[IC] Masks: The Unseen Path

[Kirjath]

Liminal
Conditions: Insecure
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• The Mask: You wear a mask and hide your real identity. You embody Freak while wearing your mask.
  Once per session, you can affirm either your heroic or secret identity to switch your Mundane with your mask’s Label. When you reveal your secret identity to someone who didn’t know it already, mark potential.
  
  
• Mild-mannered: When you try to use your civilian identity to deceive, trick, or slip past someone, roll + Mundane. On a hit they buy your facade. On a 7-9, choose one:
  - you’re still under observation
  - you leave something incriminating behind
  - you’re forced to make a fool of yourself to sell it
  On a miss, one of your civilian obligations rears its ugly head.
  
  
• Game face: When you commit yourself to save someone or defeat a terrible enemy, mark a condition and take +1 ongoing to all rolls in direct pursuit of that goal. At the end of any scene in which you don’t make progress towards that goal, mark a condition. When you fulfill your goal, mark potential.

His words shouldn't have hurt as much as they did. Liminal sneered at the incredibly unimaginative line about "playing" heroes, but a part of her brain seemed to latch his other remark. He was right, in a way; she hadn't thrown any punches. She was scared to truly start scrapping with her opposition. Liminal had always thought it was because the villains were always bigger and stronger than she was, but was that all? If she was going to keep up the hero work, she'd have to be capable of fighting. She'd have to be brave enough to throw a punch. Maybe she wasn't cut out for that sort of work.

Now wasn't a good time to reflect though. Liminal yelped in panic as the electrified liquid sprayed all over her. This was exactly the sort of thing she'd been trying to stay away from! And now Flippin' JigaWatt had set off whatever was in the vial and now they were all doomed. Her form reverted to normal proportions as she desperately tried to brush the painful substance off of her, but it was no use. Was she going to turn into one of those rage mutants? She was already a mutant! Well, if she was going to turn into an angry monster, maybe JigaWatt would be her first target. Followed by wherever in this dumb secret laboratory they had a shower of some kind.

Only, she didn't feel angrier than normal. Peeved, certainly, but that was manageable. Liminal was so distracted she almost missed Dr. Moreau downing another vial. She surged to wrap around him, but his form couldn't be contained anymore. For the ninth time in less than an hour, she felt a strong urge to point out how bad things were looking.

"What are we doing, guys?!" She shouted as she watched Errant White charge in with that ridiculously dangerous sword of his. "I can't hold him much longer!"

In truth, she wasn't really holding him at all.

[Malexia]

Fox, you watch it all happen.

You watch the situation worsen, you watch your allies step into battle, and you watch the lab-coated figures at the edge of vision make their move.

A few of the scientists stray from the pack, taking advantage of the super-fight to slip away from walls and test tubes and the confines of this chamber. They dart for the hall leading further inside the facility, but quickly dodge into a side door that you could have sworn wasn't there a second ago - and isn't there again once the three figures have disappeared inside. A hidden door, but does it lead to fortification or exodus? You suspect the latter, from the expressions on their faces.

You turn your attention back to Dr. Moreau and give him a pithy retort to his rage and hate. He doesn't seem to be paying attention to words anymore, so incensed is he at JigaWatt's destruction of his vial. He struggles against Liminal, close to delivering his first true move of this battle. Destroying his work really got to him in a way none of your words have even slightly affected him.

If you really wanted to get under his skin, smashing more of those vials - or other equipment, perhaps - would be the best way to do it.

Liminal, you're the first to take a real hit.

Dr. Moreau tears you off with strength that just went from weak to super. He grabs your altered form with both hands and throws you violently against the far wall, hard enough it leaves cracks in concrete. If you weren't made of stranger stuff than the average Jane you would be the other kind of puddle. As it is, you're reeling.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Take a powerful blow, Liminal.

The doctor's enhanced form is revealed to the four of you: not hulking, not brutish, but lean and mean and just a few inches taller. You can feel the strength surging off him, and a careful eye notes that this was not an expansion of muscle mass but rather an upward shift in density.

JigaWatt, you're waiting for your moment and have the energy curling around your hands, ready to unleash against the doctor. For a second time you blast him with power, and for a second time it just makes things worse. Moreau crosses his arms to meet your attack and the energy absorbs into the red stains on his coat from the exploded vial. The crimson electrifies just as before, but this time Moreau is ready, and as it bursts he pushes outward at you and directs the explosion.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Take a powerful blow, JigaWatt.

Your own power crashes into you, altered in horrible ways by that strange serum. Moreau doesn't even deign to sneer at you, already turning his attention to the next target.

Errant, you charge in swinging, and Durendal practically sings as it carves through the very air, so great is its power.

But the weakness of a great weapon is its bearer, and for all your might and armament, you aren't the old Errant White. You aren't the kind of Knight that can step across a room in the blink of an eye, at least not yet. For now, you're just you.

And Dr. Moreau is faster.

The air where he was standing is split in twain, a blow strong enough to kill an ordinary man. And Moreau - who you barely saw move - is standing beside you, and his hand moves to your throat.

He lifts you into the air, Errant. Your armor protects you from being choked, but his grip is like iron and he hisses, "A boy playing knight. I was promised heroes! True champions to experiment upon. You couldn't save a cat stuck in a tree."

Spoiler: OOC

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Errant, he's hitting your labels again. Reject his influence or shift Savior down and Mundane up.

[Captain Jak]

JigaWatt
Conditions:
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• Stage-fighting: When you directly engage a threat with an audience watching, mark a condition to roll + Superior instead of Danger.
  
  
• Time for the show: When you put on a flamboyant display of your powers, roll + Superior.
  On a 7-9, name one NPC present.
  On a 10+, name two NPCs present.
  The named NPCs must either volunteer help or information, express admiration, or ask for your help, GM’s choice.
  On a miss, your display catches someone watching in the wrong way.
  
  
• Suck it, Domitian: When you stand strong while dramatically under fire, roll + Savior instead of + Danger to directly engage a threat.

Not fast enough on the draw to help Liminal, JigaWatt can only stare in shock – no pun intended – as his efforts are transmuted and redirected back at him! He’s caught dead to rights, and the only thing that might save him is....

Well, perhaps the fact that electrodynamic energies are his thing, despite whatever spin the villain-of-the-week might put on them.

The energy slams into JigaWatt and courses over him, his own powers acting like a faraday cage to shunt the power harmlessly past.

Not that it still isn’t way unnerving.

Shaking off his close call, he flits toward the struggle between Dr. M and Errant. Conscious of the audience he’s playing to, JW makes with the oration.

"Hey, yo, man," he protests loudly. "I wasn’t done wih you yet. How about you stick around?" With that line to set the scenario, he starts generating two massive, and opposite, static charges.

One surrounding Doctor Moreau, and the other a patch of ceiling above him. With luck the opposing, which means attractive, forces will stick the bad Doctor to the ceiling like science class balloon.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Take a Powerful Blow (+1 ongoing) 5
The trend continues!
Unleash his powers to alter his environment: 12
Crackle-stick!

[Malexia]

In an instant, the situation reverses. Static electricity surges to steal away Moreau's advantage and with an undignified yelp he is yanked into the air and slammed into the ceiling of the chamber. Errant White falls away from him, landing back on the ground with sword in hand and mostly unscathed.

Moreau is pinned, and the forces at work are strong enough to overcome even his enhanced strength. He struggles and strains, reaching for his belt of vials, but he makes progress in centimeters, if that. The fury is building in him, and there's a new edge to it: wounded pride. This is not how the fight was supposed to go.

You have the edge now, heroes, at long last. What do you do?

Spoiler: OOC

Show

JigaWatt's roll was impactful enough to merit a new post. Liminal, Errant, Fox, you guys get your turn now, able to react to the change in stakes.

[DreadPirateH]

Errant White
Conditions:
Potential: 4/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• [X] Fight the good fight: When you pull your punches while directly engaging a threat, you can roll + Savior instead of + Danger. If you do, you cannot choose to impress, surprise, or frighten your foe.
• [X]The legacy matters: When you take Influence over someone from your legacy (or give them Influence over you), mark potential and take +1 forward. When someone from your legacy causes your Labels to shift, mark potential and take +1 forward.

Freed from the villain's grasp, Aiden shakes off the mad scientist's words. But maybe he had a point? It wasn't enough to stop Moreau, he was here to save people. "Thank you, Doctor. You've reminded me of my real purpose here. Stay put, we'll finish this in a moment."

While JigaWatt holds their mutated foe against the ceiling, Errant White rushes to the aid of the people strapped to tables. The shackles are no match for Durendal and freeing the captives is child's play. However, those stuck in pods are a bit beyond him. Thankfully, there's a gaggle of labcoats cowering nearby. He calls out to them to enlist their aid. "You all are free now! Get the ones in the pods and get out of here! We'll keep Dr. Moreau busy."

Spoiler: OOC

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I rolled a 7 to reject Dr. Moreau's influence, choosing to mark 1 potential and act to prove him wrong again, which I'm fulfilling by freeing some of the captives and provoking some of the other scientists into helping. I rolled an 11, so they rise to the bait and help out.

[Kirjath]

Liminal
Conditions: Insecure, Angry, Afraid
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• The Mask: You wear a mask and hide your real identity. You embody Freak while wearing your mask.
  Once per session, you can affirm either your heroic or secret identity to switch your Mundane with your mask’s Label. When you reveal your secret identity to someone who didn’t know it already, mark potential.
  
  
• Mild-mannered: When you try to use your civilian identity to deceive, trick, or slip past someone, roll + Mundane. On a hit they buy your facade. On a 7-9, choose one:
  - you’re still under observation
  - you leave something incriminating behind
  - you’re forced to make a fool of yourself to sell it
  On a miss, one of your civilian obligations rears its ugly head.
  
  
• Game face: When you commit yourself to save someone or defeat a terrible enemy, mark a condition and take +1 ongoing to all rolls in direct pursuit of that goal. At the end of any scene in which you don’t make progress towards that goal, mark a condition. When you fulfill your goal, mark potential.

Liminal slammed into the opposite wall and her vision went white. Ever since Teagan had gained her powers, it was almost impossible for her to be physically injured. Most hits just bounced off of her, and she usually laughed in the face of gravity. But now she had the taste of blood in her mouth and a splitting headache. She wasn't sure she had bones anymore, but even those ached. Anyone else on the team, save perhaps Errant, would've probably been killed by that attack. Guns were one thing, but whoever this stupid doctor was, he was someone Liminal wanted nothing more to do with.

"Just quit it with the stupid puns, JigaWatt!" She screeched from her position on the floor. It was a struggle to get back to her feet, but Liminal knew she would have to get moving before she got caught again. The hostages were quickly becoming an afterthought to the overwhelming desire to survive this encounter so she could just go home. "You're telling me you could've locked him to the ceiling an hour ago? What, were you too busy thinking up that last quip? How long did that take you!?"

Liminal backed away towards the entrance. It didn't matter if the villain couldn't move, he was in his own lair surrounded by his own equipment. He'd get out soon enough, and she'd seen how he just manhandled Errant White like he weighed nothing. She couldn't fight that sort of villain, and her mind was drawing a blank on ideas. Maybe Dr. Moreau was right, maybe they just weren't cut out for this.

Spoiler: OOC

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Rolled a 10 on the Powerful Blow. Marking Angry and Afraid, and using influence to inflict Insecure on JigaWatt. Liminal loses influence on JigaWatt now, I'm pretty sure.

[Razade]

Fox
Conditions: Angry,
Potential: 2/5

It happened quickly, the tide of battle turning in their favor in an instant. Liminal flying through the air, he quickly moved to help his teammate to her feet even as he was processing everything now that Jigawatt had taken care of his earlier blunders. The others were on point now and it seemed the Doctor was dealt with. It seemed Liminal was dealing with Jigawatt as well which meant he had nothing to do here, in the moment. There was something else afoot however, scientists disappearing into walls.

A secret passageway.

Surely there was a control panel or some other method to open the passage. They'd opened from this room, so unless they could somehow communicate to the other side silently he could follow. The shadows would know, they knew all the secret places and so he turned to them. Not physically, or metaphorically. It was hard to explain to those without magic of their own, what it was like using the force inside. How would you explain the feeling of your heart pumping or your synpases firing? They were a part of you, and magic was a part of him, but deeper and more than just an organ doing it's job. It was like love, or fear, or any other emotion too. It was beautiful and terrifying and exhilarating and horrible in a single instant and with all of those, he reached out to the Shadows, turned to them as he'd done many times before. "Where did those scientists go" he whispered to the air "and how do I follow, in corridors beyond my reach?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Rolled an 8 on the next Assess.

- What here can I use to...open the secret doors

[Malexia]

Dr. Moreau struggles with futile rage, bound by JigaWatt. He hisses, "Worms! Cheats! I'll turn you all into mice!"

Errant White, you easily free the table-bound captives. A few of the scientists back away, but when you give your big speech they stop retreating. One of them, handsome and lean with a slightly dirtier coat than the rest, glares at his fellows and says, "Don't just stand there, you cowards. Help the man out."

Sheepishly, the lab coats scurry to the pods and begin engaging the deactivation sequence. The one who spoke shakes his head, then turns to you and extends a hand. "Name's Daniel Jacobson, and I appreciate the rescue. You're a real hero." Then he blinks and tilts his head at you. "Hey, wait... aren't you the White Knight? The uh... Albion, right?"

The metahuman teens have congregated by now, and those strong enough to stand are trying to remove their suppression collars. Daniel glances over and winces. "I should free those kids before I do anything else. I don't know how New Dawn got their hands on AEGIS tech, but I hate those collars." He walks over to start tinkering with the power-suppression devices.

Liminal, you're having a very bad day.

You slink over to the back door without fanfare and toss your biting remark at JigaWatt. It's all his fault really - he got you into this mess, he made it worse, and now he has the gall to just pin the bad guy to the ceiling like it's nothing after you tried time and time again to restrain your enemies with no success. Maybe you aren't cut out for this. Maybe you're just not the hero type, not like the others. The way you were thrown about, the way you could have died, it has you terrified. You imagine what your corpse would look like, and it isn't a pretty sight.

You want to run away. You want to break something. You want to race off into the Warrens before your stupid teammates can say more stupid words. You want to get out.

Do you?

JigaWatt, you're in control. This is your victory, your triumph, your moment, no matter what Rubberband Girl says. Right?

I mean, sure, you caused some of this mess, but that was part of the plan. Your plan. You're the leader, right? It was your leadership that triumphed, your powers that are pinning Moreau to the ceiling. Liminal is just jealous. That's how fame goes, and you've had plenty of people jealous of you before.

But still, it stings. You are in control.

You just have to show them. Show them all what you can do.

Fox, the Shadows answer your call.

You see darkness. Fluorescent lighting. And you see shoes. Lab coats. Cowards, running, fleeing, up stairs. An electronic lock like the one at the back door. One of the scientists uses a key card, and they emerge into moonlight. You're not sure if you're seeing the now or the soon to be now.

Running. Afraid. Weak.

The others would never understand your connection. You could never explain it to them. It isn't whispers that you're hearing, and you aren't hearing it, not really. It is a sensation inside you, as much a part of you as the blood in your veins.

The Shadows curl around you, pushing you, leading you, guiding you. Into the hallway, long and dark and full of possibilities.

Storage closets, easy to dismiss. A locker room - weapons, perhaps? A break room. Not enough space. There is more here, and the Shadows will show you.

The dark grows heavy, and in darkness you see cracks of light, faint lines of illumination. Two doors, right next to each other. On the right, you feel moonlight above, and the Shadows whisper of heartbeats. On the left, the dark is thicker, and descends. Two sets of stairs. And next to the hidden doors, sections of concrete that you can now see are holographic projections hiding simple buttons. A crude defense, but enough to fool most people. Not you. Never you.

And then you get a text. A message over Veil, from a little birdie.

Corax: League will arrive in 136 seconds. You've got this.

[Captain Jak]

JigaWatt
Conditions: Insecure
Potential: 2/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• Stage-fighting: When you directly engage a threat with an audience watching, mark a condition to roll + Superior instead of Danger.
  
  
• Time for the show: When you put on a flamboyant display of your powers, roll + Superior.
  On a 7-9, name one NPC present.
  On a 10+, name two NPCs present.
  The named NPCs must either volunteer help or information, express admiration, or ask for your help, GM’s choice.
  On a miss, your display catches someone watching in the wrong way.
  
  
• Suck it, Domitian: When you stand strong while dramatically under fire, roll + Savior instead of + Danger to directly engage a threat.

JigaWatt is a welter of emotions; flushed with success at finally incapacitating Dr. M, mildly irritated that nobody seems impressed, but mostly unsure of himself in the wake of Liminal’s words.

Well, yes, he probably could have done that at the outset, but to be honest...it hadn’t even occurred to him. He was Being A Superhero, which means taking the fight to the bad guy and putting him down, hard. But fights? Him?

When it came to his history of being in fights, most of which occurred before he got his powers, he pretty much universally came out on the losing side; embarrassingly so. Fighting just...isn’t his nature, so it’s not too much of a surprise that he performs rather abysmally at it.

But sticking things to other things? It’s a core feature of the sort of things he’s been doing for his fans for a while now. He can do that in his sleep; he was just....

...caught up in trying to do things The Hero Way.

Liminal’s words...hurt, and they don’t paint him in the most flattering light. Sure, he’s recording rather than broadcasting live, and he could edit the video before it goes out; but he doesn’t do that. Any poseur can edit a video to look halfway competent; he gives his fans the real deal.

"When you’re witty it doesn’t take time, it just is," he fires back, an idea starting to coalesce in his mind. "Don’t hate me because I finally had to step up and do what I’m good at." Implying they had let him down, sort of; a bit harsh, maybe, but he has been pushed into this position.

And he’ll do something that the rest of them can’t, show them he’s got things in control and is a force to be reckoned with!

"We’re just going to make sure you can’t do this to anyone else, Dr Moron!" he calls up to the pinned mad scientist, and begins building power. He crackles, surrounded by a visible aura of seething electricity, before sending runnels of charge darting along the surfaces of the room. Up table legs, equipment stands, power cords; he pours the power on, looking to fry every piece of electronics in contact with the ground into useless slag.

Let’s see any of them top that!

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Unleashing to alter environment and fry all the lovely sciencey equipment (barring suppression collars): 11
I’d imagine we can count that as Foolhardy action without consulting the team, for the purposes of clearing Insecure?

[DreadPirateH]

Errant White
Conditions:
Potential: 4/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• [X] Fight the good fight: When you pull your punches while directly engaging a threat, you can roll + Savior instead of + Danger. If you do, you cannot choose to impress, surprise, or frighten your foe.
• [X]The legacy matters: When you take Influence over someone from your legacy (or give them Influence over you), mark potential and take +1 forward. When someone from your legacy causes your Labels to shift, mark potential and take +1 forward.

Aiden grins sheepishly behind his helmet as he takes the man's hand. "Yes I am. Good to meet you, Daniel Jacobson. Thanks for your help." He trails behind Daniel as the scientist starts to deactivate the suppression collars. "Who is the New Dawn? Do you mean to say Dr. Moreau isn't working alone?"

At that moment, JigaWatt goes high-voltage and the place surges with electricity, providing the perfect environmental response to this new revelation! Sparks are flying, panels are popping, lightbulbs are bursting. "Whoa! Better get to safety! I'll be in touch!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

As discussed in the Discord, I will accept the label shift from Daniel Jacobson; +1 Savior -1 Mundane. Aiden's going to have a pretty big head underneath that helmet.

[Razade]

Fox
Conditions: Angry,
Potential: 2/5

It was beautiful, feeling through the darkness. Then it was over. Always so quickly. The gentle hum of a phone on vibrate, a message splashed against the inside of his helmet. Less than three minutes. He had this, she said. He wasn't so sure. A quick glance at the team told him what he needed most. Liminal. She was the best pick. Mysterious like a moon alighted pond, competent and geneial. All traits he respected. She wasn't doing this at the behest of the Enemy, she wasn't doing it for fame. Two more points in her favor.

"Liminal." he cocked his head towards the elastic youth, red LED eyes pulsing brightly. "We hunt. This way." With sweeping robes and animal furs, he took off. The scientists had fled, they'd hidden their escape route well but not well enough. Nothing hid from the Shadows, not simple control panels, not scientists and certainly not the seething emotions you tamped down to see a mission complete. His hand cut through the hologram, scientific illusions, and his feet carried him beyond the hidden doors. He only spared a glance back to see if the other hero was following. In the end it didn't matter, he was looking for something else. A briefcase with the symbol of a stone upon it, a fabled philosopher's rock, its purpose and contents unknown. A job was a job. If Liminal did follow however, maybe she could get the fleeing scientists. Two birds, one single request.

[Kirjath]

Liminal
Conditions: Insecure, Angry, Afraid
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• The Mask: You wear a mask and hide your real identity. You embody Freak while wearing your mask.
  Once per session, you can affirm either your heroic or secret identity to switch your Mundane with your mask’s Label. When you reveal your secret identity to someone who didn’t know it already, mark potential.
  
  
• Mild-mannered: When you try to use your civilian identity to deceive, trick, or slip past someone, roll + Mundane. On a hit they buy your facade. On a 7-9, choose one:
  - you’re still under observation
  - you leave something incriminating behind
  - you’re forced to make a fool of yourself to sell it
  On a miss, one of your civilian obligations rears its ugly head.
  
  
• Game face: When you commit yourself to save someone or defeat a terrible enemy, mark a condition and take +1 ongoing to all rolls in direct pursuit of that goal. At the end of any scene in which you don’t make progress towards that goal, mark a condition. When you fulfill your goal, mark potential.

Liminal could feel the static build as JigaWatt finally stepped up and did what he was good at. Which was apparently electrifying the room and destroying all the electronic devices. Thankfully, Liminal was mostly rubber, or the phone hidden on her person might've been vaporized as well.

He was powerful alright. Much more useful than she was. In fact, nothing she'd done that evening had worked at all. JigaWatt had taken care of the villain while Fox and Errant had taken care of his henchmen. She'd mostly just gotten in the way. And shouted at her teammates. Why did she have to shout at her teammates?

The realization hit all at once, and Liminal felt a surge in her desire to run away. She wanted to leave, to get anywhere else at that moment. Fortunately, Fox came to the rescue in a most morbid fashion.

'We hunt'? Who talked like that? Besides, what was there left to 'hunt'? The mercenaries with real guns? Still, Liminal watched as her much more stoic teammate walked through a wall. Even she had to admit that it was an impressive trick. How did he do that? She hadn't even seen him cast a spell this time, and yet he vanished like he could phase through matter. Was she supposed to follow him through that? Looking back around the room, Liminal weighed her options.

Errant White. Shining knight and easily chatting up the former hostages. He looked to be in his element. He looked pretty heroic just standing there, actually. Attention, and especially the spotlight, weren't something she could handle at the moment. She hadn't earned it. Maybe she would never earn it again.

JigaWatt, even after her verbal abuse, had enough power to obliterate the entire room. He almost singlehandedly stopped Dr. Moron (and that was pretty clever) from trashing them. There didn't seem like there was going to be any obstacles for him, and Liminal could only imagine the scathing commentary she was going to receive from his fans when he posted the video of today's rescue. He had a massive following, and she had just trash-talked their hero.

Her mind was made up rather quickly: it was definitely time to disappear for a bit. If she could find a dark place to sit and hide from the others, maybe the shame wouldn't be as unbearable. Maybe it would be worse. No matter what, she wanted to be somewhere else, and even if Fox was offering a hand in his usual dark fashion, it was still a way out. Liminal stepped out onto the floor, ignoring the tingling sensation of JigaWatt's electricity as she ran. The worst it could do was make her hair incredibly frizzy for the rest of the day, and that was a problem for Teagan to solve later. She reached the wall where Fox had disappeared and cautiously reached out a hand. It passed through without the slightest resistance, and Liminal blinked in confusion.

She either had a terrible concussion, or the "wall" must've been some sort of hologram or magic, because it was like the wall wasn't there. Without another word, she slipped into the corridor behind the illusion and followed after Fox as best she could. Maybe there was still a way to salvage this terrible day. More likely, there was at least some dark stairwell she could hide under for a couple minutes.

That is, if Fox didn't really mean they were on a real hunt. She wasn't interested in wild animals or catching criminals at the moment, but Fox was apparently the one teammate she hadn't let down yet. Or maybe he was just pitying her.

Liminal couldn't decide which option was worse.

[Razade]

Fox
Conditions: Angry,
Potential: 2/5

Fox waited on the other side, a finger raising to the ghoulish skull when Liminal broke through the hologram albeit with some time between. What had been the delay? First a hand, then the rest of her. It was a worry if she'd come at all, but here she was. "Good." was the only greeting she'd get, Fox turning to look about whatever was beyond them. "Brave." Or foolish, both were similar sorts of heroics when it got to the root of it. He didn't know who she was, what was going through her head or heart in that moment or any other since they'd become a team but he was happy she was here. Even if it appeared she didn't.

It wasn't the way of the Fox to speak so much, not in truths at least, but it had to be said. "You were right." Glancing back at the hologram, as if seeing through it to Jigawatt and Errant. "When he applies himself, he is strong. He needed to hear it. It would not have meant the same, from anyone else. He risked your safety, and the mission. It was good you said something. You are trustworthy."

That was enough however and in moments he was off. Time was of the essence, after all.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

rolled a 10 on a Comfort and support. Adding a Team to the Pool

[Malexia]

Fox, you descend. Past that first paltry layer of warding there is nothing to stand in your way, and in seconds - precious seconds, now - you arrive in the part of the facility that really matters: Dr. Moreau's personal laboratory.

For a scientist, this place is a mess. Every inch of the room is covered in some piece of equipment or notes. Test tubes, an autoclave, a whole wall of sundry tools, piles of journals, and strange organic material in fluid-filled jars. A few items resemble the tech upstairs, but most of this seems unique to Moreau. And then you see it: the briefcase. It's a metal briefcase with a complicated locking mechanism on it that might give even JigaWatt pause. But more importantly, you see the symbol of the great work, painted on in brown and green. A circle within a square within a triangle within a circle. The philosopher's stone, the most important sigil in alchemy.

Liminal, you follow Fox down and see all the same things he does, though your gaze mostly passes over the briefcase to focus on what's next to it:

Beside the briefcase sits a fluid bag with a half-dozen biohazard markers printed on it. The fluid inside is almost clear, but it has a sickly green tinge. There's a syringe next to it, filled with the fluid... and at a glance it's a perfect match for the drugs used to make the roided-out brutes you've been fighting.

JigaWatt, you ravage the chamber's equipment. Power surges from you and up into each and every piece of electronic equipment resting on the floor. Consoles fry, control panels melt, and all sorts of sensitive dials and meters light up one final time before darkening. The pods on the walls take the worst of it, cables crackling and wiring wracked with energy.

Every computer goes, every injector, every electronic lock. Everything. When the surge subsides, only the collars and the lights above remain.

Moreau is stunned into silence.

Errant, the scientist - Jacobson - makes quick work of collar after collar, easily deactivating them and freeing the grateful teens. "Yes, Moreau is just the Site Director. Every facility has someone like him, all part of New Dawn. All working toward some sinister agenda. New Dawn is a shadow organization, they're the ones-"

He starts to say more when the electronics go haywire. He swears under his breath and the kid he's helping flinches, but Daniel keeps his composure and finishes undoing the suppression collar. Then he gives you a nod and rushes over to the pods by the walls, raising his voice to direct the other scientists and technicians in getting the victims out before there's any damage from the fraying electronica. From a few snippets of conversation you catch, you realize that the victims in the pods are just regular humans, not metahumans like the teens. Perhaps the test subjects for those drugs you've been encountering.

[Kirjath]

Liminal
Conditions: Angry, Afraid
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• The Mask: You wear a mask and hide your real identity. You embody Freak while wearing your mask.
  Once per session, you can affirm either your heroic or secret identity to switch your Mundane with your mask’s Label. When you reveal your secret identity to someone who didn’t know it already, mark potential.
  
  
• Mild-mannered: When you try to use your civilian identity to deceive, trick, or slip past someone, roll + Mundane. On a hit they buy your facade. On a 7-9, choose one:
  - you’re still under observation
  - you leave something incriminating behind
  - you’re forced to make a fool of yourself to sell it
  On a miss, one of your civilian obligations rears its ugly head.
  
  
• Game face: When you commit yourself to save someone or defeat a terrible enemy, mark a condition and take +1 ongoing to all rolls in direct pursuit of that goal. At the end of any scene in which you don’t make progress towards that goal, mark a condition. When you fulfill your goal, mark potential.

Fox uttering more than his usual single word sentences was definitely one of the stranger experiences of the evening. She almost didn't believe half of what was coming out of that creepy mask of his, but his compliments sounded sincere. Usually her tongue was too sharp, and got her into more trouble than anything else, but he had praised her for it. More than that, it sounded like he believed in Liminal.

Even if his trust was sorely misplaced, it made her swell with just a little bit of pride.

"Uh, thanks Fox." She noted with slight embarrassment. The fact that he'd said anything at all had caught her off guard, and Liminal wasn't quite sure how to respond. "I think I said a bit too much if I'm honest, I'll probably have to apologize to JigaWatt later...but thanks! Anything you need, I'm ready."

The finger guns were unnecessary, and she regretted that decision immediately. Tucking her hands behind her back again, Liminal unsmoothly transitioned to studying the room. It didn't take her long to find the vials of dangerous chemicals among all the clutter, but she instantly stretched her neck over to get a closer look.

"So, uh, what are we hunting back here? 'Cause it looks to me like the reason Dr. Moreau turned evil was because no one taught him how to clean his room when he was a kid."

The more she looked at the chemicals, the more Teagan thought about splurging some of her monthly budget getting a few child safety locks for her cleaning supply drawer at home. Had they been mass producing the chemical? Were they making test subjects here to perfect the drug, or were they doing something more insidious with it?

"What do you think they were doing down here anyways? Planning another attack?"

[Razade]

Fox
Conditions: Angry,
Potential: 2/5

If Fox felt any particular way about Liminal's...unique mannerisms and awkwardness its met the same way as pretty much everything else. Stony silence behind a creepy mask, twin red eyes glowing brightly and muted body language under layers of clothing. Further shoved beneath deliberate movements down the stairs and into the hidden lab. Time ticked in his head, distracted only by the bevy of questions he neither cared about to wonder in the first place or answer right away. His prize was there.

"Uncertain." A finger traces the line of notes and other book keeping strewn about the room before landing on the vials as he slowly moved to slide the briefcase into his robes. "A clue?" The notes were bound to have some information at least. Even if they didn't, he needed her eyes elsewhere. There was a pang of guilt, for a moment, as he prepared to step into the Shadows and far from this ghastly place. He was leaving Liminal to handle whatever else might come but if the message was correct...part of what was on its way were adult heroes. She was the better of the two to deal with them, she was smart, she could figure out what needed to be taken here. He hoped she would be smart enough to destroy the rest. He could at least tip her off, let her know who was on their way. A reason to flee, a lie, but one in half truths. A Fox's way.

The pantomime was easy, tilting his head to the side as if listening for something far off as the shadows pulled around him. "Hurry. Heroes come. Tell the others, we will meet soon." And then...he slipped away, traveling through the darkness and away as fast as his feet could carry him. He had, after all, a delivery to make.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Got a 10 on AYWC. Taking the opportunity to steal the briefcase and confuse/distract Liminal with all the clutter. Also making my escape as I avoid further entanglement here.

[Captain Jak]

JigaWatt
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• Stage-fighting: When you directly engage a threat with an audience watching, mark a condition to roll + Superior instead of Danger.
  
  
• Time for the show: When you put on a flamboyant display of your powers, roll + Superior.
  On a 7-9, name one NPC present.
  On a 10+, name two NPCs present.
  The named NPCs must either volunteer help or information, express admiration, or ask for your help, GM’s choice.
  On a miss, your display catches someone watching in the wrong way.
  
  
• Suck it, Domitian: When you stand strong while dramatically under fire, roll + Savior instead of + Danger to directly engage a threat.

After such a widespread but ultimately controlled act of destruction, JigaWatt feels more like himself. He has no reason to doubt himself; he just needs to remember what he’s good at, and what he isn’t.

Speaking of which, he’s never actually interrogated a villain before, but that seems to be the next logical step, right?

Bringing his board up to where he can conveniently converse with his captured con, he tries to school his features to look stern and intimidating.

"I’m afraid I broke all your toys. Ooops," he says with offhand dismissiveness. "Might have to start on bad guys next. What exactly did you think you were going to accomplish, here?" he asks, willing the mad scientist to cave and respond.

It will look great to his audience!

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Clearing Insecure, as per Discord.
Pierce The Mask of the not-so-good Dr. Moron: 5
Hardly a surprise, marking Potential.

[DreadPirateH]

Errant White
Conditions:
Potential: 4/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• [X] Fight the good fight: When you pull your punches while directly engaging a threat, you can roll + Savior instead of + Danger. If you do, you cannot choose to impress, surprise, or frighten your foe.
• [X]The legacy matters: When you take Influence over someone from your legacy (or give them Influence over you), mark potential and take +1 forward. When someone from your legacy causes your Labels to shift, mark potential and take +1 forward.

With the captives freed and the doctor subdued, this was shaping up to be a very successful mission! Even Errant Green would have to admit that they'd done good work. This business with the New Dawn was concerning, though. There could be more labs like this, more victims to save. And maybe an even bigger plot behind it all.

As Doctor Jacobson releases another victim from the suppression collar, Errant Knight reaches out to take it. "I'd like to hold on to one of these. This is important evidence."

[Malexia]

Fox, the shadows come eagerly... and with a strange hint of fear. They've sensed something approaching, and they are more than happy to spirit you away before the unknown element arrives.

With briefcase tucked away, you step through darkness and emerge into moonlight, not that far from the facility but shrouded by ruins. And from your perch amid the rubble, you see a golden figure enter the facility through the same back door that you and your allies used.

Another text from your benefactor:

Corax: Okay, you're clear. Next step is finding some chalk. I'm going to teach you how to draw a transposition circle.

Liminal, as Fox takes his leave you take a second glance over the materials on the desk, and...

Well, you're no chemist, but you're starting to get some sort of picture of what this is. The fluid bag, it's the blueprint. A pristine sample of something that Moreau is then trying to replicate, dilute, or strengthen. This is what the drugs are based on, but a purer version. Moreau has been studying it, and not having much luck. You find one particularly interesting note, scribbled with enough force to bleed the ink:

I HATE MAGIC

JigaWatt, Moreau stares at you - as much as he can with those goggles on, that is. He's still silent after your big stunt, and your words don't even seem to register. He just curls his lip a little.

He's stopped struggling, too. He seems to be watching you, waiting for you to slip up. Waiting for a chance.

Errant, Jacobson hands the collar over without protest. The teens have started gathering in a group and are looking at you to lead them out of here. They're scared, but for the first time they seem hopeful. You actually saved them.

And then...

"In the name of justice, stand down you agents of chaos!" shouts a golden-clad archer as he bursts into the chamber from the back door above, bow drawn and arrow nocked, shimming sunlight radiating from him. At his side, a less-gaudy costumed hero carries a lyre and nervously hides behind the archer.

"Wait, what's going on?" The archer relaxes his grip and surveys the situation. He notes Dr. Moreau pinned to the ceiling, the hostages all freed, and the two other costumed heroes in the room.

Sunshot, member of the League, the golden archer, chosen of Apollo... is very confused. He scratches his head and adds, "Well, this wasn't in the briefing. Delphi, go sing the bad guy to sleep."

His sidekick, the nervous lyre-playing girl, nods and hurries over to the space beneath Moreau, starting to play a song on her instrument.

Sunshot surveys the room again, then focuses his attention on Errant and JigaWatt. "So, anyone need healing while you two tell me what happened here?"

[Razade]

Fox
Conditions: Angry,
Potential: 2/5

Like that, he was out. He hoped Liminal would contact him on where to meet up...whenever whatever it was exactly was heading to the lab was done with them. They'd probably want to talk. Which meant he needed to make the next thing fast as well. Chalk, then. Not a hard thing to procure. We get a few panels of Fox slipping out of costume, no reveal of his face just yet, a convienence store, sidewalk chalk and finally back in an alley and back in costume.

"Ready." is all he sends back, drawing the circle on a cleared bit of ground as instructed. Where it leads, he certainly doesn't know though if this were all an elaborate method of slapping him in cuffs and carted off to some prison cell...they had better ways certainly?

[Captain Jak]

JigaWatt
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• Stage-fighting: When you directly engage a threat with an audience watching, mark a condition to roll + Superior instead of Danger.
  
  
• Time for the show: When you put on a flamboyant display of your powers, roll + Superior.
  On a 7-9, name one NPC present.
  On a 10+, name two NPCs present.
  The named NPCs must either volunteer help or information, express admiration, or ask for your help, GM’s choice.
  On a miss, your display catches someone watching in the wrong way.
  
  
• Suck it, Domitian: When you stand strong while dramatically under fire, roll + Savior instead of + Danger to directly engage a threat.

JigaWatt’s breath catches as the League – the League! – arrives, and his internal monologue starts racing about like a fanboy until he reins it in. As Delphi takes Dr. Moron into hand, the galvanic hero’s mind races to formulate a plan of action.

With a nod to the sidekick, he spins on his board and descends to speak with Sunshot, brilliant arcs of power crackling off him to crawl along walls, support pillars, and now-defunct machinery in a manner that seems almost disconcertingly…alive. He reins in the power display as he approaches the Leaguer, halting perhaps six feet away and just high enough off the floor to put his head a little above that of the other man.

"Sunshot," he says by way of greeting with a nod, trying to get in the mindset that this is just another dude, and of course they’re operating at the same level. Right.

"JigaWatt, the rest of The Team is securing the buiding," he goes on, nodding his head in Errant’s direction. His Mama J is a huge police procedural fan, and he tries to frame his words in a way that sounds...official.

"We received a credible tip that this building was the site of illegal power experimentation on unwilling minors," he goes on, explaining their presence. "We did recon, we engaged the Doctor and his mercenaries, and we subdued them. Then released the test subjects and shut them down, for good." The odour of ozone and scorched wiring hangs strongly in the air, so it’s not difficult to get his point.

This is going to do amazing things for his hits. A Leaguer!

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Time for the show: 7
Sunshot is impressed by the display and must either volunteer help or information, express admiration, or ask for my help, GM’s choice.

[Kirjath]

Liminal
Conditions: Angry, Afraid
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• The Mask: You wear a mask and hide your real identity. You embody Freak while wearing your mask.
  Once per session, you can affirm either your heroic or secret identity to switch your Mundane with your mask’s Label. When you reveal your secret identity to someone who didn’t know it already, mark potential.
  
  
• Mild-mannered: When you try to use your civilian identity to deceive, trick, or slip past someone, roll + Mundane. On a hit they buy your facade. On a 7-9, choose one:
  - you’re still under observation
  - you leave something incriminating behind
  - you’re forced to make a fool of yourself to sell it
  On a miss, one of your civilian obligations rears its ugly head.
  
  
• Game face: When you commit yourself to save someone or defeat a terrible enemy, mark a condition and take +1 ongoing to all rolls in direct pursuit of that goal. At the end of any scene in which you don’t make progress towards that goal, mark a condition. When you fulfill your goal, mark potential.

"Magic." She sighed, watching the shadows recede after her friend's departure. With a few characteristically cryptic words, Fox was gone, leaving Liminal to puzzle out why she was alone in an angry scientist's disorganized office. Heroes were coming? Who? And how did he know that? Questions that obviously had no answer, since the teammate who seemed to know everything had just vanished. Also, was she supposed to tell the others to meet soon, or that heroes were coming? If they needed to know heroes were coming, why? Wasn't that a good thing? If the team was meeting soon, why did he leave? They could've just walked back to the other room. Fox occasionally blurred the lines between "mysterious" and "incoherent", it was a little frustrating.

And why was it now her responsibility to tell them? She'd just yelled at half of her other teammates, that didn't exactly put her in a great mood to just turn back around and find them again. Instead, Liminal took a moment to look back over the Doctor's table, and the pieces finally started to piece themselves together. At least, she hoped they were starting to fit together. It seemed Dr. Moron shared her distaste for the arcane, but what about his experiments had been magical? Was it the drug? Liminal had no actual mystical abilities, and her education was significantly lacking in a few areas, so leaving the Doctor's things exactly where she'd found them seemed like the best idea. She'd already been poisoned once, there was no need to relive the experience in one evening.

In fact, perhaps it was better to leave everything right where it was sitting if more heroes were going to be showing up soon. She had no real idea what she was looking at back here, and Fox was apparently done with his "hunt", so...did that mean she was just hiding back here in a creepy lab now?

Maybe meeting up with the others wouldn't be too horrible. Maybe apologizing to JigaWatt wouldn't be so difficult after all, though she was still somewhat angry at him.

Liminal quickly ducked back down the hallway and out the holographic wall once again. To her surprise, the heroes Fox had spoken of seemed to already be there. Not only that, but it was actual members of the League. Those weren't just heroes, those were the heroes.

"We, uh, *ahem*" Liminal coughed nervously as she added on to JigaWatt's last sentence. "We also found some...secret lab stuff behind this fake wall."

Her arm stretched out and phased through the holographic projection. It still made her mind do backflips as she watched her own hand just pass through a solid looking barrier.

[DreadPirateH]

Errant White
Conditions:
Potential: 4/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• [X] Fight the good fight: When you pull your punches while directly engaging a threat, you can roll + Savior instead of + Danger. If you do, you cannot choose to impress, surprise, or frighten your foe.
• [X]The legacy matters: When you take Influence over someone from your legacy (or give them Influence over you), mark potential and take +1 forward. When someone from your legacy causes your Labels to shift, mark potential and take +1 forward.

Aiden raises his shield and charges to put himself between the newly-freed captives and this new threat before realizing that it isn't a threat at all, but a genuine hero! Dismissing his shield again, Errant White trods over to join JigaWatt's debriefing.

"That isn't all. This facility is being run by an outfit calling itself the New Dawn. And they seem to be well supplied," he says, holding out the collar for Sunshot to examine. "There are likely many more of these facilities."

[Malexia]

Somewhere, somewhere out there in the city, there is a room where the air is choked by incense and fat candles with flickering flames cast erratic shadows across a room that, though full of arcane implements, is incredibly well-organized. Everything about this room is a sharp contrast to the lab we were looking at just moments before, and each panel shows us something new and unique about this strange, mystical chamber.

In the center of the chamber, formed of a blue powder that doesn't quite resemble chalk, we see a circle of lines and runes that exactly mimics the one that Fox had drawn in the alleyway. A woman, cloaked in raven's feathers and face cast in shadow, hidden from even the omnipresent gaze of the comic panel, draws the last rune. There's a *chirp* sound effect from her phone, and as she picks it up we see a text from Fox: Ready. We see a glimpse of her lower face, not much, just lips painted dark blue, but we see her smile.

The woman speaks, an incantation in a language rendered as indecipherable scribbles. We cut to Fox, muttering the same words as they are sent to him through his phone. The circles both glow with light... and then both are gone, chalk and powder blown away by a mystic wind. In that shadowed chamber, the briefcase sits. And in front of Fox: four books.

They're an eclectic mix, and you recognize three of them; Musings on the Mystic Art by Bartimaeus, the Archmage of Albion's well-known philosophical treatise on the arcane arts and magical theory, available in most libraries; Runes Through the Ages by Maximilian Pricefield, a dry and long-winded textbook that runs overly technical and is almost as common as the Archmage's book; and Discerning the Transversal Web by Zinthia Azaros, an extremely rare and valuable manuscript by an obscure scholar of the arcane, each copy hand-written, the book itself a mystical and metaphysical exploration of how entities and objects interact with each other and with the spaces between each other. There's a note on the Drood's book, written in curly script by, presumably, Corax, which reads: Know Thy Enemy.

And then there's the fourth book, one you've never seen before, written by an author you've never heard of: A Practical Guide to Sympathetic Magic by A.S. Rowan. From a quick skim, it seems almost like a study guide, the kind that college students or Advanced Placement high school students buy. It uses more casual language than the other three, and modern enough language that it must have been written in the past decade. It focuses on applied magic, and even has a section on the spell you just cast, the Transposition Circle. It lists the three books that came with it as required reading, along with a half-dozen other books that seem like they would take a bit of effort to dredge up.

A text from Corax: Perfect. I look forward to working with you again, Fox. Enjoy your homework.

---

While he listens to your tale, Sunshot moves around the room and tends to the injured. He always keeps his attention on you through subtle body language and the tilt of his head, but he's clearly splitting it between your recounting and the various freed hostages of the facility. Whenever he waves his hand over a scrape or bruise, a golden glow appears and washes away the damage.

"I'd be interested to know who gave you the tip, JigaWatt. If they're a reformed member of New Dawn, or one of their victims, the League would be more than willing to set them up with Witness Protection." Then he's back to healing and listening.

He takes both Liminal's and Errant's comments in stride, and takes the proffered item for only a moment before setting it down on a nearby table. Over by Moreau, Delphi has finished singing the doctor to sleep, and has him cuffed and collared, making resourceful use of another of the AEGIS devices removed from the teen captives. She drags him over and stands behind Sunshot once again, looking at the three teen heroes with an expression you can't quite decipher through her mask: a blindfold and heavy scarf, both plain white.

Sunshot takes a long look around the room... and then he sighs, and he hesitates.

"Listen, JigaWatt, I want you to know that what your team did here today, it was good. You got intel and you acted on it, and you acted the way heroes should: being bold, beating the bad guys, and saving the victims. You were heroes today, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, no matter who they are. Be proud of what you accomplished here, because it took guts, luck, and skill, and not a lot of teenage supers could have pulled this win off."

Spoiler: Label Shift

Show

Sunshot is shifting JigaWatt, Errant, and Liminal's labels. Savior up, Mundane down.

"That said..." Again, he hesitates. He doesn't want to say this part, but you can tell he feels he owes it to you.

"You just disrupted a League mission that was two months in the making and involved a lot of resources. See, we know about New Dawn, and the other facilities. Six of them in the Warrens, as far as we've found. Six labs cooking the drugs that hit the streets and turn vulnerable innocents and opportunistic thugs into pseudo-supers with unstable powers and weak wills. We've been monitoring their activity and making plans. And tonight? Tonight was the alpha strike. Six teams, six facilities, six synchronized attacks to cripple the production network before any had a chance to warn the others."

"The goal was to shut down New Dawn operations, free any victims, and learn as much as possible about the organization: who's running it, who invented the drugs, what they want with metahumans. You get the picture." He glances over at the fried electronica and winces. "That part might be a bit harder at this site, but I'm hoping you didn't fry Moreau's lab too."

"Anyway, the point is: this operation was meant to happen perfectly in sync, so that no facility could activate an alarm and alert the others. If someone here did hit the alarm, the other sites would have a chance to prepare for a fight, or evacuate critical personnel and hide important evidence."

Sunshot's voice is melodic, but he also clearly isn't used to giving briefings like this. He's almost getting winded just from saying so much at once. He lets out a heavy sigh, takes in a gulp of air, and finishes with an almost blurted, "We'll have to wait and see. My teammates should be reporting in any minute now with what they've found."

By now, everyone else in the room - the teenage metahumans, the formerly-pod-bound captives, and the nervous scientists - have gathered by the hallway and are looking apprehensively over at the five of you. Delphi notices and tugs on Sunshot's sleeve, who glances down at her, then at the hostages, and gives a nod. Delphi drifts away from him to go comfort the victims, with one final lingering look at the three talking to her mentor.

[Captain Jak]

JigaWatt
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• Stage-fighting: When you directly engage a threat with an audience watching, mark a condition to roll + Superior instead of Danger.
  
  
• Time for the show: When you put on a flamboyant display of your powers, roll + Superior.
  On a 7-9, name one NPC present.
  On a 10+, name two NPCs present.
  The named NPCs must either volunteer help or information, express admiration, or ask for your help, GM’s choice.
  On a miss, your display catches someone watching in the wrong way.
  
  
• Suck it, Domitian: When you stand strong while dramatically under fire, roll + Savior instead of + Danger to directly engage a threat.

JigaWatt is, understandably, a bit wary about just blurting out the information regarding their informant – not in the least because he’s still recording all this.

"We’ll be sure to pass that offer on," he deflects, certainly not willing to commit to anything on anyone else’s behalf.

Except, well, important stuff that’s time sensitive, of course.

He listens to the praise from Sunshot, not quite swelling with pride, but close enough. This is a big leaguer, and he’s saying they’re a cut above and are doing good work? This’ll send his views through the roof!

Even the follow-up can’t dent his elation; sure, this isn’t information they had in advance which would have been useful in determining their actions, but they’re still getting filled in after the fact, on official League business! That’s a courtesy between peers, nearly, and fortunately – the situation isn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.

"Sorry about that, we were operating under the best information we had at the time," he apologizes. "And we had to act; the League is incredible, but you guys can’t be everywhere to do everything all the time. Sometimes, others have to step up." He indicates himself and those of his teammates present with a wave of one hand.

"Fortunately, it’s not a crisis," the galvanic guardian goes on cheerfully. "There was an attempt to hit the alarm panel on the wall over there," he makes sure his camera catches where he’s indicating, "but we intercepted it. No alarm went out from here," he says with confidence.

Spoiler: OOC:

Show

Accepting Sunshot’s view of the team, adjusting Savior up and Mundane down.

[DreadPirateH]

Errant White
Conditions: Guilty, Insecure
Potential: 4/5

Spoiler: Labels

Show

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

Spoiler: Moves

Show

• [X] Fight the good fight: When you pull your punches while directly engaging a threat, you can roll + Savior instead of + Danger. If you do, you cannot choose to impress, surprise, or frighten your foe.
• [X]The legacy matters: When you take Influence over someone from your legacy (or give them Influence over you), mark potential and take +1 forward. When someone from your legacy causes your Labels to shift, mark potential and take +1 forward.

"Erm..." Hearing that they'd accidentally disrupted a League strike fills Aiden with shame. Sure, they drew praise from Sunshot for a job well done, but there's no way they'd done as good a job as he would have, which means that instead of helping, all they'd really done was put everybody at this facility at risk. And that was their best case scenario. It could have easily gone so much worse! Whatever this New Dawn is, it's clearly a big deal, and his team is in over their heads.

Unsure of what else to say for himself, he's thankful JigaWatt is handling it. Distancing himself from the conversation, he trudges over to help Delphi lead the victims to safety. The least he could do was see it through to the end, and try to soothe his wounded self-esteem.

"Sorry for spoiling the operation," he says sheepishly to Delphi. "I guess we're lucky it didn't go a lot worse than it did. If Green finds out, she'll never let me hear the end of it. May I help you move these people to safety? It's the least I can do."

Spoiler: OOC

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I'll accept that label shift, but that means Errant White is marking two conditions! Guilty and Insecure, as directed in the Discord. I'm also trying to prompt the team move about sharing a vulnerability or weakness with someone (Delphi in this case), but we're not quite there yet.

[Kirjath]

Liminal
Conditions: Angry, Afraid
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

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

Spoiler: Moves

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• The Mask: You wear a mask and hide your real identity. You embody Freak while wearing your mask.
  Once per session, you can affirm either your heroic or secret identity to switch your Mundane with your mask’s Label. When you reveal your secret identity to someone who didn’t know it already, mark potential.
  
  
• Mild-mannered: When you try to use your civilian identity to deceive, trick, or slip past someone, roll + Mundane. On a hit they buy your facade. On a 7-9, choose one:
  - you’re still under observation
  - you leave something incriminating behind
  - you’re forced to make a fool of yourself to sell it
  On a miss, one of your civilian obligations rears its ugly head.
  
  
• Game face: When you commit yourself to save someone or defeat a terrible enemy, mark a condition and take +1 ongoing to all rolls in direct pursuit of that goal. At the end of any scene in which you don’t make progress towards that goal, mark a condition. When you fulfill your goal, mark potential.

Liminal could listen to Sunshot read a phone book, and it would probably sound just as soothing. The hero had a melodic tone that had to be useful when it came to dealing with his heroic life, and she was a little jealous of the ease with which he handled the hostages. She'd had to practice for years just to get rid of her natural brogue when she spoke, and it still occasionally popped up when she didn't want it to. Her "bedside manner", for lack of a better term, was also abysmal when it came to hostages; and she still hadn't forgiven the one who stuck her with some sort of mystery drug. If it weren't for the fact that he was praising their work, Liminal would've felt much more ambivalent about the hero with the glowing hands.

But he'd praised them. Liminal could feel the pride swelling in her chest again, though not to the reassuring degree that it had when Fox spoke earlier. This was, after all, a job well done by her other teammates. The ones who'd done all the work. More than that, they'd apparently messed things up for the League, with no indication whether or not they'd gotten other heroes hurt. That sobering thought put a quick damper on her spirits, and Liminal once again felt her shoulders sink. It was a roller coaster of a speech for sure. She could tell the news had hit Errant White hard as well. After his easy conversation with the scientist earlier, seeing him at a loss for words was jarring. Liminal watched as he moved off to speak with the sidekick Delphi, and she couldn't help but feel that Fox had done the sensible thing. It was time to go.

Liminal stretched her neck over to where Delphi and Errant White were standing, slowly dipping her head until it came into the knight's field of view. Her hair hung down as she twisted to get a better view, creating a rather bizarre spectacle for anyone not used to her powers.

"Fox said to meet up later." She said quietly as she nodded to Errant White. "He's already gone. Looks like the League has this handled anyways, so I'll be going too."

As her head receded back towards her body, she added, "Oh, he also said heroes were coming. That...would probably have helped earlier."

There. All bases covered. Liminal's head returned and she began to slink towards JigaWatt and Sunshot. She wasn't quite sure what to say to either of them, but she knew things were only going to get more awkward around JigaWatt until she apologized. Gathering what courage she could, she stepped up beside the two heroes.

"Nice to meet you, sir." She said, hands clasped behind her back nervously as she regarded the archer. This wasn't exactly the sort of League debut she had hoped for, which only made things worse. "Sorry we, uh, screwed up your evening. JigaWatt! You...did great. Meet up later!"

It wasn't exactly an apology, but she could already feel her limits reached with just this much. Liminal quickly stepped behind the archer, and disappeared back towards the rear door they'd used as an entrance earlier. With luck, she'd have no problem getting out of there and back home. Undoubtedly her brother had already gotten into some sort of trouble while she'd been gone.

Spoiler: OOC

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Liminal has accepted the label shift. She doesn't feel particularly heroic, but it's not a deep enough feeling that she'd actively reject the opinion.

[Razade]

Fox
Conditions: Angry,
Potential: 2/5


He was there, then somewhere else, bright blue flashes surrounding the briefcase before they're replaced with...books. Not what he'd expected in fairness. Not the worst outcome either, the lingering suspicion of a set up fading along with the powder on the ground.A trick, a nice trick too, though a small sense of annoyance ripples through him as he sees that he is all to much alone. It was perhaps his own mistake in thinking he'd have an audience with the Raven and a small part of him wondered why they needed such theatrics if all this was amounted to a drop off. A teaching moment at best...a waste of everyone's time at worst.

His eyes, of course, are drawn to the course material provided. This was a means to an end, the Knights were sorely under-manned...to be as blunt and cold on that topic as possible. The purge had wiped out the majority of ranking mages within the organization, anyone who could teach him on the finer points of magic going forward weren't going to be familiar faces. Corax seemed a good bet when they'd approched him with a job offer. The payout was...interesting. Some books known, the first at least, though the others not so much. Knight magic was at least in line with the fetishistic magics detailed in the latter book, wrapped in centuries of hidden meetings and a culture that stood on the brink of annihilation. Gone however were the totems of Fox and Bear, Crow and Eagle, Lion and the rest of its mighty courts. It would take getting used to and, more importantly, adapting. He'd tried not to dwell on it much this evening but the weight of responsibility was always on his shoulders. The lessons and actions he took would be important for years to come. Not just in avenging his people...but in maintaining their way of life moving forward. Not only that, but with each book and lesson he was that much more valuable for the team.

Who he really ought to get back to. There would be time to figure out the rest of the books detailed, if they were important enough to name they were important enough to hunt down. His mission was done, both for the team and for Corax and there was little down the two reigning pillars would want to debrief on what just occurred. Errant would probably have the more compelling discussion, Jigawatt the more enjoyable presentation. He'd also left Liminal to fend for herself, there was no telling what she'd do. He slid the books into his robes and went back out into the night. If they needed him, they knew how to contact him and he had a new spell to show off. The first of many, hopefully.

[Malexia]

Sunshot nods at your words, JigaWatt. "Good, good."

Then he puts a hand to his ear - to an earpiece, almost invisible - and turns away from you with another nod, this one more apologetic. "Sunshot reporting in. Situation under control and bad guys bound. Hostages, mix of lab coats, teen metas, and non-meta humans."

He drifts further away and says a few things you don't catch, and then he's back, and the tension in him has changed - not gone, just changed. "So..."

He hesitates again. For a hero of the League, you've caught him at the absolute worst time, and his melodic voice and perfect aura doesn't match his lack of composure. "News is... mostly good. Some trouble, but nothing that could have been your fault. Beyond that..."

Sunshot sighs. "Cloak and dagger isn't my thing. You guys did the right thing tonight, and in my book that puts you on the same team as us. We're the good guys, and I don't like keeping secrets from other good guys. But Sentinel and Weaver are fighting a war of opinion against June Lang, and they'd both flay me alive if I spilled everything to you before the League's PR team got a chance to attach their spin. So for now, all I can tell you is that the mission was successful. And, please, JigaWatt: don't tell anyone about this until the League has made their official statement."

You recognize the name, JigaWatt: June Lang is the CEO of Junebug Technologies, a massive corporation with fingers in every vaguely-tech-related pie. She is also, notably and publicly, a major donor to Human Interest. At least once a week a new clip hits the web of her on some panel or interview throwing around talking points and criticizing the Halcyon League. For their part, the League's response so far has mostly been to try and ignore Lang and focus on building positive stories to drown out the criticism.

Sunshot glances over at Delphi, then says to you, "The three of you should get going. Weaver's going to teleport in soon, to secure the area and teleport the victims to safety. She... she might not be as friendly as I am."

---

Errant White, Delphi looks up as you approach and smiles warmly. "Hey."

The Apollonic sidekick's outfit incorporates a blindfold that seems thick enough to genuinely block vision, but Delphi has no problem turning her head to meet your gaze. She's just finished saying something soothing to one of the teenage victims, who looks a lot less panicked than he did after your team rescued him.

"It's okay, really. Sunshot says you did the right thing, so you did." She says that with such utter confidence it almost hurts. "I don't know why, but you were meant to be here, Knight of Albion."

She frowns. "I... hope you don't come to blows with New Dawn again, though. They scare me, and I have Sunshot to protect me."

Then she finally seems to process your offer. "Oh! Yes, getting them out. It's okay, Weaver is coming to take care of that part."

Weaver is the League's resident mage. An expert in matters arcane, she is the point of comparison often made when discussing Lich Girl, Corax's vanished master, being stronger in a few core areas but lacking the vast breadth of knowledge the Lich has accrued. Being able to hit harder than the Lich in even one school of magic would be enough to make her an S-tier talent, let alone several.

Not quite in Bartimaeus's tier, of course, but few are.

Then Liminal intrudes, and Delphi tilts her head at something said. Once Liminal has left again, Delphi faces you, Errant, and says, "Fox. I... I think I recognize that name. Or maybe the Oracle does, I-I can't be sure." She shakes her head and rubs her forehead. "Sorry, probably not important. This stupid power... anyways, I, um, I never actually thanked you for beating up the baddie, so... thank you."

She smiles again. "I'm not much for fighting, so it was actually nice to find the villain already wrapped up."

---

Liminal, no one stops you from leaving. Sunshot gives you another hero-to-hero nod as you leave, and Delphi acknowledges you with a knowing smile, but then you are gone and out of that horrible place with its needles and hostages and crazy mad scientists, and with its righteous heroes.

And you're there. Out in the dark, in the Warrens, under moonlight. Faded moonlight, dim and mundane. You don't see it like Fox does, with all his mysticism and ceremony. It's just dark. The shadows are just shadows.

Still, you jump a little when, as you make the trek home, your phone beeps to tell you there's a new Veil message. You open it and see a text from the Crow Witch herself, the Raven of Midnight, Lich Girl's apprentice.

It reads, simply: How are you feeling, Liminal?

[Captain Jak]

JigaWatt
Conditions:
Potential: 3/5

Spoiler: Labels

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

Spoiler: Moves

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• Stage-fighting: When you directly engage a threat with an audience watching, mark a condition to roll + Superior instead of Danger.
  
  
• Time for the show: When you put on a flamboyant display of your powers, roll + Superior.
  On a 7-9, name one NPC present.
  On a 10+, name two NPCs present.
  The named NPCs must either volunteer help or information, express admiration, or ask for your help, GM’s choice.
  On a miss, your display catches someone watching in the wrong way.
  
  
• Suck it, Domitian: When you stand strong while dramatically under fire, roll + Savior instead of + Danger to directly engage a threat.

JigaWatt holds up his hands in a placating manner; while he values his celebrity, of course, for the influence it provides him, that doesn't mean he doesn't understand that he doesn't always have to be centre stage.

Er, the Team. The Team doesn't, yadda yadda.

"Oh hey, no problem," he assures the Yodelling Yeoman. "I get it, not everybody is a big fan of...unofficial assistance, no matter how effective it might have proven to be," he adds wryly. "And this footage alone, of us in action and your presence, that'll boost my ratings like nothing else I've seen in a minute," JigaWatt adds enthusiastically. "Got no need to try and scoop you, maybe mess up your PR spin."

He's still tripping on heady phrases like 'right thing', 'same team', and 'good guys' – it's easy to agree that it's time to go.

"I won't put anything out that'll contradict what you guys say," he promises; he'll have to do a couple of edits to encompass the most likely scenarios put out by the League, and hopefully one of them will do to release on the heels of the official one. Until then...he can give the Amp'd a teaser.

And speaking of the Amp'd....

"C'mon, Errant, we gotta book," he raises his voice to catch his Teammate's attention, noting that Liminal is already slipping out the way they had come in. "And hey; I, uh, have a bunch of followers on YouTube," he says, turning back to Sunshot. "If it would help to have a whole bunch of unaffiliated voices dissin' Buggy June, you let me know." He backs towards the door, making a 'call me' gesture with his fingers by his head, then hops on his board and flits out into the unsafety of the Warrens.