no dangerous intentions.

So they hovered in the air, their staves blazing with light, their hands stayed for the moment, but at the first sign of a threat, they were ready to spam so many lasers at the thing it would look like a Star Wars Christmas.

Free: Reconfigure Arcana array. Flight 6, Extra Limbs 2 (Projection, Subtle 2), Elongation 3 (60'; Quirk [Extra Limbs Only]).

Move: Fly after the creature.

Standard: Ready an action. If the creature does anything hostile or dangerous looking, attack with Barrage at [roll0]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25+Multiattack vs. Damage. Variable Descriptor: Light. This attack carries a Secondary Effect, but they have to spend a free action next round to trigger it.

Current Status: Normal.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish wings along with Puck following him in chasing down the monster. She lets him take point, willing to let him talk to it, but she remains on overwatch to make sure that if it attacks him it will face immediate and harsh reprisal.

[Red_Jenny]

Lady Sanguine took flight as the monster vanished in a blink. The thing had shrugged off an enormous amount of damage, and while she had distracted it, she certainly hadn't done anything more. Might as well have just yelled and stamped my feet.

Flying after the beast, she alights on the closest rooftop, watching closely, but not wanting to interrupt Puck, who was, to her ears, doing as fine a job talking the creature down as anyone could. Instead she settled for giving the pair hovering above her a friendly wave. Wizards, judging by the staffs, and new ones to her eyes. Hadn't a whole bunch of magi come through the portal together? Something like that. There had been far too much going on to keep all the stories straight. "Allo! You are new here, yes? So many came through the portal, I haven't had the chance to meet half of you. Perhaps when things are quieter?"

No action beyond flying to the rooftop. Waiting to see the results of Puck's chat.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Weald stomped his foot angrily. He leapt from building to building, catching up with the other Supers. He nearly fell on his face, stopping his momentum when Puck signaled him to wait. He stood, mildly pouting.

[Queen Sapes]

Downtown New Aeon Rooftop

The massive creature stares down at Puck silently, the wind at this height creating a dull roar that fills everyone's ears and whips the longer hair on the monster around lazily. Shadows continue to pour from its eye sockets as it simply watches Puck, not answering or responding to any of his questions or theories on its nature. The snow drifts lazily down from the sky as the others take positions on the roof or nearby rooftops. It may not know anything about what Puck is talking about, or perhaps it simply doesn't have its own means of responding to him. Which is why someone else has to speak for it.

"That was the idea," says a voice from behind Puck and the others on the roof. The man from the square dressed as Santa steps through a door which materialized on the rooftop, along with 8 others of the holiday-themed people passing out flyers. The door they walked through hangs in the air, no walls to hold it up, and appears to lead down to the street at a glance through it. When all 9 people are through, the black door slams shut and vanishes into thin air.

Santa then reaches his hand to his opposite side, grabs hold of the costume's material, and with a flourish tears it away with a move that obscures him from view. The red cloth disappears into the wind and leaves the man standing there in a much different outfit. For the most part he's dressed in an all black suit with a red cloth tied around his waist, white undershirt, black cape with a red underside, a high collar, a top hat, and white gloves. It's the outfit of a stage magician from quite some time ago, and the man himself seems to reflect his age. It's likely he's undead, or at least his gimmick is somehow zombie related as his skin is nearly as pale as the snow and cross-crossed with light scars. His eyes are sunken into his skull, although the pale irises still show signs of something within. Three deep gouges cross his face, one straight down, one diagonal, and one across, and they're barely held shut with staples at too few points. It looks like someone was trying to cut his head into pieces and almost succeeded.

He pulls at his gloves, making sure they're tight, as he steps forward towards the heroes. "He arrives, puts on a good scary show for the holidays, then the Angel of Death arrives so I can tear the wings from his back, personally." He looks up at the heroes, a glare hanging over his eyes that could cut steel. "I would've been hailed as a hero to New Aeon, killing the monster that stalks these skies," he gestures to the horizon. "The world would worship the name Abracadaver. It was a simple plan, excellent early Christmas gift, but you know what they say about best laid plans."

"No, instead the imposter shows up. Where is he anyways?" Abracadaver asks, looking around the sky. "I see the magicians, the vampires, the tree, and the guy in combat armor, but no impostor angel. How peculiar. Anyways, the angel arrives and she sends in the Wendigo... Krampus... thing." He pauses to look over the creature quizzically. "I'm not sure what classic film she pulled that thing from, or what it is. She insisted we figure it out. Then, before Thanatos could arrive himself, you all attacked, surely scaring him away and ruining our plans." He flips open a pocket watch from his jacket's inner pocket and checks the time. "But the night is still young. I offer you this once. Leave in peace so we may hunt down and destroy our true quarry. This battle is not yours, but if you demand it be then it shall be quick. Make your choice."

Quellian, that nat 20 still counts when and if combat resumes based on what goes further.

Add in 3 massive cuts across his face.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0235/5929/products/GRR9125e_451_1024x1024.jpeg?v=1369985520

[Eshkigal]

"...So why not try goin' legit? I mean, I know it ain't easy, god damn it ain't easy, but it's a lot better than swallowin' yer own teeth every other week."
Or having a bomb put in your neck. Or being put in with the other psychopaths that superheroes tend to attract and put away, he thinks to himself as he puts his hands on his sides. However, he begins to flick out hologram projectors that project first their surroundings, then a layer upon the roof itself to disguise anything he may pull, and so he could make some terrain of his own to hide in.

[Quellian-dyrae]

...Was the vampire trying to make friends?

The twins honestly didn't know how to respond to that. Look, it wasn't like they didn't have fiction where vampires were just tortured souls struggling against their inhumanity and the pull of their curse. It's just, where they're from, they were just that - fiction. It would not be fair to say the vampires of their world were universally evil. More precisely, they were not moral agents. They were a curse that could play at humanity, a plague that could pretend to be a person, a predatory beast that could walk upright. To call them sociopaths would have been both giving them not enough credit and too much of it - for while a vampire vastly exceeded a sociopath's ability to mimic humanity despite not feeling human emotion, to call them a sociopath was to say they had an actual human brain and thought process which was merely malfunctioning, and this was simply not the case.

The vampires of their world didn't have friends. They just had meals that they had lulled into a false sense of security.

But hey, if the giant monster summoned by black magic wasn't necessarily a threat to everyone in a radius best expressed in city blocks, who was to say that this crazy world of people flying around in capes and tights couldn't have nice vampires? They honestly could not come up with any reason for her to have attacked the monster. It wasn't that they couldn't conceive of a way for such an action to be parlayed to a tactical advantage. It was just that there had to be less risky and convoluted ways to do it. And if she were working with the necromancer(?), it would have been against his plan.

Speaking of which.

"Wait wait wait!" Naomi called down. "Dude! I don't even know what is more messed up! That you summoned a giant monster into a civilized area for the sole purpose of luring someone into fighting it, that your plan was to kill the guy who stepped up to fight a giant monster, that you are honestly trying to convince us that the guy who you just said your entire plan was centered around being so selflessly brave that he would fight a giant monster is supposed to be the bad guy, that somehow this entire plan was supposed to end with you being hailed a hero, or that you think we should be afraid of you for some reason!"

"Honestly, I think we've gotta go with the last one," Nathan commended off-hand.

"Normally, yes, I'd be right there with you. But you gotta admit, there's a whole lot of crazy packed into that plan."

"I mean, yes, definitely. But it's like, we are new here. It's just barely possible that there are variables that we're unaware of that, had we known them, would have made the whole thing make some amount of sense in context. But acting like he can threaten us? I mean, please."

Despite the levity they were projecting, their readiness to strike was visibly apparent in the pulsing radiance still glowing in their staves.

Also, since the guy mentioned classic films as being a probable inspiration for the creature...

Keeping that readied action held, and thank you kindly for the 20-saving Sapes. :smallbiggrin:

Expertise (Popular Culture) to try to identify it and perhaps get a clue as to its capabilities: [roll0] after Eidetic Memory. If the creature also might have been seen in a book, increase the result by 10 as their Expertise (Literature) could apply instead.

[Arcran]

Cupid darts through the sky, rising and falling to rapidly close on the arrow he had shot at the beast. After all, his arrows were magic; why wouldn't they chase the target? When Cupid finally arrives though, he's greeted by a host of undead and a very familiar, very troublesome figure.

"The imposter and white winged Archer of Love is right here big boy," Cupid says in a flat tone, glaring at Abracadaver. Even if it wasn't the same man, he shared a face with a man who had taken Madam Mischief, put Feral in a coma, and had slaughtered his city. Even if in his head he knew they were different, it was hard to contain his hate for the zombie in front of him,

"Anybody from the old world? Yes? No? This bastard's doppleganger was the one that caused the zombie apocalypse and took out a few of my Vanguard. I'd appreciate backup," Cupid snarls, pulling his bow as far back as possible. Honestly, it was taking all he had to not put an arrow through the dead bastard's head right here. "Those in the new world? Bastard nearly tore apart Aeon trying to summon his dear 'ole Carrion Queen. Not quite sure why, but I suppose it's not necrophilia if you're dead, right Abby?"

Cupid watches the man's face critically as he mentions the Carrion Queen; if he knew of her, he'd have to put the man down right here and now.

Homing roll for my Arrow of Love: [roll0]

And Insight/Emotion Sense to see if Carrion Queen means anything to him: [roll1]

[Ionbound]

Tarnish smiles thinly as she listens to Cupid's spiel and says, "Excellent. Somevun I don't have to feel bad about destroying." She aerially charges Abracadaver, blade pointed forwards, making her body more like a lance than anything else, trying to run the zombified spellcaster through.

Damage/Weaken Stamina: [roll0]

Damage Toughness DC 27
Weaken Stamina (not that it's super relevant but maybe there's something I don't know) Fort DC 20

[MesiDoomstalker]

Weald's face screwed up in confusion and annoyance. So ya summoned a big monster as bait!? He subconsciously flexed his fingers in anger. I don't give a rat's arse about Thanatos or why you care about him. Ya don't go summoning big monsters in my CITY! So if ya aren't gonna make this beastie go away, then I'll make you into paste and then your beastie too. Weald outstretched his hands, suffusing them with a green glow. Starbursts of green life energy coalesced around Abracadavear and his minions. Weald clapped his hands shut, and the starbursts exploded into a mass of tangling vines, whipping around and latching onto any anything they could get a hold of.

Affliction DC 20
Resisted by Dodge
Overcome by Damage
1-Degree: Hindered and Vulnerable
2-Degree: Defenseless and Immobilized
Affects 30-ft burst, centered slightly behind Abracadaever to avoid any allies

[Arcran]

Cupid grins as everybody opens fires. Well then, that made things easy. With the savage grin stretching from ear to ear, Cupid whistles at Abracadaver.

"Hey, Abby! Am I prettier than the Angel of Death?" Cupid shouts, firing an arrow at the zombie, hoping to catch him off guard with the question. "Or does the whole death thing help you get your rocks off? Wouldn't want to ruin your little date!"

Feint as a Shift Action: [roll0]
Going to use Set Up to pass the benefit to whoever claims it.

Standard Action Golden Arrow!
Power Attacking for +/-5
AC: [roll1], Critical 16+ Luck Reroll, actually 22
DC 30 Toughness

[Quellian-dyrae]

Well, that settled any lingering questions as to whether or not this guy a threat.

The twins unloaded, all the energy they'd been channeling into their staves unleashed in an instant. The roof lit up with Christmas colors as a barrage of red and green lasers exploded outward, falling upon the necromancer in an instant.

Initiative if needed: [roll0].

Move: Meh.

Standard: Loose that held Barrage at Abracadaver. Toughness DC 30+Multiattack vs. Secondary Effect Damage.

Current Status: Normal.

[Eshkigal]

Meanwhile, as Cupid shares his information, Puck stands up straight, shock on his face beneath the helmet.
"Jesus, this bloke? God damn, that was a hell of a mess..."
Meanwhile, the wind seems to kick up around them as Puck taps his helmet.
"Hm...perhaps it's time fer a bit of a magic show, yeah? Ya seem like the sort to appreciate some dramatic effect after all."
What to do...eh, let's start with the cosmetic. May as well see how that look'll work.
With practiced flair, he and his doppelgangers reach up to his helmet, each grabbing an imaginary zipper and dragging it down across them, the combat armor seeming to split as plates of dark purple and blue replace them, seeming to puff up in places as his helmet is replaced by a mirth filled faceplate of porcelain white, dashes of purple making eyes and a mouth upon it as two long plates seem to unfold at the sides. In a jester's garb, he smiles wider as he also conjures a snow globe, giving it a shake as a winter storm seems to blow across the rooftop, the flakes passing through everyone but hiding a brief costume change, change in scenery, and Puck disappearing from view as he and his doubles seem to change into snow. Gone was the rooftop, though it still felt as such beneath their feet, and in it's place was a forest of pine trees each decorated with the festivities of the holiday. Each of the zombies garbed as a somewhat rotted caroler with candles in hand, one at random given a Mari Lwyd puppet on one arm of all things, Abracadaver dressed as Scrooge, the weird beast given bright Christmas lights in it's horns and a bright red nose. But for the heroes, Weald was adorned as a Christmas Tree, the others on the scene matching his movements and his roots draped in tinsel to make the foe shine brighter. Cupid was given a rather tasteful toga for the moment, a bright halo around his head, Tarnish for the moment had her stains lifted and cleansed, wings of brilliant white coming from her back and her blade gleaming like a sliver of light, among dozens of others looking like them. The twins found themselves in matching apparel, clothes more akin to what would be on Santa's elves upon them as others move about the scene. Midnight is passed over as he is not aware of her, but Lady Sanguine finds many a snowman to hide within and strike from. As for Puck? Well, he was in one of the snow banks, waiting for others to strike as he figures out what he has to even contribute to this with his skillset.

[Red_Jenny]

Well, at least he's well-dressed. Evelyne regarded the zombie magician with naked disdain. The winged newcomer seemed to know him well, or at least a version of him, and had brought quite the grudge through the portal.

Lady Sanguine found herself in the middle of a herd of snowmen, in a snowy pine forest. She was fairly certain it hadn't been there a moment ago, but she wasn't one to complain.

"For my first trick, I'm going to make those lovely assistants of yours disappear..."

Bursting forth from her festive cover with inhuman speed, she aimed a fist at the closest of Abracadaver's carolers, looking to smash her way through the whole sorry choir.

Init: [roll0]
Exp: Magic to know things about Abracadaver: [roll1]

All-Out (+2/-2) Power (+2/-2) Attacks vs the Minions. DC 23 toughness saves. This is totally optimistic, and I don't expect to use them all, but Lady Sanguine does have Takedown, so she'll keep going until she can't, or they're down.

[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]

Lady Sanguine's defenses are at +8 until her next turn.

[Esprit15]

Midnigt listens silently as the undead creature speaks. She didn't particularly care about its goals - that they were malicious is all she needed to know to make her choice. With the other super humans and monsters drawing attention, they may need someone more support oriented in the background. Sitting down, Midnight quietly mumbles an incantation, though saves the last few words for the zombie magician's first attack.
Hide: [roll0]

Readied action to use Counter Magic on the first ability that Abracadaver uses
Perception Range
DC 20 Will Check

If seen, Midnight is Vulnerable.

[Queen Sapes]

Downtown New Aeon Rooftop

"You think I didn't?" Abracadaver asks Puck, clearly surprised and confused by him. "No, you must be from that other world to not know of Abracadaver," he explains, adjusting his top hat in the wind. "I was once the Magnificent Mortimer, roughly a century ago. Admittedly back then I was a poor showman, little in the way of success, despite my attempts. But as I grew old my health failed, and as I was at death's doorstep a man offered me a book with the secrets to real magic in exchange for a few dozen favors. I accepted, and in the last century it's served me well. The Amazing Archery, the Incredible Coffin, now Abracadaver, all of that was me. I've performed for kings and presidents, under different names at different times, all in exchange for a favor once or twice every decade or so."

He clenches his fist as he pauses, his teeth grinding in his jaw. "It served me well until last year when Thanatos jumped me at a show. There was no warning, no words, no reason. Just two vulture wings, a sword covered in the blood of my stagehand, and a few bombs set off in the audience to distract the police. I don't claim to be a saint, I'd committed a few summonings of lesser demons, wiped out a few cults, and stolen from a few more to fulfill my favors, but nothing that warranted that level of carnage and nothing in years prior to his attack. When they released the reports, the body count was forty-three dead to the explosions and ensuing fire."

Abracadaver gazes up at the Twins with a glare. "There is nothing 'selfless' or 'brave' in his heart, and you should be able to tell that from the way the crowd fell silent at the impostor. They were all preparing to either flee for their lives, attack him themselves, or pray that their souls ended up in a better place. It's best you don't speak on matters you clearly know nothing about," he suggests to the Twins. "We think he's drawn by the size of the challenge to him. Bigger the threat, greater the challenge, bigger the defeat. That's what the beast was for," he explains. "A supposed monster big enough of an apparent challenge to draw his attention, no one was in any more danger than they already are every day he lives."

Then Cupid arrives, pulling his bow back to very clearly threaten Abracadaver. His fists clench tighter and begin pulsing with grey energy at the threat, and the Beast grows a low roar at the threat. "I'm not sure who this 'Queen' you refer to is, and I cannot claim to know what my doppelganger did, but I'm sorry if he destroyed your city. I am not him, and I would ask you not make immature comments when we're having a civilized discussion," Abracadaver requests to Cupid. Before he can receive a response though, Tarnish falls out of the sky with her sword held out ready to lance Abracadabra. He was not unprepared for this though, and at a snap of his fingers one of the costumed men by his side step in the path of the sword. Tarnish skewers the man, her sword jutting out the other side covered in black blood and rot from the figure. It moans a final death and slumps over on her sword, the zombie taking its final undead breath.

Abracadaver glares at the vampire woman with a disappointed frown. "I suppose that's how this will be then," he says as Cupid and Weald attack near simultaneously. The archer of love lets loose one of his few deadly arrows which with another snap of his fingers a zombie intercepts, getting skewered through a Frosty the Snowman mask before slumping on the ground dead. Weald summons a mass of vines that appear out of nowhere, planting themselves in the snow before lashing out at Abracadaver and his remaining minions. The necromancer waves an open palm that shimmers with silver and black light at the vines that reach for him, the vines turning brown and dying as they move before stopping feet in front of him. The zombies aren't so lucky, each remaining member of the holiday troupe getting tangled in the mess of vines. The Beast howls at the display, filling the night with its screams.

The Twins fire next, unleashing a festive barrage of lasers that blast towards Abracadaver. The Necromancer spots the laser show and throws up his hand which pulses with energy ready to make some kind of shield to block the attack but is just a little too late. The energy tears through him, one particular blast digging through his shoulder and out the other side leaving a sizzling hole. The rest of his outfit, particularly hat and cape are riddled with holes and tears, but the necromancer remains just barely standing. Lady Sanguine seizes the chance to strike down his remaining forces, tearing through three more of the zombies with her punches before being stopped short by a stray vine from Weald at the next. Puck takes the opportunity to throw up an illusion over the whole rooftop, transforming the scene into a wintry forest of pine trees. The Beast reacts negatively to the sight, screeching at the illusions and pulling heavy on the chains it has attached to the water tower. With a howl of twisting and bending metal the water tower is pulled loose from its foundation and flung across the rooftop into Weald, who takes the full force of the metal and water projectile.

"Illusions?" Abracadaver asks, gazing around the area, steadying himself and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Is that how you hope to defeat me? Parlor tricks? I'm not some novice magician, I'm the great Abracadaver!" he shouts at the heroes, filling his voice with anger to numb the pain the Twins caused him. He speaks a quick series of alien syllables and lashes out the hand that was bracing his shoulder. Black tendrils leap from his palm through the open air in an attempt to snare Naomi, missing the other sorcerer by a few feet as she dodges out of the way. He then quietly speaks a few more syllables in a forgotten tongue and slams his palm onto the rooftop's snow. A cloud of dark magic spews forth from where he strikes the ground as he continues speaking the ancient tongue, rushing to quickly fill a bubble roughly 60 ft in diameter in complete blackness so thick even those who can see in the dark fail to pierce. To those few above the necromancer, the cloud of black takes on a noticeable skull shape from above, while Weald, Puck, Lady Sanguine, and Tarnish all end up trapped in the darkness with no way to see through it.

Cupid:
Miss on homing roll.
Fail on the Feint.
Interpose by Zombie #2
Zombie Toughness Roll: [roll0] vs DC 30. Out.

Tarnish:
Interpose by Zombie #1
Zombie Toughness Roll: [roll1] vs DC 27. Out.
Fortitude Immunity

Weald:
Abracadaver Dodge Roll: [roll2]. Met.
Zombie #1 Dodge Roll: [roll3]. Fail. 2 Degrees.
Zombie #2 Dodge Roll: [roll4]. Fail. 2 Degrees.
Zombie #3 Dodge Roll: [roll5]. Fail. 2 Degrees.
Zombie #4 Dodge Roll: [roll6]. Fail. 2 Degrees.
Zombie #5 Dodge Roll: [roll7]. Fail. 1 Degree.
Zombie #6 Dodge Roll: [roll8]. Fail. 1 Degree.
Zombie #7 Dodge Roll: [roll9]. Fail. 1 Degree.
Zombie #8 Dodge Roll: [roll10]. Fail. 1 Degree.

The Twins:
Abracadaver Toughness Roll: [roll11] vs DC 35. -1 and Staggered.

Puck:
No rolls necessary.

Lady Sanguine:
Zombie #3 Toughness Roll: [roll12] vs DC 23. Out.
Zombie #4 Toughness Roll: [roll13] vs DC 23. Out.
Zombie #5 Toughness Roll: [roll14] vs DC 23. No Damage. Chain Broken.
Zombie #6 Toughness Roll: [roll15] vs DC 23.
Zombie #7 Toughness Roll: [roll16] vs DC 23.
Zombie #8 Toughness Roll: [roll17] vs DC 23.
Zombie #1 Toughness Roll: [roll18] vs DC 23.
Zombie #2 Toughness Roll: [roll19] vs DC 23.

Midnight:
Abracadaver Perception Check: [roll20] vs DC 34. Fail.
Abracadaver Will Roll: [roll21] vs DC 20 to use ability. Beaten.

Abracadaver:
Standard Action 1: [roll22] vs DC 16 to hit Naomi. Dodge DC 17 (Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile). Miss.
Free Action: Concealment Attack 4 (All Visual) in a Burst Area of 60ft. No kind of vision can see in, not even Darkvision.
Move Action (Standard Action 2)

The Beast:
Standard Action: [roll23] vs DC 18 to hit Weald. Toughness DC 20. Hit.

End Round 2. Begin Round 3.

You finally remember where you've seen the creature, it was a Christmas themed monster movie called The Christmas Curse. It's a film from your home reality, and in the film, a group of teenagers leave their families for Christmas to spend the holidays in a cabin in the woods when they're stalked by a mysterious giant in the trees. The creature is fast, able to vanish in the blink of an eye, at one point uses its chains to throw their truck like a ball, and has black smoke pouring out of its eyes. You can't remember many more details about the film, other than at the end the creature vanishes into the woods while the teenagers escape. The movie has a body count of only a few animals and one hunter who is alluded to have died from starvation in a tree while the creature was in the forest around it.
There's no emotional response at the mention of the Carrion Queen aside from confusing and annoyance at Cupid's taunts. He clearly has no idea who the Carrion Queen is.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"None of which makes the correct response trying to kill the guy," Naomi shot back as she swerved around the tendrils. They flew down, landing amidst the cover of the illusory forest. The twins had no skill with illusions themselves, but they could recognize their value.

Once down, they began casting again, first invoking anew their power to detect magic. Although the spell afforded them many visual enhancements, the power to sense magical energies around them had nothing to do with their eyes, and the spell was too precise for the energy of the darkness to effectively cloak the necromancer's personal magic.

While they were at it, they also reached out telepathically to the group. Even the vampires. ~Hey there all, just linking us up for coordination purposes amidst all these various obscurement effects.~

~And it lets us talk smack behind the guy's back, and that's always fun!~

The information came all at once, an instant rush. They didn't so much hear the words sent in order as remember their order in the aftermath. The telepathic sending was a hundred times as fast as speech - enough to allow them to have complex discussions and even rapidly update each other on plans and positions moving forward.

Those spells, though they took some focus to maintain, were easy enough to cast with scant distraction from their combat effort. Nathan conjured up a stone wall to separate him from his zombies, hoping to prevent them from further interfering in attacks against him. Naomi, then, yanked the wall forward, aiming to "scoop up" Abracadaver and deposit him outside of the darkness, before moving the wall back to its prior position.

But that all was rather not enough damage for evokers of their level, so with a snap of their fingers, they gathered all the ambient magical energy that their prior barrage had left clinging to their foe, and detonated it into a blazing pillar of radiant energy.

Move: Down onto the roof in a position where they'll have Concealment.

Free: Reconfigure Arcana array. Extra Limbs 1 (Projection, Subtle 2), Elongation 4 (120'; Quirk), Senses 7 (Ranged Acute Analytical Accurate Radius Mental Detect [Magic]), Mental Communication 1 (Rapid 2).

Standard: Use Matter and Forces. The Create conjures a wall between Abracadaver and his zombies (it's Precise, so he'll snake it around as needed, but he's just segmenting them, not surrounding them), to hopefully keep them from Interposing. The Move Object will target Abracadaver yank the wall to pull in Abracadaver at [roll0]. DC 20 or he gets yanked outside of the darkness, then moving the wall back to prior position.

The Detect Magic is a Mental sense, it's Accurate for targeting, and it has both Acute and Analytical so telling the difference between his magic and the magic of the darkness surrounding him should be trivial. I likewise assume the zombies ping as magical, though if not the placement of the wall will be based on their (Eidetic) memory. If any of my assumptions are incorrect I can retcon or just eat whatever penalties apply.

Free: Trigger the prior Secondary Effect. He can roll the Toughness save again.

Current Status: Normal.

[Eshkigal]

"Hey, sometimes all ya get is a bagful of parlor tricks to work with. An' if ya ain't like yer double, well, after I will take a look at this Thanatos fella. A crew'd be better suited ta takin' him in anyways. But this ain't the way, man, an' it is the sorta thinkin' that gets you going down the worse paths, like yer quarry. I've been down that, from the opposite direction, even if I ain't a murderer. You don't wanna go that route. Just ends like this, an' then you swear vengeance more, an' it gets ta be a cycle before next thing ya know, yer throwing armies o' dead into the city fer the heads of supers."
-...the f***? Need to talk him down before he decides to reenact what ours did...
Regardless, he loads up a slip n' slide grenade as he tries to slowly make his way out of the bubble unseen, and without falling off the rooftop.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish slides her blade off the zombie and says to Cadaver, "If it makes you feel any better, I vill be hunting down this Thanatos. Anyvun who kills with no regard for human life is just as much a monster as a liche. But...I have a liche before me. And I vill not allow you to live either," as she steps towards him, swinging her blade mercilessly at his head height.

Attack: [roll0]

T DC 27 Damage, Fort DC 20 Weaken Stamina.

[Arcran]

Cupid looks into the darkness in annoyance, unsure what to do with the fact that he can't seen Abracadaver at all. That did, however, make his options a little more obvious. Cupid briefly considered changing to look like Thanatos, but he didn't know enough details about the man to likely pull off a passable imitation. Rather than bothering to attack, Cupid flies close to the Beast's head, trying to put the creature between himself and Abracadaver's shroud of darkness.

"Hey big guy, sorry about that whole nastiness with the arrow earlier. Thought you were going to eat those mall Santas, but they turned out to be zombies, so I suppose that wouldn't have been that awful," Cupid says awkwardly. "Anyways, I'm not sure if you can understand what our friend in a suit was saying, but he summoned you to get beat up by a murderer and torturer, meaning that he was going to let you get mulched to be a distraction. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a good time to me," Cupid says, settling for distracting the beast for now rather than actually getting it on their side.

Defend as a Standard Action.

Persuasion: [roll0]

Just a reminder that Cupid can speak to everything that has a language.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Weald stumbles forward, the remnants of the water-tower bouncing off his back and skittering across rooftop. He righted himself, prepping a snarky comment. His tongue was silenced as he was plunged into darkness. You can't blind me that easily! Weald almost called upon his Lifesense, before cursing to himself. Darn! He's a friggin' zombie, that won't work. A stream of consciousness innundated the simple tree-man. As he recovered from the overload, he shouted (unused to mental communication and not tactically the soundest) Alright then, I've got the big guy! Take care of hocus pocus!

Weald braced himself, propelling upwards blindly. Air rushed past him as he cleared the skull. He twisted in the air, searching for something to land on. Spotting the creature, he turned towards it. He brought his hands together forming a make-shift club, raising above his head for a flying slam. As Cupid flew up to the beast, Weald called out. Watch out angel-dude! Weald crashed into the beast's skull with a hollow crack!, smashing through with his club. C'mon, beastie! Let's tussle!

Cobber [roll0] vs Parry
Toughness DC 25
Status: Normal

[Esprit15]

Hm... while his spells themselves are annoying, nobody is going to make any progress against the zombie magician with that darkness blocking their sight. With some more archaic incantations, Midnight gestures to the shadows from out of sight, letting a little of her own magic flow through her. Nothing so showy as that of the twins, or Abracadaver, but something that properly applied was just as powerful.
Hide: Next Round

Nullify - Darkness
Check: [roll0] against Darkness rank check

[Red_Jenny]

Lady Sanguine wasn't used to being blind in the dark, and the billowing magical blackness caused her to flail in alarm before her rational brain took over. Does this Abracadaver know you can't see?

And then... Voices in her head? Ah, the wizards! ~Well, this is interesting. Oh yes, very nice. I hope I'm not intruding, dears, but I can't see my hand in front of my face in all this. Talk is all well and good, but we need to get him out of here, or get him to dispel it. Until then, I believe I can distract him. I have something of a way with words.~

Evelyne shifted to mist. It made her voice distant and strange, a little extra theatricality. A low chuckle drifts around the magician and his minions. "This is your grand plan, necromancer? To trap yourself in the dark with vampires? Oh, this will be fun. I won't even have to worry about spoiling my dinner. Does it sting, knowing deep down how useless you are? How little you matter, how little anyone really cares about you? A fragile little sack of bones and a few little tricks. What can you really do? Call on others to help you? Hide behind the legs of your betters? Huddle in the dark like the coward everyone knows you are? Conjure up a few fragile puppets to follow you around, so you can pretend you're not alone? You've never even tasted real power, Mortimer."

Free action to shift to Insubstantial form.

Intimidation vs Abracadaver, to Demoralize. [roll0] Resisted by Insight or Will. If successful, Abracadaver is impaired until my next turn. If Lady Sanguine succeeds by four or more degrees, he's disabled instead.

[Queen Sapes]

Downtown New Aeon Rooftop

With the darkness covering much of the rooftop, it's difficult to see inside, even for those with other forms of sight. Weald's life-sense wouldn't pick up in the zombies due to their undead nature, Cupid's emotion-sense wouldn't pick Abracadaver out easily with all the others in the cloud and from this distance, and even the Twins with their magic sight find it nearly impossible to differentiate between the zombies, darkness, and Abracadaver. Still, they try to. Conjuring a wall in-between where the zombies and their summoner are, they cleanly attempt to scoop Abracadaver out of the darkness and back into the night, but as their wall emerges they find it carrying nothing at all. Abracadaver is clearly a much more agile man that they assumed, although with the way the darkness spread it's easy to lose your place in it, and they simply could have missed.

Inside the cloud of darkness, Tarnish takes a swing at roughly the head height of where Abracadaver once stood, and only succeeds in going through empty air. Of course, that's all she feels. It's impossible to see for sure as she cannot see her hand, or her sword, or anything in any capacity. Weald chooses not to deal with the darkness and simply opts to leap out of the darkness, aiming straight for the Beast. Unfortunately, it comes at the cost of interrupting Cupid who opted to consult the Beast and attempt to console it. The beast begins cooing softly towards Cupid before Weald slams into it, smashing its head down into the concrete rooftop. With a loud crashing of concrete, the rooftop gives way as the combined forces of the Beast's weight and Weald's collapse into the roof. The first story floor gives way as well, the offices on both the first and second story splintering apart as the beast and Weals come to a rest on the 34th floor. Midnight quickly dispels the darkness Abracadaver conjured up, revealing the broken rooftop and all the scattered heroes and zombie bits on the next two floors.

The Beast quickly shakes off the assault from Weald and yanks on one of his chains still connected to a broken chunk of roof. He lashes out with it, sending the piece of roof flying through the air towards Cupid as revenge for distracting him. Next he opts to backhand Weald, throwing the tree-man across the devastated office floor into piles of rubble and office debris.

Abracadaver at -1 and Staggered
Beast at -1
3 Zombie minions all Hindered and Vulnerable

Twins:
Abracadaver Toughness Roll: [roll0] vs DC 35. Met.
No further rolls necessary.

Puck:
No rolls necessary.

Tarnish:
Miss. No rolls necessary.

Cupid:
Success by two degrees against the Beast, immediately undone by Weald's attack.

Weald:
Beast Toughness Roll: [roll1] vs DC 25. -1 and Dazed.

Midnight:
Success. No rolls necessary.

Lady Sanguine:
No rolls necessary.

The Beast:
Standard Action 1: [roll2] vs Dodge (Defend Action, Please Roll yourself) to hit Cupid. Toughness DC 20.
Standard Action 2: [roll3] vs DC 18 to hit Weald. Toughness DC 25. Hit.

End Round 3. Begin Round 4.

[Arcran]

Hey, Treebeard! Cupid shouts through the mental connection, more than accustomed to it after working with the Twins' dopplegangers for so long. Leaf the monster alone and get sparce! I've got this! Cupid shouts, dodging under the flung stone.

"Woah big guy, woah! Treeman didn't mean to hit you! Mr. Zombie threw him up, and he's not the best at flying," Cupid coos. "How's about the two of us get out of here and find a herd of cows for you to munch on," Cupid says slowly, hoping Treeman will get out of sight and stop mucking up his job.

"Come on, let's start with getting out of the rubble," Cupid says calmly, slowly rising out of the hole.

Deception: [roll0]
Persuasion: [roll1]
Used Luck, really 37

[Quellian-dyrae]

The twins flew back up to survey the area and...yeah, figured that'd pretty much do. Abra had vanished, Cupid was trying to talk the monster down, and the zombies...they'd see about doing something about if they actually managed to do more than shamble and moan.

[Esprit15]

Midnight quietly sits, watching the events now. She'd confront the vampires individually once this was all over. The demigod-like figure would be easy to find, and so could be left for a while, plus his willingness to speak to police suggested that he was at the very least well meaning. The tree appeared to be an acquired power, and so while not inherently trustworthy, not a priority target. The mages would be best taken care of by a more powerful Hunter, or a small team at least. Without either, though, she would have to wait.
Hide: [roll0]

[roll1]
1: Track Sangine first
2: Track Tarnish first

[Eshkigal]

Puck looks around, the illusion pierced and the loud crash earning the area a clearer view causing him to deactivate most of the Christmas decorations, though he keeps the costumes on the heroes. Just because.
"Ach, damn, stupid git has more power than brains. Oi, Tarnish! Mage kids!"
He pulls a few more comm beads out, placing them on a nearby half broken air conditioner. He accidentally pulls out four, though, that Midnight can see.
"Gonna head down an' see if Mort went down too, or if it comes to it keep weeds fer brains an' the beastie from tearing the floor out from under us, or onto someone passing by! Grab a comm bead an' keep in touch, either look fer Mort or call out what yer gonna do!"
With that, he latches a line to something not hooked by the beast or looking like it could be torn out easily, heading down into the hole, keeping an eye out for undead magicians or angry giants.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Weald peeled himself from a tree-man-shaped hole in the rubble. He cricketed his neck (noting the distinct lack of bone-cracking). That one hurt a bit, I'll grant ya that. Weald started into a run, but skidded to a stop as Cupid scolded him. He looked up at the wanna-be angel in frustration. First you want us to beat on the poof in the funny clothes and his lackeys! Now I can't hit the big guy! Last time I checked, Abra-whatever summoned this thing. Ugh! Weald got close, but not too close to the beast. Do you really think talking to it will make things better?

Readied action to Clobber it if it so much as twitches towards Cupid or the others.

[Eshkigal]

"Better than punchin' holes in a roof. Or possibly sendin' something big onto someone from this height, less yer the type to not care 'bout pulpin' passersby before Christmas."
Puck hangs in the hole Weald's reentry had made, looking down at the scene and around.
"Besides, he said 'she insisted' earlier. Might not be his. Seems to also be more animal than anything, given responses."

[Ionbound]

Tarnish makes a frustrated noise as her swing connects with thin air, and rises into the sky like a bleak angel, searching for Abra, wrath naked and raw.

[Queen Sapes]

Downtown New Aeon Rooftop

The giant Beast stares up at Cupid, letting out its consistent low gurgle as a response. Its head snaps towards Weald, and once it's satisfied he's no longer on the attack, its chains detach from the various spots on the roof they were linked to. The chains retract towards its body and it takes a cautious step forward on all fours. Inside its emotions, Cupid strangely feels the tiny bit of amusement drop away entirely.

The Beast stops dead in its tracks and its body turns black as shadow, just like when it emerged. It holds still in the broken remains of the office's 34th and 35th floors, its body steadily returning to darkness. The darkness of its body begins blowing away, fading into the air like smoke and steadily depleting its body mass. The horns go first, fading into nothing along with most of the Beast's back and progressing from there. Within ten seconds the Beast as the heroes knew it is gone.

Instead, out of the darkness of its head shoots a very small creature. It flies through the air with the speed of a bird, landing on Puck's grapple line and climbing around it to look at the heroes. It almost qualifies as cute. It appears to be a small flying squirrel roughly the size of a mouse. It still possesses the elk skull head with dark, lashing shadows for eyes, but with horns that are barely tiny bumps. It chatters quietly in gibberish noises as it waits to see what the heroes do. The rest of the demolished rooftop is quiet, save for the sound of one of the zombies that moans in the rubble still active but trapped. Either Abracadaver is trapped under the rubble dead or unconscious, or he managed to cover his escape.

[Eshkigal]

Huh, it was kinda cute this way, as Puck carefully reaches for the little squirrel elk to pet it gently.
"Yeah, there we go, yer not a bad lil' guy."
Experimentally, he pulls out the flask of chili he had gotten from his doppelganer's parents, setting down and pouring some in the cup to see what pieces the little squirrel would take.
"Anyways, ain't seen anyone live, so let's head back up. Carefully. No more holes in here, got it?"

[Arcran]

Cupid breathes a sigh of relief that swiftly turns into one of agony as his face begins to twist, whatever glamour that had been concealing his appearance rapidly fading away. Half of his face quickly became covered in burn scars, and one wing went from its full angelic splendor to a frailer, black wing. Even Cupid's bow couldn't escape the change, with the part around the handle becoming charred and black. Still, it wasn't as if Cupid became ugly as a result of this; any lesser man would, but for the Archer of Love it was more of a lateral shift, from the peak of physical beauty to a roguish, damaged charm.

"Goddamn it," Cupid says, annoyed by the sudden change. Why did he have to rely on magic? Either way, Cupid takes off, flying up towards Puck, landing gently on the edge of the building.

"Thanks for the tip earlier. I believe you have me at a disadvantage though; you would be?" Cupid asks, trailing off as he extends a hand.

[Eshkigal]

Distracted by being perch to a squirrel demon, Puck extends a hand and shakes it.
"Puck, an' no worries, I kinda prefer being low key even back where we came from, ye-"
He finally looks to Cupid, stopped silent as he takes in what happened to the hero.
"...You doin' okay? What happened? An'...I dunno, anythin' I could do ta help?"

[Ionbound]

Tarnish frowns as she surveys the scene from on high and mutters, "Damn. He got avay." She lands on the roof and looks around at the assembled 'heroes' and says, "I suppose I should thank you all." Then sighs and takes off into the sky.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The only thing that kept the twins from raising a barrier around the team at Cupid's change was their ability to sense magic - which meant that A) they saw the glamour breaking down and B) they did not see any curses or subtle offensive spells targeting him.

Naomi flew down to where the rest of the group was gathering. "So. That was interesting," she said with a sort of bemused cheer. Nathan, meanwhile, flew about the ruined building, telekinetically lifting and moving the rubble with sweeping gestures of his hand. He started with one big piece of rubble, directing it around, and where it touched other pieces, they clung to it like it was magnetized. He flew along with the rubble mass as he directed it, and when he reached his capacity, he went to find an out-of-the-way location to pile it up, before coming back for another load. Partially, he was just trying to assist the cleanup process to come, but more importantly, he was looking for people who might have been in the building and in need of assistance or medical attention. Hopefully the upper floors had been empty, but that wasn't something you leave to hope.

And just because, let's roll Expertise (Architecture and Engineering) to see if there's anything useful Nathan can do for the building. [roll0]. ...Huh.

[Arcran]

"Unless you've got some 'Cold War era nuclear weapon tried to kill me' balm, 'fraid there's not much you can do," Cupid says bitterly, holding out a hand for the shadow creature.

As Tarnish flies off, Cupid gives a little wave. "Goodbye creepy vampire lady!" Cupid says in a bored tone which, to Tarnish, sounded like perfect Romanian.

[Red_Jenny]

Lady Sanguine flies free of the rubble as the darkness clears, looking rather miffed at Abracadaver's disappearance. She thought she'd gotten under his skin - it seemed a waste of a good taunt to have him just vanish. Evelyne ignored the moaning zombies. Normally, they would be her first concern, but these were not true undead, not aware, just flesh puppets. She considers going after Tarnish, but given the other vampire's current mood, she'd probably end up with something valuable sliced off. Best, then, to go meet the new neighbors.

She drops to the rooftop, tangible once more, though the "dark and mysterious" persona slips for a moment as she sees the little squirrel-elk-demon sitting on Puck's shoulder and outright giggles in response. "Is this our terrible giant? How did you get roped into this, little one? I am so sorry."

"For those who didn't get a proper introduction yet, Lady Sanguine, at your service." She bowed to those assembled. "What do we do about, ah, le nécromanien? Does anyone have a way to track him? Or we let him run off with his tail between his legs?"

Midnight would win the check even if I got a nat 20, so Lady Sanguine is blissfully unaware she's being stalked. :smallsmile:

[Eshkigal]

"...Tried any treatments for radiation exposure, actually? Ain't like it could hurt or nuthin'. Or, well, gimme time ta get some resources 'sides what I was wearing when I came through the tear, could give it a shot. No promises, though. But a list of what ya tried already would do wonders."
After the handshake, he offers a comm bead to the crispy Cupid. As Tarnish heads out, Puck steps forward, squirrel demon having perched on his shoulder with a bean in claws and taken all the scritchies that were being offered.
"Oi, hang on! Tarnish, would ya like to keep in touch in case one of us finds a lead? Can't hurt, yeah?"
He gestures to the comm beads he had set out before, looking to the vampire as Sanguine comes by to also give scritchies. Surely the best method of reform would be such!
"Poofed before I could tag'im. Gunna check where his old stompin' grounds were, though. Just need a computer an' time."

[MesiDoomstalker]

Starring dumbfounded at the new squirrel-thing, Weald turned around exasperated. Well, I guess as long as it isn't chowing down on people, it's alright. Weald idly kicked a piece of rubble. He watched it skitter across the floor before coming to a stop. Weald's eyes widen as he realized the destruction he caused. Oh crud. Oh crud! Weald rushed over to the pile of rubble, frantically shifting pieces. Wait, shoot. Ok focus.... Closing his eyes, searching for sign's of life.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish glides back around and lands next to Puck, shooting Lady Sanguine a glare as she says, "Sure. Thank you." She accepts the bead, then says, "Farewell," and takes off again.

[Esprit15]

Seeing Tarnish be the first to leave, Midnight changes her quarry, silently following after the solo vampire.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish makes no particular effort to be stealthy, and Midnight should have no issue tracking her. She glides above the city, eventually descending to land at an interstate overpass that is suspiciously absent of homeless people. She sits next to a cardboard box, gives it a brief look, then sighs, setting her weapon down as she looks around.

[Esprit15]

Midnight silently watches as the vampire lands, finishing an incantation as the undead girl's feet touch the ground.
Nullify Crusader's Blade
Perception Range
Opposed Check: Crusader's Blade Rank vs Counter Magic Check
[roll0]

Whether or not her spell is successful, Midnight reveals herself afterward, stepping out of an alleyway dressed in otherwise quite casual clothing. To the average observer, she would only be odd by her grey hair, the only thing that has clearly aged on the woman. She does however carry a clearly silver weapon (possibly familiar) in one hand, the other a pocket watch chain is wrapped around her forearm.

"Who are you, creature? You fought that monster earlier with the other sammen," she says curtly, the last word clearly not having an obvious translation.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish looks up as Midnight approaches her, noting the silver blade in her hand and says, "I take it you've come to kill me, zen?" She sighs and says, "For vhat it's vorth, zis condition is not somezing I am...Pleased vith. I am Tarnish. I vas vunce a monster hunter, known as Crusader. Perhaps you heard of me?"

Resist Nullify: [roll0]

[Esprit15]

"Never. Perhaps you're a local. I fell through the portal on a plane, so I'm not from around here.

It doesn't matter whether you are happy with your state. The right thing to do in your state would be to kill yourself in the presence of another monster hunter, so they can announce to the world that another abomination was destroyed.

You instead persist in the deluded belief that you can maintain your humanity in such a fallen state. You're wrong. Gau thought he could. Master Chen thought he could. Jong Bao thought he could. Even the Golden Hound, while she lasted far longer, eventually gave in. A vampire is nothing more than a monster, a varelse, killing and bringing evil into the world by their very exitance. Even at their best, they're a a monster-to-be, vadavarelse," she continues, coldly. "How do you feed? On humans, surely. Let me guess - you only feed on those that are criminals. You tell yourself that you are doing a good deed, cleaning up the detritus of society. And yet, you must keep going, always moving, always hunting. One hunting ground is cleared of prey, you move on. And yet you leave more chaos in your wake. The destruction of a gang leaves a power vacuum, and the filling of that vacuum is violent, full of the spilled blood of the innocent. And what if you get the idea to leave a sire behind, someone you believe you can trust. Will they give in to the temptation of blood?

Your existance is a crime against mankind, whether you mean well or not."

[Ionbound]

Tarnish frowns and says, "I don't know vhat I vas expecting. Just know zis. Do not presume to know me. I know vhat I am...And I dealt vith that a long time ago. But zere are so many things in this vorld far vorse than me. Even some humans...Am I really vorse than a serial murderer or rapist?" She sighs and says, "My point is zis. Try to kill me if you feel it's necessary. But do not ignore zose monsters zat vear human skins." With that, she picks up her sword, and drops into a defensive stance, saying, "Also, I do not vant to kill you. Just...Leave me in peace. This is your final varning."

[Eshkigal]

"Ah, now Mossbrain gets why we didn't wanna fight this lil' guy's big form up here, besides it not actually doin' nothin'."
Puck just generally gestures to Weald's hole at that as he sighs, then clomps over to the edge.
"Look, kid-yer new to this, yeah? Soon as I find a place to not freeze to death in the night, you an' me are gonna do some trainin'. Far as I could see there was no one 'cept the zombies in this, but I am gonna teach ya how to try to not hafta worry 'bout this sorta thing in the future."
He chucks a comm bead up at Weald's head.
"Dunno how tech savvy ya are, but if ya have ears shove that in one. Two way comm device. Easy way fer ya to give us a call if what I saw coming down ain't right!"

[Esprit15]

Tarnish frowns and says, "I don't know vhat I vas expecting. Just know zis. Do not presume to know me. I know vhat I am...And I dealt vith that a long time ago. But zere are so many things in this vorld far vorse than me. Even some humans...Am I really vorse than a serial murderer or rapist?" She sighs and says, "My point is zis. Try to kill me if you feel it's necessary. But do not ignore zose monsters zat vear human skins." With that, she picks up her sword, and drops into a defensive stance, saying, "Also, I do not vant to kill you. Just...Leave me in peace. This is your final varning."

"So quick to assume I intend to kill you now. I'm sure you'd love to feed on my blood right now. I don't have to know you: I've known many vampires. I have fallen for one once, even. Once. But, like any varelse, he was only pretending to have emotions, empathy, a spark of good in that husk. You are a serial murderer, except that you don't have the decency to die to a good shot to the head as a human would. That's the difference between the worst of humans, and your kind.

But, as I said before, you helped those sammem earlier. While you clearly can't justify yourself, you have use to me right now. I propose a ceasefire between us for the time being. We both want those monsters that attacked us earlier dead, and another set of skilled hands will only improve our ability to take them down. After, you'll have three days to choose to die honorably and dignified, or we can fight." The woman doesn't so much as raise an eyebrow at the sword, though you get the feeling that she is quite ready to fight if need be.

[Red_Jenny]

"You haven't found a place to stay yet? I might be able to help with that." Lady Sanguine offers. "It's not much. Hélas, the vampire's curse does not come with a grand castle on a hill, but if you don't mind sleeping on a couch, well, surely it would be better than being out in the elements, yes?"

[Ionbound]

Tarnish shrugs and replies, as she lowers her weapon, "You come at me, vielding a silver blade...Vhat am I supposed to believe? And you, so quick to assume that I kill. Ze only things I kill are monsters. Sometimes, zey vear a human skin, and sometimes zey feed me, but I vould never harm an innocent. Zat is ze difference between me and a serial killer." She sighs and continues, "But I can see zat it is pointless to discuss zis. So fine. You vill have your 'ceasefire'. But I can tell you zat vhen you come for me...You had best be prepared. I vill not be merciful."

[Esprit15]

"I would be genuinely surprised if you were," Midnight says before vanishing. Not just running away, but vanishing from sight entirely.
Off to stalk the other vampire! Starting at where the group was still together.
Stealth: [roll0]

[Arcran]

"Alright, so, we gotta hunt down Abby," Cupid says, stretching his wings. "I can do flyovers of the city and try to find him, but with all the noise from the holidays my methods aren't exactly going to be quick. On my world, he had a fascination with huge spectacles, giant performances. When he summoned his zombie goddess he made us all sit through a terrible magic show. Any of you know something that fits that ticket? Concert, show, anything happening in the next few days? Probably with a mysterious, unknown performer?"

[Ionbound]

Tarnish looks at the comm-bead in her hand, then slips it into an ear, asking, "Hello? Is anyvun zere?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Naomi," she said semi-automatically when Lady Sanguine introduced herself. Just because she was an undead monster who drank the blood of the living was no excuse to be rude, after all. "My brother Nathan," she added with a gesture in his general direction.

No amount of politeness, however, could keep the weirded-out look from her face when she offered the guy with the guns a place to stay. "I'm sorry, you're a vampire, aren't you?" she asked bluntly. Helping against the necromancer, plus the fact that things were different here, had earned her the benefit of the doubt. But that sounded way too much like ordering takeout for her to be comfortable just ignoring it.

As Cupid spoke up on practical concerns, Naomi suggested, "He had mentioned someone else having been the actual summoner of the Krampus. If they're working together, she might know where he is. And regardless, I would not mind having words with the person who thought it was a good idea to summon a giant monster in the middle of a crowd of civilians." However harmless the monster itself was, a panicking crowd could still cause destruction, injury, or death. Probably moreso with the added risk of icy ground.

She looked to Puck. "What do you think the chances are that your new little buddy could lead us back to his summoner?"

That being said, Expertise (Popular Culture) to see if she's heard about any shows like Cupid mentioned. [roll0] after +5 for Eidetic Memory.

[Eshkigal]

"Gimme some time with a computer, an' I can get a list of everythin' comin' up. An' thanks, Lady, ya just bought yerself a lifetime warranty on all yer tech. Er, my lifetime that is. Ain't sure how long yers lasts."
At the question from Naomi, he just shrugs, giving a wry grin behind the visor. Aw, they were worried.
"Well, I know I look well armed, but everythin' I got's nonlethal only-oh, you meant my safety? Thanks fer the worry, but she has had like, eight, nine times tonight she coulda torn my throat out an' known nobody woulda ever missed me, yet here we all are, where I now got a few people who'd notice, an' she strikes me as far from stupid. Also less likely to eat me than lotsa people I roomed with before. As fer my new lil' bud, you figure somethin' out ta try, I left comms connected to my helmet here-whup, hang on, Tarnish is ringing-"
It's about now that Tarnish had called, and he holds a hand towards the other comms he had put out for everyone as he answers.
"Hey, this is yer operator, Puck, ya need ta be patched through ta anyone in particular or this a group call?"

[Queen Sapes]

Downtown New Aeon Rooftop

The shrunken Beast shakes its head and squeaks unintelligibly at Naomi's pitch. He spins in place and continues munching on a bean from Puck's chili. Nathan continues clearing away rubble, sorting it into easy piles for removal, and always watchful for a body. Of course there are body parts in the rubble, along with the destroyed vines that had been wrapped around the body parts a moment earlier. Weald uses his lifesense to try and pick anyone out of the rubble, but thankfully nothing lights up in the entire tower save for one guy on the 17th floor cowering in a bathroom and another person on the 12th hiding under his desk to avoid anything falling on him. Both of them would be shaken but they'd be generally fine now that the Beast wasn't two stories tall.

[Red_Jenny]

"I'm sorry, you're a vampire, aren't you?" she asked bluntly.

"Yes?" Lady Sanguine flashes her fangs, looking a little puzzled, as though Naomi had asked what color the sky was. After a moment, she realizes the purpose behind the question. "Ah. You don't trust me. Fair enough. I don't trust most humans. Not right away, anyway. Too many of them have tried to kill me." She lets that hang in the air for a moment before smiling.

"I promise, really, truly. I'm not going to eat him, chéri. Now, do you two have a place to stay? I have a spare coffin. They're very comfortable." There's deadpan, and there's deadpan when you're actually dead, and have had 200 years to practice.

"No payment necessary, Puck, but thank you all the same."

Since she's just talking with the others at the moment, Lady Sanguine is making no effort to hide or search for threats.

[Ionbound]

"Just making sure zis thing vorks. Also, if Lady Sanguine is still there, she might vant to know zat apparently vun of the people zat vas present for fighting ze beast is a monster hunter...And she is not as I am. She'll know vhat zat means."

[Eshkigal]

"Duly noted! Of bloody course one of the people here was a monster hunter! That would make life too easy if they weren't! Stupid gits never do more than stir up a bee's hive. No offense to ya, sure yer a great hunter, but jus' from old gigs there's too many folks these days fer that kinda thing..."
Puck facepalms before turning to Sanguine, dragging his hand over his helmet exaggeratedly, other hand pulling a pair of gadgets from his pocket.
"Apparently there is a hunter in town. One that ain't like Tarnish. Might be good to mess wit' em a bit."
Which is about when the two of them flicker and Puck is Lady Sanguine, and she Puck.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Naomi kinda glanced between Puck and Sanguine with a look of vague disbelief on her face. He was well-armed, and wouldn't be when he was asleep on her couch, was her concern. The vampire promised not to harm him, but that was operating under the assumption that a vampire could be taken at its word, which in her experience was not a safe bet. ...Except then Puck said something about monster hunters being problem people and at that point Naomi didn't even know what to think anymore.

"This crazy world..." she muttered, before turning a cheery smile on Lady Sanguine. When in doubt, smile and nod. "We're fine, thanks," she said, actually managing to keep almost ninety percent of the sarcasm out of her voice. She wouldn't go so far as to call it a home, but they had beds to sleep on and a roof over their heads, anyway.

She did take one of the offered comm beads, though. If for no better reason than because it meant that if the vampire did try to attack the man in his sleep, he'd at least potentially be able to call for help.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Weald's eyes snapped open as he breathed a sigh of relief. No one was in the rubble. Hey, uh, Naomi right? There's some people in the building still. Can you go grab them? Just don't want the building to fall in on them is all. There's one on the 17th floor and another on the 12th I think. Weald gingerly picks up the tiny comm bead in his massive fingers, making extra sure to not crush it. He pondered if he even had ear's as Weald, but decided it didn't matter at the immediate moment. He reached down, to stuff it in his pants pocket but failed due to the stretchy material was near its limit over his literally trunk's of legs.

Oh hey, you know what? That Abra-dude, and his zombie's? They were dressed up like Santa and some snowmen right? Before the squirrel thing appeared, they were down on the street's handing out fliers. I didn't ge a chance to look at it before everything went down, but it's still in there. Motioning to his pocket. I'd get it, but I'm a bit fat-fingered at the moment.

[Eshkigal]

"Not ta say other groups ain't a pain, but the eighth time ya get shipped off to some random s***hole cause someone staked a guy's daughter for being a mutant wit' a diet consistin' mainly of squirrel blood an' they are plannin' to open some rift into dread realms ta retrieve their soul an' flood everywhere else wit' spooks, or some f***wit decides they can totally take the oldest vamp in a city, kills their kid, an' sends them off on a crazy plan ta make vamps immune ta everythin', or forgotten by everyone, or who fuggin' cares it begins to show a bloody pattern. One that got real old, real fast, 'cause sometimes you jus' shouldn't poke the crazy. Or when they try an' shiv the squid lady 'cause she's a giant squid lady who likes ta milk that people find that creepy. Way too many dumbasses that dunno what may be a bad idea."
Of course the vampire one was Second Shooter's, but they didn't need to know that. The ghost thing, though? Guadalupe sucked.

[Red_Jenny]

"Yes, I know what that means. Thank you, Tarnish. I owe you. Please, be safe yourself." Surprisingly, there's not a hint of sarcasm from the vampire. Not for this.

She laughs humorlessly at Puck's rant. "We'll have to trade stories. I have many. Oh, here, arbre, let me." Evelyne fishes the flyer from Weald's pocket and holds it up so he can read it. She also takes a moment to admire her illusion self.

"I do look good. Sorry, I can't use mirrors, so this is, ah, a special occasion. So, Puck, how do you want to use this wonderful trick of yours? Should I trail you, or do we split up?"

[Arcran]

"Look, normally I'm all for sitting around and chatting, but finding Abby needs to happen yesterday," Cupid says with a sense of urgency. "We can come back to my place after this and drinks are on me," Cupid says, before stopping as he looks at the vampire. "Alcohol is on me," he corrects. "Until then, I need your help to track down Abby before he does something nasty to this city as well. Ms. Sanguine, where is that concert happening?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Yeah, I've got them," Naomi replied.

~I've got them,~ Nathan sent to her.

"Nathan's got them," Naomi amended.

Nathan took a break from his telekinetic cleanup work to make his way through more of the building, heading to the floors Weald indicated to seek out people and get them out. He wasn't too worried about the building collapsing; it appeared structurally stable*. But it was probably worth doing.

*Based on the narration, the building seems stable, and I figure Nathan could at least have confirmed that with his prior Expertise roll. But if the Expertise roll would have revealed something else, I'll edit.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Weald read the flier out loud.

CHRISTMAS EVE CONCERT

Tomorrow night only from 7 PM to 10 PM

The intersection of 2nd and Lewis St.

Come to celebrate the season and show support for the new world!

Weald tapped his chin, hoping it make him look thoughtful. You know, I've got a friend who might know a thing or 2. He's real keen on concerts with... uh... weak security, about... things. I can give him a call, but, uh... I need a little privacy. Secret Identity and all.

[Arcran]

"Alright everybody, let's give Willow some privacy!" Cupid says, mismatched wings extending. "When you find out what's up with the concert, have Puck give me a call. I'm going to go sweep 2nd and Lewis," Cupid states, taking off with a few quick flaps, not particularly caring who follows him. He had to stop Abracadaver. He couldn't fail against the zombie magician again.

[Eshkigal]

"Relatively close but diverging paths. Away from anythin' you consider important."
Soon as they are ready, Puck heads off in one direction, Sanguine another, but likely on a path where they could easily come to one another's aid if needed.

[Esprit15]

Midnight quietly watches the group, in the span of seconds having returned from her chat with Tarnish. She watches from a distance, looking like a local for the most part. After all, why dress in a way that stands out when your purpose is to hide amongst a populace?
Perception to overhear planning and general discussion: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

"I feel like I should be doing something about this," Naomi murmured, but elected instead to fly after Cupid. The winged archer seemed certain that Abracadaver had more in store. Naomi...wasn't entirely certain. He seemed to be putting a lot of stock in the theory based on the actions of the necromancer's alternate-universe doppelganger. How well that worked as a means of predicting behavior...well, she didn't know.

The necromancer had proven himself to, at the least, be willing to put civilians at risk in his quest for vengeance and/or glory. Being a necromancer wasn't inherently a red flag, for her - undead were soulless monsters where they were from, but necromancy was just another form of magic. Albeit, a form that offered an especially large selection of dangerous, deadly, and just generally bad options. Still, enchantment could be just as bad, and conjuration just as dangerous, and there was no doubt that the evocation magic the twins favored could be every bit as deadly.

Regardless, stopping Abra in the moment had been the right call. Tracking him down...still seemed like a good idea. His motivation to kill this Thanatos person would not have declined any, and he might yet threaten others in the doing. And, at the end of the day, both he and Thanatos should be taken to legitimate authorities; neither should be killed outright. And if Cupid was right, it was important that they stop him as quickly as possible.

[Queen Sapes]

Cupid and the Twins, Downtown New Aeon

The archer of love and the elder magi take off together, the twins following closely behind Cupid to survey the intersection of Lewis and 2nd just after escorting two janitors from the building. It's a short flight, only a handful of blocks away, and the three reach the area in minutes. The intersection is a large area, devoid of traffic due to the rubble in the area, and only with a small amount of people moving around the area due to how late it is and how cold it's becoming without the sun out. With people able to walk out onto the roads and fill the area, easily over a thousand people could fill the space and still have room leftover for a stage, band, and concession stands. Currently none of those things are built, and none of the supplies to put them up or the vehicles to transport them are around. The whole area is surrounded by older skyscrapers, most apartment buildings built out of stone and possessing a number of balconies overlooking the scene. There are a handful of the fliers Weald had on the ground, most soaked by snow and slush.

The lights are on in most of the apartments, some people leaving blinds and curtains open to let light pour out and the heroes see in. Everyone appears to blissfully unaware of the giant that appeared a few blocks away and ran around downtown just an hour ago. It's peaceful in New Aeon, with the snow falling down, and not even sirens piercing the quiet anymore. The calm before the storm.

Weald, Downtown New Aeon Rooftop

Everyone departs in separate directions, leaving Weald alone on the broken building's 34th floor and new rooftop. It's the perfect opportunity to get out of there, as well as make an important call for some information.

Lady Sanguine, Puck, and Midnight, Downtown New Aeon

Puck and Lady Sanguine depart in roughly the same direction, close enough to each other to quickly meet up at the first sign of trouble. Midnight follows them as well, clearly concerned for what the vampire could do and interested in its purpose here. No sense is drawing it out before engaging her, better to let her know her days are numbered.

Tarnish, New Aeon Underpass

Just as Tarnish closes communication with Puck, she notices a man walking towards the underpass. The area is literally empty of people, most scared away by the actual vampire and the few who weren't were encouraged away by Tarnish. The underpass is out of the way of most foot traffic as well, so a man approaching causes Tarnish to be cautious. He's dressed in an orange winter coat with a fuzzy hood and jeans that look new or rarely worn. His hair is trimmed close to his scalp, clearly buzzed down frequently, and he has tortoise shell glasses resting on the bridge of his nose with small droplets of water on them from the falling snow.. He's clearly young, late twenties at oldest, and has otherwise incredibly average features. In any given crowd he would be impossible to notice from every other person there. "Hello!" he shouts to Tarnish as he approaches. "Fine evening we're having, aren't we?"

Other, New Aeon

Over a mile away on another rooftop, a woman stands with a pair of binoculars watching the heroes. Her hair is a dark brown, extremely curly, a few days unwashed, and tied back into a ponytail. She's dressed in simple jeans and a thin jacket to brace herself against the snow and cold. She watches the group intently at the edge of the rooftop, seeing Abracadaver make his presence known, the heroes attack him, Abracadaver escape, and then the group tame the Beast and destroy the upper floors. As the group departs the rooftop, she smirks to herself and returns the binoculars to a hip bag she carries. She pulls a piece of obsidian out of the bag, a strange rune inscribed on its surface, and tosses it on the rooftop behind her into the snow. She waves her hand in the air silently at the rune, and the marking burns a hot red before a barely-maintained portal rips in the air above her. The edges of the portal flicker as it struggles to remain open, and the woman hops through into a much warmer room a second before the portal is ripped shut and the obsidian crumbles apart into a handful of pebbles in the snow.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Weald watched the others fly off, a bit sad he's still (mostly) terrestrial. With a heave, he jumped from skyscraper to skyscraper, making progress towards uptown, where his penthouse apartment was. Reaching the building, he positioned himself behind the entrance to the roof, he shook his arms and legs, taking in deep breaths of the brisk winter air. Alright alright. Calm.... deep breathes.

As he breathed, his body slowly contracted in on itself. His skin grew supply, gradually returning to his normal pale parlor. His vine's thinned and regained their dyed appearance as his legs, torso and arms shrunk. His pants audibly whined as the pressure exerted on them eased and Jake returned to the world. Shoot its cold! he yelled as the night air hit him. He fished his phone out of his pocket as he opened up the roof entry. He dialed Tom as he hit the button for the penthouse. As the doors slid open, he slinked around the corner and made a dash for his room. Luckily, the elevator was much closer to his room than the main living area where the party was in full swing.

[Arcran]

Cupid looks around the intersection of streets, panicking slightly. He'd assumed that Abracadaver would be here! Without the zombie magician present, Cupid had much less of a concrete plan to proceed. Still, he'd managed to pick up Abracadaver's emotional signature on the rooftop, meaning that he could, hypothetically, find where he was. Closing his eyes and hovering in place, Cupid focuses on his bow, extending its power to try to determine where Abracadaver could have gone.

Insight to find Abby's emotional footprint: [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

Lady Sanguine wanders through Downtown at a casual pace, enjoying the atmosphere, window shopping, and whatever else comes to mind. Evelyne keeps an eye out for any unusual passerby as she wanders, and sticks to quiet alleys and areas with crowds. No need to make the hunter's job easy, even if she was technically a decoy at the moment. She had no intention of going anywhere near her apartment until the hunter was dealt with one way or another. "Puck" earns a few odd looks for spending a couple minutes oohing and ahhing over the offerings of a vintage boutique, but screw those people, if he wants to look pretty, that's his business.

Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[Ionbound]

Tarnish slowly backs towards her weapon, but she says cheerily, "Hello zere! It is quite a vunderful day. Vhat brings you here?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

The twins scanned the area, keeping an eye out for anything interesting, in either the normal or supernatural sense.

Perception: [roll0]. Scanning for magic as well.

[Esprit15]

Lady Sanguine wanders through Downtown at a casual pace, enjoying the atmosphere, window shopping, and whatever else comes to mind. Evelyne keeps an eye out for any unusual passerby as she wanders, and sticks to quiet alleys and areas with crowds. No need to make the hunter's job easy, even if she was technically a decoy at the moment. She had no intention of going anywhere near her apartment until the hunter was dealt with one way or another. "Puck" earns a few odd looks for spending a couple minutes oohing and ahhing over the offerings of a vintage boutique, but screw those people, if he wants to look pretty, that's his business.

Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]
Taking 10 on Stealth and Perception for 30 and 24, respectively

Midnight follows the one disguised as Puck, having watched the plan be set up. She lets the hidden vampire feel confident for a little while that the plan was working, up to the point that it made an obvious tell. Nothing major, but as Sanguine looks at the flowers, the same spell is cast from within the shop as was attempted on Tarnish. Nullify Check vs Will, or Vampiric Gaze Rank
[roll0]
Quickly after, while "Puck" is looking at the flowers, Midnight steps out of the flower shop, a bouquet of mistletoe with a black rose in one arm. She pauses, looking the man up and down as though surprised. "Il n'y a pas beaucoup des hommes qui sont intéressés en les fleurs ici... Oh, or was I mistaken? I could have sworn I had heard you mumbling something to yourself in French," she says, tone likely betraying a little suspicion. "What brings you here?" the odd woman continues, sitting on a nearby bench, bouquet still in hand. "A lucky lady or lad in your life?"
I won't even try to roll a bluff, since I only have about a 25% chance of success if I'm judging that correctly.

[Red_Jenny]

"Eh, la plupart des hommes ont mauvais goût." Which was true, Evelyne reflected, in more ways than one. Her native tongue sounded strange filtered through the illusion.

She smiled at the unusual woman. "I don't know if anything brings me here. Just looking. Wandering. Enjoying the night air. And no, no sweetheart right now. More's the pity." Lady Sanguine leans on the back of the bench, noting the contents of the bouquet. "Mistletoe and roses. Are you looking for a kiss?"

They're the same bonus, so: Nullify check: [roll0]

[Esprit15]

The woman chuckles. "Avec une rose noire? Non. Also, mistletoe is also a symbol of peaceful meeting, not just romance. I'm curious what you're doing in this town, not what you're doing at the store," she continues, looking the illusion in the eyes.

[Red_Jenny]

"Did you see him pull the switch?" Lady Sanguine chuckles ruefully as she crosses around and sits on the bench next to the mystery woman. She brushes a strand of hair back behind her ear under the illusion, activating the commbead.

"I live here. I have since before the fire, since before there was a New Aeon at all. Well, off and on, anyway. I do like to travel."

Lady Sanguine smiles. "Did you come through the portal? Any hunter worth the name would have done their research and known that answer already. 'Lady Sanguine' is a recent invention, but I'm hardly a secret, if you live in the right circles. I look after those in the shadows, because someone must. There are so many dangers, and so many simply want to live in peace."

[Queen Sapes]

Weald, Weald's Apartment

"Hello?" answers Tom on the third ring, just as Weald makes it across the full party going on in the penthouse to his room relatively unnoticed.

Tarnish, New Aeon Underpass

"A quest for new friends!" he says happily as he gets closer, removing a bottle of rum from his pocket to show Tarnish. "I'm new to this place, and thought I should do my best to meet the community. Your accent's Romanian, isn't it?" he asks, unscrewing the cap to pour into a glass he produces from his other pocket.

You focus your mind, spreading your senses through the area in an attempt to pick up on Abracadaver's trail, and come back with nothing. He's nowhere nearby, and even worse than that, he hasn't or has never even been in the area as far as you're able to tell.
You don't detect any kinds of magic in the area, either old, new, or lingering in the area, aside from a small number of extremely weak illusion charms in various apartments. Nothing powerful and certainly nothing in the area relating to Abracadaver.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Hey, Tom it's Jake. The teen pulled open his closet, grabbing the same shirt he wore earlier, throwing it onto his bed. He plopped down, wriggling his pants off. Do you know the concert that's being held at 2nd and Lewis tomorrow night? Whatcha know about it? Jake pulled out a pair of (identical) pants from a fancy dresser and pulled them on, keeping his phone cruxed between his cheek and shoulder.

Making use of Contacts to make a quick Investigation check.
[roll0]

[Ionbound]

Tarnish steps away from the man as she says, "And zat brought you...To ze underside of an overpass?" looking puzzled.

[Eshkigal]

As the commbead in Puck's helmet crackles, letting him listen to the conversation, Puck curses lightly to himself. As he heard traffic around her, he curses slightly louder.
"Sanguine, bad news an' good news, one of which it occurs ta me I really shoulda told ya initially. Bad news is that my armor's somethin' that has a counterpart here, an' research showed the wearer to be a murderous sod. Good news is the illusion should be fadin' soon an' I am on my way. Try an' keep 'em civil an' occupied, maybe I can slip a tracer on 'em."
Doubling back as his own projector gives out, the juice drained, he lets Scruffy scamper into a pouch full of skittles (what? Puck likes them) as he looks first for Sanguine, then for a spot where he could take a couple steps to ensure that he would not cause a scene trying to get to her.

[Esprit15]

"Yes, quite clearly. A good plan, but useless if discovered," she says, sliding away sideways as the vampire sits. She quietly listens to the creature speak. It was a good formality to observe among the intelligent monsters of the world. "I am one of the refugees, yes." The woman laughs a little at the mention of peace. "So, what tether holds you to your humanity? You're an older one, clearly. Not many last past their first century unfallen."

[Red_Jenny]

"242 years. Yes, I've had this conversation before."

Lady Sanguine scoffs at the question. "What holds you to yours?" She notices as the illusion fades away, and offers Midnight a nod in her true form before offering up a real answer. "You have time for a little story?"

"My sire was an awful man, a cruel and sadistic brute. If you called him a monster, I could only agree, and I'd suggest a few other words you could use. But! He was a monster because he was a bad person, a bad person who had great power, and used that power to abuse. He was not a monster simply because he was a vampire."

Lady Sanguine leaned forward, elbows on her legs, head propped in her hands, seemingly casual as can be. "Yes, I must feed sometimes. I don't have to tell you, of all people, what the curse is like. You can't hold it off with blood banks and wild animals forever. I think, though, that I've put more good into the world than I have evil. I'm aware, thoughtful, not a rabid beast. The curse does not remove compassion or empathy. Your question has a false premise."

"I've never felt better than humans, above them, just... different. And because of that difference, they've tried to kill me. Me, and many others beside. 'Monsters' who were no such thing. When I was young, and humans chased me with torches and pitchforks, it was 'monsters' who treated me kindly, who offered advice and shelter and understanding. I do my best to return that favor. Many of your 'monsters' are fragile and frightened people. I am not. I have power. I try to use it well. You do not need to be human to be humane." Evelyne seems very pleased by her wordplay.

"I still look after humans, a lot of them are still good and kind folk, but they have other protectors. We are not always so fortunate. And it's fun, this superhero stuff! That helps. Je peux mettre un spectacle."

"So, monster hunter, what's your story? You've already met a vampire tonight, and you let her live. Will I be as lucky?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Nothing significant in terms of magic around," Nathan reported.

"Which, you know, doesn't come as much of a surprise. Given how hard we chased Ol' Abby off, it's only sensible that he'd go into hiding. Lie low and all. We can check out the event itself tomorrow, but I'll be honest, if I were him, I wouldn't show my face around here for, like, at least another decade. It might take some actual tracking work to find him, is what I'm saying. But I think the guy with the guns mentioned a monster hunter? Maybe they could track him down."

[Esprit15]

"Structure. Order. Rules. Being quick to learn and slow to trust. Knowing that faltering means death," she says, leaning back. Midnight sighs, as a doctor giving a grim prognosis might. "I understand that you feel a lot of things, Lady. It's only natural to do so. I will grant you, I am more willing to leave you alone than the other. When a vampire lives as long as you have, we are more inclined to let those that have retained humanity and gone more than two centuries without pinging on anyone's radar live. Not forever, but certainly it is better to hunt those that do active harm over those that do passive harm.

At the same time, don't be naïve. You know better than most humans that many of you are irredeemable. The simplest way to deal with this is to prevent hazards from springing up in the future. To this end, all infectious beings must disappear eventually. Vampires, werewolves, zombies... things that harm human societal stability, and that have harmed it for a long, long time. Really, most supernatural power more often than not goes awry. Humans can't be trusted with the power given to them by magic. Artifacts, vampires, mages... eventually, all of it has to go. That doesn't mean we can't pick our battles - a vampire like you is more useful walking than not. In time, you'll either fall in morals, or fall in battle. The end result is the same.

As for my story... we don't have enough time in a year to tell my story. Maybe another day, but all I'll give you is that my story goes back far longer than yours," she says, smirking. "Don't worry at this time - you bring more good into the world than evil. This does not mean I like you, or will help you in danger. It simply means you are toward the bottom of my list of threats. In pencil rather than pen, of course."

[Eshkigal]

Meanwhile, as Midnight locks in on one target, Puck moves in from behind, setting down in an alleyway and choosing a disguise no one would ever question as he sprints over the snow, one he is sure should even catch the Lady Sanguine off guard as he gets close.
"Aw, but you know how much I like to hear the abridged story, momma!"
Instead of a surly coot in power armor, though, Sanguine and Midnight see a small child barely past seven years old barrel at Midnight and grab onto her coat with a face like what Midnight may have looked like as a kid mixed with Puck, reddish gray hair hidden by layers of coats and hats as Puck hopes to plant a tracer in the confusion beneath the illusion. But it is the voice that throws it off most, as somehow Puck seems to have gotten a little kid to have actually said that, recorded it, and saved it for a situation just like this because that sure as hell did not sound like his voice.

Between us, though? That kid, who happened to be one of his younger nieces and nephews got twice their bodyweight in candy for voice acting that Easter ten years ago. Worth ever penny it cost first to get that much, then to pay off medical bills once the parents found out crazy Uncle Matt just gave their son roughly 100 pounds of candy and now they got to handle the sugar highs off that.

[roll0]-Stealth to surprise the hell outta Midnight because that is just how Puck prefers to roll
[roll1]-Sleight of Hand to slip a tracer somewhere relatively inconspicuous

[Esprit15]

Routine Perception of 24
Midnight yelps as she is slammed into by the kid. She'd normally correct such an incident about his misunderstanding, but a small bit of pressure in one of her pockets suggests that there is more to this than meets the eye. Time slows to a standstill, the vampire's surprise and the child's joy frozen in their faces. Curious, Midnight takes off her jacket and feels through the pocket, finding the little device after a while.

There were several ways to handle this. The simplest would be to kill the kid. It was likely the same guy who disguised Sanguine, after all. Unfortunately, that would look unusual in the streets, to say the least. There was also the chance that he simply asked a kid to do this. They would be especially bad to kill. Sanguine didn't seem in on this, if her surprise was anything to go by, though she clearly had something to do with it based on his ease of finding her.

So, she opts for the basic warning option. Time still slow, she walks into the shop and takes a pen and paper, scratching out a note for the child. When finished, she leaves her message where she was sitting, tiny device sitting on top of it, and walks away, resuming normal speed once out of sight. She pulls out her watch. Just shy of eight minutes according to the innermost hand, while the seconds hand just ticks over to the next notch.
Child,
I don't know whether you are who you appear to be or the man whom Lady Sanguine was disguised as. If you were the former, then simply take this back to the man and let him know that he should NEVER send another child at me. If you are the latter, I will draw blood from you if you ever attempt to touch me again.

Sanguine,
I truly hope that you weren't part of this plan, moments after I had just said you were not someone I wanted to start a fight with. It would mean that I have to move you higher up on that list than I would like.

- Hunter M

Done with that, Midnight wanders the city, looking for signs of monsters, erring on the seedier, given the risk of upsetting local sammen if any well intentioned ones were killed.

[Arcran]

"Damn it," Cupid mutters, eyes frantic. What the hell was he going to do? It wasn't until Naomi mentioned the monster hunter that Cupid was able to calm down slightly. He had to find Abracadaver as soon as possible. "Alright, alright, we can figure this out," Cupid says, pressing his comm device. "Puck, I hear you have a monster hunter. Abby's trail is cold."

[Red_Jenny]

Lady Sanguine blinked at the hint that the hunter's story went back 'far longer than hers'. If true, that was rare company indeed. "It's a start, and now I'm intrigued. I'll play nice, but you leave Tarnish out-" Any further thoughts are washed away in confusion, as a child races up out of nowhere and clamps onto Midnight's leg, who then vanished in an instant, leaving an angry note behind.

The emotions in the note were much stronger than any Lady Sanguine had seen while talking. "I think you hit a nerve, Puck. You are Puck, right?"

Evelyne habitually shook her head as she chimed in by commbead, as if Cupid could see her. "Er, we had a monster hunter. She disappeared. ...And she left the tracker Puck tried to plant." After a moment, Lady Sanguine sighed, long and deep, like someone heading in for an hours-long dentist appointment. "If... if you really need a monster hunter, try Tarnish? She used to be one, and she still thinks she is."

[Eshkigal]

Behind her, the kid seems to facepalm and mutter, though no longer using a kid voice to do so. Kinda surreal to hear the voice of a fully grown man out of a kid.
"S***. Yeah, it's me. She must be a speedster of some sort on top of everythin' else, only way ta explain how she coulda left the note an' got back to us fast enough earlier. Dammit, got careless on the plant. Anyway, either you or the twins try lookin' up old haunts of Mort's other identities?"

[Queen Sapes]

Tarnish, New Aeon Underpass

"So it would appear," the man says, gazing upwards at the overpass. "It's funny, the places life takes you..." he says, before his smile drops and he pauses in consideration. He sighs heavily, before resting the glass and bottle in the snow and flipping over a metal trash can to repurpose as a chair. "My apologies," he says, picking up the bottle to finish filling his glass. "I lied to you. I actually came, specifically, to meet you," he says, pointing to Tarnish. "Don't worry, I didn't come to fight you. I sincerely doubt I could even defend myself if you took that sword over there to cut out my throat. I actually saw you earlier, flying around with an old friend of mine, you might know him, Cupid. I was hoping you could pass along a message to him." The man sips from his glass before remembering himself. "Oh! I'm so sorry! Would you like some?" he asks, offering the bottle to Tarnish. "Its well aged. I promise it isn't holy water and if it is then you can kill me where I... sit," he offers, genuinely friendly.

Weald, Weald's Apartment

"Uh, not much actually," Tom responds, a little caught off-guard. "I just heard about it a couple of hours ago, it's super sudden. I don't even know who's playing, if anyone actually is. Probably some college choir thing, probably not worth the time going to see. The good bands never play free anymore."

[Ionbound]

Tarnish frowns and replies, "Zank you, but I don't drink," raising two fingers to politely refuse the glass, then continues, "Vhat message do you vant me to give Cupid?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

Oh, alright. Cool man. I'll hit you up later, kay? Jake waited just a moment for Tom to respond, before hanging up with an aggravated finger jab. He mostly missed the flip-phone era of cells, but he had one just before the first smartphone came out. He did miss the ability to angrily snap it shut. Dangit. He slipped his shirt on, then dug through his prior pair of pants for the comm-bead. He turned it over a few times, before jamming it in his ear. He tapped it a few times, unsure of exactly how it worked. "Hullo? Hullo? Pack? Pick? Whatever your name is? You there?

[Eshkigal]

What Puck gets of that is mostly feedback as Jake taps the line, causing him to jump just high enough to have his head visible above the illusion before he scrambles back into it.
"Whoever's got their finger on the mic, cut it out before ya blow it out, I hear ya! Now, who's this?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

Jake flinches, pulling his head away forgetting the bead was in his ear. Sorry, sorry. It's... it's Weald. My friend didn't know anything about the concert, so I've got nothing. Anyone else have better luck? Jake paced his room, looking for some dang socks. He should really clean up occasionally.

[Queen Sapes]

Tarnish, New Aeon Underpass

The man sips from his glass of rum before responding to Tarnish. "He can't go home," the man states plainly. "Far as I've been able to tell, the world we came from is gone. Whatever fell through, that's all there is of the Aeon he knew. New Aeon is different, more dangerous, and I've been doing my best to try and draw parallels but there's a lot to check. The big one he'll care about?" The man takes a deep breath before stating it. "He's dead here. Steve Robinson passed away at 14 of pneumonia. His parents died in a house fire a few years later. His sister is alive but trapped in a coma at Mercy General Hospital, kept alive by generous anonymous donors. Might be helpful to visit her," the man explains, finishing his drink. "Can you pass that along?" he asks with a smile on his face.

He nods his head. "It was nice meeting you, thank you for passing that message on," he says, stuffing his glass into his coat pocket and turning. "I'm sure we'll meet again." He salutes Tarnish and begins walking away, getting a few yards back the way he came before stopping and turning around. "Oh! I almost forgot to have you pass this along as well! It's very important so please, listen closely. When you dig six feet down in a sea of concrete, where are you?" He winks at Tarnish and continues on his way.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish nods and says, "I see. I vill be sure to tell him zat, next time I see him...If I see him again at all. Farevell, zen?"

[Arcran]

"Abby isn't anywhere near the intersection," Cupid replies to Weald. "Seems like he's vanished, unless we know somebody who's an expert at sniffing out zombies," Cupid states, wishing that Feral had fallen through the portal as well.

[Queen Sapes]

Tarnish, New Aeon Underpass

The man waves over his shoulder as Tarnish bids him farewell. He rounds a corner and disappears from view, leaving her to get into contact with Cupid. Puck's commlink could probably help with that, all it would take if quickly switching it on like before to get ahold of him probably.

[Ionbound]

As soon as the man leaves, Tarnish switches on the commlink again and says over it, "Cupid, are you zere? Some man just found me, and told me to give you zis message: Your vorld is gone. And apparently ze you of zis world died years ago. His sister is in a coma at Mercy General. Also, he had zis riddle: Vhen you dig six feet down in a sea of concrete, vhere are you?"

[Eshkigal]

Puck makes sure he is broadcasting to all channels first before giving his pitch, still disguised as the child.
"Got an idea at least. Mort gave us old names, an' that can be the clue to findin' him. I mean, average hero, they don't listen to the monolog, yeah? So ya can go on an' on about things, just really vent, an' then either they still don't catch on where yer hidin', or how ta stop ya, an' ya get ta share what is buggin' ya. But he leaked he was three different supers in the past century, an' who he was. Amazing Archery, Iron Coffin, Abracadaver. Magnificent Mortimer. Chances're good he may be at a spot important ta one of'em, especially if abandoned. Or somewhere else, wit' his partner. So we can research the berk an' chase down leads on his names, or look up known supers noted fer summoning. Or look up if his stagehand had next o' kin, or any of Thanatos's other victims that day. Who wants ta run what angle?"
Then Tarnish comes on, and it's like a kick in the gut.
"Wait wait wait, the f*** do ya mean gone? It was a world, it cannot jus' be gone!"

[Arcran]

"What?" Cupid asks, more than a little in shock as the vampire casually states that his entire world is dead. "What do you mean gone? Who were you talking to?" Cupid asks in confusion, unsure what was happening. He just nearly had time to recover before the second bomb was dropped on him, both that he was dead in this world and that, in this world, he had a sister. How the hell did that happen? So not only was damn near everybody he'd ever known dead, but so was his family here?

"Alright, Tarnish, do me a favor and figure out who that was from my world, alright?" Cupid says, doing his best to sound composed as he blinks back a few tears. As Puck gives his two cents, Cupid pauses. Right now he wanted nothing more than to rush over to the hospital and see if his sister was there, see if he could help. He wasn't sure about the riddle - riddle! That narrowed down who it could be considerably. Out of all the people to fall through, how the hell had Conundrum made it? "Scratch that , I know who it was," Cupid says, beginning to run things through in his mind quickly. The last time he'd listened to one of Conundrum's riddles he'd gotten these scars, but he'd saved Aeon, so he needed to solve this one. Sea of concrete had to refer to the city, right? And six feet under... A grave? A corpse? As Puck finishes his comment, Cupid manages to slide the pieces together.

"Puck, I need a favor. Cross-reference everything we know about Abby and his past identities with the sewer and subway systems. I think that may be where he's hiding out," Cupid says, taking off. "Where are you all, by the way? I'll come to you."

[Ionbound]

Tarnish shrugs as she starts calmly walking towards the nearest subway stop and says, "I don't know. It vasn't my vorld, so...I don't know. Anyvays, if that liche lives in ze subvays, I vill be zere. I don't suppose you have a plan as to vhere he lives ozzer zan 'ze subvays?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Commlinks not exactly being super-private within the network, Nathan and Naomi stiffened at the message Tarnish relayed. Naomi gently set a hand on Cupid's arm. She didn't offer words. Part of her thought to bring up that the man who had given the message had not revealed any proof that it was so, but...

Well, if you wanted to be technical about it, they didn't strictly have proof that their world had been destroyed. They had left before the war began, and the evidence of the war was all divinatory. The future was always only a possibility, and while divinations were accurate, they were not perfect. It would not have been unfair, as a means of offering hope, to say that they didn't know for sure that almost everyone they had ever known was dead.

Naomi was a naturally optimistic, confident person. She naturally looked to the bright side of things and assumed the best possible outcomes of events. But if anyone had tried to tell her that, she would have punched them in the face.

Nathan elected to focus on the riddle. A sea of concrete. What sort of locations might have enough concrete to be called a sea...?

Expertise (Architecture and Engineering) to try to determine and narrow down possible constructions that might qualify as "seas of concrete": [roll0]. Add +5 if Eidetic Memory applies, line's a bit blurry on this one.

[Eshkigal]

Sanguine doesn't see what happens beneath the illusion, but it is shortly after torn in half and gone as something small and strange looking slams into a wall and breaks into a bunch of tiny pieces.
"IT WAS OURS, YOU STUPID...stupid..."
Puck just slumps back, just leaning against the nearest surface (in this case a car), helmeted head in his hands.
"Never even got that chance ta make amends..."
He just sits there for a bit, ignoring any stares from the public before Cupid comes back in. With a weary sigh, he nods.
"Yeah, I...yeah. On it in a bit. You...you jus' go check up on yer doppelsister. Will call if I get anything. Jus' need some air first. Goin' offline fer a bit."
Before anyone else says anything, Puck removes his helmet, resting his head against the vehicle behind him.

[Red_Jenny]

"We're downtown. Not that far from you, I think. Give him a minute." Lady Sanguine murmurs into the commbead, then sits quietly on the hood next to Puck. "I'm sorry." She says nothing more. The situation was beyond common comfort. A whole world gone? That wasn't solvable with pats of the back. It was incomprehensible to her.

Destroyed, sure. Nuclear war. A great comet. Dead. Yes, she could see it. A plague, perhaps. But gone? What could that mean?

While she sits, she thinks. If she couldn't heal, she could at least be helpful. Evelyne knew something of magic and the magic community, and she had watched the subways take shape over the decades. Were there places where the two met?

Expertise: History [roll0] and Expertise: Magic [roll1], to try to help with the cross-referencing.

[Arcran]

Cupid pauses for a moment as Puck shouts over the comlink. He'd forgotten that he'd come through the portal as well...

"Sorry," Cupid says over the comlink, voice barely above a whisper. "He could have been lying," Cupid says, knowing that Conundrum wouldn't bother to do that. If he said it was gone, it was gone. The man played with riddles, but an outright lie seemed out of character. "As soon as this is over, we can grieve. But right now? We have to deal with Abby. If we don't, we survived coming here for no reason. We know what he's capable of, and we're the only ones that can stop him," Cupid says, wondering if he was wrong. If he was dead on this earth, what else could have changed?

With a few quick flaps, Cupid takes off into the sky, more to get away from the Twins than anything. "Drinks are on me after this is over. Cupid out," the Archer of Love states, turning off his compiece as he rockets towards the hospital.

[Eshkigal]

Puck just nods, slowly turning the helmet in his hands and looking up to Sanguine, having sat in the snow and slush, holding his helmet in his hands as he goes back and just stares at it, trying to process that. His face looks tired, beaten as he tries to get his words straight.
"Y...y'know what the real kick inna teeth is? I actually saved it a couple times. No one'd know that. Ten years a goddamn crook, an' I ended up breakin' a magic mirror pourin' every dead soul inta the world-hell, still got a bit of it stuck in my gut, an' stoppin' a guy from launchin' every nuke across the world at once, just 'cause I wanted out of jail. One month a hero, an' it gets bloody...bloody poofed outta existence? S*** just ain't bloody right."
He sighs, putting the helmet back on and slowly getting up.
"Right then, job first, then maybe I can work on becomin' an alcoholic. City hall sounds like a good choice fer some maps. Ya up fer a trip there, Sanguine?"

[Red_Jenny]

"You did more than most. I have been there. Not something that big, of course, but I watched my family wither and age away... life can be a real son of a bitch sometimes." A rueful half-smile. She hesitates for a moment, unsure if her words would carry the message she wanted them to.

"We only have someone's third-hand word. It might be cruel to get your hopes up, and I don't mean it that way, but we don't know for sure."

"But you're right. The business at hand." Lady Sanguine turned thoughtful, a somewhat more genuine and energetic smile slowly forming on her face. "City hall? If we need to. But I... I think I know where he is." She pressed the commbead to clue the others in. "Viviana Concert Hall. It's beautiful, big and old, built right after the Great War. Closed up now, all locked up to the public. He performed there ages ago, in his Amazing Archery days. There's a subway station literally across the street. It's close, too, about a mile, ah, that way." She points down the street.

[Eshkigal]

"Really is some days."
Puck nods, listening as a bit of joy creeps into Sanguine's voice.
"Right then, those of you with smart phones just go ahead and put that into navigation. Cupid, do what ya gotta right now, Sanguine an' I can check out this lead. We spot him, we call it in. Anyone who can sneak worth a damn is welcome ta join."

[Esprit15]

Tarnish shrugs as she starts calmly walking towards the nearest subway stop and says, "I don't know. It vasn't my vorld, so...I don't know. Anyvays, if that liche lives in ze subvays, I vill be zere. I don't suppose you have a plan as to vhere he lives ozzer zan 'ze subvays?"

"It's somewhere to start," comes a familiar voice. "Seems you lot are the only really interesting creatures in town. I assume you did not find anything new about the undead magician?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

Wait wait wait hold on. So, what, we're going to scour the subway's for him? Dude, I can't be out all night looking for some magic-zombie dude. Jake stared at his closed door, the sounds of the party filtering through. Weighing his options, he opted for adventure. Fine, fine, fine! I'll come out and help. Where do you want me to go? Jake slipped on some cheap converses, forgoing socks because he'll just ruin them. He stuffed another shirt and a pair of shoes into a backpack, slinging it over his shoulder.

He cracked the door open, peering out. He crept towards the elevator, hoping to make it out undetected. Lord knows what his father would say to him (or rope him into) if he was spotted.

[roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Naomi's gaze followed Cupid as he flew off. She could understand the impulse to be...well, maybe not alone, strictly speaking (she didn't care to imagine what state she would have been in had her family not been with her). But to not want to deal with others, considering the news he'd been given.

"We'll meet you there," Nathan said over comms, putting the location into his phone for navigation, the two taking off for it thereafter. Granted, they didn't really do stealth. But on the flip side, stealth was a heck of a lot easier when you knew where all the magic wards, traps, and alarms were.

[Eshkigal]

"Supers lifestyle involves a lot more of this sorta thing than the comics ever show, kiddo."
Shooting up into the sky on his zipline, Puck talks back to Weald as he swings his way over with Sanguine.
"We are gonna check on a lead, kid. I actually got a role for ya, though ya may wanna be near where Sanguine says ta start. You know how ta use a computer? Or, I dunno, got hands small enough fer a smart phone or something compared to what ya had when we met, Weald? Because we could use someone lookin' up news on Thanatos an' Abracadaver, actually."

[Ionbound]

"It's somewhere to start," comes a familiar voice. "Seems you lot are the only really interesting creatures in town. I assume you did not find anything new about the undead magician?"

Tarnish turns her head and sees Midnight. She draws her blade and asks, "Vhy are you here? Did you change your mind about ze ceasefire? Or did you just vant to taunt me furzer?"

[Esprit15]

Tarnish turns her head and sees Midnight. She draws her blade and asks, "Vhy are you here? Did you change your mind about ze ceasefire? Or did you just vant to taunt me furzer?"

"<No, but at this juncture, we have a mutual enemy,>" says says, Romanian a little archaic but otherwise fluent. "<It is well that your first response is defense. It means that you took my threat seriously. However, if we might turn our weapons away from one another, it sounded like you were discussing entry into the... ah, metro?>" she says, not really having an old word for subway in her Romanian lexicon.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish blinks, but nods and replies in Romanian, <"Forgive me but I do not trust someone whose first impression was declaring their intent to kill me."> She sighs, shakes her head, then continues, <"That said, if you want to help us, then who am I to say no. I believe we even know where the lich is?"> The whole conversation is spoken into the comms, the last part meant as a question directed to Puck and Sanguine to confirm that they knew where Cadaver was. Though of course, Tarnish forgot to swap out of Romanian so if they don't understand Romanian, then...

[Red_Jenny]

As they near the concert hall, Lady Sanguine talks tactics, though it's to keep Puck's mind away from the literal world-shattering news as much as it is planning. "I can be hard to see, when I wish, and any opening that isn't airtight is a door for me. Normally, I would just slip inside, but, well, how do we want to do this? I don't usually have the luxury of companions."

She frowned at the voice coming from the commbead. "Je ne parle pas roumain, Tarnish." She reminded the other vampire. "Are you near 7th Street station? We can do this in person. Bring the monster hunter, if she'll play along."

"We can use her as cannon fodder." She sighed to Puck with a smile that didn't get anywhere near her eyes, her finger securely off the comm.

[Eshkigal]

"Quiet is my favorite way of goin' into hostile territory. Or at least quieter than the guy who thinks tossin' cars at people is a fun time. Anyway, sneaky as is, illusions an' armor make me better, an' the grenades are all traps anyway. We spot'em, call'em in since this is Abra's turf. They spot us, wing it until help arrives."
At that, Puck shrugs, turning off his own comm line for a moment.
"Eh, chances are she'll try the same. Never trust anyone who goes into a monolog 'bout genocide on the first meeting."

[Esprit15]

Tarnish blinks, but nods and replies in Romanian, <"Forgive me but I do not trust someone whose first impression was declaring their intent to kill me."> She sighs, shakes her head, then continues, <"That said, if you want to help us, then who am I to say no. I believe we even know where the lich is?"> The whole conversation is spoken into the comms, the last part meant as a question directed to Puck and Sanguine to confirm that they knew where Cadaver was. Though of course, Tarnish forgot to swap out of Romanian so if they don't understand Romanian, then...

"<Good. I do not trust those that must feed on humans to continue existing.>" Midnight says, still watching the vampire, though not as intently. "Will we be waiting on your allies, or entering the subway now?"

[MesiDoomstalker]

Jake eyed his closed bedroom door as the elevator slid shut. Ya, I've got a cell. Whatcha need?

[Eshkigal]

Good thing he flicks it back on then.
"Abracadaver made it sound like his fight with Thanatos was recently, Weald. Need ya to look up any news coverage for it, or hell, maybe youtube vids, likely keywords Thanatos, Abracadaver, an' show. Also anythin' involvin' Abracadaver an' the news in general."
Good enough start should be seeing what Mort's past was like.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Alright, I'll take a look. Where am I heading? Should I just take the subway to a certain stop? Jake starts putting his phone through its paces, running searches and saving potentially insightful links for further review. If only he applied himself this much in other aspects of his life.

More Investigation! [roll0]

[Eshkigal]

"We're checkin' Viviana Concert Hall since it has a few things in common, namely bein' a spot Abby performed ages ago, subway access, an' formerly famous but abandoned."

[Queen Sapes]

Viviana Concert Hall, Downtown New Aeon

After nearly half an hour of travel for everyone in total, the group arrives at the Viviana Concert Hall at just about the same time. The concert hall is one of the oldest landmarks in Downtown New Aeon, just barely included in the area, and clearly built in a different century. The building stands just over 4 stories tall with a slanted roof that all other buildings in the area lack. Its stonework is old and makes liberal use of Gothic features to adorn its windows and the entry door. A single gargoyle stands an eternal watch atop the building's roof, stoic and silent in stone. Every window is boarded up from the outside with curtains drawn inside to keep anyone interested from peaking in. The ancient glass doors that lead into the building are blocked on the other side by wooden panels and on this side by a metal gate locked with four different padlocks. It appears completely abandoned and condemned at that, to the point it's a wonder the building even still exists at all.

Cupid, Mercy General Hospital

It's an easy task for Cupid to find the hospital, given its the only building with a massive red cross hanging on its side dozens of stories up. A quick talk with the nurses on duty at the entry counter gets Cupid the go ahead to head up nineteen flights to the long-term patient wing, down the hallway, right at the first intersection, and one door down one the left. The hospital room is dark, kept so by the staff whenever they don't need to be in there. The window that dominates the wall opposite her door has its curtains open, showing a spectacular view of the New Aeon skyline as it twinkles with light in the snowfall. The only sound in the room is the beeping of a machine watching her pulse and heart rate. On her bedside table is a plastic Christmas tree, wrapped in red and blue lights with an orange question mark tree topper. Next to it is a picture of the girl's family, Mom, Dad, Steve, and her.

The girl in the bed can't be more than four years younger than Cupid. To put it bluntly, she's beautiful, with soft facial features and long blonde hair. She's petite, a good foot shorter than Cupid, but clearly only benefits from the shorter height. Even as she lies there in a coma, Cupid can see she has tiny dimples in her cheeks that could probably draw the attention of the entire room if she smiled. She appears peaceful in her perpetual sleep. But something draws Cupid's eyes as he looks at his sister. Around her wrist is a golden, ornate, nearly fragile looking bracelet.

To your surprise, you find quite a bit about Abracadaver online. He's apparently a rather popular stage magician, playing shows all over the world, and has an especially big cult following of goths, horror fans, and hipsters. Nothing online that remotely mentions any criminal activity connected to him, just a lot of fan sites. Many of the sites make mention of missing him, questions about what he's up to or where he went, and after a while you find why. Dozens of news articles are available, all linking the same YouTube footage. A man with great black wings and clad in body armor that obscures most of his features stands on stage with Abracadaver, no facial scars. There is screaming from the crowd and clear signs of an explosion and bodies in the crowd. Abracadaver lashes out with magic blasts at the man a few times, missing with all but one shot the man purposely doesn't avoid. He takes it without signs of any pain. The man pulls a sword from seemingly nowhere and clears the distance to the necromancer in seconds, slicing into his face once as more screaming comes from the audience. Abracadaver falls to the ground and the man stands there with his sword reeling back for another strike as another explosion goes off in the audience and the footage ends. Forty-three dead by the final police count. Thanatos escaped. Notable stage magician Abracadaver missing and presumed dead.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The twins headed over to the group as they saw them, greeting them with nods. All things considered, they didn't particularly have any inclination to force cheer. They swept the building with their gaze, seeking out traces of magic.

Perception: [roll0].
Expertise (Magic): [roll1].

Ranged Acute Analytical Detect (Magic).

[MesiDoomstalker]

Jake had taken the liberty to transform prior to arriving at his destination proper. He held onto his phone, the window open to the video. Hey, I found some stuff. Abra dude is real popular stage magician. He, uh, had a rather bad run in with our favorite angel vigilante. He clumsily tapped the screen, causing the video to play. I'd be kinda pissed if someone did that to me, to be honest.

[Eshkigal]

Taking the helmet off again since it always looks a bit odd through the helmet as it keeps trying to read out incoming dangers, Puck watches the video, wincing at the portion that has the actual assault.
"Geez, didn't even happen to me an' I feel pissed off 'bout it. But...huh. I mean, we still hafta stop Cadaver, but seems like he may be just as much a pawn as-wait, where'd Scruffy get to-"
He pats his pockets for a moment, before he finds one that is small and fluffy. Pulling out the little demon squirrel, he notes that he seems to have gorged on an entire pocket of skittles, barely moving as he seems to be mostly gut at the moment save to ward off pokes to his stomach and a small belch.
"...Anyway, point is, we gotta stop him, but wondering if he's another decoy from the real threat bein' used. I mean, magicians, it's always 'bout misdirection, yeah?"

[Ionbound]

Tarnish hovers over Weald's shoulder in the way only a vampire really can as she watches the video and says, "Disgusting. Sloppy, vith mass civilian casualties...And he didn't even finish ze job properly. Remind me vunce this is over to sit down vith zis Thanatos have have a 'discussion' about tactics."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nathan watched the video with his hand clenched in a fist. They were mortals. It wasn't right.

Thanatos was definitely another villain who needed to be taken off the streets.

But first things first. "Judging by what he had said, the sense I get is that the summoner was hired help of some kind. Just a guess though, it's certainly possible that they're partners, or that she's the mastermind."

[Eshkigal]

"Ugh. Precisely why I don't like hunters-always think it is 'bout the target, not what else's around."
Matt shakes his head slightly at Tarnish before sliding his helmet back on.
"Been around 'nuff crazies that'd do that, think the tactics worked just as this bugger wanted'em to. Bugger takes his name from stuff 'bout death, grandstands through a blast ta bring despair as the guy trying to get rid of th' threat can't do a damn thing, then hacks their head up real good. Guy's there fer everyone he killed that day, an' more. If I had to hazard a guess, lots more. Easy bait fer th' right minds."

[Red_Jenny]

"Abhorrent." Lady Sanguine's opinion of Thanatos's actions is short and to the point. "He will need to be dealt with, sooner or later."

"Even if Abracadaver is a decoy, he will know who the real mastermind is. He is still the first step." She glances up, admiring the decaying Gothic building. "This would make a good lair. Shame to damage it. Let's take a look inside before we go in guns blazing and walk right into a trap, yes?"

Floating upward in her gaseous form, Evelyne scanned the closed up concert hall for an unobtrusive way in. She could just put a fist through the door, yes, but that seemed unsporting and apt to scare their prey away.

Perception, to find a way in - a grate, a gap in the boards, etc. Anything not airtight. [roll0]

[Esprit15]

Midnight similarly watches the video next to the vampire. "He's not a Hunter. Just a dangerous samman who kills without regard for human life," says the plainly dressed woman, growing at Puck's comments. "This is what Abracadaver was trying to draw out to kill?"

[Arcran]

Cupid picks up the picture in the room as if in a trance, looking at the picture of his parents, looking at how he would have appeared had he not picked up the golden bracelet. It was a slightly surreal experience, to say the least. He could clearly see himself in the other man, but only barely. It was like he was the best features in the other Steve, taken and amplified a thousand times over to create something better than the sum of their parts. As he looks it over, he can't help but wonder why his parents hadn't bothered to have a daughter on his own world. What was different here?

With a sigh Cupid sets down the picture, turning to look at his sister. How was she in a coma? Was it her own doing, or had somebody done this to her? Either way, Cupid gently grabs her bracelet, closing his eyes and focusing on it. He had no idea if bringing two of what was likely the same thing together was a bad idea, but he'd find out pretty quick.

Insight and Detect Emotion to see if she's under some kind of mind control type thing: [roll0]

[Eshkigal]

"Meant that for Tarnish, Miss Houdini. Though I gotta say, his behavior reminds me of bad times, three of which involved Hunters pullin' this crap. But yeah, that is Abracadaver's target. Hence the wonderin' 'bout if he is a decoy from someone a bit smarter."
He shrugs though, and looks to the building.
"Weald, you're in reserve 'cuz to be frank, you'd probably drop the whole place on us steppin' through the door, much less a jump like before. Tarnish, Poofs Mcgee, how good are you at not bein' seen?"

[Esprit15]

"Interesting. Maybe they were just bounty hunters and monster hunters, basic criminals," the woman says coldly.

"As far as stealth capabilities go, I don't believe any of you even saw me during my aiding of the earlier encounter with Abracadaver."

[Eshkigal]

"Great, find a way in, don't engage until we find out who is pullin' the strings if you find'em. Also...also, least ya passed the 'no killin' kids' check, so...for what that's worth, sorry. Met plenty who failed that. Ain't willin' to trust people who think extremes with that any more."

[Esprit15]

I never said I haven't. Just that I'm against civilian casualties, Midnight thinks to herself with a frown. It may be that she'd have to mention this man as a risk when she reestablished contact with the others. But that was a problem for another time. "If someone could bash in or otherwise open the doors, that would be most helpful, first. I'm not exactly physically strong."

[MesiDoomstalker]

I could. But apparently, I'm too noisy. Weald harumph's as he turns to watch the street.

[Eshkigal]

"No, yer too damn strong is what ya are, wit' too little finesse. I mean, look at the bloody place, mate. Ya punched a hole through concrete an' steel by jumpin' at it, like it were nuthin', ya think a buildin' on it's last legs could take even a bit o' that?"
He gestures to the building somewhat exaggeratedly before looking to Midnight.
"Anyway, yer with me then. Joy."
And then he aims for the roof and chooses to be anywhere but here.
[roll0]-Stealth as he checks the roof for a good entry point
[roll1]-Perception

[Ionbound]

Tarnish nods to Puck and says, "Go. I vill...Knock." She looks at the door, and tests the doorknob, then knocks. If the door is locked and there is no response for a minute or so, she draws back a fist and punches the door with all of her supernatural strength.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nathan gave Puck a kinda flat look, although the corner of Naomi's lips twitched in amusement. "Poofs McGee?" she asked, a bit incredulously.

"Illusions are not one of the schools of magic we have any particular experience with," Nathan answered with exaggerated dignity.

"But don't worry. We can make up for it with fire!" Naomi cheerily added.

Drawing their blades, they moved to stand behind Tarnish, since she appeared to be leading the non-sneaky-people approach. However, they would attempt to halt her before she made contact with the door if they detected magic on it.

[Queen Sapes]

Viviana Concert Hall, Downtown New Aeon

Tarnish strikes at the door, smashing down the metal grate in front of and sending glass shattering as the doors fall from their ancient hinges. It's by no means a quiet entrance, but it's effective. The immediate inside of the concert hall is a small entryway with old chairs and tables draped in white sheets. It still looks abandoned and there's no sounds coming from further in the building.

Cupid, Mercy General Hospital

Bringing the two bracelets towards each other causes a brief mental backlash, forcing Cupid to drop the bracelet and brace his forehead as a headache attacks. Cupid gained nothing by trying to reach into the girl's mind, just a painful backlash as his own power rejected the attempt. Her face actually scrunches up a little as she probably is experiencing the same headache. It's highly doubtful that she's under mind control or anything like that, just trapped in a coma ever since the house fire for whatever reason.

As you engage your magical sight you're immediately overwhelmed with what you see. It's clear that the door isn't enchanted in any way, but immediately past the door is a massive rune, stronger than almost any you've ever seen and built in a perfect way to hide all internal magic. It's effectively a magic blind spot, ensuring that those looking for anything specific inside wouldn't find anything from outside. Based on the marking, the only reason you can even see it is because of how close you are to it. It's also remarkably familiar in its shape and styling, but you can't tell where you've seen designs like it. Runes are a lot like handwriting, everyone has their own style to creating them, but you can't place where you've seen this before.
Scanning the wall of the building you almost come up completely short but spot, near the roof, a small and very slim grate perfect for slipping through.
You scan the rooftop for any kind of entrance into the hall, but unfortunately there's nothing big enough to even accommodate Scruffy. The roof is slanted away from the center and there's only a handful of pipes to vent heat out, far too thin to fit anything in them.

[Red_Jenny]

Lady Sanguine slipped up and through the little grate. She winced at the sound of crashing metal and breaking glass from below. That can't have been necessary. At least it's a good distraction. She kept her profile as low as possible as she traveled through the ducts, looking out where she could for any sign of the inhabitants. While not as obvious or loud as those coming in the front door, the drifting red mist was still suspicious. If the necromancer was still here, she wanted to make sure she got the jump on him.

Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[Esprit15]

"Thank you," Midnight says, disappearing into the building, searching it top to bottom.
Stealth: [roll0]
Quickness 8 (Half and hour of searching every six seconds)
Perception: [roll1]

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Wait!" Nathan said hastily over comms. "There's a rune in here that's blocking magical detection. We can't be sure if there aren't other wards or traps inside."

Also, I'm a bit unclear, so just want to confirm, the concealing effect is the only function of the rune itself, right?

[Arcran]

Cupid winces in pain, bending down to pick up his own bracelet. It made sense that the bracelets didn't particularly like one another; he didn't imagine the same exact power source from two different worlds would mesh very well.

Experimentally, Cupid tries to remove his sisters' bracelet, keeping his own far away from her arm as he does so.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish shrugs as she looks at the recently-breached entryway and says, "Eh. Zere are alvays traps. But if it vould make you feel better...Point it out. I vill break it."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"It's just on the other side of the door," Nathan said.

Routine Expertise (Magic) for 35 for information about runes: are there any general ways to disrupt them, and should they in general be expected to have any sort of backlash or other retributive effect for trying to disrupt, cross, or otherwise attack them.

[Eshkigal]

Internally, Puck facepalms as he learns who else has the subtlety of a drunken giraffe in the middle of a city.
"Ah...this ain't the 'splodey type of trap, is it? 'Cause doesn't smashin' magic normally cause bad crap to go off?"
He begins lowering himself to a window to pick and pry out the boards from, but at the first sign of whatever it is going off he is shooting himself off towards a different building.
[roll0]-sleight of hand to break in quietly

[Queen Sapes]

Viviana Concert Hall, Downtown New Aeon

As Lady Sanguine and Midnight move through the halls (and air vents) of the building searching for the necromancer, they notice the halls are practically stuffed full of theater chairs. Stacks and stacks of them populate the hallways, sometimes completely blocking pathways through the halls. While Sanguine is able to easily circumnavigate them by avoiding the hall and sticking to the vents, Midnight finds her travel through the halls hampered severely by them. She also is hampered by a number of runes she manages to spot in the corner of some hall entrances, either traps, alerts, or something worse, and they completely prevent her from advancing until she decides what to do with them if she can do anything at all. Puck meanwhile manages to slip into an upstairs window rather easily after prying a few boards loose. He slips inside and finds himself in the mess of blocked hallways and rune-marked corners.

Cupid, Mercy General Hospital

Cupid manages to remove his sister's bracelet and holds it in his hand to view. It's an exact replica of his own, save for the slight damage that transfers over from the bow's damaged state. It's a perfect copy but refuses to respond to Cupid like his own bracelet would. After nearly thirty seconds in his hand, the bracelet vanishes in a flash of light and reappears a second later in another flash back on his sister's wrist.

Sticking to the slim vents, you manage to find your way through them to a vent that overlooks the actual theater. It's a fairly large area, easily able to seat hundreds, if it weren't for the fact that nearly all the chairs have clearly been removed and placed in the hallways. They've in turn been replaced by a few beds, stacks of papers, books, filing cabinets, and a few stray crates. The stage is where all the business is going on, as six individuals gather around a huge round table covered in papers and a map of the city.

Abracadaver is there, his shoulder bandaged from his wound, and he leans over the table saying something you can't hear from this distance. He has another eight zombies dressed holiday costumes standing a few feet behind him, each one as blank as any zombie. Around the table to his right is a woman you swear you almost recognize, although you can't tell where from. She has curly brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and is dressed in a simple outfit of jeans and a black jacket. She has a bag that appears to be rather full of things hanging from her shoulder, and she points to various locations on the map as Abracadaver speaks.

To her right is a figure in a cloak whose back is turned away from you, making any further details about them impossible to discern. They don't appear to be interacting very much with the rest. To their right is a woman dressed more over-the-top than Abracadaver. She has stunning black hair and snow white skin, with eyes that glow a bright red that matches her lipstick. Her dress is mostly corset with a jacket that has a collar to match Abracadaver's own and a loose skirt that can barely be called a skirt. She stands perfectly upright and nods her head intently as Abracadaver speaks. You don't recognize her.

To the strange woman's right is another woman, significantly younger than anyone in the room. She looks like she's just over her teens, and her outfit screams 'rockstar' if the red and black guitar in her hands didn't. She's dressed in a leather jacket, studded collar, tank top trimmed in half, black pants that may be leather, finger-less gloves, and black boots. Her hair appears to be naturally black but with a single strip of pink dyed in. She sits in a chair with her legs up on the table, clearly disinterested in the conversation, lazily tuning her guitar. You swear you can almost name her as well, but it's not immediately springing to mind.

To her right is... nobody. You could've sworn when you first saw them there was someone there, but there's just empty space. You must've miscounted those in attendance.
Runes are fairly simple magical focuses. They're designed in a specific way to focus magic that is imbued into them and create a desired effect. Disrupting and disabling them is fairly simple, the caster who enabled them is able to switch them off with little effort while others have to focus their own magic in a way that overcomes the caster's. Failure by another caster in turning a rune off can often result in headache, sickness, total incapacitation for the opposing caster, or in the case of some runes trigger their greater effects. Crossing them is fine as long as they're not designed to trigger their effects by crossing or being in proximity of them. Attacking them often results in either increasing the rune's charge (when a magical attack is applied), destroying and disabling them if they're weak enough, or causing them to explode violently in their destruction if they're powerfully charged. It can turn out well to simply attack and destroy them, but it's not advised by most magicians. A rune that is switched off can be altered to produce a different effect.

[Esprit15]

Midnight carefully examines the runes, but the odds of her knowing much about them were slim. She was never one of the experts on magic, and had only a basic understanding, enough to perform the feats that she needed to. Taking her time, she works to dispel every rune that she comes across.
Dispell Magic, will roll three to start off with
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2] opposed by rank check of the rune

[Arcran]

Cupid chuckles as the bracelet disappears. He should have expected it; it was identical to his, after all.

As he stares at his sister, Cupid reaches deep into the magical reserves within his own bracelet, trying to navigate the energy with a small degree of success. Even after all this time, he could only make the bow do certain things. Still, maybe it would help him out a bit. Focusing intently on it, Cupid gathers the energy around him before pushing it towards his sister, hoping it would have some positive effect.

Power Stunting to do... something?

[Quellian-dyrae]

"...But it could explode if you try to break it," Naomi added. "Give us a moment."

The twins began focusing, using their own magic to try to unbind the rune.

Expertise (Magic) to disable the rune. Lets go ahead and Routine this one for 30. We'll call it our experimental control :smallamused:.

[Eshkigal]

"Bugger me, they're everywhere in here. Same wit' chairs an' whatnot. Seems like they made a maze."
Puck slowly makes his way through, trying to avoid pathways with runes, find or make gaps in the chairs he could, in theory, squeeze through, marking paths when possible, and all in all really wishing he actually knew what even half the crap scrawled around here meant.
[roll0]-assuming acrobatics
[roll1]-sleight of hand, think it said something about tight squeezes
[roll2]-stealth to avoid runes I guess

[MesiDoomstalker]

Tell me when you want my particular expertise in stealth. The sarcasm was dripping in his voice.

[Red_Jenny]

Lady Sanguine rematerializes and quickly thumbs the commbead. "It's not just Abracadaver. There are six of... I-I thought... hm. Five of them. They've moved into the main theater. Planning something on the main stage. I can see a map of the city, but I'm not close enough to hear clearly. They don't seem to have noticed the racket you make yet."

"Besides him, there's a woman... brown hair, black jacket, no costume. She's familiar, but I don't remember from where. Someone in a cloak, they're facing the wrong way, I can't see any more... And a very theatrical vampire. Goodness. I don't know her, but she makes the magician seem drab." The approval is obvious in Lady Sanguine's voice. "And a woman dressed like a punk rocker, complete with guitar. Much younger than the others. She is... ah, it's on the tip of my tongue. She's familiar. It will come to me."

"I'm going to try to get a closer look." Drifting down as swiftly as possible, Evelyne hid among the crates, figuring that from the theater, she would be able to hear what was said up on the stage. That was the point of this place, after all.

[roll0] Stealth
[roll1] Perception

[Queen Sapes]

Viviana Concert Hall, Downtown New Aeon

Deeper into the Concert Hall, both Midnight and Puck manage to slip past a number of runes while making their way deeper into the building. Puck outright avoids them, choosing to slip through the small gaps in the chair blockages to make his way forward and avoid runes where possible, eventually winding up in front of an unblocked doorway that's labeled as going to the third floor balcony. Midnight goes the more direct route, using her magic in an attempt to dispel the runes. The first two she comes across are dispelled in a dim flash of light from the rune's carving, the third simply fading out completely as she likely gets more practice dispelling the tiny runes. A few quick spells and Midnight is at a door which labels itself as a second floor balcony entrance. There's no way to see inside on either the second or third floors through the doors, meaning they'll have to be opened to see what's actually going on.

Back at the entrance, the Twins focus and direct their magical energy into the rune carved in the ceiling above the entrance. It's a massive thing, easily identifiable thanks to the way it glows, although it would likely vanish into the design of the place when deactivated. The Twins attempt to disable it by pushing and trying to bend it to their will with magic, but the rune itself pushes back and refuses to be broken or even bent. Whoever set this up was likely extremely powerful in terms of magic ability and knowledge.

Cupid, Mercy General Hospital

As Cupid directs his magic into his sister, he doesn't see any actual effect of this on his sister. She remains there silent as she's been since she entered the coma. However her bracelet does respond. It begins unfurling into a bow similar yet distinctly different than Cupid's. It's more slender and tall than Cupid's bow, and appears to have some designs carved into its surface. The bow only unfurls about halfway for a few seconds before returning back into its bracelet state.

You smoke down into the theater to hide among the crates and can hear the conversation begin to pick up. It's far more difficult to actually see what is going on down on stage, but you can hear everything much easier. "You'll be providing the distraction and challenge to entice his arrival," you can hear Abracadaver explain to the punk rock woman. "Once he arrives the runes will be triggered and trap him in the area. We'll attempt to hurt him as much as possible while you and the hunter distract and harass him. It'll be a waiting game until Jack finds a host willing to bond, after which he's finished. Hopefully there's no interruptions as there was today, but if there is do not engage. Those heroes aren't our enemies, just misguided souls somehow lacking in knowledge of who we're stopping. I just hope..." He pauses for a a moment as the woman to his right addresses him. "Blast, he may be here. Two alerts triggered. Everyone, prepare yourselves."

[Arcran]

Cupid breathes heavily, slightly weak on his feet after forcing the magic into his sister. The image of her bow was still burned into his mind though; why in the hell, if she was shorter than him, was her bow taller than his? And what were all of those designs? Were they hints to what exactly what was going on with the two of them?

At this point, Cupid had more questions than answers and just sat on the windowsill for a moment.

Alright, going to use a Hero Point for a hint here.

[Red_Jenny]

Lady Sanguine whispers urgently into the comm. "It's a trap for Thanatos. The runes are to keep him held in the theater. I don't know if it makes a difference to you, but they don't want to fight us, or at least Abracadaver doesn't. He's just requested they not engage if we show up. So play nice, we may be able to talk part of this out. And be ready, yes? They know we're here. Thank you, whoever decided to interfere with the runes." She elected to stay hidden for now. Standing up when they were all on edge was a good way to get a bolt of something eldritch and forbidden to the chest.

[Esprit15]

Quickly and silently, Midnight opens the door, carefully moving into the next room.
Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[Eshkigal]

Puck stands at the balcony door, regarding what Sanguine said.
"Maybe they were on th' chairs? I dunno. May have been Speedy. How do people wanna play this? Possibly stop them including anyone else wit' a chat an' an offer ta help safely wit' Thanatos? Or go in guns blazin' on a group huntin' a serial killer an' mass murderer?"

[Ionbound]

Tarnish shrugs as she walks through the door as she replies to Puck, "I do not intend to let ze liche survive, vun vay or anozzer. Likevise, unless he presents to me a very good reason, nor do I intend to let zis Thanatos live. But zat is a separate matter. Vhat matters right now is zat ve are here, and ze liche knows zat. Is zere anozzer option zan guns blazing?"

[Eshkigal]

"Not gettin' off on murder, fer one. Seriously kid, every other word outta ya sounds like the exact same bull every other super powered killer I have ever met spouted. Might wanna chill a bit on that."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"I concur," Nathan agreed, voice firm. "Abracadaver's crime is that he is attempting to murder Thanatos in cold blood, exacerbated by the danger he put innocents in. They both need to be stopped, yes, but the punishment for their crimes should be decided by the courts, not us."

"'Sides, if we're operating under the premise that undead on this planet are actually sapient beings with the capacity for moral action, then being a lich isn't sufficient justification for destruction," Naomi added.

"Myself, I feel like the best strategy might be to withdraw from the building. If the runes are meant to trap, then this concealing rune is presumably meant to draw Thanatos in unawares. We'll need to check some other possible entrances to be certain, but if it functions only at this entry, that means they have reason to suspect that he'll come through here. If we wait out here, some of us standing as guards and some in hiding, we can prevent Thanatos from entering, depriving Abra and his team control of the environment. We can engage him, and if Abra and his team come out, either talk them down or neutralize them if they attack."

"If you guys think it'll do any good, we can go in and try to talk some sense into them. But I kinda doubt it'll do any good."

[Eshkigal]

"Can do wonders. After all, sometimes people, especially th' ones wit' powers, need t'be reminded it ain't all about them. Easy t'forget that when someone gives an excuse. Anyway. Goin' in."
He moves in to the balcony carefully, figuring if they were warned he was here, they may be jumpy. So he leads with a simple illusion. Namely, a white flag waving from the balcony right next to his.
"Fair catch, fair catch. Evenin', folks. Name's Matt, but you lot can call me Puck. Willin' to talk?"

[Ionbound]

Tarnish growls with disgust, and replies angrily, "Vell in zat case, ask the ze innocent people he turned into zombies vhether or not he's worth letting unlive. And, for zat matter, ask ze police if zey have a holding cell zat's magic proof."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"It's entirely possible to conjure zombies from thin air or transmute bodies for animation from unliving materials. It's also not impossible that they willingly donated their bodies for reanimation after death. On the more criminal end, he could have stolen cadavers from graves or morgues, or even reanimated the victims of Thanatos believing it would give them a sort of karmic justice. I would not say I strictly believe he did any of those-"

"Although actually that reanimating the victims of Thanatos kinda sounds like him, based on what we know so far."

"-but the point is, access to zombies is not evidence of murder. It's certainly suggestive, but it's a matter that requires investigation to prove. None of which changes the fact that even if he did kill those people in cold blood purely for use as raw materials, that doesn't mean the correct response is to kill him on sight. It doesn't matter whether or not he deserves to die, because it is not our right to decide that. That is a task for the courts, after a full and thorough investigation into his crimes. On our end, lethal force is only justified when it is the best option for neutralizing a threat to ourselves or others. If no one is in peril, or if the threat can be removed with available nonlethal force, then going for the kill is unjustified."

"As for the cells...I would be honestly shocked to learn that a world with this...variety of superhumans, operating this openly, has no means of detaining them. Even in that case, I'm sure we could negotiate with the Circle on the city's behalf for a fair price to put together some cells capable of suppressing magic and blocking projections."

With her brother having evidently decided that this was a good time and place for a lecture on ethics, and the runes deemed more-or-less harmless, Naomi headed into the building, making her way as best she could figure towards the main staging area, so at least she'd be able to support Puck if she needed it. She'd avoid disturbing any runes she encountered for now, moving around or flying over them where possible. Only if they blocked her passage unavoidably and appeared harmful to cross would she try to disrupt them.

[Queen Sapes]

Cupid, Mercy General Hospital

As Cupid pauses on the windowsill, watching his sister sleep and the tree the Conundrum likely set up twinkle in the bed next to her, he's lost as to what to do next. Taking off the bracelet just returned it to her. Trying to exercise his own will on the bracelet first gave him a headache, and then using his magical energy on it only caused the bow to expand and quickly retract. Cupid's at a loss of what exactly to do, and the orange question mark in the room doesn't help with asking the question of where to go next. Then he hears a voice in his head chime in. I wish he would do that again. Whatever it was felt good.

Viviana Concert Hall, Downtown New Aeon

"Puck..." Abracadaver says as Puck greets him. "Like the sprite? Hardly a name I expected, but I recognize your voice from earlier," he says, glancing to the others on the stage. "You didn't attack me earlier, so for that I thank you. We may speak, but I must ask how you found this place, and if your allies are waiting in the wings to attack?" Abracadaver waves down the others but they keep their powers readied.

"Puck is also a demon, Cadaver," chimes in the woman with white skin. "Or fairy. Either way, I love the name, darling," she addresses to Puck with a smile and wink. With Puck providing distraction by addressing them directly, it gives Midnight time to sneak in to the balcony. In the hallways, Naomi and Tarnish move forward avoiding the runes and working their way to similar doors leading to the ground floor.

You manage to enter without being spotted as far as you can tell, and take a peak over the balcony at the assembled group. You don't recognize the three women, although you can tell that the woman with white skin is very much not a vampire despite her skin and eyes. You can't seem to think of any kind of creature she could be other than human with some strange traits. She likely has magic that has changed her appearance to its current state.

You do recognize the other figure in the cloak though. It's no normal black cloak, the embroidery on the edges is symbolic of its origins and though hard to see for most it's instantly recognizable for you. The tattered edges towards the ends scream out to you that it's an old cloak, which further cements that you know what this person is. The cloak they're wearing is a Hunter's Cloak, a ceremonial garment given to hunters who complete their training and are able to be sent into the world to eliminate monsters. You own one nearly identical to it. The person inside the cloak is obscured by its shadows, likely on purpose given their training, but you can see a pocket-watch chain hanging out of the cloak, the other big and useful tool of the Hunters.

[Arcran]

Cupid frowns at the question mark in the Christmas tree, before focusing on the deep parts of his bow again. Maneuvering the swirling nexus of energy was trying, to say the least, but Cupid does his best to find his way to the core, focusing on what he can try to help her. Memories of his family on his world, his exploits as a hero, every precious, loved memory, coupled with the bows magic. Days in the sun with his parents before he ever found the bow, when he was a typical cute son. The first time he took flight with the bow, soaring and diving over the city. The pride he felt when the media first spoke his name. The more recent years of his life were notably absent; there hadn't been quite as much love and joy in those times.

The Archer of Love grits his teeth as he tries to control the power, before pushing it towards his sister once again, hoping that it will have a more significant effect than the previous. He didn't know how many more times he could do this. Hopefully he could get a more substantial reaction than just her bow unfurling.

Going to do that same Power Stunt again! Cupid is Exhausted now.

[Red_Jenny]

"A lucky guess from someone who remembers the old days, 'Amazing Achery.'" Lady Sanguine reforms and stands with a bow (and a lie). "This place used to be beautiful, didn't it? No trouble, not unless you start it. We just want to talk. There must be a way to keep this from falling into needless violence."

"How were you going to draw Thanatos out? If he didn't show up for a demon the size of a building, what's going to bring him to a place that everyone in town thinks is abandoned?" She smiles. "I was listening to the end of your planning. Ambitious, to say the least."

[Esprit15]

Another Hunter? Working with these people? Perhaps there was more going on here. Her heart began to race though at the prospect of one of her own having come through the portal as well. Still, giving away a tactical location just because she saw an ally would be poor planning. If this turned hostile, she'd prefer to attack without warning. The Hunter could be spoken to at a more peaceful time.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nathan headed into the building, quickly catching up since he could just follow the same path his sister did rather than piecing his way through the runes himself. They'd run a quick scan for magical traps and such on the door, but unless they found some, they'd head through.

[Eshkigal]

Puck stands up from the balcony next to it, giving a short wave as he leans on the balcony and the illusion breaks next to him.
"What can I say, after hittin' this dimension, I can appreciate that yer double ain't necessarily like yerself. As fer findin' ya, th' monologue earlier was admittedly a big help. Always can glean a bit from who someone was. Oh, an' like the fairy, or hobgoblin, in this case. Thanks, miss, always a pleasure meetin' someone who appreciates th' name."
Then he vaults over the side, aiming up with the zipline to control his fall, bringing out the still full Scruffy to sit on his shoulder. Or, considering the full belly, kinda just layet there and ignore the world due to near food coma.
"That all said, th' fiend bit, well, namely disruptin' the peace like that, is th' main thing they got punchy 'bout, an' speakin' as someone who has been trampled by people before, mind you, it ain't fun. An' there were plenty o' kids around, easy t' separate from parents an' all, or not see in a panic, so...yeah. The bait an' that bit is the main bit people are angry about. An', well, possibly plannin' murder, even if it is th' scum of the earth you plan t' kill. That said, they are agreein' to give a talk a chance. Though we kinda left Weald outside since we ain't sure how sturdy yer floors are, an' two are more likely to still be a bit stabby. Or, well, Tarnish is a monster hunter, an' another monster hunter followed her here. Dunno 'bout them. But, anyway, I mean, we get yer after a mass murderin' s*** but there hafta be easier ways of baiting th' sap, yeah? Even if it did end up cute after."

[Queen Sapes]

Cupid, Mercy General Hospital

Cupid forces more of his energy into his sister, focused through the bracelet. The bracelet unfurls completely this time, expanding out into the full bow which actually remains resting on her lap. Cupid can also see the shadow of wings unfurling on her back appear, although these fade away as no wings actually appear. She remains unconscious but Cupid continues to hear that voice in his head. Oh. My. God. It feels so good to not have the bow wrapped around my wrist and almost spread my wings. Mister, I know you can't hear me and I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but thank you for this. The voice in your head is extremely satisfied and relieved with what Cupid did. Also there's a voice in his head that isn't his own, which is cause for concern.

Viviana Concert Hall, Downtown New Aeon

"I'm hoping you're honest people," Abracadaver states, his voice filling the room thanks to the theater's amplification. "And if one of your number turns to violence, I hope you'll assist in stopping them before anyone is hurt. We'll stand at the truce as long as you do," Abracadaver orders to the others. The woman with white skin smiles, the brown haired woman nods, the girl with the guitar shrugs, and the cloaked figure remains silent and shrouded. The woman in white turns to shadows and the shadows move quickly towards Puck, stopping a few feet from him where she reappears.

"There's my little monster," she says with a smile, reaching out to scratch Scruffy with one finger. The demon squirrel reacts to it quite happily, immediately recognizing the woman as friend. "I do hope you named him, since I'd hate for a cute man to be carrying a cute monster with no intention of keeping it." She smiles at Puck before vanishing back into a fog of shadow that moves over to a crate to take as a seat.

"As I was saying before you all attacked earlier," Abracadaver begins, taking a few steps towards the edge of the stage. "Our best idea of how Thanatos chooses his targets is their power. Bigger the threat, stronger the threat, greater likelihood of the angel of death's arrival. We had hoped the beast would have been enough to draw him out, and perhaps it would have had we been given more time, but we were interrupted." Abracadaver pauses as the woman with brown hair walks up behind him and places one of her hands on his shoulder. She points to one of the entrances with the other hand just a few seconds before the door opens and Naomi walks through shortly followed by Nathan. "Thankfully our final member has finally arrived, and we have a challenge great enough we're sure he'll take it," Abracadaver continues, taking a few steps back and bracing his shoulder at the sight of the Twins.

"It's the girl," the snow white skinned woman states, pointing up on stage where the girl with the guitar hasn't moved despite everyone entering. "Hey," she says, raising her hand a little in a lazy wave. She proceeds to strum a few chords on her guitar, the noise of which fills the entire area greater than Abracadaver's voice despite the fact the guitar clearly isn't plugged into anything.

http://i.imgur.com/05JJL0a.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/Hrgd0Ju.png

[MesiDoomstalker]

Weald stares at the empty street, a little dumbfounded. So, uh, I guess I'll come in? We're playing nice, again, so I'll come play nice. Or whatever. He huffs and trudges inside. At least it's warmer.

[Red_Jenny]

Lady Sanguine acknowledges the members of this strange cabal as they are introduced. She was inclined to be peaceable, and things were polite enough, if a bit frosty, as expected. "We've seen Abracadaver's reason for revenge. Is this personal for the rest of you as well, or just dealing with a dangerous nuisance?"

"And If this works, if he comes, and actually falls for your trap, and doesn't simply cut his way back out, what do you plan to do with him once he is captured? Do you think he can be detained, or will you be executioner as well as judge and jury?"

[Eshkigal]

"Well, on th' upside, ya definitely get to punch Thanatos, Weald."
Puck shrugs at the honest bit, since all his life he has only been a dishonest sonovabitch.
"Tryin' ta be, but you know how it is. Tricksters find more fun in th' truth. Though, as Lady Sanguine says, lot of this may depend on yer end goal, as it were. Maybe also on th' source of the zombies y'got, fer one of 'em at least."
Then the lady becomes a shade, swinging by Puck and his squirrel demon thing, getting Scruffy to chitter happily and even get up from where he laid as Puck raises an eyebrow beneath the helmet.
"Gotta say, taken a liking to th' little guy myself. Best I got names wise is Scruffy at the moment, though-dunno near enough t' consider a proper name fer him yet. Though most've ya have yet ta give yer own names. Such as yerself, miss...?"
He also pauses and considers what Morty said about Thanatos.
"Sure there's no other patterns fer victims? Power source, power set, anythin' down those paths?"

[Ionbound]

Tarnish draws her blade as she walks forwards, holding it lowered by her side, not aggressive, but ready to leap into action at a moment's notice. She glares at woman with snow white skin and says, "So. A liche and a vampire, zen. And..." She spares the girl with the guitar a cursory glance, "A vitch. How cliche. Now zen, I suppose ze question is vhether or not you vill set anozzer monster loose on ze city, or if you vill go for a course of action that doesn't end vith you three given final death and me a very happy voman."

[Quellian-dyrae]

The twins stayed back. They could cross the room quickly enough if it came to that. For now, they waited silently, Naomi watching the scene. Nathan, though, took out his phone. He was about tired of being behind the ball on the people they were dealing with.

Expertise (Current Events) to conduct some internet research on Thanatos and Abracadaver (including his aliases).

Regarding Thanatos: [roll0].
Regarding Abra: [roll1].

[Arcran]

Cupid starts as he hears the voice in his head, briefly wondering if the expenditure of magic was driving him slowly insane. If he couldn't see the results of the magic on his sister's body, he might have even believe it.

I can hear you, Cupid thinks, focusing on his bow, hoping that it could help. Who I am is, well, a story, Cupid thinks awkwardly, wanting to tell his sister who he was, but knowing that it was more important to get her awake.

Suffice to say, you can count me as a friend. Now, how can I put you back? Cupid asks, hoping that the answer wasn't to pour more magic into her.

[Esprit15]

Midnight still stays silent, listening and watching. It was tempting to interrupt Tarnish, but again, patience. She did lack some grey matter within her skull, sadly, based on this outburst. One ought not make challenges with the odds so stacked against oneself without very good reason.

[Queen Sapes]

Viviana Concert Hall, Downtown New Aeon

The woman with white skin chuckles a little to herself at Tarnish' assertions. "Honey, I may not be on my first life anymore but I'm hardly dead or undead to any degree. I see only two vampires here, one there," she says pointing to Tarnish, "and one there." She points out Lady Sanguine with a smile and short wave to the second. "I'm a witch, plain and simple. And we have no intention on summoning another monster and setting it free, not when we have her." The woman motions to the rock girl on stage. "She's no witch. She's something far more than that." She then turns her attention from the vampire crusader to Puck. "My name? I'm Madame Macabre, but you can just call me Madame," she says to Puck, winking again.

"It's personal for many of us, least I believe it is," Abracadaver explains, looking at his team. "You've seen the footage of my attack. I'd like to return to my life on the stage, but I know that isn't possible as long as he exists. Other heroes, villains, and others like myself who have been attacked, escaped with their lives, and resurfaced, don't usually survive the second round. He's much more vicious. Even those who can resurrect or are brought back through medical miracles don't survive long. That's how Professor Jackanapes met his ends. We don't know if he's even in hiding after the last time he was killed. He may not have wanted to come back."

"That's why I'm here," Madame Macabre chimes in. "First time he caught me by surprise in my own home! I came back, tried to go back to my life, and I left the Earth a second time. This time, I'd like to not be gruesomely murdered in my own bed."

"She escaped with her life, but Thanatos cut out her tongue before she did. Difficult to cast powerful spells without verbal magic, wouldn't you agree?" Abracadaver calls to the Twins, pointing out the brown haired woman. "The rest came to get ahead of the problem, to answer a call so everyone could feel safe. There is no apparent reason to his strikes, only that those with significant power he might see as a challenge end up cut by his blade. He targets magicians, aliens, men in power armor, gods, mutants, and powerless vigilantes alike. He targets heroes, villains, and everyone in between. Most don't survive, and we've struggled to find those that do and go into hiding. If Thanatos has chosen you as a target, knows you live, and has some clue as to where you are, he'll come for the kill. I don't believe there's any way to detain him. He's dangerous in a fight, powerful, and extremely resourceful. Could you detain Adamant? No, he'd simply walk through everything you put in front of him until he was free. Thanatos is the same way. Of course we'd prefer to stop him that way, but I simply don't see it being possible. He'd escape and cause more pain, kill more people on his escape."

Cupid, Mercy General Hospital

Huh. Voice in my head that's not my own, she thinks to herself, giving it a long pause to consider. Fantastic! Great going, Claire! You've been stuck in this coma for so long you're going crazy! she starts shouting in fear. Steve always used to tease me and say I was crazy, I guess I just proved him right! Oh my god, I'm completely doomed aren't I? I'm stuck in a coma after that fight with the black wing and ski mask guy, and now I'm hearing voices in my head. Real winner you are, Claire. Next I'll hear that voice start to try and convince me it's real, then Abraham Lincoln will chime in, and it'll be followed up with Dad telling me something about responsibility. I mean, the voice at least sounded like a nice person, I suppose I could've gotten the voice that screams about suicide and darkness. No! That's how insanity will get me! Trick me with a nice voice and then next thing I know I'm sitting on an island with a volleyball! Well Claire Robinson is smarter than that! I'm not listening, la la la la la...


On Thanatos, you find multiple news articles about his rampages through different locations in and around the city. Casualties in the hundreds, nearing the thousands, mostly names you don't recognize like Professor Jackanapes, Boomer, the Crimson Detective, Doctor Destructo, Madam Mischief, Riptide, Madame Macabre, Ersatz, and Winter Wraith, among hundreds of civilians. Unconfirmed killings are a few hundred shorter and not included by name. Jane and John Does killed rival unconfirmed killings. There's some speculation as to his true identity, some theories on his powers, hideout, and how he moves and finds people. Nothing rock solid in there. Most recent article has him attacking a bus about a week ago, with no mention of what hero could have been on it or what their powers were.

For Abracadaver, you find dozens of fan sites following his various personas and stage names. Articles that talk about his absence from the stage, video of his fight with Thanatos, speculation about whether or not he's even alive or not. Nothing remotely relating to a criminal past in any degree. Nothing that heroic as well, no mentions of charity or such, but nothing bad. He was a stage performer who just wanted to do his job forever, and he clearly enjoyed it and others enjoyed his work by the looks of it.

[Arcran]

Cupid laughs softly at his sister's unfiltered stream of consciousness. At the very least, she was funny, despite being in a coma for who knows how long. Was it just a coping mechanism, trying to shut out the tiny shimmer of hope she had? Or was this just her natural personality? After being attacked by Thanatos, it was a wonder that she was in such good shape in the first place.

Come towards the light Claire, Cupid thinks jokingly, before panicking. Or rather, don't. I'd rather you didn't die before we get the chance to meet, Cupid says, trying to figure out how to best spin this. Identifying himself as Steve would, well, likely make her think she went even more off the deep end, which wouldn't help anybody.

You're not going crazy. You get hit with a whole lot of magic, then start hearing voices? Come on, break out the 'ole addition tables, Cupid teases, working bit by bit to get her to trust him. To make a very, very long story as short as possible, this world just got another Cupid, or whatever you called yourself when you were a hero. Love Arrows, wings, the whole bit. I've been dumping as much of my power into you as I can, but I'm just about spent for the moment. I need you to focus, alright? If you were actually in a coma, we wouldn't be able to talk right now, right? What's keeping you on that bed? Cupid asks, trying to steady himself as he sways slightly. He hadn't expended that much magic all at once in a very, very long time.

Persuasion Check: [roll0]

[MesiDoomstalker]

Uh. I know it's kinda late, but maybe I can help? With your face. Weald motions with his hand. He doesn't move forward, waiting for permission. I can heal people. I dunno if it'll work, but there's no hurting in trying, right?

[Eshkigal]

"A pleasure meeting ya, Madame. An' th' rest of yer friends?"
That said, he gets a bit sidetracked on the conversation after that.
"Actually, y'might be able to if ya didn't go fer hurtin' so much as just bein' ridiculously annoyin'-er, fer Adamant that is. Jus' idle thinkin'. Though we may have a bit of an advantage, after all. Seems ta be Cupid's doppelganger, after all-just fer sanity's sake can we jus' call the villainous or more murderous versions the doppelganger, despite world, mind? Maybe he has some theories 'bout cutting off Thanatos's powers at th' source. An' if ya need delayin' tactics, that's a bit of a specialty. Although...heh, if that works that could get real fun. Hey, can runes work from a projection? 'Cause I could rig lots of those up easily."

[Red_Jenny]

Evelyne bowed to those assembled. "Lady Sanguine, at your service. I'm sorry for Tarnish's assumptions, Madame Macabre. They were mine. I saw only white skin and red eyes from a distance."

Lady Sanguine frowned as Abracadaver laid out Thanatos's modus operandi. Whatever they thought of this band, the "vigilante" was worse. Her last objections to cooperating pushed aside, the vampire turned to planning.

"So, how do we help? He can fly, but wings can be bound. Puck, you might have something up your sleeve for that, yes? And... what else? Is the sword magical, a source of power, do you think? Or is it just a blade?" Evelyne racked her brain. What did she know of the killer?

Expertise: Magic to learn what she can of Thanatos's abilities. Might not be a relevant roll, but it's the best I got. [roll0]

[Eshkigal]

"Ain't had th' kit to modify rounds fer fliers lately, but I could possibly rig somethin' up. Or gum 'em up maybe. That said, found makin' their eyes unreliable is plenty o' deterrent fer most. Same fer speedsters, really-ever seen one run straight into th' back of an eighteen wheeler they couldn't see? Swear t' god, the face they make on impact is like somethin' straight outta a cartoon."
He gives a bit of a chuckle as he remembers the first encounter with Automaton, racing down a highway in a stolen race car while trying to get the mostly mechanical hero to skid out, or run into the back of something large and heavy enough to stun him. Fun time, despite the dislocated arm and broken jaw once he had been caught.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Quite," Naomi agreed with Abra's comment about casting spells without a tongue. Falsely, as it happened. She and Nathan were mage-knights, trained in directing magic through broad gestures that fit easily into the flow of combat. Now, Naomi enjoyed yelling out the names of her attacks as much as the next person (okay, probably significantly more than the next person), but that was a matter of personal preferences. She had no need for her voice to cast spells.

This was a fact that she did not deem anyone else present needed to know.

"His story seems to check out, based on the news reports," Nathan said. He still wouldn't say he fully trusted Abra and his cronies - frankly, he wouldn't really say he fully trusted anyone he had met this night - but it did at least appear that they would not present further threat to others after Thanatos was dealt with, based on the information at hand. And, while from a purely ethical standpoint Nathan still did not believe they had the right to decide who lived or died, he could admit that if it came down to killing Thanatos, he wouldn't particularly lose sleep over it. The video had made it clear that he was a threat, but the sheer volume of deaths reported in his name made it obvious that he was a monster.

"Fair enough. So, couple issues. You say he can't be contained - do you have any particular evidence of this? I assume you expect your rune work to be able to contain him temporarily at least - how long can we expect that to last? You also suggested that our attacking your summon would have scared him off, yet you also suggest that he intentionally seeks out great challenges. Why do you expect him to come here, and does our presence increase or reduce the chance that he will? I understand that you have gathered a challenge that he might find worth targeting, but do we have any reason to believe he will know it's here? And what did you mean when you said he was resourceful? He has tactical acumen, a versatile powerset, an array of tools for specialized purposes, minions...?"

[Ionbound]

Tarnish frowns and mutters something along the lines of <"At least a witch is redeemable..."> then says, "Fine. I do believe zat Thanatos is the ze greatest threat at zis point, to all of us. So, I suppose I must vork vith you."

[Queen Sapes]

Cupid, Mercy General Hospital

Cupid... That's a better name than Lovebird, the voice thinks to itself as Cupid explains himself. Well I'm still not buying it. I've been able to hear everything since I went into this stupid coma, every doctor and every visitor I've had. It's just how comas work, I can hear them but they can't hear me, Claire reassures herself. That's what's keeping me on the bed. A coma. Plain and simple. If you take a hard enough beating that's just how the body copes. It sucks to be in here, going crazy and hearing voices, but it's better than being dead after that fight.

As you speak with your sister from another world, you spot something moving outside the window on a neighboring rooftop out of the corner of your eye. Instinctively you turn your head to look and catch a glimpse of something moving extremely quickly just before it vanishes from view. It looked like it might have been a wolf or some kind of small bear, although it was rather difficult to tell for sure. It's disappeared from sight now, and all you're left seeing is the New Aeon skyline.

Viviana Concert Hall, Downtown New Aeon

"I don't know how effective you'll be," Abracadaver states to Weald as he tests the staples on his face. "Thanatos' sword has some kind of necrosis effect that prevents wounds from properly healing if you survive them. My associate," he says, waving to the brown haired woman, "has tried a few times. But if you would like to attempt it, you're welcome to. Especially since it seems we've all struck upon an alliance," he says as the others chime in.

"Pleasure is all mine," Madame Macabre says to Puck with a smile. "Apology accepted," she nods to Lady Sanguine. "It's a side effect of my powers, but I do my best to make it glamorous. Our musician," she points out the girl with the guitar, "goes by Apocalypsette. A fitting rock show stage name I think. The girl hiding in the cloak is Dawn, she claims she's a magically powered monster hunter, and her abilities prove it. Our poor girl without her tongue hasn't given us a name. Won't write it down. Her runes shouldn't cause a problem as long as your projections aren't magical," she responds to Puck. "Our final partner arrives every once in awhile. He keeps leaving to find a host. Have any of you ever heard of a Spirit of Vengeance?" she asks the team with a smirk.

"His sword is magical of some nature, but certainly doesn't appear to be his power source," Abracadaver answers Lady Sanguine. "I managed to disarm his sword from him with one of my strikes during my escape, and it fell from his hand but he managed to return it. It appeared to grow out of his palm almost. As stated a moment ago, the wounds it inflicts don't heal properly. Few have attempted to contain him, but it has been tried. A few heroes have managed to interrupt some of his attacks, tried to restrain him with ropes, snares, chains. He simply cut through them. One hero attempted a kind of sticky gum trap that supposedly immobilized his entire body for a moment before his strength set him free. The runes she's setting up are to contain the entire area for a fifteen minutes at most. We'll all be trapped inside, and that includes Thanatos since there will be nothing for him to force his way out of."

Abracadaver pauses to glance over the notes on the table before continuing. He hears Tarnish's offer to work with him and waves the group up to the stage to gather around the table. "He purposefully seeks out individuals which is why we've brought in Apocalypsette. She has the presence to draw attention to herself and the strength to represent a real challenge. We've spread word of the event already, without letting on who it is will be there, and that should draw his curiosity at least. We're confident he'll be drawn to her like moth to flame once he sees her, and just like a moth, he'll be burned. The rest of us will be in hiding, he flees any fight with more than three supers, and once the runes activate we'll spring the trap. We don't believe he has any minions or partners, none of his attacks lend to that idea so we can discard the possibility. He keeps tactics in mind in his fight and utilizes all of his abilities in the fight. We know of flight, the sword, and his strength but he also makes use of bombs. He carries a few tools for a variety of purposes he can't simply slash through," Abracadaver explains what he knows to the Twins and the rest of the team. "But to truly know how you'll be useful, we need to know the extent of your abilities. All of you," he looks around to the entire group of heroes assembled.

From what you've seen and read about Thanatos, you're aware of his well-known power-set. Black wings that grant flight, a sword that inflicts wounds that don't heal, strength greater than any normal man, and an uncanny ability to resist damage or at least fake not feeling it. He also has a love affair with explosives, although the police rarely find anything resembling residue of explosives at the crime scenes he creates. Its possible the explosions are another magical ability he possesses and makes use of to hurt and distract others. Any other abilities he may possess are unknowns.

[Ionbound]

Tarnish looks Abra in the eyes and says, "I vill not be telling you exactly vhat I can do. But know zis: I am an expert swordsvoman, vith magical enhancement, as vell as some of ze 'normal' vampire powers. Happy?"

[Red_Jenny]

Lady Sanguine drifts up onto the stage in mist form, reforming next to Madame Macabre with a smile. "That was the other reason I took you for a vampire. As for what I can do, I am a vampire, I don't think I need to tell anyone here what that entails. I am stronger than most, I can dominate the mind of another with a look."

[Esprit15]

Midnight's heart skips a beat when she hears a familiar name. She knew Dawn, as more than just a co-Hunter. They had been good friends. They frequently went on missions together when they were in the same country, or neighboring ones. So she had survived the trip as well?

As the group calls out for those present to discuss their abilities, Midnight thinks for several relative minutes, then breaks cover, somewhat ashamed that her outfit was not matching that of her fellow Hunter. Still, it seemed they did not expect the fight to happen immediately, so here was no reason to remain hidden.

"Dawn? Is it really you?" the woman asks, a little bit of shock evident in her voice.

[Eshkigal]

"Normal human, personally. All I got is tech an' bein' a sneaky son of a bitch. That said, right hands an' that can get you damn far."
Puck pulls out some of his hologram projectors, keeping them off for the moment to show the others for once what he has, before tossing them into the air where they begin projecting the appearance of birds as they move away.
"Limited lifespan on these, maybe a minute 'cause I hadta go with easier power sources t' make more. But fer runnin' on watch batteries, they ain't bad. That, an' if this ward works, maybe once we have him here, then it could be used t' narrow his space down even further, yeah? Or keep him locked in a few times fer everyone else to pelt him wit' everythin' they got."
He pulls out Riotbreaker, unfolding the grenade launcher.
"Provider of party favors of a variety of flavors. All nonlethal, mind...or I really prefer. I...may have a set I kept locked down. Call it the Can Opener, because it was intended t' break gear on tech based guys like me. But...well, th' stuff in it also began tryin' to break down flesh judgin' from th' frozen chicken test back when I acquired it. Ain't pretty. Code locked th' design in the replicator shortly after. Maybe one of ya could help me fix that bit wit' some enchantment-tryin' ta denature it jus' got me slip n' slide grenades. That said, also got th' gumball. Less fer stoppin' mobility, more sticky, stretchy straightjacket wit' large, foam like exterior that doesn't cut well. After all, it ain't easy to muscle outta somethin' when it is just attached to yerself an' stretchy. Also got a plethora o' party favors fer your lot in my pouches."
Sliding it away, he looks to Scruffy, giving the squirrel fiend more scritchies as he looks to the assorted spellslingers.
"As fer my little friend Scruffy here...well, suppose you'd be able t' tell me better than I would be able t'find out. Or at least you would, Madame."

[MesiDoomstalker]

Well, then I'll be the first! Ha! Weald plods up to the undead enchanter, then hesitates. Uh, lets start with you. Pointing to the not-vampire (he was having trouble following the back and forth). When she allowed him to, he gently touched her face. He concentrated. His leaves rustled, glowing faintly green. The point of contact emitted an aura of rejuvenation, a sage green suffusion in the air.

I'm spending my 1 PP on Persistent on Healing.

Healing check! [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nathan was...not particularly inclined to offer up a list of their capabilities to the necromancer, still not particularly trusting him and not of a mind to offer information to someone who he still couldn't be sure wouldn't turn against them later.

Naomi, on the other hand, just never had been particularly concerned about her enemies knowing what she could do. "The way I see it, if they're smart enough to be able to use that knowledge to their advantage, they're probably too smart to actually take us on," was how she put it. "We're mage-knights. Battle-mages specializing in close-combat evocation," she said.

"And it sounds like this Thanatos, while personally powerful, doesn't have a particularly versatile powerset. He might be strong enough to force through binds, but that doesn't mean he can't be knocked unconscious and carted off to a prison designed to hold people like him. I assume such prisons exist here? Surely, he isn't the only super who has used his powers for criminal ends, yes? And there is a system in place to deal with them that goes beyond a vigilante-killing free-for-all?"

[Eshkigal]

"Thing is, versatility can come from tactics as well. Nuthin' says he doesn't have a plan fer that. Or a backup plan in case he dies, to keep it from stickin', t'be honest. I mean, never took fer any of you who faced him before, not entirely sure it would take fer him either. Which, actually, brings up a point: what if one of you who survived called him out? Like, live, on TV type deal, call him out an' head to a place without people that could get hurt. Unless you figure the audience is part of th' target, since yer attention is there. Point is he strikes from distraction an' makes a scene, an' so far yer plan sounds like it plays to his rules up to that point."

[Arcran]

Cupid snorts at his sister's name. Lovebird? Really? There were bad hero names, and then there was that. Of course, his amusement fades rapidly

Goddamn it, Cupid says, walking over to his sister as she once again doesn't believe that he's real. In annoyance the Archer of Love pokes Lovebird in the middle of her forehead a few times. Feel that? Could a voice in your head poke you? Face it, you're not crazy, as much as you might want to be a victim, Cupid says, starting to become annoyed. He momentarily catches a glimpse of something out the window but, for now? He needed to focus on getting his family up and about. After all, if there were two Cupids this city would be untouchable.

In annoyance Cupid grabs the tree topper, looking it over. Conundrum had sent him here, so this better have some answer. Was he just gloating?

[Queen Sapes]

Viviana Concert Hall, Downtown New Aeon

Abracadaver nods as the group lists their basic abilities. "I can see how to fit you all in the plan," Abracadaver responds, grabbing a marker to begin making notes on the map. "I give you all a chance to back out now before we're in this together. It'll be one big chance. If we fail and somehow survive, we'll all have targets painted on our backs, and a pair of black wings hunting us down. Be sure you're prepared for that."

"Scruffy won't be very helpful in the fight, I'm afraid," Madame Macabre explains to Puck. "When you met him I was directing my power into him. I'll need my own magic for the fight, so I won't be able to charge him up into his stronger form." Madame Macabre pauses as Weald starts his approach to her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't need healed. Each time I come back it's in a new body. Two bodies down and you have me here. The two who could benefit are Abra and our friend there," she says, redirecting him to the woman with brown hair and the necromancer.

Abracadaver listens to the Twins' question as he jots marks on the map. "Presumably he can be rendered unconscious, but it's hardly a feat anyone has ever achieved. There are prisons that may have a chance of holding him, but we can't be assured they'd have success. Transporting him would be a nightmare, we don't understand the origins of his magical abilities and as such would have extreme difficulty nullifying them with any kind of artifact without specially attuned to them. Even if we managed to lock him up, how long until he escapes and begins his slaughter again? Even the best prisons only manage to keep a prisoner for a few years, five at most. That's potentially only five years of peace before some guard flips the wrong switch for a split second and he's free." As Abracadaver responds, the woman with brown hair hears Puck question why nobody has called him out directly. She raises her hand and once she's sure he sees her, she shakes her head to make it obvious it didn't work.

The cloaked figure removes her hood, revealing bright blonde hair and a pair of big, bright eyes that light up even more at the sight of Midnight. Her jaw falls open as she realizes who stands on the balcony above her. "Midnight! You're here? You're actually alive? How did you survive?" she asks, a broad grin covering her face.

Cupid, Mercy General Hospital

Alright, alright! Claire shouts at Cupid as he pokes her in the head out of annoyance. Cupid, the crazy voice in my head, is real. Lets go with that. But as far as I can tell, I am the victim, mister. I try to save the city from a maniac, he hits my bow with his sword, huge flash of light, and next thing I know I'm stuck in a coma. What part of that doesn't sound victim to you? She pauses for a moment as Cupid looks over the tree topper. Written on its underside in black sharpie is a quick message Cupid can just barely make out.


"Not everyone can be saved. But she can. In this case, they're one in the same.

Actually, that might not make me strictly a victim. It actually sounds more like martyr to me. I wish that meant someone would set up a radio for me to listen to anything for once.