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!

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?

Spoiler: Dramatis Personae

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Spoiler: Jishin

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Spoiler: Gimansha

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Spoiler: Kaze

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[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire
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.

Spoiler: Moves

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Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd
Conditions:
Potential: 0/5
Power: 0

Spoiler: Labels

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

Spoiler: Current Form

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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.

Spoiler: OOC:

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

[Yoachuallathui]

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

Spoiler: Labels

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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.

Spoiler: Moves

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Are You Watching Closely
Troublemaker
Criminal Mind

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

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• Danger: -1
• Freak: -1
• Savior: +2
• Superior: 0
• Mundane: +3

Spoiler: Moves

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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.

Spoiler: Drives

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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.

Spoiler: OOC

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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

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• 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."

Spoiler: Thorn

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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.

Spoiler: Wyrd and Danny

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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.

Spoiler: Kid Midnight

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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.

Spoiler: Calamity

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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?"

Spoiler: Moves

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Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

Spoiler: OOC

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Rolled a 7 on an Unleash. I am going to let it be Temporary or Unstable.

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Danger: -1
• Freak: -1
• Savior: +2
• Superior: 0
• Mundane: +3

Spoiler: Moves

Show

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.

Spoiler: Drives

Show

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
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Power: 5

Spoiler: Labels

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

Spoiler: Current Form

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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.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Assess the Situation: 6
Marking Potential

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• 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?

Spoiler: OOC

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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

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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!"

Spoiler: Thorn

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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'.

Spoiler: Kid Midnight

Show

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!"

Spoiler: Calamity

Show

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.

Spoiler: Wyrd

Show

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.

Spoiler: Danny

Show

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?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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?

Spoiler: Moves

Show

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Yoachuallathui]

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

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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.

Spoiler: Out of Character

Show

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

[DreadPirateH]

Kid Midnight
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Danger: -1
• Freak: -1
• Savior: +2
• Superior: 0
• Mundane: +3

Spoiler: Moves

Show

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.

Spoiler: Drives

Show

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.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5
Power: 5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Current Form

Show

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.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Unleash (Dark Sorcery): 11

[Lillianapolis]

Calamity
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• Danger: +2
• Freak: 0
• Savior: 0
• Superior: -1
• Mundane: +2

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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."

Spoiler: Thorn

Show

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.

Spoiler: Danny

Show

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.

Spoiler: Kid Midnight

Show

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."

Spoiler: Wyrd

Show

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.

Spoiler: Calamity

Show

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
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."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5
Power: 5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Current Form

Show

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.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Pierce the Mask: 5
Marking Potential

[Yoachuallathui]

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

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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..."

Spoiler: OoC

Show

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

Spoiler: Labels

Show

• 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.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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..?"

Spoiler: Thorn

Show

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."

Spoiler: Wyrd

Show

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?"

Spoiler: Danny

Show

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.

Spoiler: Calamity

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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!

Spoiler: Emily

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Spoiler: Alana

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[Razade]

Thorn of the Scarlet Moon Empire
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."

Spoiler: Moves

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Unstoppable, Symbol of Authority, Are You Watching Closely

[Captain Jak]

Wyrd
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5
Power: 5

Spoiler: Labels

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

Spoiler: Current Form

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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.

Spoiler: OOC:

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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
Conditions:
Potential: 1/5

Spoiler: Labels

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• Danger: -1
• Freak: -1
• Savior: +2
• Superior: 0
• Mundane: +3

Spoiler: Moves

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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.

Spoiler: Drives

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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.

Spoiler: OOC

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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

Spoiler: Labels

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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.

Spoiler: OoC

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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

Spoiler: Labels

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• 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.

Spoiler: Thorn

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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.

Spoiler: Wyrd

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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.

Spoiler: Danny

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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.

Spoiler: Kid Midnight

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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.

Spoiler: Calamity

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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