Halcyon City Heroes [OOC]

[JNAProductions]

System: Freeform, with dice rolls to break ties and determine randomness. Also borrowing some elements from Masks.
Player Count: Not more than five.
Style of Play: Heroics! Action! Intrateam conflict, probably!
Allowed Content: Whatever your brain can come up with.
Character Creation: Make a post here or a google doc or something else easy to access.




Backstory: Skirt length.
Experience: You're a relatively new hero-competent, but not established.
Alignment: Heroic.



Other Notes: I will be borrowing some creation elements from Masks, but not using the whole ruleset. See below.

See the Playbooks, which can be downloaded from this link (https://magpiegames.com/pages/masks).

I would like everyone to choose the following:
-From two playbooks, pick a "When Our Team First Came Together"
-From one playbook, pick from "Relationships"

You should NOT fill in the answers yet-but I would like you to know which questions you want to see answered and which relationships you want.

Also, I have some ideas for bigger hero groups and villain troupes, but I'd like to see what potential players come up with too.
Halcyon City. It's big. It's bustling. It's a good place to live, usually.

Of course, it's not without issues-namely, it's a magnet for parahumans. Some of them, noble and just heroes, crusaders against the darkness. Some of them, pragmatic and mercantile businessfolk, using their powers to enrich their own lives. And some of them, dark and cruel villains, trying to reshape the world in their demented image.

You are a resident of Halcyon. You might be a recent transplant, a long-time resident, or anything in between. You might be just starting college, or a full-fledged adult. But you are all people of no small amount of power-parahumans, or armed with the gear and skills needed to go toe-to-toe with them. And you're starting to really come into your own-you're choosing to be a hero, a light against the darkness.

Your future awaits you.
Please post your PCs!

IC Thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?658304-Halcyon-City-Heroes-IC&p=25836646)

[JNAProductions]

Richard Rapp-first Black Blur, mentor to the current one.

Knightmare-Ivy's father, supervillain, out of commission.

Ms. Maple-worker at Frozen Bear's

Ash-girl found on the streets, being attacked by your dad

Bryant Williams, MD-Ash's doctor?
Frozen Bear's Creamy Treats-ice cream parlor.

Halcyon City Memorial Hospital-Ash's hospital?

[NontheistCleric]

Occasion

Real Name: Tan Su Yin

Flight. To activate this power, Occasion must fall any distance, although she does not have to activate it whenever she falls. She cannot touch the ground while the power is active. This is because her power naturally guards against her impacting the surface she is most strongly being gravitationally attracted towards. To stop flying, she must come close to the ground and consciously deactivate her power.

She also possesses limited adaptive powers, which can protect her from harm to a degree. For example, she automatically becomes more durable in response to being attacked or flying at high speeds that would otherwise damage her body, or if she travels to high altitudes, she can comfortably function with less oxygen. As with her flight power, she can choose to suppress this ability in individual instances of activation, although she cannot turn it off entirely. Unlike her flight, the other adaptations wear off gradually after the event that triggers them ends.

Although Occasion does not understand why or how her powers work, the second function is related to the first, which initially gave her the power to fly as she was falling from a great height.
Some years ago, a poor home situation led Tan Su Yin to attempt suicide. She broke into an old building scheduled for demolition and jumped from its roof, but instead of hitting the ground, she discovered she possessed the ability to fly.

Su Yin’s powers ended up greatly improving her outlook. Soaring through the clouds can take the edge off many a trouble. She adopted the alias Occasion, inspired by the Occasionalist philosophers who believed that all events are directly caused by God. She is not religious, but did find the manner in which she gained her powers miraculous. To this day, she sometimes fears that they will leave her as suddenly as they came.

Su Yin uses her Occasion persona not only in a heroic capacity but also to run a business where she transports people around the city with her flight. As Occasion, she wears a flight suit and face-covering helmet, both to protect her from the elements and hide her identity.

The condemned apartment block is not so tall. Just to Su Yin’s right, another rectangle of glass and gray cladding rises even higher.

Still, from this rooftop she can see the jagged peaks of the cityscape stretch out to the hazy horizon. When she turns, the streets spread out beneath her in great arcing rivers of trundling automobiles, and she can close her eyes and spread her arms and feel the pure wind blown in from infinity.

Another girl might be thinking of all the reasons that brought her here. Is this really the time? Maybe life isn’t so bad. How many people have it so much worse than you, Su Yin? You don’t even deserve to feel this way!

Maybe that other girl is more this girl than she might like to admit, but she brushes the thoughts aside. If she wanted to go out all moping and depressed, she would have chosen some banal end like a bottle of sleeping pills.

Besides, Tan Su Yin has not come here to die. Of course not. Mother would be devastated, and Grandmother pretty cut up too. It might even get Joyce and the girls down for a bit.

No, Su Yin is just going to step out into the glorious unknown, and then fate can do with her as it pleases, like it always has. Not her fault if it chooses to dash her onto the pavement.

And just maybe, somewhere out there, a god she never believed in will see her hurtling through the air and decide to snap their fingers and make everything all better. Could that be what it takes to get some divine intervention? It’s worth a try, right?

Or maybe she’s only rationalizing. Pretty badly, for that matter.

Su Yin steps up to the roof’s edge. Then she leaps.
We stuck together after all was said and done. Why? How’d we keep in contact?

We found signs that this incident was just the start of something bigger. What were the signs?
You and __________________ teamed up a few times before the rest of you came together.

[Obscurejones]

The Black Blur
Background:
"Is this thing on? Sorry, I know that sounds super old and out of touch. I swear I'm... Well I'm not old, I don't think. Not yet.

Alright, stating for the record. My name is Alexander Shugel, and I am, depending on your position on the lineage, the fourth or fifth Black Blur.

Well I don't think it's clear if the guy in the early nineties counts. I mean he went by Blur, but I think he claimed he actually derived his abilities from the souls of damned speed aliens. And the costume was mostly pouches, so he doesn't... He was the only Blur operating at the time but I don't think we claim him... Sorry. I get distracted. Mister Rapp says that's a side effect of the serum. I'm still getting used to it.

Right, introductions in full. Alexander Shugel. Fourth Black Blur. Trained by, and or training under, Richard Rapp, the original Black Blur. Empowered by his Formula Fast.

Which tastes awful for what it's worth.

But that's me now. Black Blur. Fastest... Well, fastest in Halcyon City. I think some of the cosmic guys might have me beat for now. But I'm working on it."

Alexander Shugel is a recovering superhero fan boy. After years of annoying his next door neighbor Richard Rapp with his theories about his favorite hero, the Black Blur, Rapp finally broke down and revealed that he was in fact the original Black Blur. While even with the help of various quantum shenanigans Rapp was now too old to continue to fight crime he saw in Shugel an enthusiastic if not necessarily gifted candidate to take up the currently abandoned mantle. So, after a brief period of training Rapp mixed up his famous Formula Fast, and passed on the domino mask and black leather jacket that have defined the Blur for decades. Now Shugel does his best to be the best super speedster he can be, trying to live up to his mentor's legacy.
Powers:
Super Speed
Speed Reading/Learning
Minor Speed Manipulation
Relationships:
You trust ______________ and told them an important secret of your legacy.
Questions:
We didn’t trust each other at first, but that changed. How? Why?
We drew attention and ire from plenty during the fight. One important person in particular now
hates and fears us. Who is it?

[Lentrax]

Name: Ivy Fletcher
Alias: None (yet?)
Age: 18
Height: 5'7"
Appearance: light orange skin, with purple hair, and bright green eyes with no pupils.

Ivy Fletcher was born under a bad star. Her father was Knightmare, a supervillain with no care for who he hurt in his need to best his rival. After Knightmare's downfall, Ivy's mother was taken into custody herself, and toddler Ivy was placed in the foster system, having shown no evidence of mutation or superpowers herself during testing. Her name was changed, and she was sent to Halcyon City, where she was adopted by the Fletchers.

Flash forward fifteen years, and Ivy is in high school. A typical student, she excels only at art, and is omething she is almost constantly doing, sketching and doodling almost constantly. It was fall, and she was walking home, planning on going to the park to paint the trees with their bright autumn foliage. She was just walking through a botanical garden when a truck from a science lab had a tire blowout, and it began careening out of control, the brakes having failed. Ivy tried to run, but her interminable bad luck kept the truck rolling behind her, until she had no choice but the grab hold of the truck to keep from being run over. During the seconds that followed, it hit object after object, and suffered enough damage that it begin spraying its contents everywhere, causing plants to grow at an incredibly rapid pace. The truck finally hit a rock and Ivy was thrown forward into a cluster of flame willows, their leaves already turned the bright orange of their name. Her head struck a branch, and she lost consciousness

The truck, now stopped, continued to spray its liquid fertilizers and chemicals everywhere, and the plants grew rapidly, engulfing Ivy inside the orange leaves, which grew around her, enveloping her and encasing her within, along with the strange collection of plant growing compounds. When she was finally cut out by response teams trying to contain the massive plant growths, they almost mistook her for a plant, her skin having changed to the same orange as the flame willows. But before they could make a decision what to do with her, she leapt into the air and flew away.


We didn’t trust each other at first, but that changed. How? Why? (Outsider)

We drew attention and ire from plenty during the fight. One important person in particular now hates and fears us. Who is it? (Transformed)


___________________ comforted you when you were at your lowest

[MCerberus]

Alias: Forge
Real name: Smith Gerhart
Home territory: Three Rivers City (former), Halcyon (current)

Description: Slight physique compared to many meta-humans. Unkempt, short brown hair; brown eyes. Costume - bright orange goggles with bronze frames (has so far refused to elaborate on material or technical specifications). Red cloth over the body reinforced with thin, presumably bronze plates over chest, legs, shoulders, forearms. Hands exposed. Metal backpack-like device with expanding wings of unidentified but alabaster color material.

History: Born as a mundane during a void of heroic meta-humans, Smith grew up during a time frame largely known as the midwestern villain plague. With AEGIS support... fleeting... during this time, the young smith became obsessed with attempting to investigate how magically-inclined metas used or grew their powers. To this end he began collecting magically sensitive materials, experimenting in a self-directed manner. Seemingly obsessed Smith at this time had multiple referrals for scholastic intervention and mental health screenings. Somewhere along the way he began socializing with like-minded youths with the same goal. They were going to make themselves super heroes. Unfortunately during the Three Rivers Meteorological Event, one of his group, one Maria Vasquez perished. The desperation and pain, however, seemed to have paid off for the group (note: see report Mental States and Paracausality) as they had successfully cut their way through reality and made contact with entities Forge will only refer to as "The Ancients" (considering his powers this may be subject D-H017 or D-T06. Him referring to his powers as "The flames of Prometheus" likely pointing to the latter).

Little is known about his early heroic history but months later he resurfaced as a group consisting of Forge, Rampart, and Whisper, attracting AEGIS attention. A light touch was recommended for his early career, as it was beneficial to have meta presence in the region. Direct intervention was required, however, after the group's fight with Cyclone Siren. During this fight Aegis was severely injured and Cyclone Sire had revealed that she caused the storm that killed Maria. To put it lightly, Forge lost control. Cyclone Siren was taken into custody but the Three Rivers Museum District burned down. Mitigation department decided it would be good to move Forge to Halcyon, where his talents could be used in a less combat-oriented sense and he can be mentored. To this end, he was offered an internship in an advanced materials firm.

Addendum 1: Intervention may be required. Unconfirmed reports Forge got careless again.

Powers:
Pyrokinesis
Magical Artifice
Flight, artificial. "The Icarus Device"

Relationships:
You hang out all the time with __________________ to blow off steam.

Questions:
We defeated a dangerous enemy, who was it?
We destroyed our surroundings in the fight. Where was it? What did we destroy?

Agent Notes: Potential recruit in the long term, consensus is to attempt to steer him away from the front line. Watch list for the power source, the short list of who is concerning. So is it that it could be none of them

[Desiderata]

Post that will soon gestate into a fully fledged character splash page.

[JNAProductions]

Alright!
I’m at work, and am working till midnight, so there may or may not be another post from me when I get home.

But get your characters down, work on answering questions, and we’ll get this party started!

[NontheistCleric]

For ease of reference, I think these are all the questions we have so far:

1. We found signs that this incident was just the start of something bigger. What were the signs?

2. We didn’t trust each other at first, but that changed. How? Why?

3. We stuck together after all was said and done. Why? How’d we keep in contact?

4. We drew attention and ire from plenty during the fight. One important person in particular now
hates and fears us. Who is it?

5. We defeated a dangerous enemy, who was it?

6. We destroyed our surroundings in the fight. Where was it? What did we destroy?

Questions 2 and 3 look like the kind our PCs can answer mostly amongst themselves, and they seem naturally connected–we didn't trust each other at first but that changed over the course of whatever incident brought us together to the point we decided to stay a team by the end. That is how superhero teams often form, after all.

The other questions look like we might need some input from JNA, since they probably concern things about the setting, like what we discovered, what dangerous enemy we could have defeated, which important person hates us, and what might have been destroyed. Maybe they hate us because something we destroyed belonged to them, or maybe they are the dangerous enemy, or both.

[Lentrax]

Not necessarily.

Take question 1 for example. “A sign this was part of something bigger,” could be something as simple as saying one of the henchmen who got away dropped a list, with their name written by what they were trying to get. We don’t have to make up more details of that list, and that is something we could hash out with JNA.

And heck, to make it even more mysterious, it was a fragment of the list, with just their name and the object, along with part of a handwritten note beneath it that was torn off when they split the list up. We don’t have any other details, but it gives JNA a place to start for plot.

Question 2. We didn’t trust each other at first, but what changed was us taking a moment to get to know each other. We found at least one piece of common ground. But while we know everyone is still keeping secrets because who doesn’t, for now, we have a bigger problem to deal with, and we’re stronger together.

Question 3. We stuck together because, for now, we are the only ones to think that there is a bigger problem. The authorities have dismissed our claims as silly teenage fantasy because we want to be seen as heroes like the supers that came before. That might be because, until we came together, there hasn’t been a major crisis or outbreak of super powered villainy for some reason.

Question 4. One of the fights we were together in destroyed a piece of an overpass. And while most of the victims ended up with only minor injuries because they were able to stop or move in time, the husband of a city councilor is now in a coma.

Question 5. We’re not terribly experienced, so our definition of dangerous is wildly different from the rest of the city. But maybe it was a former henchman wanting to go supervillain himself. Or a local bully suddenly got super strength and started smashing up his school. Might actually be where we met up first.

Question 6. See question 4. Highway overpass.

[NontheistCleric]

Well, yes, naturally I'm not saying we can only answer 2 and 3, only that whatever we come up with for the other questions will be subject to whatever JNA actually wants to set up.

I'm not so sure about the inexperienced teenager angle, if only because Forge and Black Blur appear to already have accomplished some heroic things–or if Blur didn't do them himself, he was trained by and took up the mantle of someone who did.

Of course, that doesn't mean the authorities couldn't dismiss us anyway. If we caused damage to some public property, that probably wouldn't endear them to us, and of course there's the important person who hates us, who may or may not have influence over the relevant people.

[MCerberus]

Who should we have do the accidental destruction though? I see a few options. We probably have a few methods. There could be 'dodging the attack only to have it hit a support' from Blur or Occasion. Right now Ivy is the group's heavy so super strength could have done it. Forge has pyromancy and there is a lot of petroleum on a highway.

As for relationships, it may be a good idea to think about what the characters thing of each other first. for Forge it would be:

Occasion: They share the fact that they don't really have a good grasp on where, or who exactly their powers come from. They're also working through some things to put it lightly. Professionally, they may know each other from Forge requiring someone trustworthy for materials or to courier his gadgets to people.

Blur: No matter what happens or how they get along, Forge knows that Blur chose to fight evil. His motivations won't be questioned. There may be some friction coming from a sense of inferiority, since Forge has kind of been an occasional screw-up using his powers

Ivy: Admires her creative drive and understands the sudden traumatic changes leading to crime fighting angle. There may be some distance due to the fact that their powers don't mix well. It may be up to what Ivy's been doing since the accident and how they met.

[Lentrax]

Who should we have do the accidental destruction though? I see a few options. We probably have a few methods. There could be 'dodging the attack only to have it hit a support' from Blur or Occasion. Right now Ivy is the group's heavy so super strength could have done it. Forge has pyromancy and there is a lot of petroleum on a highway.

As for relationships, it may be a good idea to think about what the characters thing of each other first. for Forge it would be:

Occasion: They share the fact that they don't really have a good grasp on where, or who exactly their powers come from. They're also working through some things to put it lightly. Professionally, they may know each other from Forge requiring someone trustworthy for materials or to courier his gadgets to people.

Blur: No matter what happens or how they get along, Forge knows that Blur chose to fight evil. His motivations won't be questioned. There may be some friction coming from a sense of inferiority, since Forge has kind of been an occasional screw-up using his powers

Ivy: Admires her creative drive and understands the sudden traumatic changes leading to crime fighting angel. There may be some distance due to the fact that their powers don't mix well. It may be up to what Ivy's been doing since the accident and how they met.

The destruction doesn’t have to be just one of us either. It could be a combination. Pyromancer caused a few cars to explode, weakening it, and then Ivy swinging or throwing something causes more damage to a weakened structure.

And I’m not saying that my answers above *have* to be the answers. Just putting them out as a place to start, and illustrating that we don’t need JNA to fill in everything for us. This is going to be free form. So we should come up with at least a big picture, and maybe a few details, if not everything.

[NontheistCleric]

I agree that we don't need to be so specific about the destruction (although it might be interesting if one or more characters nevertheless felt particularly responsible for it). After all, in a big fight with a dangerous opponent, it would be hard to tell who exactly caused what in any case.


As for relationships, it may be a good idea to think about what the characters thing of each other first.
Yes, that would help determine why they didn't trust each other beyond the 'we don't know each other' factor and how that changed.

So, what Occasion thinks...

On some level, Occasion thinks Forge is better than her. She can't deny that the place his neuroses led him to was a lot more constructive than hers, even if it wasn't necessarily a good or sensible one. He worked for his power, whereas she got hers handed to her–and then Forge managed to replicate that too, solely with his own effort. Even his trauma is a lot more impressive than hers, and while that's the kind of thing a therapist would say not to compare, Occasion never liked therapists. Of course, she knows these thoughts aren't good for her and tries to keep them down, but they are the bedrock of the admiration and inadequacy she feels when the two interact. I do like the idea that they might have some dealings outside of superheroism with each other.
Occasion doesn't really have complex personal thoughts about Black Blur, but even before they both joined the team, he was in a way familiar to her. Both are, in a sense, parts of the city to one another. Occasion recognizes the blur of... Blur... when she looks down, as he goes about upholding his legacy on the streets of Halcyon, and similarly, she is an intermittent feature of the city's airspace. After meeting him, she finds that he is actually a lot like the classic hero she imagined he would be. He really does just want to do good and live up to the name of Black Blur. That's probably what happens when you're part of a superhero family. All this means that she actually feels rather relaxed around him.
Ivy received powers in a way she wasn't expecting, and she ended up a flyer. Occasion can relate to those experiences. Depending on what approach Ivy takes to her plant powers, they may share an appreciation for natural things, although Occasion spends more time on the wind and about the clouds than among greenery. Perhaps they run into one another from time to time on the skyways.

[Obscurejones]

Roughed out some ideas. If any of these seem off, let me know, I can adjust.

Occasion
"Flight's a bit great isn't it? I mean it's one of the classics after all. The adaptative thing is neat too. Y'know I've got a theory that all speedsters have some amount of adaptive power. Otherwise we'd constantly be running into edge cases y'know? Ha! Running into! Didn't even mean to so that. But no, yeah, Occasion seems really nice. Bit Flighty... Eh? Eh? Alright, that one was just for the pun. She seems alright. Not sure I'm a huge fan of selling access to your power, but it's not like it's a mercenary or highest bidder situation. Just seems a bit like helicopter tours without the helicopter... Geeze, her upper body strength must be jacked. Do you suppose that's part of the adaptation?"
He then proceeds to theorize about how her powers work for another hour.

I think of the team he sees Occiason as the closest to a colleague. The fact that they're confident enough in their powers to be using them commercially leaves him feeling like they must have a handle on things.
Forge
"... I'm very very lucky that I'm not him. I had Mister Rapp. I think Forge needs that from someone. He's flying blind without a spotter right now, and that's how people get hurt. And when you've got what we've got in terms of power, you can't afford to make mistakes.

... We have a lot of fliers, don't we? Is that odd? Should I ask Mister Rapp about that arm spinning thing he used to do in the Sixties?"
Black Blur is incredibly cautious about Forge. He sees a lot of himself in Forge's quest for power and is keenly aware that it's almost just an issue of geographical luck that allows him to be a somewhat respected legacy while Forge has already lost team mates and control at least once. He wants to help Forge, but also is determined to make sure Forge can't put others at risk again.

Ivy
"It's a classic, right? Mysterious chemical spray! I've asked her a few times if we can go looking for terrapins near the accident site. I... I don't know if she got that one. Hard to read with the big eyes. Flight again? Seriously, making a guy who keeps his feet on the ground feel downright mundane.

That's got to be hard, right? No secret identity? You just... Are. You are Ivy. Full stop. Do you still try to be normal? Well... I mean setting on a dishwasher and all that, but... It can't be easy. Especially not for a kid... Is she a kid? She reads young to me.

... Crap, am I the old guy on the team? I'm the old guy, aren't I? I'm not that old!"
Protective. Sees Ivy a bit like a younger sibling, worried about whether the accident gives them the opportunity for a normal life, wants to make sure that their alien appearance doesn't lead to actual alienation..

[JNAProductions]

Gonna give Desiderata about another day to get their stuff made, but if not, we will start without them.

[Lentrax]

"We sure don't see a lot the same way. But managing to use her powers to make some extra cash? That's a heck of a side hustle. You go, girl."

Ivy understands some of what Occasion has shared. But while Ivy can fly, and often does, if only to get away from people who regard her as... other, she doesn't share the same joy for it that other fliers seem to. Maybe because it reduces her ability to feel other plants.

"I know about people like him. There are plenty of geeks in my class. I just personally don't get the appeal of knowing everything about something that isn't... real. You know?"

Blur moves fast. Plants are usually not. She doesn't get the fast pace. The need to do almost everything fast. But she knows he is trying to live up to a legacy, and she knows that of all the others she knows, he will probably be the first to lend a hand. But maybe not with her paint. Not after the last time...

"His hurts.... he's a broken soul. Broken souls make the best art. If you want proof of that, look at the things he has made for himself. Metalworking is art too. And his pain comes through in the beauty of what he made for himself."

Ivy gets wanting to help. She even understands loss. Kinda. Though she supposes its hard to compare his loss to her not ever knowing her real mom and dad. But he got back up from his hurts and kept going. Remade himself. There is something... romantic, about that.

Out of curiosity, how old are the other characters? I don't think anyone other than me has given an actual age.

[NontheistCleric]

I wanted to keep age sort of vague (until the game starts, anyway) just in case JNA wanted to put us in a situation that would work better with particular ages.

So Occasion could conceivably still be in school and around Ivy's age, but it's also possible that she's finished her education and is working as Occasion full-time.


Geeze, her upper body strength must be jacked. Do you suppose that's part of the adaptation?"

I don't think Occasion generally carries people around with her own arms. She probably has one of those harnesses that can hold two people at once. She could carry them herself if necessary, and her power would make her temporarily stronger if she was straining to hold on to something (she isn't effectively super-strong because the power only works insofar as it reduces stress on her joints and muscles, instead of increasing the force she can actively exert), but she tries not to overwork her powers, partly because she's still not sure they won't just disappear one day. It's the same reason she wears the flight suit, even though she doesn't strictly need the protection from atmospheric phenomena.

[MCerberus]

I was seeing Forge as just out of high school so the 18-20 range

As for his question, hanging out with another hero to blow off steam, I was thinking Forge goes no patrol occasionally with Black Blur. He's got an indoor job that keeps him cooped up outside of being called for an emergency. So it would be a chance for him to stay a hero and Blur gets to keep an eye on him.

I am leaning towards the idea of having the big teamup fight on the highway that caused property damage as an answer to his teamup questions.

[Obscurejones]

Out of curiosity, how old are the other characters? I don't think anyone other than me has given an actual age.

Twenty three. Just old enough that teenagers might think he knows what he’s doing but young enough that he has no idea what he’s actually doing. Plus, catchy song about him being at an awful age.


I don't think Occasion generally carries people around with her own arms. She probably has one of those harnesses that can hold two people at once. She could carry them herself if necessary, and her power would make her temporarily stronger if she was straining to hold on to something (she isn't effectively super-strong because the power only works insofar as it reduces stress on her joints and muscles, instead of increasing the force she can actively exert), but she tries not to overwork her powers, partly because she's still not sure they won't just disappear one day. It's the same reason she wears the flight suit, even though she doesn't strictly need the protection from atmospheric phenomena.
Got it. Are you okay with Blur being wrong about that? Overestimating her abilities seems like it might have some narrative meat.

I was seeing Forge as just out of high school so the 18-20 range

As for his question, hanging out with another hero to blow off steam, I was thinking Forge goes no patrol occasionally with Black Blur. He's got an indoor job that keeps him cooped up outside of being called for an emergency. So it would be a chance for him to stay a hero and Blur gets to keep an eye on him.

I can dig it.

[JNAProductions]

Desiderata has had enough time, so we move to our IC.

IC Thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?658304-Halcyon-City-Heroes-IC&p=25836646), which will also be put in the first post.

[NontheistCleric]

Got it. Are you okay with Blur being wrong about that? Overestimating her abilities seems like it might have some narrative meat.

I'm not against it in principle, but given that the team has apparently been together for a year according to the IC that was just posted, I feel like misunderstandings like that would have been worked out already.

That said, it is an interesting idea, so maybe we could allude to an incident in the past when Blur hadn't figured this out. Perhaps he was the one that Occasion teamed up with a few times before the rest of the team came together, and at some point during their first adventure he came up with a plan that went wrong because part of it relied on her non-existent super-strength.

[JNAProductions]

Quick question: We chill adding a replacement for the no-show? Specifically, Truemane?

[Lentrax]

I am fine with it.

[Obscurejones]

Fine by me.

[NontheistCleric]

I'm all for it.

[MCerberus]

no objections here

[truemane]

Hey everyone! Thank you for having me along. I present to you....

WHISPER!
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/941056535935729727/1136732347077767339/image.png?width=150&height=200



Real Name: Avidhayya (“Avi”) Narayan

Look: Woman, Southeast Asian, fashionable clothes, simple/protective costume

Personality
All business. She's a driven a-type and Mask work is no different from school or work: you give it all you got and strive to be the best. Aside from that, though, she is empathetic, kind and unfailingly polite. There hasn't been much room in her life so far for romance, and it shows.



Telekinesis
-Power Stunts include flight, kinetic bolts and force fields.

Limitations
-Avi still hasn't completely mastered her abilities. She's capable of great deeds, but has to keep her abilities on a very short leash or she may lose control of them. When she's tired, upset, angry, or frustrated, it can be even harder to manage (which is partly why she's so calm and business-like when doing Mask work).

Equipment (gifts from Dr. Rakhamanov)
-Suit of unstable molecules that can take the form and colour of almost any suit of normal clothing, as well as her costume.
-Subvocal wrist comunicators
-Badges marking the bearers as "Public Service Agents" which gives them some minor legal authority (and protection).


Avi is part of a large, sprawling, prosperous collection of East Indian families in Halcyon City. Her parents are successful professionals (father a civil engineer and mother a trauma surgeon), as are her five older brothers (except one, Ramakrishna, who became a poet, but won some awards and made some money so that's okay).

Avi was headed toward med school when the trouble started. She was hearing voices. Seeing things. Plagued by horrible nightmares. Headaches so bad she couldn't get out of bed. She was bounced from doctor to doctor, facility to facility, before winding up in the care of a small specialized practice run by a large, elderly Russian social worker named Aleksandr Rakhamanov.

It turned out that Avi was a telepath and a telekinetic. Aleksandyr had experience helping such people. Avi was more focused, more disciplined, and had more potential than anyone else he'd met, and so he revealed to her that he was once a Mask himself ("Goliath") and started giving her extra training when she expressed interest in leading that life.

Her parents were ecstatic about Avi's progress, but scandalized by her decision to be a Mask. What good is fighting evil? There's always more evil. The real heroes are the rich people who fight crime with their taxes.

But Avi is having none of it. Her parents taught her to be the best. To think of others before herself. To always match right thoughts with right actions. It turns out she learned a little too well.



When the Team First Came Together: We, as a team, attracted the attention of a major media outlet within the city, thanks to our efforts. Who are they? Why do they support us?
We found signs that this incident was just the start of something bigger. What were the signs?


Relationships
________ comforted me when I was at my lowest.

[Lentrax]

Welcome in Truename!

And I think the addition of Whisper fills in my last blanks from the start.

She was probably the one to provide the best level of comfort to Ivy when her changes really started to weigh on her. Being able to hear how strong the conflicting voices inside Ivy’s mind helped. Maybe even was able to voice the one that needed to be said aloud.

[MCerberus]

Should I change the name of one of Forge's previous team or should we roll with it? If they ever show up as an NPC it would be "Whisper, meet Whisper." If we wanted to it could go high drama with a 'she has the name of one of my teammates and the personality of the one I failed' or something similar.

[Lentrax]

I’m operating under the assumption that the guy looks like Ivy’s adopted dad, and not her biological one.

But let me know if that’s wrong.

[JNAProductions]

I’m operating under the assumption that the guy looks like Ivy’s adopted dad, and not her biological one.

But let me know if that’s wrong.

Whoever Ivy considers dad-that's who this guy looks like.

[NontheistCleric]

Hi, truemane!

JNA, does this person just look like our fathers, or does he sound like them too (and even smell, feel, etc. considering Ivy is now in close bodily contact with him)?

[JNAProductions]

Hi, truemane!

JNA, does this person just look like our fathers, or does he sound like them too (and even smell, feel, etc. considering Ivy is now in close bodily contact with him)?

Not EXACTLY the same-but close.
And yes, in all ways, appears to be your dad. Not so much so that you couldn't pick him vs. your father out of a lineup, but definitely close enough that it feels weird.

[MCerberus]

More on the vibes side. IF there is magic involved is more of the question Forge is looking for the answer for

[truemane]

Should I change the name of one of Forge's previous team or should we roll with it? If they ever show up as an NPC it would be "Whisper, meet Whisper." If we wanted to it could go high drama with a 'she has the name of one of my teammates and the personality of the one I failed' or something similar.

I'm always on board for maximum drama. So any time you offer me the choice between 'fraught angsty teen conflict' or 'not so much' I'm going to go with Door #1 every time.

[JNAProductions]

[roll0]

Roll for Whisper's action. Low bad, high good.

[NontheistCleric]

So at this point, it's pretty clear that Ash doesn't want to answer Su Yin's question about whether there is anywhere she would like to go, right? Or has she just not replied yet?

[JNAProductions]

So at this point, it's pretty clear that Ash doesn't want to answer Su Yin's question about whether there is anywhere she would like to go, right? Or has she just not replied yet?

Yeah, she's kinda in panic mode. No guarantee she properly heard the question, even.

[NontheistCleric]

Just so that we don't have to use IC space on the specifics of putting Ash to bed and maybe letting her bathe if she wants to, can we simply imagine those things went reasonably smoothly?

Actually, maybe we should feed her a bit too, but I think that falls under the same umbrella as the above.

[JNAProductions]

I can narrate past that, yeah.

[NontheistCleric]

I mean, if something exciting does actually happen when we try to put Ash to bed, I'm all for it. I'm just thinking we don't really need two or three posts of Su Yin going through the motions of bedtime with Ash otherwise. I can just do a brief description of leaving her sleeping in the bedroom in Su Yin's next post if we want to have a conference in the living room or something like that.

Ah, okay, I see we went to the eating stage. Fair enough.

[JNAProductions]

Gonna not respond just yet.

Gotta give others time to post too. :)

[NontheistCleric]

Oh, of course. This seems like a natural point for others to react to Ash in any case.

[NontheistCleric]

I don't suppose there are any scissors in this kitchen? We know there must be a can opener, but that's not necessarily a good tool for cutting off medical bracelets...

[JNAProductions]

I don't suppose there are any scissors in this kitchen? We know there must be a can opener, but that's not necessarily a good tool for cutting off medical bracelets...

Scissors are available. The Air BnB doesn't have EVERYTHING, but basic household supplies are available.

[NontheistCleric]

Is the next day a weekend or a weekday (in the story)?

[JNAProductions]

I'll call it a weekend.

[JNAProductions]

Making a roll, doodley doo...

[roll0]

[JNAProductions]

Looks like we have three groups right now.

Su Yin, watching over Ash.
Forge and Black Blur, investigating the scene.
Whisper and Ivy, potentially going to the hospital.

The latter two groups should be pretty easy to have events go down. But, Nontheist, I'm not fully clear on what can be done to make watching over Ash interesting. If you've got any ideas, or anyone else who does, lemme know!

[NontheistCleric]

One idea is that... nothing happens tonight. Granted, it's a bit boring, but on the other hand, that is kind of the logical progression of events unless you want to have some sort of villainous child retrieval unit attack the apartment (which I'd be down for if that's what you want. Solo defense should be interesting). After all, Su Yin did get a fair amount of focus earlier, so it's okay if she has to be stuck on guard duty for a bit too.

I was actually thinking of some things she could do in the morning when Ash wakes up, like teaching Ash to use her powers (that is, Su Yin's powers while Ash has them, to whatever degree she does), since with whatever is going on, it might be necessary for her to protect herself to some extent, but of course that is a whole night away.

[JNAProductions]

[roll0]

If you're good with Su Yin getting an easy night, and the focus sliding off her for a bit, that's cool with me. :)

[NontheistCleric]

Obscure, I'm curious, is Formula Fast something Blur has to take periodically to keep his powers, or was it a one-time thing?

[Obscurejones]

I’ve gone back and forth on it about a dozen different ways, but I think I settled on one time, and likely at least a little bit of a placebo. Although, if Blur ever goes full evil it might switch back so he can be hooked up to a pump of it, Bane style.

[MCerberus]

I’ve gone back and forth on it about a dozen different ways, but I think I settled on one time, and likely at least a little bit of a placebo. Although, if Blur ever goes full evil it might switch back so he can be hooked up to a pump of it, Bane style.

The evil version of Forge I see is possessed by the being that he 'met' getting his powers.

[MCerberus]

It looks like the apt group is ready to head to the morning, will probably post 'goes to sleep' unless there's something anyone else needs to discuss

[JNAProductions]

I'll move us on ahead.

To the next day! Saturday!

[NontheistCleric]

Admitting my ignorance here–what exactly is steel filament ink? Occasion would know if it's something she helped Forge get before, but I have no idea.

Oh, wait, I figured it out. It's a 3D printing thing, right? I'm going to go with that and change it later if I got it wrong.

[MCerberus]

It's really just a needlessly fancy sounding thing that would need to be acquired specially.

Damascus steel is a wikipedia rabbit hole.
Regular ink uses iron filaments to color it.
Squish it together, sounds fancy

[NontheistCleric]

Oh, okay. I learned something new about ink today!

I've been down the Damascus steel rabbit hole before, though.

[MCerberus]

Nanotubes! In the Crusader states!

[NontheistCleric]

Veto this idea if you don't like it, but I'm imagining that when Forge asked Occasion to get Damascus steel filament ink, the only place she found that was small and artisanal enough to entertain the unusual request was a Chinese inkmaker she had to go to as Su Yin. So Forge ended up having an inkstick with steel shavings as an ingredient delivered to him.

The inkmakers now think Su Yin is very weird.

[MCerberus]

That works as the... third or fourth weirdest thing he's asked for. I imagine the stuff he makes outside of his job require out-there things that can't be gotten in large quantities. Etchings of norse runes, raw jade suspended in tears, and if he could just get a tiny little bit of Excalibur...

You just can't cheap out on this stuff

[truemane]

@JNAP: Do you want us to cap the scene at the hospital and move on to tomorrow? Or can we run that concurrently with whatever's happening now (plus, presumably, Avi's fight with her mother)?

[JNAProductions]

@JNAP: Do you want us to cap the scene at the hospital and move on to tomorrow? Or can we run that concurrently with whatever's happening now (plus, presumably, Avi's fight with her mother)?

The hospital scene is over.

Feel free to narrate leaving with the doctor, but short or breaking back into there and rummaging through files, there's not much else you can do there at the moment.

As for Avi and parents... Yeah, that's worth exploring, but we can run it concurrently with the group scene.

[Lentrax]

I will leave it to JNA what Ivy sees through the lens, or if it even works.

[JNAProductions]

[roll0] For Forge.

On a 45+, something shows up, with the higher the result the more clarity there is.

[NontheistCleric]

Okay, I've decided on Su Yin's age. She'll be 18 and still in school like Ivy and Avi, mostly because that makes things more interesting, seeing as the only team member who can safely be alone with Ash can't be watching her full-time.

[NontheistCleric]

This might be a silly question, but is Ryan short for Bryant? Or was that just the article getting his name wrong, or some other doctor named Williams?

Of course Su Yin hasn't even seen it–I was just wondering personally.

[JNAProductions]

It's a different doctor. There's Bryant Williams and Ryan Williams.

[JNAProductions]

@Truemane
This might've been missed by you.


Whisper's phone goes off while she's looking over the pictures and drawings. It's Aleksandyr.

You said you were investigating a girl named Ash and a Dr. Williams?

Found a potential lead.

Attached to the message is a link to a news article, headline of "Doctor Williams To Open New Pharmaceuticals Testing Clinic In Halcyon City Memorial Hospital".

The article is a little light on details-it talks a little on Doctor Ryan Williams' history, his notable achievement of being part of the team that synthesized the vaccine and eventually the cure for The Madman's Plague (the Madman being a parahuman), a few notes about who else is working with him, a little on the mission statements of the Clinic, and ends with an abbreviated interview with Doctor Ryan Williams.

Post #196 in the IC thread.

[MCerberus]

It seems that super speed also gives one optimal timing

[truemane]

@Truemane
This might've been missed by you.

Post #196 in the IC thread.
I had missed that. Thank yoU!


It seems that super speed also gives one optimal timing
Super Dramatic Timing is an oft-underestimated power.

[Lentrax]

Unlike At The Speed of Plot, which is a bit overrated imo.

[JNAProductions]

Quick roll for Blur, to see how well the words come out.

On a 75-100, it's: "Forge is trying to help her. If you jump in she might get hurt. We need you to chill out for a moment, kiddo. Take a deep breath, calm down. Let him do his work, then she can explain it to you herself, alright?"
On a 40-75, it's: "Forge is trying to help her. IfyoujumpinshemightgethurtWeneedyoutochilloutforam omentkiddoTakeadeepbreathcalmdownLethimdohisworkth enshecanexplainittoyouherselfalright?"
On anything less, it's basically incomprehensible.

[roll0]

[NontheistCleric]

JNA, how tall is the apartment building? How much of the city can be seen looking out of the balcony or from its roof?

[JNAProductions]

JNA, how tall is the apartment building? How much of the city can be seen looking out of the balcony or from its roof?

I'll say three stories. It's located not on the outskirts of the city, but closer to there than the center. You can see OUT of the city reasonably well, but not INTO Halcyon because buildings are blocking the view.

[NontheistCleric]

Okay, so in the city we have green-blue webs, green and gray below it, and AEGIS HQ. What color is AEGIS HQ, just for completeness?

(and just to clarify, the calmer green and gray are below the web? That is, vertically under it as opposed to at a lower elevation but somewhere else)

[JNAProductions]

Okay, so in the city we have green-blue webs, green and gray below it, and AEGIS HQ. What color is AEGIS HQ, just for completeness?

(and just to clarify, the calmer green and gray are below the web? That is, vertically under it as opposed to at a lower elevation but somewhere else)

AEGIS has a lot of colors.

Below the web.

[NontheistCleric]

AEGIS has a lot of colors.

Below the web.

Okay, just one more question–how many parahumans are active in Halcyon right now apart from the team? We probably haven't counted them, but it sounds like there should be some others that are generally seen out and about, right?

Sorry for asking all these questions, I'm just trying to have Su Yin make some deductions from exactly what she's seeing and might know.

[JNAProductions]

There's around a dozen active groups, ranging in size from solo acts to teams of about ten or so.

[truemane]

Little heads up, everyone, from now until roughly the end of September my job does its annual transformation from Slightly Annoying NPC to full-fledged Supervillain.

I'll do my best to keep up (especially with this slightly spicy fanfic Lentrax and I have looming on the horizon), and I'll try to communicate about how I'm doing, but please don't wait up or pause anything for me.

[JNAProductions]

For everyone in the Air BnB, I'd like your next post to include your general location in the home. Just for clarity.

[JNAProductions]

So, Black Blur would be smart enough to absorb that you're (probably) being tracked somehow.
In other words, leaving Ash outside of town is leaving her entirely vulnerable.

Would you like to edit your post, Obscure?

[Obscurejones]

So, Black Blur would be smart enough to absorb that you're (probably) being tracked somehow.
In other words, leaving Ash outside of town is leaving her entirely vulnerable.

Would you like to edit your post, Obscure?

If he's able to get her out of town he's going with her. He's only dropping her off if there's not an available exit. If he can get her out, him and her are headed to vancouver so he has a second to think of a good secondary location.

Maybe grab some Tim Hortons.

If there isn't an available exit then he's putting her in a windowless room in the airbnb, thinking storm shelter protocols, then taking a knife to any monsters he can get to.

[JNAProductions]

If he's able to get her out of town he's going with her. He's only dropping her off if there's not an available exit. If he can get her out, him and her are headed to vancouver so he has a second to think of a good secondary location.

Maybe grab some Tim Hortons.

If there isn't an available exit then he's putting her in a windowless room in the airbnb, thinking storm shelter protocols, then taking a knife to any monsters he can get to.

Ah! I thought he was going back to "get some sushi" after taking Ash away.

Response coming in a moment.

[NontheistCleric]

I just realized I assumed the television is one of those flat modern ones. If it's actually a CRT, Su Yin probably doesn't have the strength to lift it so fast and gets a chair from the kitchen instead.

[JNAProductions]

I just realized I assumed the television is one of those flat modern ones. If it's actually a CRT, Su Yin probably doesn't have the strength to lift it so fast and gets a chair from the kitchen instead.

It's a modern one.

Rolling for Su Yin!

[roll0]

[NontheistCleric]

Quick question: What does the space outside the apartment building look like? Are there any clear stretches of road, sidewalk, etc?

[JNAProductions]

There's other buildings in the area, and plenty of road. Of course, there's cars in the road and people on the sidewalk. There's certainly areas large enough to drop the monster, but that would leave it ambulatory again.

[JNAProductions]

More dice!

[roll0] Su Yin
[roll1] Monster

[NontheistCleric]

First defeat, exciting!

Um, I mean, poor pedestrians.

[JNAProductions]

Whisper and Ivy can arrive at any moment to the splatter.

[Obscurejones]

Do we have a rough idea where Halcyon city is in the world? Trying to pick a spot within a state or two that's nice and remote and realized I'm not even sure what state we're in.

[NontheistCleric]

JNA, do you need us to do anything else before we get to the moments right after the splatter? It looks like Ivy and and Whisper are arriving.

[JNAProductions]

No, you guys should be good.

[NontheistCleric]

Are we still doing this? Not to push or anything, and it's fine if you just lost interest, JNA, but it's been two weeks since the last IC post.

[JNAProductions]

I'm waiting on y'all, I thought.

[NontheistCleric]

Oh. It wasn't too clear, but it feels like at least some of us were waiting on you. Definitely I was, since, you know, unconscious, but it also seemed to me like Lentrax and Cerberus were waiting to see what happened immediately after the crash, and Obscure didn't get an answer to the state question yet.

Not sure about truemane, but he did say things were busy for him and that we shouldn't wait for him.

[truemane]

I have been really busy, it's true. But I also kinda wasn't sure what was happening, whether we were waiting for something specific or if things sort of slowed down.

JNA? Maybe you could post a prompt for whatever's next? Ivy and Whisper touch down. The goop-ball is 'sploded. Everything is all crazy...

Something like that?

[JNAProductions]

Sure thing. Gimme a bit to get a post up, but it'll be there before I head into work.

[JNAProductions]

Rolling for Whisper...

[roll0]

On a 65+ she gets Blur.
On a 95+ she also gets Ash.

[truemane]

Oh no!

SO CLOSE!

[truemane]

Quick question: where is everyone, in-universe.

Ivy, Whisper, and Forge are at the apartment, yeah?

Where is everyone else?

[JNAProductions]

Occasion is wherever you brought her.
Speaking of which, feel free to come to! You're gonna be hurting, but you can be conscious.

Blur is out in the countryside.

[NontheistCleric]

Are Occasion's powers working again, or still out?

[JNAProductions]

They're fritzing, and shouldn't be relied on in the immediate future. Kinda stuck on acid and impact damage.

[Obscurejones]

Apologies for the radio silence. Things going less great in the meat space, led to a lowered ability to be digitally present. Thank you for keeping Blur around/active while I was out.

[JNAProductions]

Apologies for the radio silence. Things going less great in the meat space, led to a lowered ability to be digitally present. Thank you for keeping Blur around/active while I was out.

Life comes first. Be safe, be happy, be healthy.

If you need us to fully NPC Black Blur, let us know-otherwise, post as you can.

[NontheistCleric]

Not sure who is in which group yet, but as far as investigating goes, it seems like we have three main things we can do:

1. Find the person who attacked us (who may or may not be 'Transporter'). Not sure if returning to the AirBNB to look for evidence is a good idea so soon, but it might turn up something useful. Maybe if we're lucky, the guy outside the door really was the enemy and a stray security camera might have caught his face.

Alternatively, Occasion could try asking about in the community of more mercenary parahumans. She hasn't delved into the deeper end herself but might know someone who knows something about 'Transporter'. JNA, am I allowed to just invent a contact she could go to, or do you want to handle that?

2. Look more closely at the magic web. Probably only viable with Forge, since the most the rest of us can do is stare at it hard through the lens.

3. Follow up on the medical aspects of the puzzle. Whisper in particular might be able to find out more about Umbrella using her connections in that world? Also, while Bryant Williams didn't seem like he was involved in anything villainous, there must be some reason his name was on Ash's bracelet. If he's friendly, he might even help us figure it out.

We should probably pursue all of these at some point, but does anyone have any opinions on which we should tackle first, how to go about it, or other ideas on what we should be looking for?

[JNAProductions]

Not sure who is in which group yet, but as far as investigating goes, it seems like we have three main things we can do:

1. Find the person who attacked us (who may or may not be 'Transporter'). Not sure if returning to the AirBNB to look for evidence is a good idea so soon, but it might turn up something useful. Maybe if we're lucky, the guy outside the door really was the enemy and a stray security camera might have caught his face.

Alternatively, Occasion could try asking about in the community of more mercenary parahumans. She hasn't delved into the deeper end herself but might know someone who knows something about 'Transporter'. JNA, am I allowed to just invent a contact she could go to, or do you want to handle that?

2. Look more closely at the magic web. Probably only viable with Forge, since the most the rest of us can do is stare at it hard through the lens.

3. Follow up on the medical aspects of the puzzle. Whisper in particular might be able to find out more about Umbrella using her connections in that world? Also, while Bryant Williams didn't seem like he was involved in anything villainous, there must be some reason his name was on Ash's bracelet. If he's friendly, he might even help us figure it out.

We should probably pursue all of these at some point, but does anyone have any opinions on which we should tackle first, how to go about it, or other ideas on what we should be looking for?

Make a contact up. I trust you to be reasonable with your creation. :)

[truemane]

Whisper could go chase down AirBnB leads or infiltrate Umbrella. Either one would be within her wheelhouse, and fun.

[NontheistCleric]

Okay, it sounds like Occasion and Whisper are definitely going investigating. Forge is maybe coming? Forge and Whisper have the most wide-ranging abilities, so it's probably good if both come. Ivy and Blur haven't chimed in yet, so I suppose they're with Ash by default, and it makes sense to have the most physically powerful members defending her.

Since Whisper doesn't want to mess with Umbrella yet (probably sensible), let's go check out the AirBNB, then if that doesn't turn anything useful up, Occasion can go to her contact next, or Forge can do something magical if he has an idea.

Just going to write a bit about Occasion getting into costume before we time skip. First time wearing her actual one!

[Lentrax]

Yeah. Ivy would probably not go to investigate. She is very much in the “I stand out too much to be useful in undercover stuff” camp.

[truemane]

Whisper would want to go with Ivy (or want Ivy to come with them), but she'll understand either way.

AirBnB is a good place to start. Avi is going to have to face her parents about that soon enough anyway.

[JNAProductions]

Alright. So Whisper, Occasion, and Forge are investigating.
Blur and Ivy are with Ash, keeping her safe.

First investigation spot is the Air BnB wreckage.
What's the plan for Ash's group?

[NontheistCleric]

Maybe we could see what happens with the investigation team first? Just to keep some momentum.

[JNAProductions]

Sounds good. Lemme get an IC up in a bit.

[MCerberus]

Ooh fun idea for later: Forge may be working for an umbrella subsidiary without knowing it.

[NontheistCleric]

Are the angles such that Occasion could take the Ring camera without the police officers seeing her doing it?

[JNAProductions]

Are the angles such that Occasion could take the Ring camera without the police officers seeing her doing it?

If the door was intact, yes.
As it is, with the door off its hinges... it'd be REALY hard. We're talking 95+ on a d100.

[NontheistCleric]

Looks like we're going to Occasion's contact next, unless there's something else anyone wants to do. This is the idea I had for him, or at least, what Occasion believes she knows about him:

The Curtain Man runs his business out of a regular, respectable office building, and his clients include parahumans of every stripe as well as ordinary citizens, some of whom may not necessarily be all that ordinary.

Occasion has gone to him herself on occasion, usually when Forge has asked her to find some particularly esoteric artifact. Sometimes, the Curtain Man even has what she is looking for–at a cost, of course, but then, Forge foots the bill in the end.

The primary service the Curtain Man provides is simple: You give him something you want kept securely, and he will disappear with it behind the curtains completely lining his windowless office. He reappears empty-handed. If you ever want it back, you just come back and ask for it, and he retrieves it from wherever the curtains lead. Anyone who has ever tried pulling them back while he was away found only hard concrete walls.

For a reduced price, the Curtain Man will keep your belongings, but gains the right to sell them off if you die. No one is sure how he tells if a particular client is dead or alive, since no one knows who he really is or what he does outside that office. There is a name on the record of who rented that space, but if it's his real one, he has long since ceased to use that identity anywhere else.

What is clear is that he must have a line on some significant sources of information that probably extend even into the parahuman underworld, judging by some of the things he has in his collection and the way he always knows if a person come to retrieve something is really the one who gave it to him. With the right incentive, he may even let someone in on what he knows. He has never claimed to keep all his clients' secrets safe, only their property.

Occasion suspects that the curtains themselves are only showmanship and that he has some power akin to that of a teleporter, or possibly to access some kind of extradimensional space. It's not an uncommon theory among those who know him–but no one really knows how the Curtain Man does what he does.

[JNAProductions]

Oh my god, I love that.

10 internet points to you, good Nontheist!

[JNAProductions]

What clinic are you talking about, Jones?

[NontheistCleric]

Oh my god, I love that.

10 internet points to you, good Nontheist!
Thank you!


What clinic are you talking about, Jones?
From context, it seems to be Doctor Rakhamanov's office.

[JNAProductions]

Thank you!


From context, it seems to be Doctor Rakhamanov's office.

Is that a clinic?
I guess it kinda is?

Right, IC post incoming then.

[JNAProductions]

Nontheist, gimme a roll. Let's see how well the Curtain Man responds.

[NontheistCleric]

A d100?

[roll0]

Wow, okay... not great.

[JNAProductions]

A d100?

[roll0]

An 8. Interesting...

[NontheistCleric]

Right now we're just waiting to see if Whisper or Forge has anything to say in the negotiation, right?

[JNAProductions]

Yee, correct.

[truemane]

Hey everyone, I'm sorry that I'm having such a hard time keeping up. I'm still trying to figure out how to include RPG writing into my current ADHD management system without messing everything else up.

[NontheistCleric]

Don't worry about it; real life is a constant struggle. At least you're still with us.

[JNAProductions]

Okay, I'd like a roll call.

Who is still here and able to post at least once every other day? I can find reasons for the group to be pared down, but I need to know who's still able to consistently post.

And, as a reminder, if you are not able to, there is no shame in it. This is a game we play for fun-if you can't keep up because life is happening, or you're not as interested anymore, or anything like that, that's okay. :)

[NontheistCleric]

Present. Will be able to post at least once every other day for the foreseeable future.

[Lentrax]

I'm still here too. Just nothing to add, apparently.

[MCerberus]

I'm still here

[truemane]

While I am enjoying myself a great deal, I don't think I can commit to every other day for the foreseeable future.

So I think I will have to withdraw.

Sorry everyone.

[NontheistCleric]

Sorry to see you go, truemane. Looks like we're down at least one. Just a thought, but maybe a spot of re-recruitment could help keep things alive? Since it's only been less than a day in-game, it wouldn't be implausible that we had a sixth team member who was just busy with something else until now.

[JNAProductions]

I'm not totally sure if I want to reopen recruitment... But I will think about it.

[NontheistCleric]

In either case, are we continuing?

[JNAProductions]

Yes-let me get an IC post up.

[NontheistCleric]

Since truemane is not going to be with us going forward, can we assume that Forge and Occasion will be heading to Panoply alone, or will Whisper stay for a while but remain in the background?

[JNAProductions]

Whisper will not be with you. She will be handling a home crisis, since she DID get her parents' Air BnB absolutely demolished.

[NontheistCleric]

Alright. Is it a thing that will get its own IC post, or should we just make our next posts as if we already said our goodbyes for now?

[NontheistCleric]

I'm thinking maybe the investigation team should call in Ivy now, since it's possible we might have to transport something really heavy, but more importantly, because depending on how things go, there might be a showdown with a heavily armored villain-ish sort of person.

Nothing seems to be happening with the protection crew, and Blur is so powerful he probably can zip Ash out of any trouble on his own.

Want to come join us, Lentrax?

[Obscurejones]

Okay, I'd like a roll call.

Who is still here and able to post at least once every other day? I can find reasons for the group to be pared down, but I need to know who's still able to consistently post.

And, as a reminder, if you are not able to, there is no shame in it. This is a game we play for fun-if you can't keep up because life is happening, or you're not as interested anymore, or anything like that, that's okay. :)

I am aware of the irony of responding to the can you post every other day question ten days late, but I think I'll have to drop as well. I like the game/story/all of y'all but executive dysfunction's clearly kicking my rear where it's concerned.

[MCerberus]

oh yes, this will go well.

[JNAProductions]

oh yes, this will go well.

Remind me to post in the morning. It's past midnight, but I just got home from work.

I'll need more brainpower to figure out how it goes well. :P

[MCerberus]

Remind me to post in the morning. It's past midnight, but I just got home from work.

I'll need more brainpower to figure out how it goes well. :P

Well it isn't morning but I am back from work as well to remind you

[NontheistCleric]

Cerberus, you want to handle the AEGIS call? Forge seems like he has at least some relationship with them. Occasion could do it if he's still a bit out of sorts, though.

[MCerberus]

Yah, I'll get a post up I'm still kind of catching up after the long weekend

[NontheistCleric]

JNA, are you waiting for us to do anything else IC?

[JNAProductions]

Has Occasion done all she's doing to prep?
If yes, I'll move us on.
If no, make your post.

[NontheistCleric]

Yes. She'll take out her fighting stick once Forge is done setting up and she's sent the text, but that probably doesn't need a whole post to itself.

[JNAProductions]

Fair.

Remind me to post tomorrow-am tired tonight, and don't want to halfass it.

[NontheistCleric]

Sleep well!

[NontheistCleric]

Remind me to post tomorrow-am tired tonight, and don't want to halfass it.

Reminding!

[MCerberus]

We are after information about how to contact/find the teleporter if I remember correctly

[JNAProductions]

We are after information about how to contact/find the teleporter if I remember correctly

Was it that or the SEP Field?

I know you asked both questions, and I don't recall which one he said no to and which one he said "Do me a favor first" to.

If no one else finds it before I wake up, I'll double check myself. But it is midnight here.

[NontheistCleric]

I think he said he didn't know anything about the teleporter we described, but he does know something about SEP fields and/or tentacle monsters.

[JNAProductions]

I think he said he didn't know anything about the teleporter we described, but he does know something about SEP fields and/or tentacle monsters.

Yee.

Late night posting again, so remind me to post come the morrow.

[MCerberus]

Am I being waited on for anything?

[JNAProductions]

Am I being waited on for anything?

I think I was waiting on Nontheist to say something, but I can just move us ahead if you want.

[MCerberus]

have you seen them around in the past week? something may have come up

[JNAProductions]

have you seen them around in the past week? something may have come up

Last activity was about a week ago.

Hopefully it's just holiday shmutz.