Strife in San Fransapporo [Masks: A New Generation]

[Comissar]

This is secret bonus text, well done if you find it!


The first thing to catch the readers eye on the cover of this brand new series is the big, bold word STRIFE! The comic's title taking up a good third of the top of the page. The backdrop shows an overhead of the city of San Fransapporo, shot at sunrise, the sky taking on pastel pinks and yellows as the light washes over the city.

To the right of the page, the steel-grey and sharp edged AEGIS vehicles and carriers are shown to be beating a hasty retreat, only just barely present. The rest of the cover is a riot of colour. Each of San Fransapporo's major factions is represented. The imposing figure of the Warrior sits near the top of the page, his Arsenal forming a tight guard around him with a red-headed woman in a white dress reaching down to the centre, her outstretched hand breaking through the protective circle. To the bottom right, the directors of the Guardians West stand. Lightbringer turns her head away, looking out beyond the edge of the page. Tough stands by her, back to the reader, whilst Carmine Crane and The Tiger look to the middle. To the bottom left is seated Liu, the Robin, a faint frown on her face as she looks up and to the right. A-Round are arrayed behind her, striking poses as though they'd just finished a set, their mood jubilant in contrast to their leader's pensiveness.

Finally, and perhaps most important of all, taking centre stage stand the team, arrayed in a circle, backs facing inward as they look out to the world around them. Each is costumed and ready for action. Even those facing toward the top of the page have their heads turned to be visible to the reader.

More secret text!
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/0b/38/14/0b3814da15fd35590240329b03a0da92.jpg


Shh, don't tell anyone this is here


Issue One - Stuck In The Middle With You

Named in honour of the recently deceased Sun Wukong, the Sun Mall is an architectural masterpiece. Technically an indoor space, the mall nevertheless manages to contain multiple buildings of at least a dozen stories each. These shops and homes are complimented by a central park, radial avenues shaded by a variety of trees and bushes, and even broad balconies supporting yet more green spaces to help break up the outlines of the towering stores. Beneath the high-vaulted glass and masonry dome, when the weather is warm enough you can even find wispy clouds drifting in the higher reaches of the Sun Mall. On this spring morning, however, there is enough of a chill outside that the weather inside of the mall is clear, letting the mid-morning sun add the final highlight to a perfect day for shopping.

It's certainly a day that many are looking to take advantage of. Despite the often high prices of the stores within the Sun Mall, entry to the space is free. Window shoppers and impulse buyers are able to mingle with those that simply want to take a day out of their time to see the sights. A splash page is given to a series of three panoramic panels. The first displays the front of a bank. The building is as impressive as the rest of the mall, even containing a small waterfall with its own pond filled with carp and catfish. The foot traffic isn't as heavy here, however, and only a a couple of dozen people walking in the area, with just a handful of those coming or going from the bank. The second panel is the same shot, but this time there's strong tremors sending people tumbling to the floor, a trio of roosting pigeons taking flight at the sudden shaking, and the ground in the front of the bank begins to bulge upward. The final panel shows a trio of costumed women bursting out of the ground whilst shoppers flee to other streets or, in some cases, into the bank itself.

Leading the way, and looking very pleased with herself, is a woman dressed in dark blues and yellows, a headdress with two ribbons vaguely reminiscent of a catfish's whiskers sits atop her head. A deep blue textbox edged in cracked earth sits beneath her as she gets her own personal panel, stating her to be Jishin and in smaller text The Safecracker. She spreads her arms wide, proudly declaring "Ta-Da! Kichō bank! As promised!"

The next shot of her shows her wincing as a fist donks down on her head, though not hard enough to cause any real harm. It belongs, as it turns out, to the second of the women. Her panel shows her to be dressed in dark browns and greys, with a wild feathered dark green headdress. She's also the only one of the three to be wearing a mask, a fierce wolf currently sat over her face with several others arrayed around her head. The earthy-brown textbox she receives is surrounded by a feathered design, naming her as Gimansha, and then The Muscle. "You dolt!" Clearly unimpressed by Jishin, she continues, "I told you we had to bear more to the East, we were meant to come up inside!"

"It's fine, we'll make it work." This third voice comes off panel, Gimansha looking round to its source even as Jishin pouts and rubs at her head. The focus switches for the last time to the third lady as she brushes dirt and mud off of her vibrant yellow and orange dress. As she reaches up to adjust her butterfly headdress, her introductory text box appears, the background a burnt orange and edged in blossoms as she's declared to be Kaze, followed by The Brains. Satisfied she was as clean as she'd get, she points at the two security camera's directed out to the street from Kichō bank. "We'll just need to be fast, heroes will be here any second to stop us." As though following her gesture, two pebbles whip forward as powerful jets of air hurl them into the screens of the watching cameras, shattering the lenses. "Jishin, start looking from the bottom, Gimansha, buy her time, I'll start at the top."

The point of view switches to that of one of the damaged cameras, the panel taking on a shattered appearance. The three villains each occupy one of the three largest shards. Gimansha and Jishin are both running toward the point of view, a grin visible on Jishin's face and Gimansha's hands beginning to look like claws. Meanwhile, Kaze flies up, her dress billowing as she rises out of frame.

Though the question of what the trio are looking for is uncertain, the objectives are obvious;

Halt the robbery
The Sun Mall is an entirely enclosed space and damage to one building can result in damage to many, prevent as much damage to the surroundings as possible
The villains don't seem interested in hostages, but there are civilians caught in the building, get them to safety or otherwise keep them safe


The panels break to the team. What were you doing before you got the alert about the robbery in progress, where were you and how did you get here?

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/44/dd/1944dd1830e246bccbd22f67cf75fcb0.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/51/12/0b/51120b4f150908f534fdebbbe291e260.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b2/bf/5e/b2bf5e6b4a955a00f364cd90a287c71a.jpg

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5

Sebastian is perhaps unsurprisingly enjoying his time at the Sun Mall's food court, anywhere with a large number of restaurants a likely location for the team foodie. Such a beautiful morning isn't lost on the rapscallion, sitting overlooking the promenade from one of the many terraces when his phone starts to beep. An alert, and one he's close to no less. Always a bummer. With his phone out he's quick to shoot a text to the others in the team.

<Robbery at bank: Kichō at Sun Mall. On site.>

Then, he follows it up with another. The contact page shows a picture of Calamity in mid noodle bowl and an angry fist aimed at the camera. The name reads "Thunder Thighs" with a small thunderstorm symbol next to it.

<Yo. You trust me? Access port at back of Ruffy's Haberdashery. Gonna see if I can't corral them outside. Wanna wait with firsts to punch them?>

With that he simply slides out of his seat, collecting his food and other personal effects before heading off to the banks.

- -

The panels return with Sebastian standing outside the bank, dressed in his hero outfit. It's fairly simple, his regular street wear though a bandana with a cartoon-y sharp toothed grin covers his nose and lower face and a floor length jacket with the Scarlet Moon Empire insignia emblazoned on its back hangs off his shoulders, almost like a cape. "Need a hand?" he asks loudly as he steps into the bank, a large take away bowl of curry in one hand, chopsticks in the other.

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Power: 0
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Mundane
Rune is deep in concentration when their focus is ruined by the buzzing of their phone where it lies on the heavy wooden table beside them. Considering the phone was silenced for all but a few critical numbers, the fact that it even vibrated told them it was something they needed to pay attention to.

Glancing around to make certain no one else in the library had been particularly disturbed by the alert, they flip their phone over to check the message.

...a bank robbery. It never ceases to amaze them that in a city so full of powered individuals, something like robbing a bank seems like a good idea to some. It does almost ensure that the robbers in question have powers of their own, however; it’s hardly worth a mundane’s time to risk bringing down superhuman trouble upon themselves.

< Presidio branch library; en route. > Rune began stuffing books into their bag, already mentally plotting a route. The library isn’t particularly far from the mall, as the crow flies, but it will still take time.

Slipping further into the stacks, they made their way to the stairwell with only the stumping of their cane on the floor for company. Well – the primary use is as a cane, but upon closer inspection it’s brazenly a bearded axe that is being used for support.

Ensuring no one is within sight, Rune goes down on one knee and pulls forth their handful of runestones from their pocket. Framing the spell within their mind, they cast the stones in a clatter onto the smooth floor. A smile crosses their features, and they scoop the stones from the floor and straighten, using the axe for support.
Once straightened, she is...changed. One of her Aspects is upon her, and she stands in a gown of dark green, her hair falling loose about her shoulders, and she can feel the Power surging in her, the connection to the magic strong.

”To wing,” Wyrd says, a smile curving her lips as she incants a spell of transport, her free hand performing the Signs of her dark sorcery.

A few moments later there are cries of surprise and fear at the main entrance to the library as a murder of crows streaks through with the whirring of a multitude of wings, the dark birds streaming towards the mall and the robbery in progress.

Assuming Form: 12
4 Power, +1 for Crest of Mana

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


Not too far from the Bank, in the Sun Malls' central park, stands a tree. The sun shone brightly down upon its emerald leaves, swaying in the slight air movements present in the cavernous building.

Suddenly, a ringtone erupts from somewhere in the tangle of branches, followed by the soft plop of a cardboard takeout container plummeting to the grass below, spilling its' contents.

"Awww...rats!" A voice came, the next panel panning up to show the face of a boy peeking out from the foliage. He was clearly reclining on a wide, flat branch, his eyes suddenly wide, though the unkemptness of his hair spoke of a recent nap. He seemed to debate for a moment as to whether it was worth trying to retrieve his fallen prize, before he gave up on the idea, turning back and stretching with a wide yawn.

He blinks lazily, reaching into the pocket of his jeans to pull out a beaten-up phone. Then his eyes widen. This was big. A bank? And it was nearby! The sooner he was there the... wait no. He had to let them know he was coming. A few seconds spent finding the perfect .gif. The one of the knitted monkey giving the thumbs up? It was rough, but it would do.

Then in a smooth motion, he pushed to his feet and leapt from the branch catching another with his free hand on his way down to swing and vault forwards, and landing with all the grace of a world-class gymnast. Then, he took off at a run...in the wrong direction, before rushing back across panel in the other direction while looking at his phone.

- -

Danny looked up at the bank. He was somewhat disheveled, as always, wearing a black tee with a flaming skull on the chest, torn up jeans and unlaced hi-tops. Hardly heroic, but...that could come later. At least he hoped so. The others already looked so cool! Still...clothes didn't make the hero. That's what the old guy said. It was attitude. Doing what's right.

With a deep breath, he affixed his usual cheeky grin and darted forwards, hoping to catch the team.

Are You Watching Closely
Troublemaker
Criminal Mind

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

A hand reaches from a bed, fumbling around to silence the chirping phone. A toussle-haired, bleary-eyed Johnny rolls over to read the alert - and promptly falls all over himself rolling off the bed and diving for his gear where it lays in a pile on a desk chair. The next panel shows an exterior view of Kid Midnight climbing out of his fourth-story window, dressed in his AEGIS tactical suit underneath his signature midnight blue denim jacket with starry white paint spatter. His bedroom on the other side of the window is dull and monotone in a neutral color, but the world outside is vibrant, from the red brick of the buildings, the greenery of the window planters and trellises up the fire escape, to the rooftop gardens that Kid Midnight ambles through on his way to the nearest train station.

An elderly woman looks up from watering a flower bed on her roof as Kid Midnight hustles by, tonfas in both hands. "Early start today, Kid?" she calls out to him. "Evil never sleeps, Mrs. Moynihan!" he responds with a wave. Sure would be nice if it kept to regular business hours, though. At the edge of the building he points on of the tonfas out at a streetlamp on the sidewalk below and squeezes the handle. A grappling hook shoots from the end of the tonfa, catches on the streetlamp, and pulls him down to street-level right next to the stairs to the train station with a ZZZZIP! Holstering the tonfas, he hurries down the steps and the panels cut to his arrival outside the Sun Mall near where...something has emerged from the beneath the ground.

"Please let it be anything but mole men, the conspiracy theorists don't need more ammo." Pulling his tonfas out, he approaches the hole and peers over the edge.

I rolled a 6 for Straight. Up. Creepin'. Marking one potential. On a miss, I find myself in over my head. The GM will tell me why this is a bad spot.

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Danger: +2
Freak: -1
Savior: +1
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

We see a beautiful panel of a city street, featuring Jen Hart on her daily walk through her local area of the city. She is centered and waving at a smiling old woman. A small panel in the corner of this scene zooms in on the pocket of her denim shorts, lines indicating that something is buzzing within. Next panel shows her looking down at her phone, a small bubble appearing on the panel to show the text being sent, in response to Sebastian. The header at the top of the conversation displays his name as Thorn In My Side, and the picture is too small to make out but is clearly not an actual photo of Sebastian.


<Not in the slightest, I'll meet ya there, fists blazing!>

She ends the text with a fist emoji, and begins to jog a little quicker until she finds a small, empty portion of the street with only a couple pigeons nearby. She shoots them a pitying glance and gives a quick warning: "I recommend you all get outta here before I blast off, lil guys" With that, Jen swings her arms down and a sound-wave erupts from her hands with a loud BOOOOOM

The next panel we see is Jen flying through the air, pigeons scattering as she bounds her way towards the back of the Sun Mall.

--

We see a panel at what appears to be a service entrance at the back of the Sun Mall. Falling into frame is Calamity, who has inexplicably changed into her hero costume. She is wearing cowboy boots and a short red skirt with matching shorts underneath, over an Rust-Orange Leotard with a symbol in the center of the chest, a circle with an earthen fissure splitting it down the middle. Atop her head is a small domino mask the same color as the leotard and cowboy hat that manages to stay on even as she falls into frame. We see her pull out her phone once again, the same bubble as earlier popping up as she texts Sebastian:


<I've made it behind the mall! Where is this Haberdashery, there ain't any signs back here!>

The final panel we see of Calamity Jen is her looking around the back area of an unfamiliar mall, clearly lost but always ready for a tussle.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 1

With the team arriving on scene in some fashion or another, the panels briefly flashback to show the progress of the villainous trio in that small span of time before their arrival. They start first with an outside shot of the Kichō Bank, Kaze suspended mid-air outside the windows of the top floor. The glass in front of her has been shattered open. A close up panel of her alighting inside the empty room show a pair of pebbles lying amongst the broken shards. A thoughtful expression on her face, she strides deeper into the upper reaches of the bank.

On the ground floor, things are not running quite as smoothly. The great vault door is on display behind the tellers desk, but a jagged crack, scarcely wide enough for a person to squeeze through, has been broken in the wall beside it. A view through this crack shows Jishin with a hand to her ear looking around at the various lockboxes inside the vault, "I don't know! I thought it'd be like you see in movies, all piled up in the middle! I'll need a bit longer, there must be hundreds of them here!"

Back in the lobby, the still-masked Gimansha gives a frustrated sigh, "Well look faster, you heard the boss."


This is spacing text!
Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

It's a frustrated Gimansha that greets Thorn as he casually makes his way into the lobby. The room is occupied by a couple dozen civilians, both bank tellers and customers, who are cowering as far from the masked woman as they can get, though for her part Gimansha is paying them no real attention. Instead, she turns to look at Thorn at first with belligerence and then very clear mistrust. "I don't know who you are, kid, but you've picked a bad day to pay in a cheque. You get one warning, and this is it. Scram, or I'll make you regret it."

Whether you've not given her enough to work with, or if she just knows she's got no reason to expect backup, it's clear that Gimansha isn't ready to play ball with you just yet.

Wyrd, Danny, Kid Midnight

A cautious crowd of onlookers is beginning to form as the trio of youth heroes arrive on scene in one fashion or another. The arrival of Wyrd in particular sends a ripple through the crowd, the overt display of powers eliciting a couple of shouts of support. From outside, the back of Thorn's jacket is just visible, the Scarlet Moon Empire crest providing a splash of colour in the otherwise monochrome interior. The only one missing from the scene is Calamity.

While Danny fixes his attention on the bank, however, Kid Midnight's curiosity over the ruptured ground is rewarded by the rim of the hole giving way under his weight. Providing more of a bruise to his pride than his body, Kid Midnight finds himself tumbling down the gently sloping tunnel and rolling to a stop in near total darkness. The only small comfort is that the tunnel has been made through relatively soft clay and sands, protecting him from a more painful landing.

A crowd is gathering and a few of them are pointing to the top of the bank where you can make out a broken window. Thorn is already inside... Negotiating? Certainly he doesn't seem to be throwing punches. Calamity seems to be nowhere to be found, unless she's already inside as well? Oh, and Kid Midnight's six feet under. Though at least he's probably not dead. He hit the ground far too soon for it to be a fatal drop.

A painful lesson in momentum and the physics of unstable surfaces, but it seems you've stumbled onto the tunnel that let in whoever it is that Thorn called you here to deal with. There's enough light coming in from the hole you fell in to just about let you see your surroundings, but the tunnel is long and stretches out into the darkness. There is of course the ongoing situation above ground, but could this be your chance to find a villain's hideout?

Calamity

Leaving the Kichō Bank behind for the time being, the next page focuses instead on Calamity, the fresh-faced and new to the city hero stood facing a lightly graffitied access gate. The incongruity of the scene seems to be attracting bemused onlookers. Though she's not drawing quite the same crowd as the events around the bank, Calamity nevertheless soon finds that she has a half-dozen people pausing their day to day lives to watch what she's doing. If she tries, she can just about make out whispered conversations between some of the onlookers. A young girl, perhaps no more than nine years old, calls out "Are you a hero, Miss?" prompting her mother to try and hush her.

Far from a scrap, it looks as though you've landed somewhere that, at least for the moment, is fairly quiet! Your presence hasn't gone unremarked on, though, and your arrival and costumed presence is starting to draw a crowd. Are you used to drawing attention? How will you handle being the focus?

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian continues to look about the room with the same cool expression, noting the huddled civilians and outright ignoring Gimansha's threat for the moment as he contemplatively munches on a piece of chicken katsu. His minds eye saw screaming people running all over the place, buildings falling, a mess all in all. He'd need to figure a way to convey his plan to the rest of the team but for now he trusted they'd trust him. With a sigh he slowly sets his bowl aside, brilliant green lightning crackling as his unusually intense stare finally falls on the threatening villain.

The air in the room grows thick as he extends his Bearing as the weight of his presence blasts out in all directions, as if a lion was bearing its fangs. Those of weak will would find it hard to keep conscious, the blast targeted however to the civilians rather than trying to overtake the villians. He points fixedly at Gimansha with his chopsticks. "I'm Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire, don't make me ask again. Do you want some help?"

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely
Rolled a 7 on an Unleash. I am going to let it be Temporary or Unstable.

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

Kid Midnight looks back up the hole, then back to the tunnel, sighing with indecision. Pulling out his phone, there haven't been any more messages. No plan yet, or at least no part for him. That clinches it. Fortune favors the bold, or so they say. He taps out a quick message to the team chat; if nothing else, Thorn would want to know which pieces were in play.

<Found a tunnel outside. Probably where the robbers came from. Going to check it out.>

"I hope I don't regret this," he says, pulling out his tonfas. Clicking a button on one of them, he activates the shock setting and the tonfa emits a blue-white glow. It wasn't much, but hopefully it would be enough to see where he's going as he starts jogging into the tunnel's dark maw.

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Power: 5
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form Two: ᚲ (Kenaz)
Abilities:
Inhuman Intellect
Dark Sorcery
Crest:
❑ Mana

Signs
❑ Polymorph
❑ Thief


Reforming from the murder of crows as she arrives at her destination, Wyrd manages to refrain from rolling her eyes as the Kid falls into the large and extremely obvious hole.

”They’re obviously not here for money, there are easier ways of attaining crude wealth,” she observes aloud, her formidable intellect already working away at the scenario. Clearly, it’s something from one of the safe deposit boxes that is the most likely explanation for the attack.

The fact that there’s clearly multiple levels to this assault is also...troubling. Rather than simply rushing in, she takes a moment to try to piece together exactly what is going on here.

Assess the Situation: 6
Marking Potential

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: +2
Freak: -1
Savior: +1
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2


Standing confidently, her hands on her hips, we see Calamity. She has turned to address the small crowd of onlookers, and although her face is confident, the bubble above her head shows that her voice is far from it. "Oh, well... of course I am young miss! My name is Calamity, and I'm here to save the day!" In a smaller, more subtle bubble, she adds under her breath "Once the trouble comes to me..." After this, she gets down on one knee to look the little girl in the eye and says in her most reassuring voice, "Now, things might get a little dangerous around here, so I reckon you might wanna run along. But you've got nothing to be scared of, cos I'm here to make everything ok!" As she says the last part she stands to her full height, hands returning to her hips. Her words of reassurance are as much attempting to convince herself as they are the crowd of onlookers, as she replays the events of the museum over in her head...

"Umm... Attention everyone! Some uh... real bad people are gonna be comin this way real soon, so I'd really appreciate- I mean I'd recommend- I mean... Please leave for your own safety!" Calamity attempts to gains the crowds attention, but her face turns bright red the second she realizes she really didn't know what to say... Man she's not used to the whole Symbol of Hope thing that comes along with heroing, huh?

I rolled a 6 on provoke to get the crowd to disperse before they get hurt. I am marking potential~

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


Danny jumps as the murder coalesces into the form of Wyrd. While he might have seen it a few times before, nothing could really prepare you for your teammate appearing from birds.

"C...Crows! Ah! H..hey...Wyrd?" he manages to stammer out, the shock etched into his face. Danny quickly regains composure, though, or at least appears too, stroking his chin in a caricature of thought, much as a child imitating an adult might, as Wyrd finishes her observations.

"Yes...yes I was just thinking the same thing!" he lies, in his eagerness to appear grown-up and useful. "Thorn's already there. That's good...but oh, there are people." the boy thinks aloud, before catching the shattered windows above "Wait, something's going on. I think you're right. I'll go check it out!"

And then before anyone with more sense can say otherwise, he leaps upwards, springing from the flagpole with surprising dexterity to grab onto an edifice, then propel himself upwards with astonishing speed, aiming for those shattered windows!

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 1

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

The weight of Thorn's Bearing washes over the bank lobby. The various tellers and customers find themselves unable to keep consciousness in the face of the blast, collapsing to the floor with varying degrees of gracelessness. Gimansha for her part raises her arms to shield herself in anticipation of the oncoming wave, only lowering them as she watches the slumping bodies of the bank's patrons. Her posture becomes a lot more relaxed, albeit with a confused head tilt, as Thorn reintroduces himself. "Thorn of the Scarlet... Wait, you're with the Scarlet Moon?" She scratches behind her head, her other hand at her hip, "Did the old man just not trust us to get the job done..?" She shakes her head, looking over to Thorn, "Whatever, as long as you're not expecting some of our cut, I'm not gonna turn you down."

Jabbing a thumb over her shoulder toward the vault, she continues, "I can handle guard duty, go help Jishin look for the package so we can get out of here sooner." Raising a finger to her ear, she adds, "You hear all that Jishin?"

Gimansha winces, reflexively trying to flinch away from her own earpiece as Thorn hears a yell from past the cracked wall. "Yup! No problem, send him on in!"

It looks like your stunt has earned enough of Gimansha's that she's ready to put you to work, though you can tell from your level of output that the bankers and customers won't be out for long. Not only that, but it sounds like Jishin's ready and willing to work with you too. Now that you've gained their trust, how far are you willing to take the deception?

Kid Midnight

Kid Midnight's journey through the tunnel itself is largely uneventful, though there are occasional ruptured pipes or damaged cables that loom from the dim light of his stun batons that help provide reference points for the steadily increasing distance being travelled. Eventually, Kid Midnight does start to find that there is, in fact, light at the end of this tunnel. Said light proves to be one of the fluorescent neon variety, the tunnel coming out at what appears to be something of a hub room. Another couple of tunnels branch off from the room, though only one seems to rise upward toward the surface and the others are showing early signs of moss and slime-mould growth. The flickering light of the room is provided by a ceiling mounted strip light, the wiring hooked into what appears to be a mains line.

The room itself is fairly spartan, the only features of note being a quartet of folding chairs surrounding a collapsible table with a city map laid out on top. Closer inspection shows the Kichō Bank in Sun Mall to be circled, along with a straight line plotted through it and to, presumably, the location of this room. A number of equations are scribbled in the margins, quickly recognisable as fairly basic geometry formulae. Finally, a piece of paper bearing a pencilled sketch is left on display upon the map. A closeup panel shows it to depict a simple CD case, a note in the margin reading 'Package last known to be among Wukong's legacy, held at Kichō bank, exact location unclear'.

This may not be the hideout proper, but it certainly looks to be at least a planning room. The tunnel leading upward looks like it transitions fairly quickly from an earthen floor to something more man-made, helping distinguish it further from the others. It looks as though you may have stumbled on the goal of the heist, the next question though is what to do with it?

Calamity

The panels return to Sun Mall, focusing now on Calamity and the crowd she's steadily drawing. The young girl who had first spoken up has stars in her eyes as Calamity affirms her heroic status. At the warning, though, the young girl looks confused and finds herself looking round and up to her mother for guidance. The more general warning starts to elicit confused and increasingly overlapping commentary from the onlookers "Wait, are we in danger?" "Someone should call the police!" "It's just a publicity stunt." "Why do you think there's gonna be an attack?" "I bet she's being paid for this."

On top of all of the chatter, Calamity finds a number of phone cameras pointing at her, variously photographing and filming her. A particularly belligerent looking man yells out above the rest of the crowd, "Hey! How come if you know it's gonna be dangerous, you aren't getting the Guardians here? I reckon this is just one big attention grab!"

Uh-oh, looks like your efforts to disperse the crowd have backfired. With no obvious threats, and only you to focus on, they're starting to come up with their own reasons for why you're here. A number of them even seem to agree with the guy calling you an attention grabber! Roll to reject influence, or shift your Freak up and Saviour down.

Wyrd

Travelling back to the frontage of the Kichō bank, the panels focus on Wyrd, now very much on their own as Danny races up and out of frame into the blown out top floor window. Whatever's happening inside, it all sounds fairly quiet still. From the ground floor, it seems as though nobody's coming out, but also there's no fighting. Above the faint buzz of the crowd, a buzz in the pocket alerts Wyrd to Kid Midnight's decision to detour away from the bank, should Wyrd deign to read it of course.

From outside, it's tricky to tell exactly what's going on. It looks like everyone else has their own plans on what to do, with the possible exception of Calamity who is still yet to appear on site. As the only one yet to take action, what do you do?

Danny

Scaling a building is no mean feat, but the panels tracking Danny's ascent makes it look almost as simple as a stroll in the park. The monkey-empowered thief shortly finds himself in a private office. There's a pleasant enough view over a fair portion of the Sun Mall, and the office itself is pleasantly spacious with a couple of canvases depicting the Sleeping Giant reserve decorating the walls. The only downsides to this cushy office appear to be the lack of window and all of the broken glass on the floor.

The office door has been left open and, listening carefully, Danny can make out the sounds of none too gentle searching taking place further into the building. Apparently the would-be robber is more interested in haste than discretion.

You're in, and it sounds like Kaze may even still be on the same floor as you. What she's looking for and why she split from her two compatriots is still unclear, but at least you're in the same place now. How do you want to handle this?

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian offers a smirk as he picks his bowl of food up and steps past the brute. "They'll wake up soon, should take the time to bind them." he calls over his shoulder, stepping through the rubble carefully and into the vault room beyond. He gives a quick scan of the room and then finally who he presumed must be Jishin. He takes another bite of his curry before motioning to the boxes with his chopsticks. "So what's your deal? Got a system or we just going at this randomly?"

He fixes Jishin with the same intent stare as her compatriot. The big one was on guard for what he threw around the room, the muscle, the brawn. He'd have to figure out some way to tip Calamity off, some excuse to ring her up en route to the exit. This one, Jishin, was doing all the work while the big gal played defense. Maybe not as on guard. "My Bearing won't last, told big'un out there. I've got a way out scoped, maybe we can be out of here in two?"

Rolled an Asses: Got a 13. Going to ask
- What here can I use to find the package?
- Who here is most vulnerable to me?

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


Danny takes a second to look around, over his shoulder and through the now-shattered window over the mall. His eyes shone for just a moment. It was beautiful, sun-kissed...a statement to the skill of the architects, the builders, the horticulturalists who had devoted their time and effort to such a large project. None of this was lost on the boy, though all he could think to verbalise in that moment was "Wow...shiny."

The crash and shuffle from further in bring him back to reality, as he seems to realise his situation. His phone almost leaps to his hand, as he types <Something going on upper floor. They're looking for something>

That the office was untouched was probably of some significance, but the first thought that rose, unbidden in a voice different to his own said Fancy place. Wonder what's here. We should take a look.

More important things to do. The team needs me.

Do they really? Ever? Come on, it'd look like part of the robbery. You could at least trash the place! Fat cat bank owners are no better than thieves.

That gave him pause. It was true, to an extent. They'd never helped him or his mother, left them to strug...no, he was a hero now. He shook his head to clear his mind, and then crept carefully towards the door leading further in. He didn't even seem to notice when his right hand caught the neck of a crystal bottle of expensive port and offhandedly tossed it back out of the window...

As he reached the door further in, he stopped, gazing over the scene and trying to glean information useful to the team...or himself.

Assess the situation: 7
"What would be the best way in?"

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

Deactivating the shock setting with another click of a button, Kid Midnight trades the tonfa for his phone and snaps photos of the scene. The off-shooting tunnels, the hub room, the map, the note. He sends them to the group chat.

<Some kind of planning room?>

He's got no signal underground, but the messages will send as soon as he gets some bars. After fiddling with some settings on his phone, he holds it up, and the panels show the view of the room from the phone screen as it images the room through different sensors - an infrared thermal scan, an ultraviolet scan, an electromagnetic sweep, and a high-frequency acoustic image.

I rolled a 15 for Straight. Up. Creepin'.. My questions are What here is worth grabbing? and What here is not what it seems?

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Power: 5
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form Two: ᚲ (Kenaz)
Abilities:
Inhuman Intellect
Dark Sorcery
Crest:
❑ Mana

Signs
❑ Polymorph
❑ Thief


The surprising quiet of the scene tells Wyrd nothing helpful; if she hadn’t been told as much, she would have had no idea there was a robbery in progress.

Danny’s scramble up the side of the building and in through the broken window completes their team’s set of daring individual actions, and she shakes her head minutely.

”Plan? Why would we need a plan,” she murmurs, not even flinching as a cut-glass bottle crashes like a bomb to the ground, spraying glass and expensive liquor across the concrete. Chaos is an ever-present companion of their cadre, and often a valuable tool in their arsenal.

It is simply difficult at times for this form to enjoy it.

With a mental shrug of resignation she raises her skeggøx and with a chanted phrase draws a curtain of darkness across the front of the bank, obscuring not only the inside from view from the assembled onlookers, but also preventing anyone from within from being able to see what is occurring without as well.


Unleash (Dark Sorcery): 11

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: +2
Freak: 0
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

Calamity will accept the label shift, cos she feels like she has Done Something Wrong as an outsider to the city. Like she broke a tradition or something

We see Calamity begin to back away from the crowd, confidence lost "Ummm... I..." she begins to look around as if for help from a source that won't come. "Well I.. I am here to make sure it doesn't... ummm... so the danger within the mall doesn't leak out. The um... Police have likely been informed about the situation in there but... I am here to make sure you all are safe!" We see a sweat bead form on her head as the panel shows the mass of the crowd cover her form... Where is everyone else? She was starting to get overwhelmed, and she had really hoped the crowds wouldn't immediately figure out how Out of her Depth she is...

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 1

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

Thorn hears a mutter that sounds suspiciously like "Don't tell me how to do my job." as he moves to join Jishin in the vault. The blue robed woman is surrounded by various uniformly-sized lockboxes. The only thing uniting them is the fact they're all open, and they're all lying on the ground and being ignored. "Hey!" Jishin briefly glances up from the box she's currently shaking free of its housing, "I'd hoped there'd be names, but apparently the bank uses a number system instead."

She tuts as, lockbox open in her hands, she briefly looks in, then tosses it to one side. An expensive looking necklace partially spilling out as it unceremoniously clatters to the ground. "An extra pair of hands won't hurt though, wish I knew which lockbox Wukong was using, but we can just brute force it." She gestures to her left, "Start wherever, I've not got a clue where to start, so I've just been piling them up. Oh!" She pauses, glancing over to Thorn again, "You know what you're looking for, right? The Scarlet's told you? And don't worry too much about a way out, we're gonna take our normal route for that."

Jishin appears to completely trust you! If you admit that you don't know what you're looking for, she will freely tell you that there was a disc written into Wukong's will and that's what the trio are here to find. With your knowledge of working for the Scarlet Moon Empire, bank lockbox numbers are not purely randomised but tend to be assigned based on when the person signs up for one, barring exceptions for closed accounts. Chances are, this means that if Wukong has a box, it should be one of the last ones that have been opened.

Danny

Decanter safely defenestrated, Danny is free to delve deeper within the upper reaches of the Bank. Padding further in, the perspective abruptly switches from Danny over to Kaze. The golden-gowned woman has a painting set on the floor beside her, revealing a hidden safe. She's framed facing the viewer as she quickly taps a message into her phone while she periodically glances up at the closed door, the office she's in stretching out and filling the frame behind her, and Danny just about visible at the far end of the corridor as he tries to sneak closer.

The most obvious route in is through the door in front of you, this will almost certainly get you quickly noticed, but there's something to be said for the direct approach. The office building also uses ceiling tiles that leave extra space above for wires and piping. It's less direct, but you could try making your way up and through the ceiling to close the gap as well.


Kid Midnight

Kid Midnight's scan of the walls quickly shows that the seemingly abandoned and empty tunnel entrances have an electromagnetic register at foot level. On closer inspection, these appear to be hidden motion sensors embedded in the mouths, all save the much fresher looking tunnel through which he's arrived showing signs of these simple alarms. It seems likely that the bank robbing trio weren't expecting to have anyone follow the tunnel back to their hub just yet. Where the alarms link to is unclear, it would seem to be a touch pointless to have them trigger a warning in the hub itself with them being so close to the room, but evidently this isn't the first time the hub's been used. Thermal imaging also shows the air coming down from the tunnel that leads to street level is much warmer than might be expected if it just opened into fresh air, at least for this time of year. Presumably it leads to a building.

A brief buzz from the table reveals a previously obscured phone. A quick examination of the screen shows a message reading Package located, extracting now, get ready-. A second buzz quickly follows the first, the visible portion of the message replacing itself with Understood. Once package is secure, rendezvous.... Frustratingly, the rest of the message is masked behind the phone's lock screen, a cheerful pond photo showing multiple koi swimming around demanding a four digit code to open.

It looks like there's at least some reception down here. A quick check of your own sending message shows it hasn't gone just yet, presumably the image upload slowing the text, but one of the would-be thieves, or at least a conspirator, has left their phone here and unguarded. The same can't be said of the other tunnels, but fortunately, your tech has shown you what to look for with the sensors. You won't be able to get into the phone here and now, trying to brute force a 4 digit combination would take way too long, but you'll have plenty of time, and the tech, to do it once you're out. That leaves just one pressing question, where do you go from here?

Wyrd

As a shroud of darkness falls around the bank, Wyrd can take pride in knowing that the citizenry outside at least are no longer going to be interfering in the proceedings. A shout of "Hey!" issues out from inside the bank, shortly followed by Gimansha stepping out and scanning the street quickly, her masked gaze settling on Wyrd. She slips a phone back into her pocket, a small 'bzzz' sound effect issuing from her pocket as her hands become more bestial. Claws sprout from her fingers and her arms bulk and lengthen. Calling out again, this time her wolf-mask's mouth opens when she speaks, her voice now gravelly and feral "This is your one warning, witch. Leave and you won't need to get hurt."

It looks like you won't have to worry about bystanders acting foolishly now, but the falling darkness hasn't gone unnoticed. Gimansha appears to believe you're a threat to the operation and is ready to try and force you away. How do you react to this out and out challenge?

Calamity

"Of course you are, sweetheart." The obnoxious man waves a hand dismissively at Calamity before holding up his phone screen, a close-up panel showing a headline displaying the arrival of Wyrd at the bank in a low resolution photo underneath the headline 'Heroes arrive at robbery in progress, situation unfolding'.

"The real heroes are already dealing with it."

Abruptly, a young voice yells out "She is too a real hero!" Despite her mother's protests, the girl that had previously stood in awe of Calamity pulls free of her mother's grip to try and stand up to the naysaying man. "She flew in and she's got a costume and everything! And... And I wanna be like her too!"

A condescendingly smug look on his face, the man turns to the child and responds "Listen honey, real heroes don't just stand around waiting for someone else to do all the work, if you really want to be like a hero, be like Lightbringer instead. There's a hero worth her salt."

Clearly not well equipped to win a verbal sparring contest, the young child looks pleadingly over to Calamity instead.

Not content with talking down to you, it looks like this jerk of a man has started to put down the young girl who was looking up to you as well! It's one thing to suffer a personal insult, can you stomach standing by while he inflicts his unwanted opinions on others?

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian scans over the lockboxes, chewing on his lip. No plan then. "Lock boxes are filed with a numeric system, newer accounts, higher numbers. These all look like old accounts...I think you're in the wrong section." he offers, moving in close with his lunch though he sets the chopsticks aside to rest a hand on Jishin's shoulder. He casts a look over his shoulder to the front before leaning in close. "Just keep looking at the boxes." his voice enters a hushed whisper. "I don't really know what we're looking for, that wasn't part of my hire on knowledge. The old man found a rat, Jishin. You all moved too quick to figure out who it was for sure but they crossed you out. They called the Empire to protect you and whatever it is you're here for. Which ever of the others it is, they've already called in back up. Hero. Backup. They're going to sell you out to the Guardians. Any minute now someone is going to signal the alert that the heroes are here. The way out you guys have is going to be swarming with people ready to capture you and foil your plan. I have a way out that none of you planned for which means no heroes. My partner is there waiting to make sure it's secure."

Sebastian fixes Jishin with his intense gaze, offering her the bowl of food. "Why do you think they didn't tell you about me showing up? Whoever the traitor is, they're going to be in panic mode, they're going to try and stick to their plan. I've got your back, if nothing else, you're going to get away. You just gotta stick with me."


Rolled an 11 on Are You Watching Closely.
- Expose a Weakness or Flaw
- Confuse them for some time
- Giving the team an opportunity.


Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5
Power: 5
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form Two: ᚲ (Kenaz)
Abilities:
Inhuman Intellect
Dark Sorcery
Crest:
❑ Mana

Signs
❑ Polymorph
❑ Thief


Wyrd raises her hand placatingly, the other resting on the head of the axe as it’s used for support.

”That was just for crowd control,” she says pleasantly, making no other movements. ”I’m not looking to get hurt here, and I’m not about to start a brawl that could cause more in damages than you might make off with. Unless that’s what you’re hoping to accomplish?” she asks archly.

All the while, her supercharged intellect is watching for cues in word choice, body language, anything that might give a clue as to what the play is here. A brutish, animalistic thug should be a simple matter to read for a mind such as hers.



Pierce the Mask: 5
Marking Potential

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


The next frame still focuses on Kaze, but the background shows Danny taking a few steps forwards on his tiptoes, hands held close to his chest, in the most stereotypical sneaking pose he could come up with. Then, slightly closer, his face turns skyward with a thoughtful look...

Then, his dangling legs, tatty jeans threatening to fall, are visible through the doorway, before slipping upwards, along with a small 'tap, tap, tap' noise from the ceiling, moving closer to the gold-dressed woman.

Abruptly, however, a loud 'KRAK!' from above her signals the end of any subtlety to his plan, as amidst the debris of broken ceiling tile and dust falling to the floor, Danny falls with a grunt of pain directly in front of her. His monkey instincts take over, however, and he leaps up to his feet directly from prone, acrobatically pushing up with his hands. His mind scrambled for any plausible excuse, but settled on instead:

"Well, that's NOT up to code!" he looked around, summoning his best serious look and adopting the mannerisms of the stuffy adults he'd seen around school, before he exaggeratedly catches sight of Kaze "Oh...hello. Mandatory ceiling inspection. Would you be the manager, perchance? I'm afraid it's not good news..."

Are You Watching Closely? 11
Danny's antics cause some confusion, even if they make very little sense.
On a 10+, choose three:
- you get an opportunity
- you expose a weakness or flaw
- you confuse them for some time
- you avoid further entanglement

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: +2
Freak: -1
Savior: +1
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

We see Calamity, standing tall and glaring at the man who just addressed the little girl so rudely. As we see a small panel on her eyes, anger evident, we see another panel where she turns away and leans back down to the little girl, eyes softening. "Now, don't let anyone tell you who you are and who you should look up to. I am honored that someone like you has put your faith in me, and I promise you've put it in the right place. Keep yourself safe, and maybe one day you'll be able to help people like I do!" Calamity ruffles the child's hair, and gives a small smile. After this, she stands tall once again, her gaze fixed back on the man and her back to the door, her phone and thus the team forgotten about for the time being.
"Now you are old enough to know that you shouldn't be stompin on a child's dreams right now. I may not be from around here, but even I know not all heroics is flashy fightin and engagin with villains. A real hero should be just as focused on keepin the citizens of this fine city safe. People like you set a bad example for the kids, thinkin everything should be solved with a punch to the mouth instead of an exchange of words. Now don't get me wrong some people do deserve a punch in the mouth , but that's not a hero's only role. Somehow this bright little girl understands that better than you do, and that shows that she really has a Hero's Heart." The speech bubble is made with hard angles at the beginning, but softens once she begins to refer to the child once again.

Calamity is giving influence to the child. She is also using "Not a Flyover". I rolled a six but am spending team Selfishly to shift my Mundane down and Savior Up, bringing me to a 7. Which means I stun them, I've gained an opportunity or confused them for some time.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

"Wh-huh..?" Thorn's abrupt change in conversation direction clearly throws Jishin off balance. She blinks, at first looking to Thorn in disbelief, then seeing how serious he appears to be, glances out to the lobby in confusion, down to the food bowl she was now apparently carrying, then finally back up to Thorn. "Is it Kaze? She wouldn't let either of us speak directly with the Warrior." She hesitates, now looking fearful as she glances back to the lobby, "She's smart, though..." She swallows nervously, "She'll have a plan ready in case she was found out if she was double crossing him..."

Jishin fixes Thorn with a pleading look, "Ok, if Kaze's turned on us, we should leave now, she doesn't leave things to chance and she'll be getting ready to move on a contingency if she knows you're here."

Abruptly, Thorn's phone buzzes, signalling a text, with the tone telling him that the text is from Kid Midnight specifically. Catching the alert, Jishin gives Thorn's phone a worried look, "Is that the signal..?"

It would seem Jishin is pretty rattled at the idea of there being a traitor amongst the trio, and she's jumping to the assumption of it being Kaze. Her worry seems to be enough to convince her that now is the time to leave! Perhaps it's time to lead her into the trap you laid with Calamity?

Should Thorn check the phone, he'll see the message is from the errant Kid Midnight. Apparently he's found some kind of hideout, complete with map to the bank.

Wyrd

Gimansha tilts her head at Wyrd's words. Her masked face is expressionless as she looks again at the shroud that's been bought down around the bank. She appears to be thoughtful for a moment, then looks back to Wyrd again, claws retracting and countenance turning more human. "If you're not interested in fighting, you're in the wrong place kid." She says in a bemused tone, a close-up panel focuses on her pocket as she reaches in to retrieve her phone. Tapping on it, she briefly turns her attention away from Wyrd, before repocketing the phone and taking a neutral position, arms crossed across her chest. Her focus away from Wyrd, she misses the soft Bzzt that issues from Wyrd's own phone.

"Well I have good and bad news for you. The good news is, if you don't want to fight, I'm A-OK with that. Just means I get paid for being bored, and I gotta be honest, fighting kids isn't really my idea of a good time. The bad news is that my buddies in there," She jerks her head back toward the bank, "Are just gonna bowl you over as soon as we're done here if you try anything to stop us. Recess is over, time for you to go back to school."

Gimansha isn't letting her guard down much, but Wyrd's casual approach to her challenge seems to have staved off a direct attack, even if there's nothing else to be gleaned. She is also, in no uncertain terms, quite happy to dismiss you here. Shift your Superior down and your Mundane up, or roll to reject, as she tells you you're nothing special.

Should Wyrd check the phone, they'll see the message is from the errant Kid Midnight. Apparently he's found some kind of hideout, complete with map to the bank.

Danny

Kaze abruptly springs backward as Danny crashes out of the ceiling before her. As Danny brings himself to his feet, he manages to catch the woman slipping something inside some inner pocket of her dress's shirt-piece. His attempt at explaining himself is largely ignored as Kaze instead glances up at the hole he fell through, then back behind her into the corridor. Her attention Danny as he finishes explaining.

Kaze's expression is thoughtful as the silence stretches, though she does eventually break it "Too slapdash to be Guardians, no reason for you to be here if you were Weather Report, and I'd know if you were Warlords." She nods to herself, turning to leave as she speaks one more time "You'd be better staying out of the-" A soft Bzzt issues simultaneously from both Danny's and Kaze's phones, leading Kaze to pause, an irritated frown on her face. "You'd be wise to not answer that. How many of you are here?"

Kaze's guard seems to have been dropped somewhat, perhaps you were born to play the role of the fool! While she definitely isn't taken in by your excuse, the apparent ametureness of it appears to have achieved the desired effect anyway, and as a bonus you know that she seems to have snagged something. The buzz from your phone appears to have given her pause as well, though it means she's renewed her attention on you, she's clearly wary about the potential for other heroes being present. Unfortunately, you've got no way of knowing what the buzz is about without her knowing you're looking, at this point, it's schroedinger's text. Where do you go from here?

Calamity

The man that had been berating both Calamity and the young girl looks suitably chastened at the hero's scolding. It would seem Calamity's won the crowd as well as no small number of them are treating him to some incredibly dirty looks, as well as several choice muttered insults. Giving a half-mumbled apology, he hurries away and, with the last bit of street theatre apparently ended, the crowd at large disperses as well. At least, it mostly disperses. The mother and young girl have stayed behind.

The mother approaches Calamity, a grateful, though embarrassed look on her face, "I'm, uh, I'm not quite sure what the etiquette is but, uh, but thankyou. For looking out for Emily." She hesitates, then holds out a hand, "I'm Alana. It's, uh, it's good to meet you."

With Emily standing beside her mother and grinning up at Calamity, the scene is broken only by the Bzzt of a phone. Calamity's phone, as it turns out. It would appear that Kid Midnight has found the base of operations of whoever it is you were called out here to stop.

Looks like you've cowed the bully enough for him to leave, it doesn't seem likely that he'll be trying to be a jerk like that in public again any time soon. You've also learned the names of those you stepped in to help! Emily and Alana!

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/86/f2/e3/86f2e3cc29b2cd40d127babde5c9ea03.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c6/fe/47/c6fe476397455a97167ce517fa1b8ae5.jpg

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Hold: 1

It was a lot of information to get in such a short period of time. The Warrior was involved. The person presumably with the thing they wanted these folks not to get was the brains of the operation, and a quick check of his phone showing Midnight's message all came together in as close to a F.U.B.A.R situation and he didn't need any kind of future sight to see how it could go down. He was going to have to act fast and not just because the people in the bank were likely to wake up and at the worst possible time. His eyes flicked from his mobile to Jishin, a curt nod as he retracts the offered bowl of food. "Yeah. I managed to hack into the back channels of the heroes, One's already set up in your get away."

He flashes his phone, and the picture, to Jishin. Undeniable proof was good to have on hand though the issue now was to get it to the as of yet unseen Kaze and get them out the door and into Calamity's waiting punches. "Kaze's up above right?" he asks, glancing to the stairs leading to the second floor of the bank, hoping to use the distraction to send a quick message to Calamity to get her precious mitts revv'd up, before taking a step forward. A plan was forming in the back of his mind, not one he was thrilled about, but it was what he had to work with.

"Jishin, this is on you. If Kaze is the traitor you know she's got tons of plans. You know the heroes are waiting, there's no escape without following this to the letter. You gotta get Kaze to go with you, out this way. Take snarly with you too, anything you can do to sell the story. Tell her what you think she needs to hear." He pulls up a map of the mall back up before flashing his phone again, pointing to a service exit that leads out into the loading zone where Calamity awaits. "My partner is out there waiting to spring the trap on the traitor, whoever it is. If you can get Kaze, you can get old snarly out there." He motions off to where he'd just come from. "If I got this message, the rest of this Midnight kid's team got it too. If you could steal one of their phones, you'd have proof for her. Can you do this? Can I count on you? I'll bring up the rear, make sure you all escape."


Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5
Power: 5
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form Two: ᚲ (Kenaz)
Abilities:
Inhuman Intellect
Dark Sorcery
Crest:
❑ Mana

Signs
❑ Polymorph
❑ Thief


Wyrd’s laugh is low, rich, and with just a hint of mockery at this heavy-handed attempt to rattle her confidence in herself.

”Oh, no, dear me, you misunderstand,” she says archly. ”I said I’m not looking to get hurt, which of course I’m not,” she explains, swinging her axe idly in the two fingers cradling the head.

”I also said I’m not looking to start a fight here, which is absolutely true – I’d prefer to just accept your surrender. However, should you choose to commence with the hostilities, I would have no compunctions about turning your blood to acid for a few moments – the pain truly is enough to make one pass out almost immediately,” she says clinically.

Energy a green so dark it appears nearly black crackles abruptly about her fingers in a manner almost like electricity, but somehow not quite.

”I really do suggest you take the first option and surrender – or run along, before you are the one who gets schooled.” she says coolly.


Rejecting Influence: 10
Cancelling her Influence, taking +1 Forward
Marking potential by acting to prove her wrong; Provoking her to surrender or flee: 10

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

"And Bingo was his name-o." Kid Midnight snatches the phone from the table. After fiddling with it for a few moments, he gives up trying to access the rest of the message. It wouldn't do him any good right now anyway. "Now I can't just take this without leaving anything in return. That's just rude." Smirking, he grabs a spare scrap of paper and begins folding it up.

There isn't much else to be done here at the moment, but the warmer tunnel is promising, so he makes for the surface. The last panel shows him leaving via the surface-bound tunnel. The desk is in the foreground, prominently showing an origami flower left behind.

Inside the folded up flower is a written note: Don't call me, I'll call you ;)

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


"How many..?" The boy asks, scratching idly scratching his messy brown locks "Only me! Ceiling inspectors work alone. Too much of a danger to have more than one up there. Health and safety, OSHA. You know. I know the lingo."

"Did you notice?" he hears from somewhere distant.

"Mhm" Danny nods, seemingly to himself "Oh...hey, that might have been a text from my manager. You know ceiling managers. Notorious for their anger issues. I probably shouldn't just ignore it. Yours went too, right?"

A smile plays across his face as he seems to have an idea...a dumb one, most likely, but when was ignoring an impulse ever a good idea?

Danny's right hand drifts down to hover over his pocket as he adopts a squint, his left hand reaching up to pull down the brim of an imaginary Stetson. His voice taking on a stereotypical drawl from a the spaghetti westerns shown at the picture house, he growls "...Go fer yer phone, you scum-suckin' mollusc! Three...two...one... DRAW!"

He swiftly draws his phone from his pocket, aiming the camera towards Kaze, and shouts "BANG!!" as his finger touches the unlock pad.

Provoke Someone 8
Danny is hoping to get Kaze to play along with his antics...at least long enough to check his phone.
On a 7-9, Kaze can choose one.
• they stumble: you take +1forward against them
• they err: you gain a critical opportunity
• they overreact: you gain Influence over them

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: +2
Freak: -1
Savior: +1
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

Calamity smiles warmly at Alana and Emily. "Why, it was absolutely my pleasure! Some folk simply have no manners. And if you'll excuse me mine, I believe I should probably check this real quick" she quickly pulls her phone out and gestures with it. "Duty calls! Now stay safe you two, I made a big speech about action not being everything, but I do believe some may be coming our way real soon. It was lovely to meet you both, and I look forward to seeing what you do for this fine city!" She winks down at Emily with the last part, and gives Alana another warm smile, but her eyes hold concern for the two's safety.
Finally, Calamity checks her phone, and seems a little disappointed by the text she receives. She decides to send a text to Thorn, just to make sure everything is alright.

<Everything going according to plan in there, chief? I just cleared the crowd out back, so we should be good to go!>

She declines to mention that she drew the crowd in the first place.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

Somewhat to her credit, Jishin appears to rally once Thorn presents his plan. She nods quickly, "Sounds smart. I'll contact you when I-" She reaches into her sleeve, clearly intending to find something, then stopping with confusion and embarrassment, "I... Forgot my phone. Ok, never mind, I'll swing by the ground floor and grab you before we go out back."

With a hurry in her step, she squeezes back out of the damaged vault door and into the lobby. Thorn hears an exclamation of surprise from her once she's through, followed by a hurried and muttered conversation, and finally the sound of footsteps dashing upstairs. The quiet Bzzt! of Thorn's phone rings out as he receives another message, this time from Calamity.

Jishin appears to intend to go along with your plan. Should you follow her out of the vault, you'll see that Gimansha has just come inside looking very hurried. The pair held a quick conversation, Jishin taking the lead with it, before Gimansha races upstairs leaving Jishin to watch the entry.

The message from Calamity is as written in their last post.

Wyrd

Wyrd's threat clearly gives Gimansha pause. The animal-masked villain weighing her options. Though her eyes are covered, her attention seems to very clearly be on the energy Wyrd has summoned. She takes one step backward, then turns on her heel and sprints back through the bank's doors, closing the gap and inside again mere moments before the sound of breaking glass draws Wyrd's eyes up and to the top floor. One of the windows has been broken outward, a different one to the one Danny previously entered. Though a close-up panel shows that the monkey-powered boy is exiting through this one, albeit backwards.

Whether afraid of you, or simply being prudent, Gimansha has retreated from you rather than face you in a fight, though she's done so back into the very building she came from. It appears that Danny may have found another of the robbers as well based on his unconventional return to the ground. Do you trust that he can make his way down safely, after all, Gimansha has only backed off, not been stopped. Or maybe the acrobatic boy above needs some help with his landing

Danny

Kaze's movements are a blur as Danny goes for his phone. Her foot slides forward as she drops into a combat stance, her open hand thrusting toward him as he abruptly finds himself lifted off his feet and backward. The sudden gust lifts several pieces of office equipment with him, smashing out the window behind him and leaving him with both good news and bad news. The good news is, of course, twofold. Firstly, it would seem that Kaze is now taking him much more seriously. Secondly, he doesn't need to worry about getting hurt by breaking the glass of the window he's just left through, the office desk tumbling below him did a good job of taking out a big enough piece of glass that he soared through without so much as a scratch. With a panel taking the view from over his shoulder, the snapshot of time shows him suspended in mid-air in the brief moment before gravity takes over from the gale-forced gust. The broken window provides a view back inside as Kaze is shown to be shifting to a run, heading elsewhere within the building.

A glance downward gives Danny the bad news. There's a long fall ahead and, aside from a dimunitive Wyrd far below, it doesn't appear there's much of a chance of a soft landing if he does nothing.

Kaze over-reacts to Danny's provocation. The good news is, this means that he can now take influence over her. The bad news is, she over-reacted by blasting him out of the building, and the landing doesn't look like a sure thing.

Roll to take a Powerful Blow


Kid Midnight

Kid Midnight's ascent through the tunnel quickly transitions to an ascent up a flight of stairs, groups of cables running parallel to the flight of steps and up toward an unremarkable wooden door with an extraction vent blowing down warm steam. The door itself is ajar and a peek through shows a view into what appears to be some kind of store room, crates scattered about without much regard for planning. Another flight of stairs leads up, and small windows near the tops of the walls show the occasional person walking past. It would appear to be some kind of basement. There's a little noise coming from up the stairs, but it sounds like the hum of machinery rather than the irregular chatter of people.

For now, Kid Midnight's luck seems to be holding. The basement is empty of other people. A quick survey of it quickly reveals the supplies down here to be spare crockery, alcohol that can be kept at room temperature, and various tablecloths and uniforms. This appears to be some kind of restaurant and, given the time of day, it shouldn't be especially busy right now. Unfortunately, you'd have to go upstairs to get an accurate idea of exactly which restaurant this is. Are you willing to push your luck just that bit further?

Calamity

Alana nods her understanding and says "Good luck, we'll be cheering you on!"

Despite some protests from Emily, the pair head on their way with a final wave toward Calamity, leaving the hero once more waiting in readiness for whatever it is Thorn has planned. Checking her phone for updates does provide her with access to the newsfeed of events, though even that is apparently a bit lacking now. The latest news shows that a black shroud has sprung up around the bank, keeping her from seeing what her teammates are up to. Or, most of her teammates at least. It seems she has a message from Kid Midnight about some kind of hidden base! Though there's no location information attached to that.

With the crowd dispersed, it's just a waiting game now, hopefully Thorn's plan will come to fruition soon and allow Calamity to knock some heads

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian is quick to follow Jishin out into the lobby, no sense remaining in a vault that had nothing for him. He stares after the masked villain for a few moments as they move up the stairs, glancing to Jishin. "You should go too. The three of you need to get out of here and you know the way out. Don't worry about me, I'll take up the rear. If there's one meddling hero, there's bound to be more on their way." He brushes past Jishin as he pulls out his phone, taking a quick glance at the message. <C-> is all he shoots back to Calamity before pushing the door to the bank open, drawing a gun from the depths of his jacket. "I have hostages. They're safe for now, don't do anything rash." he calls out, trying to get a bead on the hero. He gives Jishin one final look, hissing "Go!" before stepping out into the open mall.

Asked to roll a Provoke. Got a 10.

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5
Power: 5
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form Two: ᚲ (Kenaz)
Abilities:
Inhuman Intellect
Dark Sorcery
Crest:
❑ Mana

Signs
❑ Polymorph
❑ Thief


A tendril of satisfaction curls through Wyrd as her opponent bolts; tell her she’s no threat? Hah.

The crash of breaking glass announcing Danny’s abrupt exiting of the building comes as a surprise...and yet is somehow nothing of the sort, once you get to know him. Thorn’s sudden appearance and melodramatic dialogue immediately suggests – to her advanced intellect, at least – that he’s running some sort of con on the robbers.

Rolling her eyes at the antics, she collapses the spell maintaining her wall of darkness, the mall flooding back into view. Channeling the energy as the spell comes apart, she redirects it into her trusty shadow web spell, tweaked slightly to remove the ‘sticky’ quality from the strands as they latch onto the building front and the ground in a wide spread in front of it, giving numerous places for the agile monkey boy to catch himself.

Unleashing her Dark Sorcery: 12

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


Roll to take a Powerful Blow: 4

As Danny is defenestrated for his antics, he ponders his life for a moment. How had he come here? Could he have done something differently to avoid his near certain fate on the pavement below? Then...deciding that there was a time and place for this, he sprung into action. Grabbing the table below him and flipping around to right himself to his feet, he leapt forwards, aiming to grab a window ledge and kick the debris away from his teammate. While the latter worked a charm, propelling the office equipment out into the wooded area, he had overestimated the amount of force he could generate, falling several feet short of his goal. At least righted, he was able to grab part of the newly-created web to slow his descent, and tumble to the ground through its cradling strands far more gracefully than he might have done without it, landing with monkey-like poise and rolling back to his feet right in front of Wyrd.

"Hi Wyrd!" He greets, cheery as ever "I found a...oh...you too, huh?" He trails off as he notices Gimansha's back fleeing through the door. "Well, there's one upstairs, and man, is she angry. I really don't think she wants her ceilings looked at...oh!"

He finally remembers what he was doing, and checks his phone.

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

"Think fast, rabbit," Kid Midnight mutters to himself as pairs of sneakers and dress shoes and a pair of bright orange platform pumps pass in front of the window. Stealing into the storage room, he rifles around the spare uniforms. "Sushi Taki?" he says, a panel showing the logo on a uniform. "Never heard of it."

One quick-change later and his armor and weapons are hidden under an awkwardly-fitting uniform. Disguised, perhaps unconvincingly, he makes for the upstairs, but stops in his tracks as another crate catches his eye. "Well well, what do we have here?" Reaching into the crate, his eyes go wide as he withdraws his prize. "JACKPOT!" Far more precious than any meager intelligence or an enemy cellphone, he holds in his hands an unopened bottle of sake. Quickly looking around to make sure he's alone, he wraps the bottle in his jacket and stashes it under his arm.

Finally heading upstairs, he quickly discovers the source of the machinery noise - an industrial water pump and filter. And on the other side of a swinging door, a dining room arranged around a diorama of San Fransapporo, with sushi boats and bamboo noodle chutes delivering food along a model of the Pepper River that runs through the city. "Whoa."

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

Jishin hesitates briefly, then nods, taking off after her teammate. As she's leaving, he can see that the crowd corralled within the bank are regaining consciousness. A wave of alarm seems to be spreading through them, a few have taken out phones and appear to be not-so-covertly recording him, while yet others talk between one another in worried tones about the brandished gun. None of them seem to have the courage to try and rush the young hero, however, and they're shortly left in an empty lobby as Thorn steps out into the mall proper.

Jishin has left, presumably to join her two compatriots. The hostages are regaining consciousness. And now you're rejoining your team, albeit in the guise of the bad guy.

Thorn, Wyrd, Danny - Outside the Bank

A gasp ripples through the crowd as Wyrd's veil dissipates and is replaced by a tangled web to catch the plummeting Danny. The pair are shortly joined by Thorn, his shouted threats drawing further exclamation from the gathered onlookers. The standoff lasts for only a few moments before there is once again the sound of breaking glass, this time somewhat muffled by distance, as though coming from the other side of the building.

That breaking glass sounds an awful lot like an exit strategy has just been put in action. While you can't be 100% sure, it sounds like the trio of villains have left the bank.

With Danny safely to the ground again, it looks like it's time to work out what Thorn's been up to inside. The distant sound of breaking glass sounds an awful lot like Danny's earlier defenestration. Another victim? Or perhaps Kaze making a break for it?


Calamity

Calamity's quiet wait for action is finally rewarded as a trio of women abruptly rush through the service entrance. She can immediately recognise their appearance from the news reports that had been shoved in her face earlier. The one in brown keeps a wary eye on the door as the other two spot and approach her. The one in blue addresses her quickly, "You know Thorn? You're his contact?" There's a nervous energy to her words, and she seems to be trying not to look at her companion. Said companion is frowning as she takes in your costume, though she's yet to say anything.

Looks like the action has finally come to you! Time to decide hero, where do you go from here?


Kid Midnight

Kid Midnight's exploration of the restaurant he's found himself in is cut short as a voice pipes up from behind him, "Hey... Hey! We're not open yet!"

The panels shift to frame the teen who just spoke up, an annoyed expression on their face as they carry in a tray of cutlery. At first glance, you might be forgiven for thinking they're in cosplay, their appearance very at odds with the high-end looking restaurant. They wear a cream coloured shoulder-less top with colourful red and orange edging, as well as knee-length charcoal shorts and simple sandals. Their hair is wild and unkempt and, along with a waving monkey-tail, is the same colour as their top. Despite their apparent youth, there are tattoos on each of their upper arms. An introductory text box with a copper background and twisted green vine edging introduces them as Rowan, followed by Irate Waiter.

Rowan blinks as they take in Kid Midnight's, setting the tray down on the table next to them, "Hold on a sec, aren't you that Midnight Kid? Helped wreck the Museum a few weeks back? What're you doing here?"

Busted! Not only have you been found, you've been recognised. It's not clear yet whether Rowan has a high or low opinion of you, but they certainly know who you are. What now, hero?

https://i.postimg.cc/s2JkTcXS/773067216dd2e124368b99c81ac34d9f.jpg

Mission Objectives have been updated!

Halt the robbery
The Sun Mall is an entirely enclosed space and damage to one building can result in damage to many, prevent as much damage to the surroundings as possible
The villains don't seem interested in hostages, but there are civilians caught in the building, get them to safety or otherwise keep them safe

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian steps out into mall proper though pauses at the sound of crashing glass, a foot hanging in the air before pivoting on his foot. "Hold on. Forgot something. Just a moment. Don't go anywhere." With a stride, he steps back into the bank, ignoring the cameras out and up. "Oh yeah, you sure know how to do your job." he thinks to himself, none of the hostages tied up as hoped for. He was thankful they were out for the majority though. He's laser focused, stepping back into the vaults to pick his bowl of curry back up before finally moving back to face down the heroes. He's replaced his gun with his phone, sending the whole team the escape plan he'd made up for his villain pals.

"Should probably go after them. Took something, no idea what. Warlords are involved. Calamity's outside though, waiting to punch'em. If you follow them, we'll have them cornered. Three of em, whichever one's Kaze has the goods. I'm gonna go find Midnight, make sure they're doing ok. Good work though. You want any?" he asks, holding out the bowl of food, giving a flinch at the second glass shatter. "Maybe we'll reschedule lunch. You better get going."


Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5
Power: 4
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form One: ᛏ (Tiwaz)
Abilities:
Inhuman Strength and Durability
Impossible Fighting Skills
Crest:
❑ Transformation

Signs
❑ Reflect
❑ Knock


Wyrd raises an eyebrow at Thorn’s offer of lunch, under the circumstances.

”Reschedule? You think?” she asks dryly.

It sounds like they’re coming to the more vigorous portion of the, ah, plan, and without knowing exactly what was stolen, she’d probably be better off getting her game face on.

Holding her axe up before her, the Crest scribed with the ᛏ of the rune Tiwaz facing outward, she flips it around to face the other direction, revealing the ᚲ of Kenaz.

Power flares as she does so, and arcane energies ripple over her, her Form changing as the channelled force of an einherjar comes crashing down. Translucent armour composed from magical energies form, and the axe itself gains a shimmer of power along its edge.

”Ho, yes! Let’s rout these thieves, and show them not to plunder our town!” Wyrd chuckles darkly, and with the rolling gait his weak leg demands rushes to follow out the service entrance and join Calamity.


Spending one Power, changing Forms

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: +2
Freak: -1
Savior: +1
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

We see Calamity caught briefly off guard before she takes a classic heroic stance, hands on her hips and shoulders back. She briefly looks over the trio as she hears the question, and looks almost caught off guard. "Wait he... told you I was out here? I feel like that kinda defeats the purpose of a surprise attack but... whatever!" As she says this, she takes a look at how they outnumber her and decides that maybe punching may not be the best decision. Instead, she claps her hands together and emits a loud BOOOOOM as she sends out a massive shock-wave, attacking the three villains where they stand. Knowing she's alone, she doesn't particularly care how much power she uses, she's sure they can take it!

I am keeping in mind my quirk of having trouble regulating my powers by allowing myself to not hold back, so I am going to roll to Directly Engage rather than Limit Break. I got a 7 so I will choose to Impress, Surprise, or Frighten the opposition with my sudden burst of force.

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

Kid Midnight freezes and his face goes blank at being recognized through his oh-so-clever disguise.

"Uh..."

He looks down at his wait-staff uniform, and back up at Rowan. "I'm a new hire?" he asks hesitatingly, checking Rowan's face for signs of credulity. There are none.

"No? Fine. Okay, look, here's the truth." He takes a deep breath, preparing to confess.

"It's Kid Midnight. And yeah, sure, we might have accidentally caused some light wear-and-tear on a few mostly not-irreplaceable artifacts. But give us some credit! We also uncovered a reverse-smuggling operation and foiled some major crime! You can't make a Han Dynasty omelette without cracking a few antique jade eggs, am I right? And let me tell you, you would not believe where they put those things."

"Speaking of smuggling, there's a bank robbery in progress over at the Kichō Bank, and the bad guys came from a tunnel that leads back here. You got any clue what that's about?"

Rolled a 13 to Pierce the mask on Rowan. Asking:

What are you really planning?
What do you intend to do?
How could I gain Influence over you?

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


"Kaze?" Danny asks looking hungrily at the proffered bowl, his eyes following its every movement. He had, after all, been interrupted in his second lunch of the day "I met one upstairs. She seemed jumpy. Could be Ka.." His attention was broken by the sound of breaking glass again, his gaze turning skywards, then back down and between his two elders. He knew, better than anyone, his special brand of "dumb stunt" wouldn't be useful here, and wanted to listen to the two smartest people he knew...

Wyrd's transformation took him by surprise, the boy falling back with shock, his curiosity just taking hold enough to reach out towards the armour, before he catches himself, nodding at their suggestion. As Wyrd started off, Danny took a look at Thorn, nodding his head in affirmation...though for who, it could not be said.
"I'll take the high road and you take the low road...i'll be there before you." he mumbles to mostly himself, running back towards the building and leaping up, intending to circumvent it on the wall in the hope that the bad guys and girls wouldn't be looking up.

When the building begins to shake and the window nearby cracks, he only spares a moment to think -Looks like Jen's at it again. Best be quick!-

Assess the Situation: 6 Fail!

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

With Wyrd and Danny racing after the fleeing villains, Thorn is left with a crowd of onlookers, fleeing bank clientele, and rapidly approaching journalists. With eager media on the approach, the hole leading to Kid Midnight is, perhaps, the most inviting direction to take.

I was gonna assume you went down the hole after Kid Midnight, but Thorn does have the option to put his spin on the events that have just happened if he should prefer to do so.

Calamity

Calamity's words before her strike give the reader just enough time to get a one panel reaction from each of the villain trio. Gimansha turns at the sound of the incoming attack, her body language reading as unprepared even as her claws lengthen from her hands again. Jishin has a betrayed look on her face, the expression mingled with confusion as she's launched backward. Kaze appears the least surprised, launching backward and into the air with a palm thrown out toward Calamity.

A wide shot shows the aftermath. The villain trio being blasted back, a compressed cone of air simultaneously lifting Calamity clear off her feet and sending her into the wall of a building across the street. Of the trio, Kaze is the first to recover, rising into the air and reaching into the folds of her dress before snapping her arm back out. A silvery disc flies through the air and lands in Jishin's lap. "Jishin, Plan C! Get this to our contact!"

Jishin looks paralysed by indecision for a moment, a snarl behind her gets her moving, though. "Go! Kaze and I can handle a couple of whelps!"

Loping forward, Gimansha's body continues to warp and grow more bestial, her limbs lengthening and bulking as her head takes on a lupine shape. With her companions acting so definitively, Jishin tucks the disc into her dress before striking a fist down at the ground beneath her, stamping a foot forward in time with the motion. There's a rumble as the street splits and ruptures, a gap opening up in the tarmac. Not a tunnel yet, but already enough to get off street level.

As you chose to not resist or avoid their blows, roll to take a powerful blow as Kaze counterattacks. It looks like you've made enough of an impression that the trio are having one of their number retreat from you, but it looks like they gave her something to get away from you. It won't be simple to follow her, though, as the other two are rushing you. What do you do, hero?

Wyrd and Danny - Heading Outside

It's onto this chaotic scene that both Wyrd and Danny arrive. The most clear and present thing to greet them are the duo lunging for Calamity, recognisable as Gimansha and Kaze by Wyrd and Danny respectively. A third woman dressed in a rich blue is rapidly disappearing into the ground beneath the street, tremors rippling through the ground periodically as she moves. From how she's dressed, it's not a stretch to assume she's with the other two.

You've arrived just in time to help with the fighting! While you seem to have missed the initial trading of blows, you at least made it before anyone's been taken out. While you each recognise one of the combatants, though, you don't know for sure which is called Kaze. With Calamity outnumbered and Jishin escaping, it's still all to play for! What do you do, heroes?


Kid Midnight

Rowan's faint confusion turns to deadpan disappointment at Kid Midnight's attempt at bluffing. Setting their tray on the table next to them, they hop up to sit on the edge of one of the tables beside them as Kid Midnight immediately switches to being more honest. They give a small shrug and slightly dismissive wave at Kid Midnight's version of the museum incident, as though the details aren't particularly important.

Rowan freezes up when asked about the bank robbery, though. Their previously very relaxed body language disappearing as they shoot a guilty glance back toward the stairs leading into the basement. They look back to Kid Midnight with a sheepish grin. "Would you believe that I just work here and don't know anything about it..?"

Rowan lets out a sigh, tilting their head back so that they're looking at the ceiling, hands clutching at the table edge. "... Ok..." Hopping to their feet, Rowan starts to pace back and forth with a slightly guilty expression as they talk, "Ok. I don't know the details," They hold their hands up to forestall comment, "And seriously, I don't, my aunt keeps that kind of thing real close to her chest to keep people accidentally spilling. Only trusts her team. Anyway. I know that it's meant to be some big paying job, big enough that she thought it was worth the risk of being caught. Which..." Rowan tilts their head and asks, "If you're here I guess that means your team's fighting them..? No offense, but I hope she wins, we could really use that money."

Rowan shakes their head again, "Look, I'm not gonna ask you to not try and stop her or anything, I know you're on that hero life, but if you win can you at least make sure she doesn't get caught..?" They turn, picking the serving tray back up again as they return to setting cutlery down at the tables, their face downcast, "She doesn't talk to me about finances, but since the Rogue did her whole..." They vaguely gesture in the air with a fork, "Thing with AEGIS, well, this wasn't the best part of town to start with, and now we're lucky to get more than a hundred customers a night. Doesn't take a genius to guess why she took the bank job."

During Rowan's talking, Kid Midnight can feel his phone buzz with a message.

It looks like Rowan's trying to appeal to your better nature here, asking you to let their aunt and her team go free if your team do manage to win. They don't have influence on you though, so no label shifting is being provoked.

In answer to the Assess questions;

What are you really planning? - Rowan is planning to stay uninvolved in the fight at the bank, they're also not going to try and prevent you from rejoining that fight if that's what you're planning to do.

What do you intend to do? - Rowan seems to be prioritising the financial well-being of their family, and for right now that means making sure the restaurant is ready to open in time. They're putting enough trust in their aunt that this seems to be the highest priority for them right now.

How could I gain Influence over you? - Rowan already seems to have quite a good opinion of Kid Midnight. Offering to help them in some way would be enough to get influence over them. From what you know of them right now, sincerely promising to let their aunt go free would do it, but offering to try and save the restaurant could also do the trick.

Should he check it, Kid Midnight will see the message is from Thorn, detailing an 'escape plan' for, presumably, the bank robbers to follow.

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian watches the pair leave, waving after them. "Give'em an approximate amount of punishment you crazy kids."

He's quick to send another text when the others are out of sight, directly to Kid Midnight. <"Where you at. I have a plan.">

It was half true, which was about as honest as he could ever be, about the plan. Jishin and co were only working for the Warrior by proxy, just one point of contact among them. What was more, he was a known entity among a lot of the Warrior's people, they'd have had him dead to rights if they weren't random stooges hired on to take the fall if things went south. There was going to be a hand off, somewhere, and likely nearby. Far enough away to not look conspicuous, close enough to not endanger the delivery. He wasn't afforded a lot of time to dwell on it however.

The arrival of news crews wasn't unexpected but certainly an added distraction. He turns, bringing his Bearing down as the panels show a snarling tiger interposed between him and the reporters as he shoots off another text, fingers covering the name on the panels. <"I need to know if you're doing a pick up for work near Sun Mall today.">. The Bearing wouldn't be enough to keep the real hounds at bay for long, he was hoping something would click and Midnight would come in clutch.

Rolled an 11 on my Assess. Going to ask
What here could I _ use to find the drop off location.
How best could we end this quickly (this specifically being the drop off)


Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5
Power: 3
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form One: ᛏ (Tiwaz)
Abilities:
Inhuman Strength and Durability
Impossible Fighting Skills

Signs
❑ Reflect
❑ Exchange


Wyrd takes in the scene at a glance; regardless of who is whom and what is going on, Calamity could use some backup and they can’t let the third escape.

”Danny-boy, stop that one from fleeing like a bloodless coward,” he roars, gesturing with his axe as he lurches on, not slowing his headlong charge. He has faced down wolf-girl once already, he’s hardly about to shy away now!

”Fenris-whelp! How about we throw the bones after all, see who walks away!” he bellows and piles into her, bringing the fighting skill of a Valhalla-dwelling warrior into the fray.



Directly Engage Gimansha: 7
Will resist/avoid her blows

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


"Don't tell me what to do, old man!" Danny calls from the flagpole looking over the fighting, though the grin on his face belies any annoyance or hostility. He was already planning to go after the woman. But...plummeting from the side of the building into a small hole. Man, that was tough.

It'd look cool, though. And there are going to be cameras... the voice rose unbidden "Nuh-uh, I don't wanna be a splat on the pavement, and what if Mo..." Danny starts to reply, before his eyes widen, realizing that the bank was sailing away behind him and the ground was rapidly approaching. Wincing, he closed his eyes ready for the impact.

He really, truly hoped that the Monkey Spirit knew what it was doing.

He felt the impact on his feet, dissipated by his body rolling forwards, the Spirit seeming to find a way to channel the force away, and his eyes opened again to darkness, the only light coming through from the hole to the street behind him. His ears picked up the sound of crumbling rock and dirt ahead...definitely not a pair of hands he wanted to be between. A slightly painful memory resurfaced of the time he tried to play slaps with Calamity...

On your feet. Still glory to be won this day. he heard, his body responding as clearly as if to his own thought. For the briefest moment, his eyes glowed golden in the darkness, sensing the energy inherent to all living things, revealing Jinshin with her back turned to him. She was preoccupied. Perfect. He could always claim it had been a hard fought fight afterwards!

Danny darted forwards, aiming to snatch whatever it was Jinshin had taken before she could even notice.

Directly Engage: 5 Fail!

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +2
Freak: -1
Savior: +1
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

I rolled a miss to Take A Powerful Blow! So I mark Potential and Stand Strong!

We see Calamity in a crater in a nearby brick wall, her hat slightly crooked, as she begins to extricate herself. We get a panel of her stretching out her shoulder and yell back at the trio "That all ya got, thought y'all were professionals? I've done worse than that to myself!"
We then see her narrow her eyes at the tunnel that has just opened. She mutters to herself, "Well, either you don't know what my whole thing is, or that's just plain offensive!" The next panel is her putting both of her palms flat to the ground, and closing her eyes. The next panel is shown in Negative Space, as action lines show the earth beginning to shake, as Calamity attempts to collapse the tunnel. With her eyes closed, she doesn't notice her headstrong buddy diving into the tunnel...

I rolled an 8 on Unleash, and so I will make the result Unstable or Temporary >:3

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

The approaching rush of journalists become far less eager to approach as Thorn turns the force of his bearing on them. Small in the background now, the crowd of reporters look small with Thorn standing imposingly in the foreground of the panel, the phone in his hand giving a buzz as he receives a quick response to his text. A cut-out panel shows the text, the message short and to the point.

Beams. 30 Minutes. You owe me an apology.

Looks like Thorn's hunch was spot on. The message gives little doubt that the sender knows about Thorn's involvement in the morning's events, they even seem to have assumed how things will end. Beams is a fashion store that has just recently managed to get a foothold in San Fransapporo's Jingu District. Though there's no evidence, there's a suspicion that their success where similar brands are struggling is in no small part thanks to the patronage of some of The Warrior's family.

Wyrd, Danny, Calamity - Brawling in the Street

The panels cut to the action taking place just outside of the enclosed Sun Mall, an overhead panel showing a freeze frame of the combatants pairing off. Gimansha and Wyrd's showdown is the first to receive focus. Gimansha has warped almost beyond recognition into an imposing beast, nearly twice the size of Wyrd. The heavy thumps of the trading blows echoes through the air. Gimansha unable to break through Wyrd's dancing axe and, much to her frustration, suffering multiple blows as a reward for her efforts. The axe is unable to bite deep, Gimansha's thick fur and wiry muscles bleeding away the worst of the strikes, but she still is forced back by the assault, a snarl on her lips. In the background behind the two combatants, Danny can be seen dropping into the hole in the street.

The focus switches to properly spotlight the plummeting monkey boy. The panels become heavily desaturated as the light of the surface is dramatically reduced in the makeshift tunnel. Danny is picked out in gold edging, Jishin in a deep blue that nearly blends with her surroundings. Danny's lunge receives a wide panel, the page showing him leaping from the brighter tunnel entrance into the gloom of the currently dead end. A second panel shows him about to make contact, Jishin twisting her body around his outstretched arm, her robes flowing like water as she does. The third and final panel of the page has her completing her rotation and bringing her fist down on Danny's back. Hard. The impact of the hammerblow sends shockwaves racing through the tunnel, bursting a pipe and sending a dull Whumph reverberating through the two duelists bodies. A remorseful look on her face as she glances down at the stricken boy, Jishin rushes forward again and begins to power her way through the earth ahead of her once more. Until abruptly she gives out a yelp as the tunnel begins to cave in around her, the collapse racing back to the tunnel entrance and threatening to encase Danny too.

The panels pan up through the now thoroughly ruined street to show the cause of the collapse. Calamity crouched to the ground with her hands to the asphalt, tremors emanating from her as Kaze twists in place mid-air to see the destruction below her. A worried look flashes across her face, present for just a single panel to be replaced by one of resolve. Her attention back on Calamity, Kaze whirls her arms low to high, a jet stream following her motion. The air blast catches Calamity in the chest and sweeps her skyward, breaking the heroine's contact with the ground as Kaze flies after her. "Is stopping us really worth your friend's life?" She yells out as she rises up, "Or the life of one of mine?"

Looks like you've got Gimansha on the back foot here! Your axe work is keeping her from getting any good hits in, and she's having to focus too much on protecting herself to try and break away and get to the others to gang up on you. That said, it looks like things aren't going quite as well for your teammates. The tunnel has collapsed, with Danny and Jishin inside it. And Calamity has been swept skyward. With Gimansha looking for any opening she can get, though, can you afford to try and help either of them?

Uh-oh, things have gotten bad real fast here. Your attempt to catch Jishin off guard failed badly, you'll be feeling this hit for a while. Mark a Condition as she punishes your attempt to steal from her.

Sadly, that's not even your only problem. The tunnel itself is collapsing around you! Roll to Take a Powerful Blow as the street above falls inward. Hopefully the section above you is stable enough or thin enough that you won't be significantly hurt.

Wait, Danny was in that tunnel as well? That's not good, hero. Kaze's calling your priorities into question as she gets you out of range of any more seismic shenanigans. She's calling you out for reckless endangerment of two people, either shift Danger up and Saviour down, or Roll to Reject her words.

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Hold: 1

He expected the sudden buzzing to be Midnight, though when he finally checked his heart missed a beat. Not only because of the sender's swift reply, but the accuracy of his concern. "Day just keps getting better and better." he mutters, pushing aside why he might need to apologize. Not that he would have sat this whole thing out if he'd known The Warrior was involved, but he probably would have taken a different track. This of course changed everything.

<"I don't have 30 minutes to spare, I'm on my way now.>" he shoots off in response, a moment of hesitation as his fingers hover over the keys. <"I'm sorry. We'll go somewhere nice soon."> he sends as a follow up.

He continued to message as he made his way to Beams, a quick update to Midnight and then to the rest of the team. <"Change of plans on those plans. Go back up the team, en route to package delivery.>" he sent to Midnight, and then to the whole team. <"I know where the package is headed. On my way to Beams to secure just in case. XOXO.>"

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 3/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


Marked: Hopeless.
Roll to Take a Powerful Blow: 8 Danny gives ground, Jishin gains an Opportunity.

Danny grunts in pain, wincing as he hits the ground and the force of a blow capable of cracking concrete. His vision swims, his view of Jishins' back blurring up as he tried to deal with the ringing in his ears. Well, that was dumb... the mocking voice rings through. "Shut up. You did this." Danny groans, seemingly to no one. His arms move ineffectually for a few moments, desperately trying to find the strength to rise. Then, a small shower of stones from the ceiling of the tunnel causes his vision to focus, with only one thought Uh-oh.... He took a deep breath, finding his hands and feet under him and pushed himself back up, grabbing at the wall for support...just in time for Jishin to vanish beneath a hail of falling rocks and earth.

It took all he had to stumble back from the cave-in and begin scrambling his way back to the surface, trying to hastily escape before the entire tunnel was brought down on his head! What do they think they're doing! They let her get away! the voice cuts in We could have gotten it back and emerged a hero "We're a team." He whispers under his breath as he climbs, each step taking more effort than the last. "I can't do it alone...not that they'll want me anymore.".

He crawled over the lip of the tunnel, just as the interior finally gave way, laying for a moment on the ground, trying to regain his breath, energy, and most importantly, drive to continue...

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 4/5
Power: 4
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form One: ᛏ (Tiwaz)
Abilities:
Inhuman Strength and Durability
Impossible Fighting Skills

Signs
❑ Reflect
❑ Exchange


The cumulated experience of an Einjhar’s centuries of battle is clear in Wyrd’s weaponwork, even filtered through an imperfect mortal form. He has Gimansha on her back foot, and it is only a matter of time before her defeat is assured.

Time, unfortunately, that his teammates might not possess.

With a yell he surges forward, looking to lay hands on his lupine foe and use the preternatural strength granted by his magics to hurl her into her flying companion, giving Calamity the opportunity to recover herself. An unorthodox tactic, but one with a worthwhile payoff if successful.

Directly Engage Gimansha: 5
Marking Potential, +1 to Power

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

As Rowan relays their tale of woe, Kid Midnight's shoulders slump. He'd had enough AEGIS training to tell that Rowan was telling the truth. It sounded like their aunt, whoever that was, wasn't really a villain so much as somebody just trying to get by. Maybe she'd made a bad choice, and the potential repercussions play themselves out in his mind. Most of the outcomes were...not good. Maybe there isn't anything he can do. But maybe there is. Either way, isn't being a hero about trying to make the difference?

"Look, I don't know how all of this is going to play out. But...I can try. What's your aunt's name?" he says, pulling out his phone. As he sees the flip-flopping messages from Thorn, he can't help but roll his eyes. Our master strategist, ladies and gents.

Once Rowan relays their aunt's name, Kid Midnight is going to send a text, requesting that the team let their aunt go if they do manage to foil the plan.

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

Calamity didn't notice that Danny was falling into the hole, and so with this pointed out she will accept the Label shift

We see a panel of Calamity in the air, her face grown pale. "Wait... I didn't know anyone else was in there. And y'all are supervillains, you can take a couple rocks falling on your head... can't ya?" Her words are not antagonistic, rather the speech bubble is wobbly which presents a level of uncertainty, and likely regret. "Damn, I ain't trying to kill nobody..."

We then see her shake her head, trying to regain control, while falling through the air. She impacts the ground, making a crater, and dusts herself off. "Well, I do apologize for that. I'll do my best to be a bit more careful in the future." She cracks her neck, and stretches a little "Now, before we throw down, you got any heart issues I should know about? Maybe sensitive hearin? Don't wanna hurt you too bad this time." With this she winks and clicks her tongue, making a controlled sonic burst in the direction of Kaze. At least... she hopes its controlled!

Calamity is attempting to challenge Kaze in a hopefully less "endanger everyone's lives" manner. I rolled a 9, so i will Create an Opportunity!

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

The journey to Beams is not an especially long one. Transition panels show a kaleidoscope of the streets and alleys Thorn passes through on his way to the clothing store. When he arrives, he finds a trio of women waiting outside. A grey-clothed woman is the first to notice him, glancing in his direction almost as soon as he's laid eyes on the trio. She turns to speak to the other two, a dark-green text box with crystalline edging flashing up beneath the profile view of her naming her as Andrea, AKA Scattershot - Watchful Warden.

The other two women look in the direction Scattershot indicates. The panels focus first on the woman dressed in a red crop-top hoodie with black trousers, a sword at her hip and half-mask on her face. She raises an arm in greeting, a red text box edged in white smoke introducing her as Naomi, AKA Mistcutter - Loyal Swordsman.

The panels finally focus on the red-haired woman stood between the other two, recognisable as the same woman on the cover of the issue reaching down from the Warrior's entourage. As Thorn draws close, she steps forward to greet him. There's a wry smile on her face as she speaks, "Busy morning, Sebastian?" Beneath her focus panel is a white marble textbox, ornate gold and red edging surrounding the box, naming her as Akari - Favoured Granddaughter.

"I suppose it's too much to think you're playing courier for Kaze?"


https://i.postimg.cc/VkRcw0Nb/sand-by-guweiz-d9v76x8.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/vT6PZkLN/3aad23e9b0f5e9e5f7c7d0f6bb3c4bcc.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/WbGBmqgf/Akari.png

Akari's managed to get here in time to meet you, and her two bodyguards are with her. You've met both before, and Mistcutter is certainly the more personable of the two. They both are often found in Akari's company whenever she's out in public, so their presence now is not unusual.

Wyrd, Danny, Calamity - Streetside Scuffle

With her name dropped, the panels transition to the airborne Kaze hovering over the now ground-bound Calamity, the panels framing the heroine in the foreground with the would-be bank robber floating high above. The sonic attack crosses the gap between them in an instant, Kaze taken off-guard by the new form of assault. Temporarily losing her finer control of her air manipulation, she plummets toward the ground, managing to avoid a hard landing purely by virtue of creating a quick air cushion beneath her. The blowback sends litter and fine grit whistling along the streets and, when the brief dust storm clears, Kaze is shown to be dazed and trying to get back to her feet.

The view of Kaze is obscured as Wyrd and Gimansha cross the foreground of the panel. Wyrd's headlong charge at the shapechanger is certainly bold, but there has, perhaps, been a miscalculation of just how quickly Gimansha could react. Without having to contend with the weaving strikes of an axe, and instead facing a much simpler headlong rush, Gimansha grabs Wyrd's arms at the wrist, forcing them up and back with a vicious snarl. "Time to learn your place, whelp."

With a powerful kick to Wyrd's stomach, the hero is launched free of Gimansha's grip as she releases her hold in time with the strike.

The ground shakes in time with the impact of the blow, though it continues to do so afterward long enough for Jishin to break through to the surface of the street, looking disoriented and worse for wear following the tunnel collapse. Seeing Kaze floored, and Calamity nearby, she seems to make a snap decision. "I've got this one, Kaze! Don't worry!"

Rushing at Calamity, Jishin lands a hand on the hero's shoulder, using her momentum to bear the two of them down to the ground. The already cracked and weakened asphalt gives way as Jishin sends powerful tremors through Calamity and into the ground beneath the pair of them.

In the remains of the attempted tunnel, Danny can feel the shaking from above. He reaches the surface in time to see the developments in the fight. Jishin, free of his pursuit, has made it to the surface and apparently decided to engage Calamity. Wyrd and Gimansha are continuing to struggle with one another for dominance in their own battle, and Kaze is trying to work her way back to her feet.

Looks like a strong case of good news/bad news. The good news is your sonic strike has temporarily stunned Kaze, leaving her vulnerable to a follow-up.

The bad news is, Jishin seems to have gotten away from Danny and has decided that you're a big enough threat that she needs to deal with you so that her own team can win.

The good news is, that means the disc is now in your reach!

The worse news is, she's hitting you hard as she comes into your reach. Roll to Take a Powerful Blow as she tries to take the both of you underground and off of street level.

Looks like your gambit has backfired, Gimansha is stronger than she looks! Roll to Take a Powerful Blow as she kicks you across the street!

The fight looks like it's getting messy. Both Calamity and Wyrd are taking some hefty hits here, but if the stunned Kaze is anything to go by, they have at least gotten some of their own hits back. With nobody unscathed, and the attention temporarily clear of you, the question then becomes, what do you do, hero?


Kid Midnight

Rowan visibly perks up as Kid Midnight promises his help. They stand a little taller and their tail lifts a little higher, pausing in their laying of cutlery as they look over and ask, "You'll really do that for us?" A grin steals across their face, "That's... Thankyou, that means a lot to me."

Returning to laying the tables, they continue, "Their name's Himari, but their code name on the job is Kaze. Her team are Gimansha and Jishin." Rowan's eyes slide to Kid Midnight's phone as they speak, "... I guess that's your team? I won't keep you if you've gotta go. Just... Thankyou again, for looking to help. Even if it doesn't work out, I want you to know I appreciate it."

Rowan is extremely appreciative of the offer! Take influence over them. Of course, if you're only sending a text, you may not have to actually go in person. With the distance involved, you may not be able to make it back in time to make a real difference after all. What do you do, hero?

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian slows when he spots the three familiar faces, stashing his hands in his pockets as he gives a nod of greeting back to Mistcutter. "You brought friends." he replies, not really an answer to the question, or really an observation he had to make with it so plain to see. "Afraid so, though you shouldn't be surprised. If I had it I'd be halfway to Wukong Industries and you wouldn't know about it. Had a sinking suspicion you were involved when they mentioned the old man." He keeps a bit of distance between himself and the three ladies as he finally comes to a stop, his attentions on Akari. "So what do we do now babe?"

Going for a Pierce the Mask, got a 4 which is to be expected.

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 4/5
Power: 3
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form One: ᛏ (Tiwaz)
Abilities:
Inhuman Strength and Durability
Impossible Fighting Skills

Signs
❑ Reflect
❑ Exchange


The result of Wyrd’s headlong rush are, understandably, not the best of all possible results. Getting caught up like that by an opponent is both unsettling and embarrassing, and a thread of insecurity winds its way through the anger that flares up at being diverted so easily.

Still, no Xanados Gambit can ever be considered truly a failure, and Wyrd casts the Sign of Reflection as Gimansha’s foot comes in, turning some of that energy right back upon her as he is launched flying.

There are no setbacks, only new opportunities. Bouncing twice and rolling to his feet, Wyrd spots a dazed and nearby Kaze in a poor position to defend herself. Bounding forward, he smacks her down again with the flat of his axe to keep her off-balance.

Take a Powerful Blow: 7
Marking Angry and Insecure, spending 1 Power to inflict a Condition on Gimansha (Reflect)
Directly Engage Kaze: 8
Going to Provide an Opportunity again!

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 4/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


Danny, still sprawled on the ground, looked at the colorful chaos and confusing commotion of carnage through tired eyes. He blinked a few times, trying to focus and take some form of control of his body, battered and bruised to match his ego. His first few movements were slow, pondering as he found the strength to continue. Then, something seemed to snap into place, he pushed up with his hands, soaring into the air and landing on his feet with a showing of monkey-like agility. "Okay...hero time" he muttered, trying to feel that it was anywhere near remotely true.

Casting around quickly for a weapon, he settles on a length of metal pipe nearly as tall as he is, kicking it into his hands with a deft motion and flipping it between his fingers. Takes me back... the voice comments, but Danny doesn't reply or listen. He was strangely focused. Jishin and the disc were still around! He was sure she'd have vanished deep below the earth...but most importantly, he had a chance to prove his worth to the team!

Danny charges towards Calamity and Jishin holding his improvised staff at the ready, aiming to use his surprise and momentum to pull Jishin away from his friend!

Defend: 4 Oof, a failure! Marked potential

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions: Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Guilty (-2 to provoke or assess)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

I rolled a 7 on Take a Powerful Blow. So I am going to mark two conditions and struggle past the pain. I am marking Quirk, and Guilty because of my powers causing damage/issues

We see a panel of the two figures crashing through ground into the tunnels beneath. Calamity is the first to rise from the rubble, brushing herself off. As she cracks her neck, she turns to Jishin and asks "Alright, you got me underground here. And you and I both know my sort of whole deal, so I gotta ask. What's your plan? Is that disk really worth this whole dust-up? I don't particularly wanna hurt y'all, as long as y'all ain't tryna hurt the people of this city. So I just wanna know what the deal is?" As she says this, she plants her foot reaches out a hand to help Jishin out of the rubble. Unbeknownst to her, a small shockwave spreads from her planted leg, and shakes the earth above where her other opponents are standing...

I rolled a 12 To Pierce Jishin's Mask, so my questions will be "What are you really planning?", "What do you intend to do?", and "How can I get your character to __resolve this peacefully__?" As a result of my quirked condition, I would also like to gain an Opportunity.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

Akari gives a sigh, "Well... I suppose I shall just have to be disappointed." She walks forward, crossing the gap between herself and Thorn. Offering out her arm, she adds "For now, how about we go grab a bite to eat, find somewhere a bit more comfortable to sit and talk?"

Behind her, Scattershot and Mistcutter move to follow their charge. There's a slightly regretful smile on Akari's face as they do. "We'll have to make do with company for now, Grandfather is quite insistent that I not go anywhere alone until things settle, but I'm sure we can at least have a table to ourselves." She glances to Scattershot for confirmation, the bodyguard giving a brief nod.

Her attention turns back to Thorn. "And on the walk, maybe you'd enjoy telling me what you plan to do with that disc now your team has it?"


Wyrd, Danny, Calamity - Roadside Rumble

Gimansha gives out a yelp of pain as some of the energies of her strike rebound and reverberate through her leg. She limps after Wyrd, though not fast enough to stop the blow on Kaze from connecting. The leader of the trio, already unsteady on her feet, is sent sprawling to the ground. Any sense of victory is short-lived as Gimansha returns the favour on behalf on Kaze, slamming her hand into Wyrd's back, pitching the hero forward and face first into the ground. Gimansha doesn't linger, however, instead interposing herself between Kaze and Wyrd.

"Get up, run."

Kaze shakes her head weakly, "Not gonna happen. Leave with Jishin, get the disc out."

Gimansha snarls, baring her fangs, "Not leaving you." Her attention turning back to Wyrd, Gimansha doesn't see Kaze's crestfallen expression.

The panels transition back underground, following Danny as he rushes after Calamity and Jishin, catching his teammate and yanking her away even as Calamity offers a hand to the still-rising villainess. Jishin pushes herself to her feet before the two heroes, her expression conflicted. Her stance starts as one ready to fight, then softens a little, "... Plan C is to get the package to the contact, abandon the others if needed to do it. I..." She glances up to the surface briefly, then back to the pair, "I've not seen Kaze get beat like that before. I don't want to see her get caught, I can't just leave her." She pauses, clearly weighing her options. After a moment, she fishes in her sleeve and pulls out the disc, "Whatever this is, it's not worth getting arrested over." She fixes Calamity with her gaze, "Let us go. All three of us. No tail, no chase, just let us leave. If you do, I'll give this to you. No strings." She shakes her head, her voice dropping as she mutters to herself, "This was just meant to be a quick in and out..."

Gimansha's focus is now squarely on looking after Kaze and keeping her safe, chances are she's not going to be going on the offensive any time soon. However, this hasn't come without cost, mark a condition from being slammed face-first into the asphalt!

Well this is quite the opportunity! It's clear that Jishin doesn't think the trio's prize is worth the risk of getting beaten and captured. But it's been looking like you have the three on the ropes now, is it worth taking this out when you're so close to winning already?

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian takes the offered arm with a slight smile, glancing to the entourage. "While that certainly is a charming idea might I offer another? Why don't we find somewhere to sit nearby and your friends can go pick something up? I think they'd agree that you're no less safe with me than you are with them?" His glance falls more on Mistcutter, if either of the two were going to be soft on the idea it was going to be her. His free hand even dangles a few loose bills behind them, discreetly as he can be. "I'd be more than happy to talk about the plan, though it might help me make a decision if I knew what the disc was and why Grandfather wants it in the first place."

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely
Rolled a 10 on a Provoke

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Insecure
Potential: 4/5
Power: 2
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form Two: ᚲ (Kenaz)
Abilities:
Impossible Mobility
Shadow Manipulation

Signs
❑ Mirror
❑ Thief


Wyrd hurriedly hauls himself to his feet, spitting to clear his mouth of the grit picked up by an unwantedly familiar encounter with the ground. A tendril of fear uncoils up his spine as he’s left facing both Gimasnsha and Kaze by himself, the former rapidly proving to be more than a match for him all on her own.

Still. At least they had just been so good as to confirm that the loot in question was both a disc, and that the third member of their little team was the one who had it.

So.

Sweeping his axe up before him, Wyrd flips it about to reveal the crest on the other side, magical energies crawling visibly over him as his Form changes.

Lowering the axe again, she smiles faintly.

”I do have to say, this isn’t going very well for you,” she observes with mild amusement. ”Poor Jishin has the disc, and is all by her lonesome with the rest of my friends,” she points out.

”I think you’re going to have to write this one off as a loss,” she concludes regretfully, idly twining a finger through her long hair. ”Why don’t you call her back here, hand over the disc, and the three of you scurry off poorer but wiser?”

Foiling the efforts of this very specific robbery is clearly of a higher priority than trying to subdue this trio, not in the least because she’s probably not capable of doing such a thing to this pair all by her lonesome anyhow.

It’s one of those answers that’s probably fair all the way around; nobody would be happy with it.

Marking Afraid.
Provoking Gimasnsha & Kaze: 9

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, I should be getting back to them." As he takes a step toward the door, he stops in his tracks and looks down at himself. "But I guess you'll be needing this uniform back, huh?"

Sheepishly, he removes the shirt and pants that he had thrown on over his body armor, and gingerly unwraps the bottle of sake from his jacket. "I was going to swipe this, but now it feels wrong. Any chance you'd let me...keep it? My team might feel better about letting your aunt go if they had something to wash it down with."

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 4/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


Danny looks between Calamity and Jishin, realising that, perhaps, his actions had been hasty in trying to seperate them. It was yet another sting in his opinion of the day. He felt wretched. His every action had failed. At every step, all he'd done was hinder the group. Take it. the voice spoke into his mind. "No" he spoke aloud. We can win! "Not that way" Danny said, seemingly to no one. He felt his arms begin to move by themselves, but with heroic effort, forced the control away from the spirit, wincing with the concentration. "H...hey, Cal?" he asks, his voice a far cry from his usual bombastic personality "I think we should take it. I mean...they don't seem like bad people..." They threw us out of the window! "...and if it was just a job..." .

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Guilty (-2 to provoke or assess)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

Calamity looks at Jishin, her stance open and friendly. "No strings attached, I'm willin to let y'all go so nobody else has to get hurt. I'll text my other pals, and we'll all be copacetic." As she says this, she raises her one hand and slowly reaches her phone, and types out a message to the group chat:

<I have what they came for>
<Let em go>
<They ain't gonna hurt anyone>

She puts her phone back away, and looks politely over at Jishin. "I sent the message, you're free to go as long as you hand over the disk". We see a panel, similar to the one of her reaching towards Jishin, where she reaches her hand out to receive the disk.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

Akari tilts her head, considering Thorn's suggestion for a few moments. Behind her, Mistcutter leans over and looks to be trying to persuade a reluctant Scattershot. Glancing back to her bodyguards, Akari shares a brief glance with them before turning back to Thorn with a nod, "I think we can manage a short time together."

She gently steers Thorn as the little group arrive at an open pedestrianised courtyard, a cherry tree not quite in bloom provides shade over a small green. Benches are arrayed around the edge of the green, facing out toward the surrounding shops, most of which are cafés or artisan bakeries, though a couple of higher end retail stores can also be seen. Akari leads Thorn out onto the green itself, ignoring the sign requesting visitors stay off of the grass. Mistcutter and Scattershot split away, heading to one of the bakeries across from the tree, Scattershot remaining outside whilst Mistcutter heads in.

"It's a shame there's no bench here, I'd love to sit under the blossoms more comfortably," Akari kneels down onto the grass, placing a hand out to her side to stabilise herself as she looks at Thorn with a smile, "Of course, that'd encourage people to trample onto the green, a quick way to ruin the aesthetics for everyone."

She waits for Thorn to make himself comfortable before addressing his questions, "Now... The disc... As I understand it, Wukong was directing research into the Ley Lines. Not something he was particularly open about, I doubt the Weather Report would've been thrilled to know he was tinkering in their domain. I don't know for sure how Grandfather found out, but I suspect the Rogue was involved." Akari falls quiet for a moment, giving Thorn an appraising look, "As for what's on the disc, I'm afraid I can't be certain, but I can make a couple of guesses for why he wants it. Either he thinks it'll help with his... Personal troubles. Or the Sorcerer caught wind of it and wants the information in it for itself." Her face darkens a little as she continues, "I'm hoping for the latter, though I can try to find out for sure for you. I'd prefer it if my Grandfather didn't see you as being in his way, Sebastian."


Danny and Calamity - Understreet Diplomacy

Jishin glances between Danny and Calamity. She watches as Calamity sends out her message to the team, stepping forward and offering the disc out to the heroine when prompted. "No funny business, once we're gone we won't need to cross paths again." There's a wary look to her eyes as she backs away again, then turning her attention to the surface.

Wyrd, Danny, and Calamity - Falling Action, Fleeing Villains

The panels shift to an overhead shot of the damaged street. Gimansha visibly tenses at Wyrd's words. Any response is lost, though, as the shifting of one of the holes in the road reveals Jishin emerging back to street level. "Kaze! We need to go, before more heroes arrive!"

Gimansha and Kaze both look over to the trio emerging from the ground. Gimansha catches Jishin's expression and nods, twisting around and hoisting Kaze into a fireman's carry despite her protests. Rushing to join Jishin at the edge of the hole, she gives Wyrd a final glare before ducking underground. For her part, Jishin give Calamity a grateful nod as she too disappears under the street. There's some shaking of the ground that quickly dies away as the trio burrow away from the scene of the fight.

Looks like you've earned the respect of Jishin for your willingness to let the villain team free, take influence over her!

Congratulations! The fight is won, the prize is captured, and... The villains got away. But that's ok. At least, hopefully that's ok. Now that you're done, what do you do?

Kid Midnight

Rowan gives an embarrassed smile, "Ah, yeah, if you could give that back, those uniform's are kinda pricey. Or... Heh, if you're looking for a job you can hold onto it..?" Their eyes slide onto the sake bottle. Rubbing behind their neck, Rowan takes a moment to respond. "Yeah... Yeah, ok, go for it. You're doing me a favour, so I can't exactly say no, right..?"

They follow Kid Midnight to the door, calling out after him "I hope you get there in time!"

That sounds like a job offer! Of course, now may not be the time to try and fit a job into your schedule, especially an offer coming from someone who probably doesn't have the authority to even offer it. Especially when you bear in mind the owner of the place just led a bank robbery. The text Calamity's sent out makes it sound like everything's finished with, time to go see what all the fuss was about perhaps?

Mission Objectives have been updated, congratulations on an unqualified success!

Halt the robbery
The Sun Mall is an entirely enclosed space and damage to one building can result in damage to many, prevent as much damage to the surroundings as possible
The villains don't seem interested in hostages, but there are civilians caught in the building, get them to safety or otherwise keep them safe


You all will have received Calamity's text and, therefore, know that the villains have been beaten and left and that the disc is now in your possession. The big question now, of course, is what do you do with it?

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian follows along dutifully, waving off the two bodyguards cheerfully. He's quick to remove his jacket and lay it out on the grass for them to sit on, stretching out himself to soak up some of the mid-afternoon sun along with all the information. Neither option was ideal though he knew which of the two he liked less. The Ley Lines were one of those things he didn't concern himself with simply as a matter of personal safety. Anything with that much power was bound to be more dangerous than they were worth. He'd recommend anyone speak to his father about that sort of deal, but the lab explosion that took him, likewise dealing with powers well beyond their scope, closed that door. He tried not to live in existential terror over the fact that such power dwelt all around him in the city, just waiting to go haywire.

"A Thorn in everyone's side, except yours." he finally speaks, reaching out a hand to take one of Akari's before hesitating, a glance stolen her way. When had he become so comfortable around her? He hadn't even second guessed taking her arm not moments before, unthinkable even six months ago. The buzzing of his phone ends any further consideration or any comments for that matter, hand entwining in hand quicker for the deliberation. "Seems I'm not off the clock yet. I have to take this." he sighs, taking his phone from his pocket. "<Calling>" he punches in quickly, before dialing up Calamity.

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Insecure
Potential: 4/5
Power: 2
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form Two: ᚲ (Kenaz)
Abilities:
Impossible Mobility
Shadow Manipulation

Signs
❑ Mirror
❑ Thief


Wyrd stands there, haughtily regarding the retreating trio, until the ground swallows them from sight.

At which point she exhales shakily, fingers white on the head of her axe as she props herself up with its support.

”That...probably could have gone better than it did,” she says uncertainly, still feeling chills at the thought of how that altercation could have ended up going very wrong, and angry with herself for being afraid. She is a warrior, a sorceress, and is supposed to be better than this, even when outnumbered and potentially overmatched.

”So glad everyone else could conspire to make this a fair fight,” she adds waspishly, despite herself. ”Wouldn’t do for us to have actual numerical superiority or anything.” She doesn’t precisely know what Thorn or The Kid are up to, but it’s clearly not having the rest of the team’s back in a fight.

She certainly hopes that whatever it is they’re off doing, it was time productively spent.

”I don’t suppose putting things back together instead of shaking them apart is something in your skill set, is it?” Wyrd asks hopefully of Calamity, gesturing at the torn up surface nearby. It isn’t the end of the world, but leaving behind large chunks of broken infrastructure certainly isn’t something to endear them to the city’s officials.

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 4/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


"I can help with that!" Danny interjects to Wyrd, clearly a little insecure and overeager to help. He then looks around the street at the damage, and adds "Uhhh...oh wow, that's uhh...a lot to clean up. I think we can do it if we all pitch in though. As a team, right?"

The need for reassurance on his voice was a little clear, the boy's inexperience and lack of self-esteem on show for a brief moment of vulnerability, before he seems to notice and shut it away, his eyes turning to the ground. Desperate for a distraction, he then moves to a chunk of rubble and ducks as it to inspect it (and not just to buy a moment to try and think).

His master plan in motion, he finally arrives at "Oh wait...where are Thorn and Midnight? Anyone seen them since this all started?"

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Guilty (-2 to provoke or assess)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

Calamity nods in response to Jishin, and winces at Wyrd's comment about numbers. "Well, not particularly no... I mean, I could turn it into Gravel or somethin like that, but really can't do much in the way of repairs. Sorry about that. But yeah, Danny, we can work together!"

She also looks around sheepishly at the pile of rubble, rubbing the back of her neck and knowing that she really needs to get a hang of her powers now that she's in a big city. There's a lot more at risk with so many people around... As she goes to pick up one of the smaller chunks fo debris, her phone Vibrates in her pocket and she almost jumps out of her skin. "Well Danny, speak of the devil and apparently he decides to call" She grabs her phone and...

"Hey, Thorn, you alright? What happened in the bank? I got the disk, whatever the hell its for!"

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Hold: 1

"Oh I'm fine. Just fine. You? The others, no one's hurt?" Sebastian asks as his teammate picks up. "Glad to hear it, I knew I could put it in your capable, scary, hands. So yeah, about that. Think the best bet's to split up. Couple of us head to Wukong Industries, a couple to the Monsoon. I'll send you the details en route." He glances over at Akari with a shrug. "No preference which one I go to, you all figure it out and let me know. Signing out." With the call ended he lets out a sigh. "Looks like I won't be sticking around to enjoy the company. You know where we're going to be, so should I worry my friends are going to meet up with you and the chuckle squad down the road?"

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Guilty (-2 to provoke or assess)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2


"Haven't heard from Midnight yet, but we seem fine. I'll let everyone know what the plan is and get-" she pulls her phone away from her ear, "Yeah, he hung up." She turns to the other two gathered at the moment, "So, Thorn says some of us should head to Wukong Industries, and the others to the Monsoon? He says he'll send details. One problem! I have no idea what either of those things are!" She looks plaintively at the rest of the group...

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire

Akari tilts her head as Thorn takes out his phone to make the call, a look of disappointment settling on her face as she listens in to Thorn's side of the conversation. She gives a sigh of her own at his question, breaking eye contact and looking out to her two bodyguards. Across the way Scattershot can be seen keeping a watchful eye on the pair from a distance whilst, within the shop, Mistcutter is just about visible through the press of customers near the counter.

"... You'll have a bit of time. The whole point of hiring outside help was to keep my Grandfather's involvement quiet. If I'm immediately sent after you..?" She shrugs, seeming to feel there wasn't anything else to be said on the matter. Instead, her voice quietens as she says "I..."

The panels hold on her face as she hesitates, exhales, then looks back to Thorn with a practiced smile, "I suppose I'd better not keep you here any longer, then." She gives Thorn's hand a final squeeze before letting go, pushing herself to her feet and straightening her dress. Turning, she offers her hand back out to help the hero to his feet. "Stay safe, Sebastian. Even if I do get asked to come looking for you and your team, remember that it doesn't need to be a fight. You can work with us on these things."

Looks like Akari isn't going to press you to stay, Thorn. But she is wanting to reinforce that the door is always open for you and the team to be on the same side as her and her grandfather. It's certainly a privilege to be held in such high esteem, but it may not be the kind of praise you want to hear.

Raise Superior and lower Saviour, or Roll to Reject her influence

Wyrd, Danny, and Calamity - Making Plans

As Calamity takes her phone call, and Wyrd and Danny start trying to figure out how to put a road back together, the sounds of the city start to be heard again in the now quiet back street. The distant sound of sirens suggest approaching emergency services. Given the nature of metahuman clashes, there's a good chance they're going to be coming for witness statements and to check for injuries. While there are sure to be plenty of the former, it's a testament to your combined efforts that there shouldn't be much need for the latter.

A low whistle breaks the fragile silence otherwise filling the space. A sandy-haired head peeks out of the access door to the Sun Mall. It's soon followed by the rest of the young woman, stepping out with a quick glance back behind her as she closes the door. Waving a hand above her head to catch the attention of the trio, she hustles over, "Hey there!" Hopping over cracks, she ends up in front of Danny, "I saw your fall back inside, and then you both just disappeared! Figured there was a chance you'd be out here somewhere, but had some trouble. Crowds, yaknow?"

She grins, a hand-held voice recorder suddenly in her hand, as she gets a focus panel, a lilac text box with edging in archaic blank film negatives declaring her to be Mary Fetch - Eager Journalist. "So! How about a quick interview from the hero of the hour?"

Mary does briefly glance to both Calamity and Wyrd as she asks her question, but it's clear that Danny is her primary focus.

Well, that's certainly some positive reinforcement Mary is unequivocally calling you the hero here. Shift your Saviour up and your Mundane down, or Roll to Reject her influence.

On top of that positive reinforcement, it looks like she's hoping to find out more about what just went down. Can you spare the time for that right now? Calamity is looking for direction following Thorn's instructions after all. But this could be your chance to step into the limelight! Perhaps an opportunity to be grasped with both hands?

Mary looks familiar to you. You've not met her in person before, but you've seen her head shot at the top of several of the articles for the San Fran Standard you've read during particularly quiet periods at the Library. Is the Standard a news source you trust? What about Mary herself? Do you think Danny can handle this on his own? Or should your efforts be focused on helping direct Calamity around the city?

It's not too surprising a journalist got to the scene so fast in the big city, they probably lurk on every corner just waiting for something news worthy. As a small town gal, what're your thoughts on the big city newsfolk? Do you think they tell it how it is? Or do they blow things out of proportion way too readily to be truly worth listening to?

Regardless of your thoughts on the quick arrival of the media, you've been given marching orders by Thorn. Even if you're not sure where you're going, you know that not everyone who should be going is present. Kid Midnight is yet to turn up again after all, he may not know what the new plan is just yet.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5e/99/16/5e9916fac6f3ab52b60245337ea0ae51.jpg

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian gives a nod, his expression stony. This was complicated on a lot of fronts, none of them easy to tackle. The Warlords wanting that much energy, Wukong meddling in Weather Report affairs even outside the typical butting of heads between the Pillars, this was bigger than this quiet moment on the grass and the quarrel it was bound to become. Fighting Akari, or the other two, was on a short list of bad news but it didn't seem there'd be much choice down the road. Best to inform the team now.

He's brought back to the moment hearing Akari sigh, glancing back over to her though after a few moments of hesitation he takes her hand to stand. "If we weren't on a time crunch." he assures, the stony expression souring further. "I'll make reservations somewhere this weekend. Just us." he assures, the words certain though expression stormy as he leans down to pick his jacket up off the grass. "I've no intention of fighting you, and I'd rather not fight Andrea or Naomi either. We'll figure something out. Here's lookin' at you babe." He gives the jacket a few brushes before settling it on Akari's shoulders before turning to leave.

Once out of direct line of sight he's quick to pull his phone back out, fingers moving quickly for a message to the whole group. <"Details as promised"> the message header reads. <"No confirmation on what's on the disk. Wukong looking into Ley Line energy. Warlords involved. Weather Report likely as well. Goon squad hired by Warrior. Went to drop off site, ran into couriers. Codenames: Mistcutter, Scattershot, Akari."> A picture for each is given alongside their names, all in quite familiar and civilian settings. <"Real Plan: Whoever has the disk, meet me at following co-ordinates. Can't trust this info to Monsoon. Whoever else, best to go to Wukong directly and see what you can find."> He then sends coordinates to a known Underrail terminal, making his way there himself.


Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely
I'll take the shift

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Insecure
Potential: 4/5
Power: 2
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Form Two: ᚲ (Kenaz)
Abilities:
Impossible Mobility
Shadow Manipulation

Signs
❑ Mirror
❑ Thief


Not especially concerned with spinning their PR, Wyrd concludes that the most likely outcome of Danny being interviewed is any potential future opponents might underestimate them a little.

Leaving him to the tender mercies of the reporter, she draws Calamity aside a little so as to not give away their locations of interest and fills her teammate in on the basics of Wukong and the Monsoon.

All the while she can feel her grip on her magic slipping away as the situation moves past the point of urgency, and glances aside at the reporter again. Perhaps it would be a good thing to be elsewhere when the transformation happens, just to avoid the inevitable confusion.

Her phone buzzes almost silently yet again, and given that confrontation is not currently underway she finally takes the opportunity to scroll through all of the group messages that have been blowing it up while she’s been busy trying not to have her ass kicked.

She shakes her head at the largely unhelpful back and forth, although it does explain where everyone else is. And re-emphasises how much of a twisty mind Thorn has.

”Did you want me to…?” she asks, indicating the disc still held in Calamity’s hand. She still has enough Power in her grasp to make the meeting point...probably.

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

"You know, I just might take you up on that! I'm glad we had this chat." Still sheepish, he sees himself out of the restaurant and jogs back toward the bank.

* * * * *

Kid Midnight arrives back at the bank, panting as he jogs up to Calamity and Wyrd with a brown paper bag in-hand. Whatever happened while he was gone, it appears that the villains made a successful getaway. "What'd I miss?" is what he'd like to say, but instead all he can do is wheeze, wince, and hold his side. "Runner's stitch!"

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Guilty (-2 to provoke or assess)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

Calamity looks blankly as Wyrd begins to explain the basics of the two factions. "Right... so its not a toy factory... got it." In the moment, she forgets what she is holding, and when Wyrd looks at it, she looks at her confused and then jumps a little. "Oh! Right, you wanna bring this? Be my guest, I got no idea what to do with this thing. I don't even know why it was such a big deal, I just figured... y'know... it must be"

She tosses Wyrd the disk and puts her hand behind her head awkwardly. "You gonna jet right now, or we gonna wait til Danny's done with Camera over there?"

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 4/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: 0
Superior: +2
Mundane: 0


Accepting the label shift. Danny needs a little hope right now.

"Uhhh...H...heroes..." Danny starts to protect, before both Calamity and Wyrd step away, leaving him caught like a deer in the lights of the oncoming truck.

He seems to panic for a moment, desperately casting his head around to look for someone. Midnight. Or Thorn! Thorn was good at talking! But it became apparent no one was coming, so his eyes met Mary's "Well, I uhh...guess I'm all there is. What do you want to know?" He asks, entirely too quickly and hoping there weren't cameras suddenly about to swarm him

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0


Danny

Mary breaks into a broad grin, clicking down on her recorder as she gets the go ahead to start asking questions, "Amazing! Ok, so, first of all, huge congratulations on your win! I've not heard much about your team before now, are you the leader? What's your team's name? Are you affiliated with the Guardians? Or perhaps the Monsoon or Weather Report? Now that you've reclaimed the stolen property are you returning it directly to Wukong Industries? Or is it evidence now?"

Rather than a barrage of questions all at once, the panelling makes it clear that each question, or pair of questions, are interspersed with breaks to allow Danny the opportunity to respond. Throughout it all, regardless of Danny's responses, Mary's smile never fades, her attention seeming to be genuine interest the entire time.

As said in the IC portion, these questions have breaks in between to allow Danny the time to answer. The real question is, though, having been given free reign to craft his own narrative, how does Danny respond?

The Underrail

Secret text for spacing reasons

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/41bd6362-0af1-4981-b389-7da2b52d9ccc/d59xvja-b70bdcca-ccd1-482f-a977-189c92d5f9f6.jpg/v1/fill/w_1024,h_429,q_75,strp/underground_market_by_iancjw_d59xvja-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI 1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNh NWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMT g4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7 ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9NDI5IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNDFiZDYzNj ItMGFmMS00OTgxLWIzODktN2RhMmI1MmQ5Y2NjXC9kNTl4dmph LWI3MGJkY2NhLWNjZDEtNDgyZi1hOTc3LTE4OWM5MmQ1ZjlmNi 5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTAyNCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46 c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.xayhxcRKEyiF_ QUtJ504TODjQhupEs5cxtLiYVbey1U

More spacing text

The Underrail. Rarely talked about, rarely seen by most of the San Fransapporo populace. Light creeps in through occasional cracks in the masonry creating the underground enclosure. Sometimes the light creeps in more literally, alien-looking insectoids the size of cats creeping across the ceiling, shedding an eerie green light on the spaces below. Something perhaps best not thought of by those looking to frequent the city's premier place for shadowy dealings.

In the dingy light, vendors hawk their wares at makeshift stalls and carts. As with any business, the first task is to get the customer to come to you. With that in mind, many of the stalls display their most colourful and bizarre items front and centre, using traditional electric lighting to create miniature oases of light amongst the general gloom. And as customers travel between stalls, some of them also carry their own personal light sources, be it a flashlight, a lantern, or sometimes conjured faerie fire or will o' wisps. Others, perhaps seeking to maintain their anonymity in the dubiously legal marketplace, move without any light at all. Some of these few even actively requesting the lights extinguished at the vendors they peruse, opting to obscure their purchasing habits from their fellows beneath the streets. The effect, when viewed from a distance, is one of a swirling constellation, a beautiful mixture of fixed, roaming, and twinkling lights.

It's in one of the rare beams of light filtering in from above through some break in the concrete that we find our heroes. They stand to one side, bathed in light as before them the shadowy market works away.

Thorn has already indicated that this is where he will be going, decide OoC who will be joining him. What's your reaction to the Underrail? Is this your first time here? Or have you seen this sight before?

Wukong Industries, Monkey Island

More secret text

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/0b/bd/db/0bbddbd6f1619cac6daf62773ca77e97.jpg

Can you find this?

In stark contrast to the artificially lit, somewhat claustrophobic Underrail. Monkey Island is bathed in the afternoon sun. The Wukong Industries skyscraper stamps its identity onto the island, dominating the skyline and dwarfing the surrounding buildings. Once home to Wukong himself, the now deceased director's legacy is left to his three daughters and the board of directors. An unpopular purchase and construction, the building has remained unchallenged in its dominance over the skyline of this part of the city in the relatively short time since its raising.

The surrounding streets are filled with quiet industriousness. Businessmen hurry to and from the entrance, hastily grabbed lunches providing a brief intermission in an otherwise busy day. Snatches of half-heard phonecalls and plans float across the street. The topics are hard to gather, such is the nature of a half-heard half-conversation, but the name 'AEGIS' is caught with a surprising frequency. Or, perhaps given the recent and abrupt departure, maybe it's not so surprising.

It's in the shadow of the towering skyscraper that we find our heroes. Despite being framed so close to the camera, they look small. Dwarfed by the gigantic structure of the Wukong Industries skyscraper.

With the exception of Thorn, who has already committed to going to the Underrail, discuss amongst yourselves who will be attending Wukong Industries. The building is well known enough that you'll have no trouble getting here. But have you come here before? Was it a sightseeing trip, or did you have a reason to visit? How does this structure, and indeed the organisation, make you feel?

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Hold: 1

It was a straight shot from the small park to the Underrail, a straighter shot from one line beneath the ground to the meet up, with only a small diversion to pick up a taiyaki since his mind was on the free offer from before. He'd even remembered to pick up a few more for the team, just in case. If there was anywhere they could get information from, especially without too many eyes, it was the Underrail. There was enough hero activity in the place to keep things mostly safe and old tech that tended to disappear on the surface was bound to be maintained below. So he waited in the pool of light for whoever decided to come along, mostly worrying that the head start they had was a false one. If The Warlords wanted this thing so bad, there was little doubt that Akari and her terrible twosome were going to be waiting in the wings for long and Akari knew his tricks better than anyone. He was going to have to be a bit more honest with the team...

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 4/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: 0
Superior: +2
Mundane: 0


Danny's eyes go wide, a little overwhelmed by how official this all felt on top of his own issues with self-image "L...leader? No! That's Tho...I mean, it's more of a team effort, I think. Everyone has a lot to offer." He starts, refusing the look at the reporter as if the most interesting thing in the world was currently stuck to the top of his threadbare shoes.

"Oh, our team? We're the..." Golden Monkeys! "Golden Mon...no!" Jade Idols! "Still no." Monkey Kings! "That's just egotistical." Danny pauses, suddenly becoming aware his conversation looks entirely less than sane to those outside of his head "We're up-and-comers. Rookies. I think we need to earn a name, right? We...aren't affiliated with anyone..." Sponsorship money... "yet." he grins, doing his best to appear confident for the (non-existent) cameras.

"And as for the property...I'm afraid I can't comment. It's an ongoing case." he bluffs, trying to hide his lack of knowledge as to their plans "Just know that whatever those villains wanted with it, we've kept it safe! And we'll keep keeping things safe! Now...if you'll excuse me I'd better get going. Official business, you know!" he turns to go, but then turns back momentarily as the voice in his head whispers you blew it... "Here's my card! Y'know...if you want it".

There's a closeup on a clearly torn scrap of paper with a hastily scribbled monkey doodle and a phone number, which he hands to the intrepid reporter, before leaving her with one final goofy smile, rushing off, clambering up a lamp post and leaping to a nearby rooftop, then pulling out his phone to message the group.

Reporter dealt with. Where are we going?.

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Insecure
Potential: 4/5
Power: 0
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Mundane


A rhythmic *thunk* was displayed on the panels surrounding Thorn, gradually increasing in size to indicate it was drawing closer. Close enough, eventually, to reveal Rune as they stepped into the light, butt end of the axe haft being used as a cane solving the minor mystery as to the source of the noise.

Wyrd had made it...most of the way to the Underrail before the magic slipped away, and so the last bit of the trek had been made by far more mundane means than a murder of crows in full flight. The limitations of a less than fully functional body were less than ideal, but still a worthwhile price to pay for the power to make a difference in the world.

Joining Thorn under the light, Rune smoothly exchanged the recovered disk for taiyaki and bit into the paste-filled confection without a word.

Thorn would explain when Thorn was prepared to do so; they had certainly learned that much by now, and understanding brought patience...for a time. They weren’t, unfortunately, in much of a mental state at the moment for patience to be anything resembling a long-term acquaintance.

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian takes the disk with a nod, the all too familiar cheeky smile crossing his face when the offered snacks are taken and there they stand, at least for a few moments, in the susserations of the Underrail, hushed conversations, the steady patter of water from the greenery in the humid air, the whine of rail carts and the faint hum of neon lights all rolling into a single gray wave. It wasn't to last and Sebastian drew in a deep inward sigh at breaking what otherwise might have been a nice moment. "Good job getting the disk, always nice when the side plays don't come up" he offers, staring ahead into the murk, finally sliding the disk somewhere more discreet. "Knew I could leave it in your capable hands."

"Trust the others walked away alright too, you look a little roughed up. There's a sauna down here, could kill some time rubbing shoulders with some big shots after we meet with Mother Bi. My treat. Serve a pretty killer dinner too, the others are off to Monkey Island...give that an over under of about seventy to thirty it goes titsup and quick if I'm honest. Might be begging for the invite if we have to go save the day."

Rolled an 8 on a Comfort and Support for Wyrd.

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Guilty (-2 to provoke or assess)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2

Calamity looks over at the approaching Kid Midnight as she checks her phone. "So, Midnight, I believe we're heading to that Wukong place, right? We should pick up Danny on the way over, he's some sort of monkey power dude or something like that." Right as she says this, her phone buzzes and she sees Danny's message.

> wanna join us on our way to Wukong Industries?
> Midnight and I seem to be going that way
> If you wanna join

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

"Wukong Industries. Right." Still out of breath, Kid Midnight turns to look at the gleaming Monkey Island tower off in the distance. His runner's stitch pangs just looking at it. "Can we at least take the train?"

* * * * *

A hard cut to the next panel showes Kid Midnight, along with the others, craning his neck up at Monkey Island. "My school's robotics program took a field trip here last year," he says to nobody in particular. "Everybody said it was big. They weren't kidding."

Somewhere along the way he found a brown paper bag to carry the bottle of sake, his jacket now covering up his AEGIS armor.

"So does anybody want to fill me in on why Thorn sent us out here in the first place?"

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0


Danny

Mary's good cheer at having such a willing interview subject turns to one of minor confusion at the answers Danny provides her with. Her bemusement merely continues as she's handed a quick doodle with a phone number, though she does pocket it once Danny makes good on his announcement of leaving. She offers the simian-spirited super a wave as he takes to the rooftops, the panels tracking the young hero from an aerial perspective, giving one final overview of the battle ground and the mall before the panels transition to the twin destinations of the team.

Nothing new to say here. Calamity has explicitly asked Danny to come to Wukong Industries with her and Kid Midnight, but that doesn't mean he can't instead join Thorn and Wyrd at the Underrail. Decide where Danny is going to, and drop him into the scene!

Thorn and Wyrd - Getting down to Bi-ness

With Thorn leading the way through the maze of stalls and makeshift shops, the young heroes smell Mother Bi's humble store long before they see it. The assortment of people pressing their way around the stalls seems to be increasing in density as the heroes grow close to their destination. A reasonably large eating courtyard is roped off from the rest of the marketplace, tables spaced within the area and customers sat at nearly every seat. There's not much variety in the meals being eaten, bowls of soup dominate the offerings on display, but there are a small number of plates of fried street food and the occasional plate of cold food. Toward the back of the seating area, a queue has formed in front of a steamy stall. Within, two teens hurry back and forth serving customers while, just visible between the press of people and the steam of cooking food, an elderly lady is visible with her back to the customers tending to the food.

A close-up panel focuses on her, showing her from the front, the food court, customers, and the team's representatives just visible behind her. A golden textbox edged with a rich purple announces her as Mother Bi - Mystic Chef. When she next glances over her shoulder, she catches sight of the young heroes drawing nearer. "Sebastian..?" She smiles at the sight of the young man, turning her attention back to the soup pot to keep it from burning, "Come on through, it's been a while. Who's your friend..?"

Welcome to Mother Bi's store! A simple food courtyard, this elderly lady spends her retirement pursuing her hobby and maintains a high level of respect amongst her neighbours in the Underrail. If you pay attention to the Guardian rosters of times past, you may also recognise her as a former Guardian.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/540148337802870786/966087395558703125/unknown.png

Calamity and Kid Midnight - Monkey Islanding Around

Lingering outside of the Wukong Industries tower in costume is, perhaps, not the best way to remain inconspicuous and unnoticed in the face of a monolithic technology manufacturer. Indeed, the young heroes have not been discussing what to do on the side of the street for long before a security guard detaches from the front door of the skyscraper and crosses the road toward them. Behind them, their companion stands with a watchful eye across the road and a hand on his radio.

"You're not part of the usual patrols." Her tone is blunt and to the point, her manner mildly belligerent as she continues, "Wukong Industries don't take drop-in appointments, and we have our own security. I suggest you move on if you're looking for villains to defeat."

Well, that's quite a frosty welcome. Calamity's costume is almost certainly what prompted the guard to come and speak directly to you all, but it looks like you have some ground to make up if you want to get inside to speak with someone who has any kind of authority. What do you do, heroes?

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry
Potential: 4/5
Power: 0
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Mundane

Rune let out a faint sigh as Sebastian’s words sank in.

”It was…touch and go,” they admitted. ”At one point I had to hold the attention of both their bruiser and their ranged support, and...wasn’t really in their league.” Still, Sebastian’s confidence apparently hadn’t been misplaced, and coming out of the situation more or less intact can be counted as a win.

One doesn’t have to be victorious at every encounter in order to be able to justify playing at that level, and the feeling of being in over their head faded a little.

”Everyone came out in one piece, though,” they went on. ”Not going to lie, if we don’t have to run to the rescue some downtime sounds...theraputic.”

Rune followed Sebastian through the winding path between shops and stalls, gamely maintaining the pace despite the effort to do so. Their leg ached from the exertion, but determination and a lingering fear of being left behind was more than enough motivation to keep up.

The wondrous scent of cooking just kept getting better as they approached, and Rune wondered how they had never managed to make it to this section of the Underrail the few times they had been down here. The appearance of Mother Bi herself brought a smile to their face, and they brushed a strand of long red hair out of their eyes as they were spoken to.

”Name’s Rune, ma’am. It’s an honour to meet the chef,” they said judiciously; always a wise idea to treat the cook with respect, especially if you’re going to be eating anything they’re preparing.


Clearing Insecure from the Comfort & Support

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Hold: 1

"Halmeoni annyeonghaseyo* Sebastian offers as he slips through the crowd, making way for Wyrd discreetly as they slip beyond the counter. He gives a slight bow to the chef, trying to place a hand on the elderly her shoulders while reaching for a few spices to discreetly add to the pot. "They've got something that needs looking at and transfered to my phone, we'd do it in house but it's on some type of disk we've not got the tech for. How's about letting me stir for a few minutes? We won't be long."

*hello, grandmother (respectful)

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 4/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: 0
Superior: +2
Mundane: 0


Danny'd fire off a quick message back to Calamity, a small thumbs up emoji, before we cut to him joining them on the train ride over...with the shy admittance that he might have jumped the gate. "I think I lost some of my cash in that scrap" he'd say, not willing to admit that he was actually a fair amount short of the fee.

* * * * *

Danny craned up at the huge building, for the briefest moment imagining how great it would be to climb it. To scramble up the elegant architecture, stand at the top and feel the sun on his face. He'd be king of the world! Go on then... the voice urged It's where we should be.

Then, Midnight's question brings him back to his senses, if only to shake his head. "No idea, but Thorn's smart. I'm sure he's got a good plan." he offers, still not trusting in himself after that shakeup earlier.

Then, a few moments later as the Security Guard approaches the group, the young boy gives a small squeak and shrinks a little behind his companions. At the very least he wasn't in a costume. But...a threadbare tee-shirt, scuffed up jeans and a pair of shoes with a hole over the toe probably didn't give off the impression of someone who should be here either.

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

Kid Midnight pulls a blank face at the guard, and looks to either Calamity or Danny, both of whom had actually been present for the fight, but they both seem too enthralled by Monkey Island to be much use. Which, fair. It is an impressive structure. Okay, think fast. The villains were attacking the bank, right? Thorn wouldn't send us here for no good reason, maybe the thieves were after something important to somebody here?

Taking a breath, Kid Midnight puts on his best AEGIS Cadet Voice. "We've just come from fighting villains. Kichō Bank was attacked, and we think that they were interested in something of...yours."

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LtGUQgXaYnXXsE6CMzqpMoqhF8PRO0ihFqkLhWRLj8Y/edit)
Conditions:Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2


Calamity was dumbstruck in the face of the monolithic headquarters. As they approached she could not wrench her eyes away from the massive structure, and the only thing on her mind was just how badly things could go if she took one wrong step and accidentally shook things up around here. The entire ride over, she was extremely careful of every move she made. She looked at Danny, and his cavalier attitude towards the tolls, and Kid Midnight's local expertise, and she felt Small.

She stayed in this internal state of self-reflection and comparison, while maintaining her awe-struck view on Wukong Industries itself, when she finally registered that a security guard had come over to the group. She did her best to look professionally over as Kid Midnight took on an authoritative tone. Still, her mind wandered to how much more both of them seemed to know about this area than she did, and she felt like she should offer her help! Any time back home she found herself in a field she didn't seem to belong, it often helped to act like she did in fact Belong. A lot easier, when all you had to do was say some farm lingo... but hey, she could do her best!

Calamity is angling to use her Down on the Farm move, by pulling on her experience making a little bit of trouble in some fields tended to by the more crotchety farmers of the area. I would like to take +1 Forward, and to clear Guilty, as I am going to be offering my assistance to the team and not being a hindrance by being lost.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0


Thorn and Wyrd - Culinary Conversations

Mother Bi moves with a speed that those unfamiliar with her past may find surprising. While the speed may be less of a surprise for Thorn, the quick rap of a wooden spoon on the back of his questing hand certainly serves as a stinging reminder of the elderly lady's watchfulness. "Manners, Sebastian. Of all people I'd think you'd know not to meddle in another chef's meal..?" Despite her chastisement, there's a wry smile to Mother Bi's expression. Order reinforced in her kitchen, she turns her attention back to Wyrd.

"Rune. A pleasure. I trust you're keeping Sebastian out of trouble?" She glances between the two teen heroes, tilting her head a little as she asks, "A disc? What kind? I take it an old one if you're coming to me rather than one of those internet café's?"


Danny, Calamity, and Kid Midnight - Security Standoff

The security guard facing off against the trio folds her arms at Kid Midnight's reply. Behind her, a couple of the security cameras festooning the entrance to the skyscraper swivel around to face the heroes. "Yeah? And when was this supposed to have happened, exactly? You know, you're not the first group of wannabe heroes coming here and trying to bluff their way in?" A scowl settles on the guard's face as she continues, in the background behind her, her colleague raises a hand to his ear, nodding a couple of times, "I don't know why you think you're entitled to come in just because you've beat a couple of street thugs, but I'm happy to tell you to scr-"

She's cut off as her radio abruptly sparks to life, her fellow guard visible at the door speaking into his. His voice is choppy, the radio distorting his words with intermittent static bursts. "Boss wants to see these ones Kate. Says they might know something about a break in."

The security guard, apparently Kate, blinks for a moment as her intended conversation direction gets derailed. Her scowl then deepening as she gestures for the trio to come with her. Her sullen attitude remains throughout as she leads the group through to the lobby. "Wait here, someone will be with you soon." She doesn't wait for a response as she heads back out to the front of the building.

The lobby is corporate, though a particularly posh looking one. White, square pots hold neatly trimmed bushes. Black, simple sofas line the walls, surrounding a low glass table. The only real human touches are a trio of framed tapestries, the colours are muted and faded with time, however, dulling their impact on the otherwise sterile lobby. The young heroes are kept waiting for a few minutes before a slouched, middle-aged man emerges from a lift. He casts about the room a moment, then focuses in on the trio. A focus panel identifies him as Luke MacKenzie - Overworked Researcher. "You kids stopped the bank robbery? I heard the Wukong lockbox was found, did you get it back?"

https://i.postimg.cc/8cvQkSf4/Doctor-Mackenzie.jpg

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry
Potential: 4/5
Power: 0
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Mundane

Rune’s lips twisted faintly into a smirk.

”Keep Sebastian out of trouble? No,” they demurred sadly. ”I reserve my powers for more likely outcomes, like preventing the end of all creation.” Sebastian is, if nothing else, proactive. Keeping him out of trouble would indeed be a full-time job.

”The technology is not the newest, no,” they went on. ”And technology is far from my strong suit in any case. Hence, we seek out expert assistance.” They smile, leaning lightly upon the axe in its current employment as a cane.

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Hold: 1

Sebastian removes his hand with a yelp though the smirk in response does little to offer any apology.

"Rune's just being modest. They do a very good job keeping my worse proclivities under control. I have a team to worry about now you know." He then produces the disk, offering it out to Rune. "That's one reason we took it here but not the only one. Warlords are hot for this thing. While Rune and the rest took care of the bank robbers they hired to run interference, I went to where I suspected their drop off would be. Jishin told me as much that they were hired hands, didn't take much to suss that out. Found Akari and her terrible twosome waiting for me. Princess herself told me some details, none of them good. I'm not keen on tangling with Akari, less keen on the team doing so. If we can get what we need, we might avoid a conflict in the long run."

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 4/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: 0
Superior: +2
Mundane: 0


Danny winced at the clinical sterility of the lobby as he was led through. It was a quick change that'd come over the guard, and one he wasn't used to. Usually they got more angry as he tried to explain himself. Still...it was a change of pace that he didn't mind. He puffed out his chest a little, hoping to combat some of the negativity he felt earlier and replace it with pride, though it was like trying to stifle a fire with a thimble of water. The tapestries were interesting, a stark difference from the rest of the building, so he craned his head to try and get a better look at them, wondering why on earth they'd be here.

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

While the three are left waiting in the lobby, Kid Midnight pulls out his phone, frantically refreshing all the various messaging systems he's got. After the third or fourth attempt and not getting even a single update, he realizes his phone is stuck on roaming. He sheepishly shifts his eyes left and then right, hoping neither of his teammates notice him being technologically-challenged. After a quick reset, he receives all of the team's texts during and after the fight all at once. They're a bit jumbled, but he's able to get the gist of things, and not a moment too soon.

Pushing past the researcher's gruff (lack of) introduction, KM introduces the group. "Hi there, I'm Kid Midnight. These are my teammates Calamity and Danny. You'll be happy to know that the lockbox and its contents were recovered and we have a team securing them as we speak." It feels weird being in charge when Thorn ought to be the one handling this. He's probably off somewhere eating a very important bowl of noodles while he "makes a copy". One of these days I'd like to see him stick around to clean up these messes he gets us into.

"Oh. And we're probably being tailed by a group of Warlord assassins. So if we could discuss this somewhere a little more secure than the lobby, that'd be aces."

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LtGUQgXaYnXXsE6CMzqpMoqhF8PRO0ihFqkLhWRLj8Y/edit)
Conditions:Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2



Calamity looked around the interior of the building and got lost for moment. This was so much different than anywhere she had already been in this city, and yet very similar to every other lobby. It felt unnatural and oppressive despite feeling empty... and she felt real uncomfy in the environment. But! She reminded herself to hold her head high, and act like she knew what she was doing! Kid Midnight seemed to know what was going on, so she'd simply follow his lead!

As Dr Mackenzie steps out of the Elevator, Calmity does her best to seem important, and imposing, whole remaining friendly. She puffs out her chest and puts a kind smile on her face as Kid Midnight gives his introduction. She chimes in, after the assassin part, "But don't worry Doc, 'cos we're quite confident in our abilities to keep you and the employees of this fine company safe, if they try anythin' funny! You can count on us!" Even as she said it, she began to wonder if coming to Wukong Industries had been the right decision for her. A big building, full of people and God knows what else, where she had to try and talk Professionally with some of the more business-y folk... it was gonna be a challenge that's for certain... but isn't that what Heroes do? Face challenges?

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn and Wyrd - Computer Consultations

Mother Bi raises an eyebrow at the mention of Akari, but opts not to comment. Once Thorn and Wyrd have finished speaking, she waves over one of her assistants. "I might be a little bit, watch this for me." And then, directed to the pair of young heroes, "Come on then, let's see what you're risking yourselves for."

Bustling to a back room, Mother Bi starts turning on an antiquated computer. "I'm willing to bet that you young folk will be faster than I ever could be with this thing," She glances over her shoulder, her face wrinkling into a grin, "So I'll just hover and let you two have at it."

She steps to one side, helpfully adding "You just have to press that triangle button to get the tray to come out. It doesn't always work at first, so try pressing it a few times. Eventually it'll come out."

With further unhelpful and obvious advice from Mother Bi being given, such gems as "Just double click it until it works." and "The little arrow always gets lost, oh, look, there it is." being freely given, despite her suggesting she was going to leave the other two to it. The disc is finally loaded up, information displaying on the screen for all to see.

The disc primarily contains data files, things like charts and spreadsheets. The files themselves have titles like 'Increases in Leyline Activity', 'Elemental responses to directed stimulus', and 'Energy output under controlled conditions'. Checking the files reveals a trend across them all. Wukong were seeking to use the Leylines as a directed power source and were experimenting to find the limits of what could be achieved. These experiments were repeated a number of times, but when the same parameters were used, increasing returns were observed in terms of both raw energy output as well as Elemental activity and hostility, with one of the last such experiments discussing how metahumans had to be called in to quell an assault on the testing grounds. The timestamp of the last test indicates it happened some ten years prior.

Danny, Calamity, and Kid Midnight - Laboratory Lounging

Luke looks between the young heroes, pinching the bridge of his nose at the mention of 'Warlord Assassins'. "..." He gives a sigh and turns, gesturing for the trio to follow him, "Follow me, we'll talk in my lab. Keep your hands to yourself."

Heading back into the elevator, he waits to allow the others in, then keys in a quick code. After a moment, the elevator jolts into life and descends, the panels giving a stylised overhead view of the elevator descending into darkness with its passengers. The panels then flow together, showing Luke leading the young heroes through a maze of corridors and doors, eventually stopping at an unremarkable door bearing the nameplate 'Luke Mackenzie, PhD'. Inside, the lab looks more like a large office room than anything else. A computer sits on a desk alongside a laptop, both powered on though currently on their screensavers. A microscope sits at a different desk, alongside a variety of mundane tools. Alongside these sit a few devices of indeterminate purpose, clearly mechanical in nature and with some kind of powered components, but unfamiliar. A few extra chairs are stacked in one corner, which Luke starts to pull free. Finally, light for the room comes from high-powered LED's in the ceiling, but also through a strangely reinforced window looking out into a wooded glade.

Gesturing for the heroes to sit, Luke takes a seat at his desk, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Ok. No risk of Warlord interference here. You said your team were securing the lockbox?" He looks between Calamity and Kid Midnight, "Can you elaborate on that please..? The... Contents are sensitive and really need to be away from risk as soon as possible."

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Hold: 1

Technical issues aside, getting the information was what they came for. Reading it made him wish they'd just destroyed the disk and been done with it. Exactly what he'd expected. Dumb people with too much money and power wanting more money and more power. An utter disaster in the making, one that they seemed to realize considering the time stamp. At least, on paper they realized it. Noting saying they haven't started it up again. He gave a look to Rune, shaking his head slowly.

"So this is bad, right? You're our resident expert on these sorts of things. It reads bad. I say we make the copy and get out of here. Nothing good'll come from getting anyone here involved with this. I don't even want to be involved in this."

He turns his attention to Mother Bi, offering a bow. "We'll be out of your hair shortly. How much to say you never saw us, or this, before we go?"

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry
Potential: 4/5
Power: 0
Freak: +2
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: -1
Mundane

Rune’s blood felt chilled as they went over the information contained upon the disk, and Sebastian’s feeling that the situation is bad is...perhaps an understatement.

”Bad, yes,” they affirm faintly. If you call weakening the boundaries between words and stirring up the ire of Those Who Lie Between merely ‘bad’. Other terms come readily to mind.

Disastrous.

Catastrophic.

Apocalyptic.

”Never having seen this information is an excellent strategy for personal safety,” they agree, eyes a bit wild as they stare through long, straight hair at Mother Bi. ”Our sincerest apologies for brushing you with it this day.”

They have no way of justifying this, but they wished they could blame this calamity on chaotic monkey luck....

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

As he sits, Kid Midnight fights the urge to slump down in his seat. Sitting in the chair in front of the good doctor's desk makes him feel like a kid in the principal's office, as if somehow this whole mess was their fault. Despite the facade of professionalism he tries to maintain, there's probably nothing else of value he can provide. But maybe we should be the ones getting more information. Hopefully he can remember something from his AEGIS psych tactics seminar. They've already moved him, so he's been forced into a position of compliance. And they're the ones who control the value. That makes them more powerful than they might seem.

"Of course, Doctor, we understand. Hey, can we get some sodas or something? Danny doesn't do so well in the heat, y'know?" A rectangular box above Kid Midnight's speech bubble calls back lessons from his AEGIS training. Maintain their compliance by commanding a steady stream of small favors. "As I was saying, our other team is securing the lockbox, and we're here to arrange the transfer while the Warlords think we have it on us. But we need to know more about what's in that lockbox. To ensure... proper handling. Until we can turn it over to you, of course." Draw the connection between what they want and what you want.

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 4/5

Danger: +1
Freak: 0
Saviour: 0
Superior: +2
Mundane: 0


The next panel shows Danny, very clearly in need of a soda. He was sweating heavily, a clear sheen on his brow as he looked around the room wide-eyed. Secure. No escape. If they found out what he had...

If you want the soda, just demand it. He works for us anyway. Get lemon-lime. the voice in his head said, irritated. Danny managed to nod along to Midnight's description, absentmindedly, before quickly interjecting "So...so...how bad is uhh...stealing anyway...? Like I know it's bad, but...what if you didn't know it was something important and it was really shiny." He pauses, looking around and suddenly realising how crazy that must sound. Clearly, there was only one solution. "Theoretically." the boy adds, smiling and nodding entirely too much.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn and Wyrd - Disturbing Discoveries

Mother Bi lets out a low whistle as she reads over the pair's shoulders. She frowns at Thorn's question, "Hrmm... I'm not sure I can keep quiet on this one, Sebastian. You can take your copy, but... Hmm..." She leans closer to the computer screen, squinting at the file names present, "If Wukong Industries are digging into the leylines, that's bad news all round. At the very least The Weather Report ought to know." She deliberates for a few more moments, then nods to herself, "Yes. Alright, you two let me handle this, I'm sure the Finch will be able to talk some sense into those fools at Wukong."

Mother Bi is pretty clearly telling both Thorn and Wyrd that she thinks they're not well suited to handling something as sensitive as the data on this disc. She's shifting both of your labels. Freak Down, Mundane up, or Roll to Reject her Influence.

Danny, Calamity, and Kid Midnight - Searching for Soda

Luke gives Danny a bemused look, "How bad is... What? Why would you even... Just. Don't steal. You can grab a drink when you leave." He turns his attention back to Kid Midnight and Calamity, glancing occasionally to the kleptomaniacally inclined teen, "... Ok, look, it contains sensitive historic experimental data that's relevant to our current research. I really can't go into more detail than that. It's not dangerous as an object, but the data is very important. If you think you're at risk from attack during a handover, we can escort you to the Monsoon and have it happen there."

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 5/5

Danger: +2
Freak: +1
Saviour: 0
Superior: +2
Mundane: 0


"Lemon-Lime!" Danny blurts out, before blushing bright red. "S...sorr..." he starts, before the his mouth begins to move on its own. "Look! I didn't spend years of my life building this company from the ground up just for you to keep secrets from... I didn't build this company, though." he claps his hands over his mouth. Then one of them grabs the other wrist and begins a large struggle with it, forcing it away. "We risked our lives for that disk! Don't you think we deserve a little more than a "thanks, we'll take it from here?" You could at least tell us what it was all for."

Danny takes a deep breath, then rushes "Sorrysirthatwasn'tmeihaveavoicethat..." he finally finishes, realising just how badly he might have screwed up.

Provoke Someone: 5
"Danny, or rather the Monkey Spirit, is trying to get Luke to give them a little more "respect" as he'd call it"
Failure!

Added potential, that makes 5!

Advancement: Add +1 to any two Labels.

+1 Danger, as Danny is becoming more and more worried about the control the Monkey Spirit seems to be able to exert over him.

+1 Freak as some more of the strangeness of his situation is coming to the fore, especially in front of his teammates he's tried so hard to hide it from.

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5
Hold: 0

With a trill, the transfer is done, his phone giving a small jingle as well to note the transfer was successful. The words however seem to rouse him from his own thoughts, a few text boxes of run on sentences in block font cut short as the green haired hero looks between Mother Bi, Rune and then the disk that quietly slides from the computer.

"Yeah...that's not part of the plan." he finally says, snatching the disk up before sliding it into one of his pockets. "Was going to check with the team if breaking the disk was in our best interest and find a hole to bury the copy in, in case we need it but I don't think we need the vote. Already had two or three plans started just on what Akarai said on the way here. Already threw the Princess's scent off the trail, should have enough time to do that while the rest see why something so pants poopingly dangerous was left in a lockbox with no guards, just ripe for the taking. On that note."

Sebastian turns to Rune in full, a sly smirk sliding across his face. "You trust me?"

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely
Buying out Symbol of Authority for I Don't Care What You Think from the Delinquent. Rolled it and got an 8

Marking potential by acting to prove them wrong

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Insecure
Potential: 5/5
Power: 0
Freak: +1
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +0
Mundane

Rune takes a deep, shaky breath.

”Trust you? Yes, of course,” they reply, but their expression makes it clear that they’re not confident about the situation. ”But...this is big. Like, seriously dangerous stuff, and we had our hands full dealing with some thieves,” they add, lowering their voice a little with an uneasy glance at Mother Bi.

”It was horribly unguarded, which means we should be concerned about why. It looks like someone was supposed to steal it, and there’s likely something big in the works because of that. Maybe...we should leave this to the Weather Report?” they suggest weakly.

Absolutely not something they would prefer to do, but sometimes one has to acknowledge when things are getting too big to handle.

Sometimes the consequences of trying and failing can be too much.

Rejecting Influence: 4
Marking Potential, Re-marking Insecure, adjusting Freak down and Mundane up

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5
Hold: 0

"All the more reason to feel this out. We can't be certain the Report are on the up and up either. I won't destroy the master copy just yet but things have certainly grown more volatile than we anticipated. You go meet up with Midnight and the others, tell them what we learned here and see how much that spooks Wukong Industries." Sebastian states even as he pockets the disk, offering a wry smile. There's a moment's hesitation, the teen turning to Mother Bi, then back to Rune, a glint in his already glowing eyes.

"While you do that. I'm going to Karakuri Town. You be safe."

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

Taken aback by Danny's outburst, Kid Midnight looks at his teammate with mouth agape. After a beat, he turns back to the good doctor. "Like I said. The heat. Goes to his head." He taps his temple a couple of times to emphasize.

"An escort won't be necessary, especially if they think we've already handed off the disk," he says, hoping to paper over...whatever it was that just happened with Danny. "But the Monsoon is a good idea. Can you have a representative meet us there this evening? The sooner we tie this up, the better."

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LtGUQgXaYnXXsE6CMzqpMoqhF8PRO0ihFqkLhWRLj8Y/edit)
Conditions:Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2


Calamity, who has been very quietly and carefully paying attention to every step, every movement, and every flex of her muscles in this tower, finally snaps out of her self conscious stupor and notices the polite smile still stuck on her face. Well, at least I looked like a person and not a lost sheep... she thought to herself, as she looked over at Danny. "Like I said, Doctor, we can handle ourselves! Do you mind if I just..." and she trails off as she moves to Danny and motions to pull him to the side a little bit. As she nears him, she quietly whispers "Hey, you okay bud? That ain't... well I ain't heard somethin like that before from ya, and you seem as caught off guard as we were..."


Calamity is attempting to pull Danny aside to check on him, because she is concerned and it aligns with our relationship on my playbook, so I'm attempting to pull that in.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn and Wyrd - Karakuri Road Trip?

Mother Bi looks distinctly unhappy at Thorn's reaction, her face wrinkling into a deeper frown. "You should listen to your friend, Sebastian." She gives a discontented huff, "Not that I expect you to listen to me, but they at least seem to have their head screwed on straight."

With Thorn having already snatched up the original and keeping the copy on his phone, the elderly lady has to settle for turning her computer off and turning to face the pair, "And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay far away from Karakuri Town. But if you're set on this fool's errand and won't listen to sense, then I can't offer you anything more. Stay for food if you want, but otherwise I think it's time for you to go."

Danny, Calamity, and Kid Midnight - Monkey Business

Luke half rises from his chair, concern across his face at Danny's outburst. He lowers himself back into his seat as Calamity gets to him first, but the concern fails to leave his face. "I think you should take your friend to the hospital. At least get him looked at by a medic."

Behind Luke, and apparently unnoticed by him, the view of the wooded glade shimmers and ripples, the effect reminiscent of a pebble being dropped in a pond. A shape begins to rise from the middle distance, detaching itself from the grass and undergrowth and turning its attention toward the room the group are housed in. It remains stationary for the moment, content simply to watch.

"I can have someone meet you at the Monsoon, though, that shouldn't be an issue." Luke turns to his desk and scribbles down a number onto a scrap of paper, passing it over to Kid Midnight, "Call this number if you get into trouble before then. We'll be there, please make sure you are as well."

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/75/b5/5e/75b55ee525c011c63f8cd7a6a99f19a1.jpg

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5
Hold: 0

"Haven't known what's good for me since I was blown up. Been one long stream of bad ideas from then to here. I'll come and eat here if I become a ghost though." Sebastian offers the old woman with a wink before glancing back to Rune. "Guess we've got ourselves another rain check, friend. Good luck with the others, I'll keep my phone on. If I don't come back in a week, fill my spot." With that Sebastian offers a bow and heads back into the city.

The plan was, for all intents and purposes, half formed. Karakuri Town wasn't a place you went to. It certainly wasn't a place you went to without a plan and backup. He had neither, nor any real way of knowing how to get there in the first place. Not, at least, without a lot of hiking and hiking was not on his list of preferred actions especially through Weather Report land. After a rail ride to clear his head however, he knew the best place to go. The Hikari Shrine...which meant he'd need a change of clothing. A sick costume change and a few transport panels later, and taking a few moments to send a copy of the disk data over to Rune's phone when he felt enough time had passed they were out from Mother Bi's grasp, he was off. Sebastian arrives at the Shrine, cleaned up and respectful as he moves under the long path of torii guarded groves to the main temple.

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 0/5

Danger: +2
Freak: +1
Saviour: 0
Superior: +2
Mundane: 0


Danny is red as a cherry, looking between Luke, Midnight and then Calamity. As the latter moves over to him, he stands and moves to the side too, more than happy to leave the situation even if for a brief reprieve.

"Hey C...Cal..." He mumbles. "It's uhh...I dunno. This voice? I think. It tells me to do stuff. Usually it just sort of, listens, helps. Sometimes I feel, when we're fighting, I'm sort of on autopilot. Oh...uhh...anyway. It feels like he, it...is sorta talking through me and it's really weird and I don't like it."

I have a name... the voice in his head deadpans.

Danny lowers his voice even further "I think it might be the uhh...the Monkey."

He can barely make eye contact with her at this point. This has been the part he's been dreading. The part that they all think he's weird, call him a freak and kick him out of the group...he wanted to swallow but his mouth was far too dry.

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

"We'll be there," Kid Midnight says as he takes the paper scrap. Pulling out his phone, he snaps a photo of the number, automatically logging it before crumpling it up and shoving it in his mouth like a piece of top-secret chewing gum.

Looking back up, he catches sight of something in the glade behind Dr. Luke. "Hey, Doc? Speaking of monkeys, what is that thing?"

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Insecure
Potential: 0/5
Power: 0
Freak: +1
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +0
Mundane

Left behind by a Sebastian who is moving much too quickly for them to keep up with short of a display of power, Rune stifles a sigh.

”My apologies for Sebastian’s...precipitous behaviour,” they apologize to Mother Bi. ”We all know he means well, but...” They shrug – nothing more really needs be said, now does it?

Politely taking their leave, Rune makes their halting way out of the Underrail. The tapping of the butt of the axe being used as a cane carries through as a constant overlying several panels, passing stalls, mysteriously shrouded beings, and curious outcroppings of native stone.

And in the process of passing an open doorway, a hand reaches out unexpectedly to grasp Rune by the shoulder and yank them through.

Looking through the doorway, we see...nothing but an empty room.


-= * * * =-

A SHORT TIME LATER

A door creaked open in the pitch-black room, illuminated only by the dim light that filtered in through the now open doorway. A figure stumbled through, the door closing with a solid thump in their wake, plunging the panel in to complete blackness once more.

A blackness that was interrupted by a familiar cascade of magical energies as Rune resumed their mundane form once more. The darkness was pushed back for an instant by the light of those energies...and remained at bay, as the residual magical energies were caught up in numerous crystals set in holders on the walls, starting glowing softly with the same energy.

As did the door outlined along one wall.

Bracing themselves on their axe, Rune managed to regain steady footing and limped to the outlined door, placing a hand at the edge. With a cracking sound and a puff of displaced dust, the door swung ponderously inward as they moved out of its way, white light pouring in from outside.

Rune stepped out...into the stacks of a library. In fact, not unfamiliar ones, and Rune turned to see the segment of bookshelf close up once more to conceal the room behind.

Yes, as they had thought. 293.133, Norse Mythology.

Cute.

Their phone chirped with an arriving message, and they wondered just how worried the others must be after the number of days that—

About to unlock their phone, Rune was confronted by a time and date display that indicated minutes, not days.

Okay then.

Unlocked, the message proved to be a copy of the data sent from Sebastian, and Rune shook their head as they recalled how things had been left before all of...well, before it had all happened.

Opening the group chat, they quickly shot off a message confirming that everyone was doing all right, as expected?

Not that any of the most recent events had been expected, but that...that, is another story entirely.

Taking Advancement: Gain two choices from the Mentor’s Resources from the Protege Playbook
Hidden Base, Teleportal

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LtGUQgXaYnXXsE6CMzqpMoqhF8PRO0ihFqkLhWRLj8Y/edit)
Conditions:Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2


We see a small panel of Calamities eyes closed, and then another of the confused look on her face as she blinks slowly, trying to take in what Danny just said. "Right… so there is a Monkey in your head that helps you fight, and sometimes says weird things to you, but its never talked For You before… is the Monkey some sort of metaphor? Cos like an Old Girlfriend and I used to use codes and such for like… anxiety and such. Is this one of those things? Cos if it is, we all have our own Monkeys, Danny. Yours is just a little more active, I guess." Calamity puts a hand on Danny's shoulder, and attempts to make eye contact. "Just because you've been on your own a while, doesn't mean you have to be anymore."

Unbeknownst to her, her concentration slips just a touch, and the sound of her hand clasping Danny's shoulder creates a sonic wave that ripples through the room, and through the window pane, all the way towards the looming shape…


Calamity is doing her best to Comfort Danny, although she is confused. She rolled a 7, so things are gonna get Weird. Firstly, Danny can open up as per the move. Secondly, Calamity still has Quirk marked! So I think Calamity has become too focused on Danny, and keeping her powers under control, that the situation escalates.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/540148337802870786/1007746569585569892/5jTMfow.png

Spacing

The Hikari Shrine is, despite being a tourist hotspot, a relatively tranquil location. Red-leafed trees provide shade over an enclosed courtyard. Visitors, devotees, and priests intermingle in various huddles and clumps of people. A warm, gentle breeze creates the soft rustling of the canopy, providing an auditory backdrop to the sedate but irregular noises of conversation. In a busy city, the Hikari Shrine offers respite to those who would seek it.

For Thorn, the tourists are easy to pick out from the regulars. Even leaving aside the clear differences in behaviour, and sometimes even dress sense, Thorn has certainly frequented the Shrine enough to have learned many of the faces that form the human element of the Hikari Shrine's charm.

One face in particular stands out amongst the rest, though its familiarity comes not from frequent visits to the Shrine but instead from the fame of its owner. Studiously ignoring whispered comments and surreptitious attempts to take his photo, the panels focus in on a man kneeling within a quiet alcove. Dressed in unassuming street clothing, an introductory text box using a strange mix of oranges and shadows labels him as Sangha, the Tiger.

Sangha's apparent serenity comes to an end as he gets to his feet, motions that must once have come naturally now stiffened with age. He fixes Thorn with an irritable expression, "Half the afternoon I've wasted waiting for you here. Well? Let's hear what you've got to say for yourself."

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/540148337802870786/904805522555936769/bf8c46f0a1fb75a8f84d5b3a827dac04--ajin-anime-art-manga.jpg

Quite what Sangha's referring to is unclear, there's many things that have happened just today that he could be referring to, after all. What you do know is that he has a soft spot for Danny, the Monkey-powered boy working part time at his shop. He also has far less love for the Warlords and those that would associate with them, something that could be particularly problematic for you. Whatever's drawn the Tiger from his Pavillion, there's a good chance it has something to do with either yourself or Danny.


Wyrd

Recent events aside, Wyrd is at least able to recoup somewhat within the confines of the library. The mundanity of the building provides a grounding presence, the physicality of the books and shelves perhaps providing a pleasant certainty of the order of the universe. The studious quiet is briefly broken by the sound of an alert as Wyrd receives a message during their check-in on current affairs. It would appear that Dr. Martin is enquiring about their availability for the next therapy session.

"Hey, excuse me..?"

Wyrd finds they're given scant time to respond to their therapist's request before they're approached by a shorter youth, notable for their slightly wild appearance and monkey-tail. "I'm looking for the section on the Zodiac, can you help?"

In case it's unclear, the person approaching you is Rowan, last seen preparing a restaurant for a busy night.

Danny, Calamity, and Kid Midnight - Window Stressing

Luke's bemused expression refuses to shift as Kid Midnight opts to eat the phone number he'd been provided with, and Danny appears to deepen into his mental break. He shifts in his chair, however, at Kid Midnight's question. As he does, Calamity's inadvertent sonic shock ripples through the room. The window warps and ripples in sympathy to the sound waves. The monkey-creature's head tilts, and then it begins to move toward the window frame.

As it approaches, a sense of pressure begins to fill the room as though the occupants were diving into deep water. The frame of the window begins to fracture and pop under the increasing pressure, plastic and wooden casing flaking away only to float in mid-air just a few centimetres from the now-exposed circuitry embedded within. The air itself also develops hairline fractures, brilliant white light shining through the mid-air cracks.

Luke gets to his feet, alarm in his body language and voice as he turns to the trio, "Go, get out! I have to contain this before it ruptures!"

Well, that's not great. Whether or not the monkey is hostile, it's approach is having some seriously concerning effects on the room you're in. Luke doesn't look like he's ready to leave, but he's clearly expecting you three to run. The question is, do you leave him to it? Or do you feel somewhat responsible for catching the creature's attention in the first place?

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5
Hold: 0

A few panels follow Sebastian as he makes his way through the various observances at the temple, greetings to the various maidens, an offering of onigiri and a few coins at several alters, before the panels are arrested by the presence of such a big named hero. Sebastian slides into the final panel like ones slides onto their back foot when making sure a distance between themselves and something dangerous is maintained, his back practically leaning against the boarder of the panel.

"Did someone replace my day keeper? Tiger doesn't go too far out it's range, what'd you want to wait that long? Danny's not with me, don't think he'd be here at all so that's not it...is it?

Complications on complications if he had to guess. It was true, Sangha didn't generally step out from his shop so this wasn't just a social call.

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Insecure
Potential: 0/5
Power: 0
Freak: +1
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +0
Mundane

Distracted, Rune barely takes note of Gohan as they approach and ask for assistance.

”Uh, should be somewhere in the one-thirties, Parapsychology and Occultism,” they reply absently after a moment to recall. ”This is the two-nineties, World Religions.” Navigating a library’s resource section isn’t particularly onerous once you get the task of memorizing the basics of the classification system out of the way.

More importantly, when will they have time for their next session with Linda? It’s not the kind of thing that can be just blown off because something important is happening; truth be told, something important is always happening, and therapy doesn’t work if you don’t actually do it.

It also doesn’t help that they don’t exactly know how important the current situation is yet.

stuffs going on as usual; can we say 2morrow at 4 and ill try not 2 cancel?

Thankfully, their therapist understood that stuff does indeed happen when one is running around trying to be a hero....

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn

Sangha gives a grunt in response to Thorn's quip. "Do you talk to all of your elders this way..?" He grumbles, "If I wanted to speak with Danny, I'd wait until he came by my shop. I'm here because you're courting one of the Warlord's grandkids. And I don't trust that you're not going to sell the rest of them out when it suits you." He folds his arms in front of himself, fixing Thorn with a challenging glare, clearly expecting some kind of response.

Sangha is definitely attempting to shift your labels here. Shift Danger up and Mundane down or roll to reject as he tells you that he considers you to be a potential threat to the harmony of the team you've found yourself on.

Wyrd

"And that'll have books on Zodiac hosts, right..?" Rowan presses, apparently eager to lean on Wyrd's expertise rather than wanting to try and sift through the section by themselves, "Like, maybe some history on Wukong?"

Wyrd's phone pings while their knowledge of the library's collection is tested, a quick glance at the screen showing it to be a response from Linda Martin.

Tomorrow works for me. Saw there was a bank break in not far from you, make sure you're staying safe at work.

Rowan's request for more specific knowledge is something that Wyrd can answer. There are indeed books specifically about those that have wielded the powers of the Zodiac, but most of the books are couched in legend rather than being more modern tellings of their stories.

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 3/5
Hold: 0

The glare, and the text boxes, make arrows that puncture right into Thorn's chest.

"This would have been a lot better if you were just here looking for Danny." Sebastian sighs, tucking his hands into his pockets and meeting Sangha's glare with one of his own. Anger was a good mask, and one to shield from the fact that the words hurt something awful. It was true, after all, that he'd already sold out plenty of people to get where he was so what were a few more? They'd been actual villains though and in a lot of cases people needing put away. Not heroes and certainly not friends. The idea of selling poor, hometown Calamity out to get out of a dime made his stomach turn more than what brought him to the Shrine in the first place. So did the idea, he feared, that many on the team probably felt the same way given his general attitude and they were all just too nice to say it out loud. Only way to prove them wrong was to act though. For all the bravado, for all the look of turning over a new leaf, regardless of how much either of those were true what was a foundational fact was he was 100% behind the team.

Convincing them would be hard, but that was part of the mission. It would be harder with a battle hardened old man and everyone in town knew that Sangha was about as hard and battle tested as you could get. It didn't surprise him that Sangha knew about Akari but it sure concerned him on the how. "My relationship with the Princess isn't related to the team, liable to be what breaks the deal really. Would be a shame though, I do like her. Could see a future with her if the con goes well. Add a big name to the ol'hero side. Not much I can say that'll ease your concerns though I wager. Think that's us sorted? You don't like my dating habits and you think I'm going to throw my team under the bus when it suits me. Happy to disappoint on the first, more than happy to prove you wrong on the second."

Rolled a good solid 4 on my Reject. Can't shift my Labels because my Mundane is already at -2 so that's two Conditions for me. Insecure, Angry.

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Yoachuallathui]

]Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Potential: 1/5

Danger: +2
Freak: +1
Saviour: 0
Superior: +2
Mundane: 0


"Wait...what is that?" Danny asks the question, despite the very real possibility that no one would, or could answer. He looks between his teammates...there was no way Midnight could have done this...unless it was a Magic Phone Number!... but no, that was too farfetched. Calamity? She had done something and the pressure certainly felt like her...but she had nothing to do with monkeys...as far as he knew. If only he knew someone who had powers related to...

Then it hit him! How could it not have sooner, it was so obvious! Something bad was about to happen!! And he'd just admitted to having a monkey living in his mind in front of them. They were totally going to blame him!

Then he hears Luke's words and glances over, the realisation seeming to ripple through him. "Co...contain it? Wait, but you'll die!" And I'm a hero! I can't let that happen he finishes the thought internally.

Danny dives forwards, hoping to use his agility to hook a hand around Luke and throw him backwards out of the room, before following after with his teammates.

Defend: 3
Danny is trying to defend himself and the others from the unknown threat
Failure!

Added potential.

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Insecure
Potential: 1/5
Power: 0
Freak: +1
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +0
Mundane

Attention currently being split in two directions, a smile flickers briefly across Rune’s face at their therapist’s concern. They responded a bit vaguely to the posed questions even as they typed another response.

”Uh, yeah, but it’ll be more mythology than biography,” they say, thumbs flickering.

doing my best! just had sum weird stuff that i should probs talk about Isn’t that the truth?

Rune frowns, focusing their full attention onto the young knowledge seeker.

”Wait, Wukong? What’s this about?” they asked suspiciously. Seems hard to believe that this would be a coincidence of timing, what with most of the rest of the team off on the Island at this very moment....


Pierce the Mask: 3
Marking Potential

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn

Sangha spends a long while scrutinising Thorn's expression following his statement. At last he nods, seemingly satisfied with the short conversation. "I hope you do so. It can be nice to be wrong about someone."

Taking a moment to watch the increased foot traffic milling around the pair, Sangha looks back to Thorn and adds in a softer tone, "I heard about the bank break in on the radio, are you and your team ok? Danny's got the devil's luck, but he's not indestructible. Nor is that boy in black."

Despite his misgivings on Thorn specifically, Sangha's concern seems genuine. That said, after his critique, this may not be much of an olive branch.

Wyrd

"We-ell..." Rowan gives an awkward grin, rubbing the back of their neck as their tail swishes behind them, "It's kinda embarassing but... I heard that the Zodiac spirits look for like-minded hosts. And, well, I figured since Wukong's, y'know, passed now. Maybe it'd be my ticket to fame and fortune if I could, y'know, persuade the Monkey Spirit I was the right person for it..?"

Rowan gives an awkward laugh, looking embarrassed at the admission, "That must sound real conceited to you. But, yeah, I want to try and research if it's even possible first, and I figured I've got a bit of time before my shift starts, so I could grab some books to read during my break."

Wyrd may not know for sure if their own teammate is possessed by the Monkey Spirit, but they may know that the Zodiacs do indeed hunt for worthy hosts. If Rowan is looking to claim the Monkey Spirit for themselves, would that leave Danny de-powered?

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 3/5
Hold: 0

Sebastian offers a shrug, shrinking inward a little as familiar faces start to crowd around. He didn't like an audience on the best of days. Today wasn't shaping up to be one of those. "Went fine, everyone's fine as far as I know. Not really the front line guy. Whatever they were after, they didn't get is all I can say. I don't think we'll really know what it was either." No reason to tell someone what's going on if they didn't have to. It wasn't likely that Sangha would rush to inform the Guardians or Weather Report about what they found, but it was better to talk to the team before he just went blabbering about team secrets. "You'd probably have heard if Danny was hurt before me. I really haven't had much of a chance to connect with the team after the robbery anyway. Was there anything else I could do for you today? Planning a trip out of the city and wanted to get to the Shrine for a blessing."

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

Kid Midnight is not somebody who needs to be told twice. He's had enough AEGIS training to know that he hasn't had anywhere near enough training to handle whatever that freakish anomaly is. "Clear out!" Vaulting over any furniture in his path, he makes for the exit as expeditiously as possible.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn

Sangha shakes his head, "No, that was all." He turns to leave, briefly glancing back to add "Enjoy your trip." before setting off and away from the Hikari shrine at a slow walk. The dignity of his exit is marred somewhat by having to irritably wave away tourists trying to pressure him for autographs and selfies, the Tiger's dislike for the limelight apparently not as well known as his turn as a leading Guardian.

Though most of the buzz follows the retired hero as he leaves, there is still a larger than usual crowd around Thorn. None are quite bold enough to approach him, but his brief proximity to celebrity is apparently enough that it's generated some extra interest in him. A few of the Shrine's more familiar attendants offer him sympathetic glances, though none actively intervene to break the groupings up.

Ultimately, though, Thorn is left to make his own decisions of what to do, the Hikari Shrine stands proud ahead, and there is the promise of solitude awaiting too should he choose to relocate himself.

With Sangha taking his leave, Thorn is free to make his own decisions of what to do next. The Shrine awaits, after all. Is there an attendant that Thorn normally speaks to? Or is the search for a blessing a more private affair, kept between just himself and the shrine itself?


Danny, Calamity, and Kid Midnight - 7 Years Bad Luck?

Turning the page from Thorn's relatively peaceful interactions with the Tiger, the panels show an overhead freezeframe shot of Luke's lab. Danny rushing to his feet to try and pull the doctor away from the fracturing window, Kid Midnight looking to make good on the instruction he's received and make a hasty retreat, and Calamity sat between the two heroes, frozen in her seat at the strangeness of what has interrupted what was already a strange conversation.

The next panel is shattered into pieces as the containment field of the window fails, with the greatest damage to the framing being close to the exploded window. The shards of the panel show Kid Midnight succesfully out of the room, Calamity knocked to the floor, but otherwise unharmed, and Danny and Luke, the closest to the rupture, sprawled on the floor. In the gaps between the shattered panel, a riot of colour fills the gutters. Within can be seen ethereal and unreal landscapes, as well as ocassional glimpses of movement. Where the panel gutters intersect with Luke's, and especially Danny's prone forms, the guttering is tinted a violent crimson.

The panels manage to return to normal on the following page, though the shattered window now has floating shards overlayed across a brilliant white void, impossible to see any kind of detail within. Luke groans as he pulls himself to his feet, his arm showing puncture wounds from the exploded window in a few locations. A trained eye will show the injuries to be deep, but not life threatening. Danny's attempted rescue likely saved the man's life. Though not without consequence for the monkey boy himself. Danny's wounds are more severe, punctures and surface lacerations riddling his right side. Some have glass and bits of machinery, others appear to have had no physical cause at all. The injuries with no associated shrapnel do not appear to even be bleeding, simply existing as cuts.

The shattered window appears to be making no further change now, whatever had been approaching from the other side apparently no longer present. WIth an injured civilian and teammate, the question now is what do you do, heroes?

Luke is hurt, but not critically so. He will need medical attention, but doesn't need it instantly.

Danny is similarly hurt and took the brunt of the explosion in his effort to save Luke.

Your injuries caused by the shrapnel hurt. A lot. Mark a Condition.

Strangely, the injuries not from the shrapnel feel almost numb. There's sensation there, but it's very muted and faint. It could be shock, but perhaps it has something to do with whatever it was that exploded out of the window..? Either way, you should probably get it checked out.

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 3/5
Hold: 0

Sebastian let out a soft sigh as he's free from the Tiger's sights, the rest of the crowd barely registering as he collects himself. There had to be some sort of auspice in it all but he was sure as hell not the person to weigh in on that. He was in the right place to find out, if he were so inclined but if the fates prescribed him any ill will he'd rather not know it was coming.

The panels follow after Sebastian however as he moves deeper into the Shrine. There was a lot to do and he'd already been delayed. The quiet of the Shrine was a welcome one, the sound of his own thoughts a swarm of bees buzzing in his head. No sense going to one of the priests on duty, they'd probably not be of much help. No. Maybe a few words, a hollow blessing and he'd get a scheduled visit somewhere down the road. What he needed, for angry ghosts and demons, was one of the Shrine Maidens. He'd heard tell they used to be active in the heroics of the city but that was at least a decade ago. Now the Hikari Maidens just stuck to the Shrine, or so he was told. Still had magic, still had the occasional dust up with things beyond human ken. They were the target from the get go, getting to them and getting them to help was the start of this mission.

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter
Conditions: Hopeless! -2 to Unleash Your Powers
Guilty: -2 to Provoke or Assess the Situation
Potential: 1/5

Danger: +2
Freak: +1
Saviour: 0
Superior: +2
Mundane: 0


Danny feels terrible for failing to protect his friends and Luke. Marking Guilty.

Danny groans, the world around him spinning as he raises a hand to cup his eyes against the harsh blurriness of the light, his movements strained and slow. His legs curl up, his body clutching at itself into a fetal position. Smart... the voice deadpanned in his head, barely there over the thrumming that felt like it threatened to explode from him. "Was that you...?" he manages to barely get out of a mouth that felt like it was filled with sand, his voice hoarse and rough. Moving hurt. Talking hurt. Laying still hurt...he wasn't sure what to do. For just a moment, the reality of his situation sunk in. And he sobbed silently, face hidden from the world. This wasn't something he could hide from his family, even if they never really paid attention to him. Just...what could he do?

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kReuPWxb6lQGkd8UDAA05v228UMOxguzSJMWLST6PJ8/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Afraid, Angry, Insecure
Potential: 1/5
Power: 0
Freak: +1
Danger: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +0
Mundane

Well.

Rune blinked a couple of times, processing everything heard and half-heard over the past couple of minutes.

”Doing research before delving into the deeper magicks is indeed the intelligent way of approaching the matter,” they replied with an approving smile. ”,”

”Even if such a thing were possible, though, there’s no guarantee that one of the great Zodiac spirits wouldn’t swiftly seek out a new host, rather than lying idle,” they pointed out.

”What if the Monkey Spirit has already found itself a host? Would you just give up your ambitions, or would you try and convince the Spirit that you are a better fit?” Rune asked, quirking a ruddy eyebrow inquisitively.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn

Thorn is, fortunately, able to leave the hustle and bustle of the more tourist laden section of the shrine behind without drawing anyone after him. Fame by association only carries so far it would seem. Instead, he soon finds himself in amongst the actively tended sections of the Shrine. Various priests and Shrine Maidens go about their rituals and ministrations. Most Thorn has had no real reason to interact with before. One, however, is familiar as one of the more approachable Maidens. A woman named Kyoko, she's currently in the process of lighting incense and setting out offerings. Something about Thorn's presence makes itself felt and she looks around to him after a few moments. A smile crosses her face, polite in nature and showing some recognition of the young hero, but in the same way a cashier might recognise the face of someone who drops by every other week. "Good afternoon." She inclines her head politely toward him, raising it again after a moment, "It's good to see you again."

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/bb/92/5e/bb925ec2bd24da8c139ecec51f98bc2a.jpg

Wyrd

Rowan blinks at Wyrd's query. "I hadn't really thought about that," they admit quietly, "But, well, shouldn't I at least try..? What if the Monkey spirit hasn't found a host? Or if the host it's found is a bad one..? I just know I'd be a good fit, and it'd solve a lot of problems if I could gain the power of the Monkey, too."

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 3/5
Hold: 0

Sebastian offers a nod in greeting as he finally spots a familiar face, moving to the side and away from any other passer by's. "Good afternoon, Miko Kyoko yes? And to you, though the reason may not be so joyous. I don't wish to distract you from your duties but if I could steal you away for a moment? I'm in need of some of the Shrine's..." he trails off, trying to calculate just how to approach this from an angle that wouldn't get an immediate no from the Shrine. Dealing with ghosts was, after all, their deal. Even the Weather Report let them steer that ship. Dealing with ghosts in Karakuri Town? "Well, I really shouldn't say out here in public. Hero business and all that."

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

KM pokes a head out from his cover in the hallway. He's momentarily awed by what he sees - shining pieces of glass and metal hanging in air, as if frozen mid-explosion, against a brilliant white void beyond the broken window. But as his eyes pass over Luke and Danny, his training kicks in as he rushes to their side to perform a vitals check.

"Calamity, are you okay? I need you to be okay. Danny and Luke are hurt, Danny looks bad. I can shoulder Luke, but you'll need to carry Danny."

He checks Luke for consciousness and focus by waving a finger around and watching to see if his eyes can follow. "Doctor, can you understand me? You need medical attention. Are there facilties on-site, or should we take you to the hospital?"

Rolled a 7 for Straight. Up. Creepin'. I ask one question - What happened here recently?.

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LtGUQgXaYnXXsE6CMzqpMoqhF8PRO0ihFqkLhWRLj8Y/edit)
Conditions:Quirk (see Quirk on the Transfer playbook)
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2


Calamity pulls herself to her feet, dusting off her shoulders. She briefly turns to Kid Midnight, her hat casting a shadow over her eyes and mask. Yeah, I'm fine K. I got Danny.

As she approaches Danny, she leans down and notices him curled into a ball. As she begins to approach, she hesitates. D... Danny? Are you able to get up? I can pick you up, but if you don't think I should... are you... Calamity leans down to Danny. preparing to lift, and as her head leans near his she whispers How can I help? Not just... physically. I want to help you with your own personal Monkey, I just don't know how. I can get you out of here real easy

As the above dialogue box spills between panels, we see beyond Calamity's domino mask, and see her eyes shine brightly with concern and protective instinct, as the shadow clears from her brow. She is going to protect however she can, and she will control her powers to do so.


Calamity is worried about Danny, she knows she can simply grab him and bring him to safety but she's worried about more than that. I rolled a 10 on Pierce the Mask so I can ask three questions. I only have two, which are "What do you want me to do?", and "How could I get your character to confide in me about the Monkey, despite my Ignorance?". On a 10+, while having the Quirk condition marked, I also get an additional choice, and I choose to clear the Quirk condition as I focus so heavily on someone else, I am able to get out of my own head about my powers.

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 0

Thorn

Kyoko tilts her head at Thorn's query, then nods. "Of course, bear with me a few moments, I just need to finish up with my duties, and then I can take you to a private room to talk."

A pair of panels show Kyoko going through her remaining rituals, then a series of panels show her taking Thorn through to a side room, the interior sparsely furnished. Speechless panels follow with Kyoko preparing tea while Thorn begins his explanation, Kyoko sipping tea as she continues to listen, then finally Kyoko offering out a bowl containing beads to the young hero.

Before transitioning to the rest of his team, there's a single black panel with a final word from Kyoko to Thorn. "The Magatama will only help you so far, it is up to you to unlock their power. Seek balance and understand your limits or you may find yourself overwhelmed."


Danny, Calamity, and Kid Midnight - Hospital Trips

The black panels fade back in to an overhead of the aftermath of the exploded research room. Kid Midnight and Calamity aren't alone with their injured friend and the Doctor for long, the noise and commotion has drawn other people from elsewhere in the building. Surprise and confusion are etched on the faces of the researchers that have run to their aid. There's a hard cut to the hospital, Danny bandaged and propped up in bed while his teammates stay with him. A pop-up text intrudes on the scene, the text is from Wyrd to the group as a whole. Going to have to step back from the team for a while, hope the meeting went well.



End Issue One.

[Comissar]

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/39/32/12/3932127ce838b5f212ef95cde2f0b439.jpg

Issue Two
Gently Falling Apart

Issue Two of Strife's cover is less vibrant and busy than that of the first issue. The team are shown with their backs to the reader, Rune notably absent. They're facing toward the ominous looking Bear Island, Karakuri Town just about visible at this distance. The skies are overcast, but not outright stormy. Akari stands off to one side of the team, looking downcast as she turns away from them. Behind her, her bodyguards look ready to rush in to battle. To the other side, Rowan looks toward the team with an eager expression, a slight grin tugs at their lips. Set behind them, and a little ways back, stands Liu, the Robin, on her phone. She gazes intently toward the team as she speaks.

The first page of Issue Two is dedicated to Akari. She is standing in a large hall, facing toward the reader, though looking past them to someone else off-panel. Her posture is deferential, her expression sad. The first panel has her with eyes closed, apparently having just been spoken to. She responds in the next, her expression hardening, "I understand. I'll deal with it, we'll get it back to you." The next panel has her turning away and exiting the hall as the page fades to black.

Filler space
Three Days After the Sun Mall Heist
Filler space

It's been a few days since the manic events of the attempted heist at the Sun Mall. You've each had a chance to recover from your injuries, at least to a degree. Scrapes and bruises are almost the badge of a hero, after all. The attempted heist, as well as the teams efforts in thwarting it, have made the news. Speculation abounds as to what the villain trio were in search of, but speculation largely revolves around them being after simple cash rather than anything more extravagant. Most news outlets appear content to follow the precedent set by the San Fran Standard with their broadly positive depiction of the team and their efforts.

Of course, you all have a broader picture of what's going on. Your capture of the disc, and subsequent copying of the information on it, have shown you that there's dangerous research being carried out in the heart of the city, and there are factions within the city that are aware of it and are looking to take control of it for their own ends. The following is known information to each of you as members of the team;


The Disc you recovered holds information on Leyline Research carried out by Wukong Industries over ten years ago.
Said research provoked Elementals and produced higher and higher energy outputs, eventually requiring metahuman intervention to surpress the impacts of the tests.
The Warrior knows of the Disc and hired the villain trio to retake it via. his granddaughter.
Wukong Industries wants the Disc back to enable them to continue with unspecified research.
Said research may be related to an exploding window to another world that injured Danny.


Given how recently Danny was injured, it's prehaps surprising that the team is meeting again so soon. And yet each of you have received a hand-written note requesting your presence, the time and date leading you all to a Ballet school in the capital district. Such a request might normally be ignored, especially as they were left for each of you anonymously, simply tucked under your respective front doors. Intriguingly, though, despite the content of the messages being identical, the hand-writing on each is markedly different when compared to one another. The contents of the message provide an equal mystery.

I've heard you were involved in stopping the heist a few days ago, and I know what you found has something to do with Wukong's research on planar windows. I can help, I want to talk.

Whoever the mystery contact is, whatever their motives, they aren't immediately present as you arrive. You have a chance to just spend a few moments catching up with each other. How are you feeling? Are you wary of an ambush? Excited at the possibility of a new ally? Just glad to not be in a fight?

Give a brief summary of how you've spent your past few days. Have you been lying low? Out and patrolling? Resting up?

Your injuries are, while still somewhat sore, healed enough for you to be back to your daily activities.

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Angry, Insecure
Potential: 3/5
Hold: 0

Sebastian arrives early to the Capital District, scouting around, making mental notes of the surrounding area and the Ballet School specifically before posting up somewhere conspicuous and easy to spot. He was...exhausted, bedraggled and beat up and how he'd dragged himself to this meet up was a wonder even to himself but the past was the past and he did what he could to present himself as put together as the team arrived.


Rolled an 11 on Assess

What here can I use . . . to make an escape hatch for the team?

What here is the biggest threat

Physics, What Physics, Criminal Mind, Unstoppable

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nvNsZVPYBGVPy-jML7Dh30jsijA2-G3oWU5TX0QmyDQ/edit#gid=0)
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Danger: -1
Freak: -1
Savior: +2
Superior: 0
Mundane: +3
Straight. Up. Creepin': When you scope out a person or place, roll + Mundane. On a 10+, ask two. On a 7-9, ask one.

What's my best way in/out?
What happened here recently?
What here is worth grabbing?
Who or what here is not as they seem?
Whose place is this?
On a miss, you find yourself in over your head. The GM will tell you why this is a bad spot.

Won't Let You Down: When you help a teammate, you can spend 2 out of the Team pool to add +2 to their roll.
Choose four drives to mark at the start of play. When you fulfill a marked drive, strike it out, and choose one: mark potential, clear a condition, take Influence over someone involved.

When your four marked drives are all struck out, choose and mark four new drives. When all drives are struck out, change playbooks, retire from the life, or become a paragon of the city.


Kiss someone dangerous.
Help a teammate when they need you most.
Outperform an adult hero.
Reject someone who tells you "you shouldn't be here."

Easily spotting Sebastian at his conspicuous post, Kid Midnight wastes no time milling about.

"Hey. You look like ****. Worse than me. Almost as bad as Danny, even," he says with a cocky grin. His bruised eye socket is still shiny from his last fight after the previous other night's outing took a turn for the worse. "Think there's anything to this? I'm tired of going on wild goose chases and walking away empty-handed."

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Angry
Potential: 3/5
Hold: 0

"Good morning to you too." Sebastian huffs at Midnight Kid, folding his arms defensively across himself as they appear on scene. "Yeah...that didn't work out as I'd planned. Felt like the right thing to do in the moment. Should have taken you with me and sent Wyrd with the others. Now we're down a member to boot. As to this?" he moves a hand about the street, a grumpy scowl slowly sliding into place. "I've got a plan in case things go pear shaped. Where are the others?"

Physics, What Physics, Criminal Mind, Unstoppable

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter

Potential: 1/5

Danger: +2
Freak: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


Danny had been resting for the last few days, most of it in a hospital bed. Truth be told, he wasn't too eager to return home. There would be questions he wasn't prepared to answer, especially when he had so many questions rattling around inside his own head. The cynic in him doubted his parents had even noticed he was gone...or just chalked it up to getting in trouble somewhere. If only they knew...

Of those questions, though, there was one that couldn't bear waiting...who had sent the note and how had they managed to persuade the nurse to hand it to him on the ward? Or even known where he was. Finding out via text that his friends had received similar notes to their homes only made it worse, too. Like they were unsafe...



He walked gingerly up to the others, upon seeing them at the agreed upon meeting point, a far cry from his previous litheness. He still wore a few bandages, his face swollen, but he raised a hand in greeting. "Hi...how is it looking?"

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LtGUQgXaYnXXsE6CMzqpMoqhF8PRO0ihFqkLhWRLj8Y/edit)
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5
Danger: +3
Freak: -1
Savior: 0
Superior: -1
Mundane: +2


We see Calamity walk into frame, having folded up a pamphlet and put in her back pocket. At the edge of the pamphlet, we see the letters “Kints-” Her face is set in a thoughtful expression, before she notices the rest of the team. We also see a new sticker on the back of Calamity’s phone, a small colorful cartoon horse with a similar hat to her own, given to her by a young child.

“Howdy, what’d I miss?” She says, looking around. She spots Danny and immediately goes to him. “You look a might better, glad to see you up and around!”

[Comissar]

Team in the Pool: 1

With pleasentries and well-wishes exchanged, no contact apparently forthcoming, and the time of the meeting fast approaching, it's time to head into the ballet school itself. The building itself, though clearly regularly maintained, is currently empty of any people. An a-frame board stands just a little way inside the entrance, a neatly written message upon it reading 'I'm in the second studio on the left, door's not locked'.

The panels follow from behind the team as they progress through the building. One showing the well-kept corridor with only brief glimpses of the dance studios behind their respective doors. A second as they reach the room they'd been directed to, the reflection of a woman sat cross-legged on the floor visible in the wall to wall mirrors of the studio, she's sat with her arms folded in her lap and is facing away from the entrance to the room. Then a third panel in the sequence as the door's opened and she becomes aware of the team's approach. This time she's turned toward the team with an eager expression on her face.

As the team file into the studio the panels switch to an angled overhead view, giving the impression of the dance studio being twice the size it truly is thanks to the massive mirror walls. The reader may be forgiven for not immediately noticing what was off in this image, only the team themselves are present in both the reflections and the room proper. The woman in the reflection, now rising to stand, can only be seen within the mirror.

Now on her feet, the woman is dressed modestly, her clothes having an almost retro look to them, the fashion choices being appropriate for a time now decades past. She brushes her hair away from her face as she raises her other hand in greeting. "Hi there, it's nice to meet you all." Her voice sounds odd, as though it's being heard from a distance, or perhaps as though it's being muffled by some intervening material. A splash panel shows her in close up, her hand reaching out to touch just her fingertips against the glass of the mirror. A light blue textbox with a silvery sheen introduces her as Looking Glass, Informant extraordinaire.

"Thanks for taking the time to come see me, I know it's been a rough few days for you." Her eyes fall on Thorn and Danny specifically, a wry smile playing on her lips, "My name's Looking Glass. I've heard you four stumbled onto something big, and I think we can help each other."

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/8c/ee/e6/8ceee68be312814f959a117fe923b513.jpg

In case it's unclear, Looking Glass is only visible within the reflection of the wall mirror of the studio. She doesn't appear to be otherwise physically present in the room and there's nothing obstructing you from moving through where she should be based on the positioning of her reflection.

[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire (https://docs.google.com/document/d/16RvZLOxB6u8P6QJ5F07Mfy1LsH5KTMUR-nPMFuwDTAY/edit?usp=sharing)
Conditions: Angry
Potential: 3/5
Hold: 0

Sebastian quietly shuffles in behind everyone, not so he can be the first out but so he can be first in line in case anything comes in behind them. If this was a trap, it was best to have someone take point and it didn't seem there was going to be much time to discuss how this all should go down before it all kicked off. His eyes scan the room as they enter to find...mirrors? That was unsettling in and of itself but the strange figure in the reflection, and not the room, was just more spooky stuff after a few days of especially spooky stuff he didn't want to think about.

"And if we say no, hypothetically speaking, what then?"

Life with the Scarlet Moon taught him a few things about negotiations. The first was if you were invited by an unknown entity that means they already knew the worth of what they were asking and felt they were in a prime position to leverage as much out of the situation as they could. The second was finding out what they thought they could do to apply that leverage and where they'd apply it. He didn't feel like waiting for the team to dither was worth it either, what more was there to say?

Physics, What Physics, Criminal Mind, Unstoppable

[Yoachuallathui]

Daniel "Danny" Carter

Potential: 1/5

Danger: +2
Freak: +1
Saviour: -1
Superior: +2
Mundane: +1


Entering the room, Danny catches sight of himself in the mirrors first and foremost. He reaches up to his swollen cheeks, pressing them and wincing in pain. He...almost didn't look like him. This distracted him for a moment as the woman spoke, drawing him forwards until his nose was almost touching the mirror. Then, he suddenly realised he was being rude! He was trying to be better about it, after all, he should look when people were...

He whirled to find nothing behind him but his team, confusion in his eyes. "W...wait?" he stammers "A ghost!? Or...". His eyes met Thorns for a moment, and finding the determination and sharpness there, he felt inspired to follow suit. He nodded "Last time there was something I could only see in a reflection, this happened." he gestures to his face "So...I think we'd really like some answers before we accept."