[M&M 3e] Defying the Future IC

[Ridai]

It feels like they barely began, when suddenly Raphael throws a fit. Invisi-Nope spins around, trying to see what he missed, already having this sinking feeling in his stomach that usually means "you effed up". Going over to try and help (reappearing in the process)... he then misses a fox. And that sets off Raphael further. Feeling himself deflate further, Nope just... just tries to maybe, somehow, figure out how to make Raphael not run away, or start a fight, or summon Manchineel or... whatever it is Raphael can do. He was about to apologize on reflex, but that might have upset Raphael further. Somehow. Maybe.

Spoiler: Roll

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Team check for Insight (1d20+15)[20]

[Quellian-dyrae]

...In retrospect, Lily felt she could have thought this plan through more thoroughly. She could cop to that. Mistakes were made.

With Raphael near panic, Lily stepped boldly in front of her. This...may not necessarily have been wise. Oh, sure, Lily was a superpowered giant flower, but Raphael was a superpowered giant ox. Typically when a flower stands in the way of a frightened ox, it doesn't go so well for the flower.

Even so.

She reached out to pet her soothingly. "Shhh...it's okay...it's okay. It's just a fox. It can't hurt you. You're okay." She tried to calm her down, half hoping the Watcher had some plan...and half getting ready to calm her by more aggressive means if the need arose.

Spoiler

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Persuasion: (1d20+20)[26] + potential Team Check.

[Dorni]

Helios spun at the sound of Rapheal spooking and rushed back to the group. At least at first, but he slowed down as much as he could stand before he arrived. It wouldn't do to burst through the trees at top speed and startle her worse.

"Easy girl," he cooed, floating towards the enormous steer. "Easy girl, nothing to be afraid of."

Spoiler: OOC

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Persuasion to team check with Floral: (1d20+15)[27]

[Abracadangit]

It didn't take super-senses to see that the operation had soured -- Kal knows she doesn't have much time.

"Not so terrible, if this plan does not work," Ariadne says, unbothered. "Do not shed tears for your enemies, save them for your friends."

"Why do you always have to be so AWFUL," Kal thinks back, perhaps a little more forceful than she intended. Ariadne promptly falls quiet, which isn't the worst thing in the world.

"Hush now," Kal says, in a soft, cooing voice, as she keeps her eyes glued to Raphael for a precious moment of calm, that maybe the team can seize on to act, even if only for a second.

Spoiler: Roll

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Insight: (1d20+15)[28]

[Zelphas]

Raphael's eyes are rolling, twitches are still moving up and down her body, her massive hooves are still shuffling from place to place... but she doesn't run. She calms, just slightly. It doesn't look like she plans to go anywhere, but she isn't attempting to flee, either. The situation is still clearly delicate; almost anything can break the spider's web of calm you've placed over the giant ox, sending her in flight or fight in moments.

Which is why it's fortunate that the shiny silver object falls from the sky in front of Ariadne, who is not in Raphael's line of sight, hitting the forest floor in complete silence due to the heavy moss carpeting the ground.

Spoiler: The Device

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On the ground is a silvery cylinder, roughly the size of the palm of your hand. One one side is a bright green button. On the other side are inscribed the words: Press this side to the target, then hit the button. It'll do the rest.

Spoiler: Mechanics of the Device

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Minor Stasis Inducer (+0/+12): Affliction (Entranced/Stunned & Disabled/Incapacitated, Progressive).

Spoiler: OOC

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The next thing you do will trigger Raphael's fight or flight response. If you want to do Option 2 from above, now's the time! Of course, it's your choice whether or not to use Watcher's Device.

[Ridai]

Suddenly, a thing comes plummeting from the sky. Well. Watcher thing, right?

With Raphael on the verge of freaking out again and being as panicky as she is, something tells Nope whatever the thing does, it should be done... sneakily? Sneakily. Thus trying to put him feeling bad about having messed up to the side for now, he wordlessly gestures to Ariadne to pass the Watcher thing to him.

Once he does have the device and reads the inscription, he is fighting his jitters and just feeling so bad for Raphael as he tries to make his way to the giant ox. Gingerly make light steps on the moss without tripping. Press machine into Raphael. Push button. Hope things will go alright and this won't do bad things to anyone. Hopefully all this without messing up again. Oh boy.

Spoiler: Rolls!

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Here we go.

Stealth (1d20+15)[25]

Power Attacking for 2 with The Device for Affliction DC 29 (I think)
Attack check vs Raphael (1d20+8)[11]

[Zelphas]

Nope takes the device from Ariadne and makes his way stealthily towards Raphael, his footsteps silent on the mossy carpeting. Pressing the silvery metal disc to Raphael's shoulder, he taps the green button. Instantly, pale blue light expands out of the edges of the disc where it touches Raphael's fur, expanding into a film of bluish radiance that overwhelms Raphael's green bioluminescence and seems to freeze the massive ox in a moment of time.

...For about a second, that is. The green glow of Raphael appears at her hooves and travels upwards in a wave, shattering the pale blue light of Watcher's attack into motes of blue-green light that hover in the air for a moment, then disappear. When the green light reaches the disc, it solidifies into the same thin greenish creepers that hang in the air all around the area, warping and tarnishing the silvery metal until the device itself crumbles into dust and disappears, taking the creepers along with it.

With a loud bellow of fear, Raphael rears up on her hind legs, stomping into the ground with earth-shaking force. The ground in front of her shudders upwards into eight distinct hummocks of moss, which split apart to reveal the round, teardrop-shaped pale green bodies of Saplings, unfurling from their hidden rest. They rise up on their squat, root-like legs in unison, their arm-like branches spreading wide to block the way between the danger and their lady. Each of their four eyes chooses a different hero to focus upon; the blue eye snaps to Ariadne, the brown eye to Helios, the grey eye to Nope, and the green eye to Floral, watching all of you at once. The blue-veined, dark green leaf at the top of each pointed head quivers.

Saplings are living creatures; therefore, they must eat. Their name and general shape suggests that Saplings "eat" like plants do, taking in nutrients from sun, soil, and water and converting that to their energy. The four of you are given a possible reason to dispute this general belief today, as the front of all eight Saplings split open to reveal a lopsided maw coated with thick strings of sap. The creatures of Manchineel let loose a bubbling growl, the oddly inorganic sound hissing through broken spurs of wood that could possibly pass for teeth.

For her part, Raphael wheels on her enormous hooves, lowers her massive head, and begins to charge... directly away from the group, heading for the trees on the other side of the small clearing.

Spoiler: OOC

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Raphael

Free Action: Swap Ox of Helios Array to Call Protection.

Standard Action: Use Call Protection, summoning 8 Saplings.

Move Action: Shift to AM17.

Music

Map, once again.

As the battle begins, two quick notes:

Life's Wellspring: As long as Raphael is on the battlefield, her Saplings gain a measure of protection due to her overwhelming healing energy. Saplings do not fail Resistance Checks as Minions so long as Raphael is within 300 feet of them; instead, they take a -3 to all Resistance checks.

Flight, not Fight: Raphael is attempting to escape the battle, but her Teleportation only works if she is in contact with a tree that has at least a 10' diameter. It will take her two rounds to reach such a tree from where she is on the field right now.

All PCs are on turn.

[Ridai]

Nope tried. He really tried. And cared. So much. But things have not worked out.

Now Raphael tries to flee and there are Saplings. Aw man.

So Nope's shoulders sag as he looks rather dismayed, followed by trying to just... stop the fight. As unlikely as that is. Okay, start with one Sapling. Think through the row. Then Raphael. No blipping! Okay, maybe the Saplings, but not Raphael! No, let's be safe, no blipping! Just wearing out! Readyokaygo!

Sweat has already been on Nope's forehead when trying to get to Raphael, this situation isn't helping as he balls his fists and then open them to do his thing while trying to keep some clarity of purpose in order to not harm the poor creature. The question whether he should be sympathetic in this moment or not is pushed away for the moment.

Spoiler: OOC

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Free Sad cat.

Free Switch to Second Guessing and Hit Points, Mass

Standard Attack all enemies with Remove Hit Points, Mass to tire them out. 240ft bendable line. Damage DC 25, Penetrating (Pierce Immunity), Multiattack, Crit 16+
Routining attacks vs the Saplings for 20
Attack vs Raphael (1d20+10)[22]

[Quellian-dyrae]

As Raphael panicked, Lily didn't even sigh. Resolving this non-violently had always been something of a long-shot, and they had come close. It had been well worth the try.

But now it was time to get down to business.

A light flutter of Lily's wings propelled her into the air, over the saplings, and past Raphael. She was heading for a large tree; Lily didn't quite know why, but some instinct told her it was probably best not to let her reach it. Once again, the flower interposed herself before the oxen, presenting a barrier far too small and delicate to have any hope of halting Raphael's enormous momentum. Even if power could cancel power, the simple physics of the situation simply were not on her side.

Physics. Heh.

Lily raised her hands, and the scent she had given off when she had been communicating with Raphael intensified by several orders of magnitude in an instant. Before it had been gentle, soothing, calming.

It still was. Just thousands of times moreso. She reached out with one hand, to lay it gently right at the tip of Raphael's nose. Raphael's momentum would push her effortlessly along. The flower could not have physically obstructed the oxen if she wanted to.

But chemically, even a tiny, delicate flower could stop an enormous oxen cold.

"Enough. It is time for you to calm down!" Lily said, as the heady scent billowing from her skin crashed like a breaking wave down on Raphael's nose.

Spoiler

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Free: Reconfigure Flower Power. 5 points to Petal Wings, 10 points to Heady Scent, 10 points to Complex Scents, 10 points to Miasmic Scents, 10 points to Lingering Scents, 5 points to Overpowering Scent.

Move: Into AO17, like...10ish feet up? Right at Raphael's face-level, basically.

Standard: Attack Raphael with Flower Power, All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 5, at (1d20+10)[18]. On a hit, Resistance DC 25+Multiattack vs. Cumulative, Secondary Effect Immobilized+Impaired/Stunned+Disabled/Incapacitated Affliction.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: DO IT AGAIN at (1d20+10)[23].

Current Status: Normal, Fatigued as of next turn, AoA -5.

[Dorni]

Helios spat a curse as Rapheal broke free of Watcher's device and fled. Seeing Rapheal up close had affirmed his earlier thoughts; that Machineel's servants were just as much her victims. Despite the phenomenal aura of life energy that she was emitting, Rapheal was still at heart an ordinary animal. In this case a frightened animal. He didn't want to imagine what Machineel could have made out of Feo.

Still, his sympathy didn't mean he could let Rapheal escape. Who knew when they'd get another chance like this. He flew after the ox just above the forest floor and clear of the vegetation, conjuring a blinding flare of fire to burn away the moss monsters and thickening vegetation alike before it became so thick as to bar the way.

With the way clear, he turned his attention back to Rapheal herself and started shaping the runes for another spell. Unlike his previous displays of fire, this spell was far less flashy. He'd never imagined trying to influence a creature this large when he'd created the spell, but if it took hold Rapheal would start to feel tired, exhausted, and sleepy as Helios' magic drained her life energy.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move: To AU22
Standard: Cast AoA/PA 5 Solar Flare, centered at AH20. This will cover all remaining saplings plus Rapheal. On hit, DC 30/25 vs Damage and Affliction [Vulnerable / Defenseless].

Saplings: Routine attack 20
Rapheal: (1d20+10)[19]

Extra Effort: Cast AoA/PA 5 Drain Vitality on Rapheal. Rolled 27 OOC, Crit On hit DC 25 30 vs Affliction [Fatigued & Impaired / Stunned & Disabled / Incap]. This is Affliction is Cumulative and Progressive.

-5 AoA, Fatigued next turn

[Abracadangit]

As Kal watches her teammates handily dispatch Raphael, she spies a couple of saplings still standing. She clicks her tongue, and a second needle slides into her empty hand.

"Time to tie up the last loose ends." Kal immediately hears Ariadne's dry laughter in her mind. Hnn, hnn, hnn. Loose ends, like the thread. You must think you are very clever.

I didn't mean what I said before, about you being awful. It's just...

You do not have to explain yourself to me, Ariadne counters. This is a different age, the one you live in. Mercy is one of many luxuries afforded to you. Don't worry your little head, I know I am out of place.

Not all the time, Kal thinks back, as her needles glint coldly in the forest light, flicking left and right while red threads ominously form in the air around the saplings. Like now, for instance. I can always use your help when I'm doing this... sort of thing.

And I shall always offer it, engoní, Ariadne thinks back, just as the threads coil back from the saplings, like snakes waiting to strike.

For there is still much thread to be spun.

Spoiler: OOC

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Switching Threadwork Conjurations to Dual Needle Weaving, dropping an AoA/PA +5 Thread Lash Cloud Area, centered on AD21. Routining the attack on the Saplings for 20.

[Zelphas]

The green forest Tuesdays for just a moment, and then four of the Saplings simply fall apart into twigs and leaves, while the remaining four stagger slightly due to Nope's deletion powers. Two more go down in a burst of Helios' fire, the twigs and leaves smoldering slightly from the after-effects. The final two are just turning to look towards Floral when red threads burst out of thin air, wrapping tightly around them and pulling tighter, tighter, until they burst into a shower of yellow-green leaves and are gone.

Raphael simply ignores Nope's blast, the wellspring of life within her wiping away any fatigue before it can even begin to manifest. The massive ox doesn't even register Floral at first, still pushing towards the trees nearby, but a few moments later the scent works its way into her nostrils and Raphael freezes in midstride, her entire frame shuddering with the conflict of her own panicked desire to flee and Floral's forced command to calm and stop. This leaves her in prime position to be blasted by Helios' fire; the moss on Raphael's back crackles and blackens, but the ox still does not fall. Then Helios strikes directly at Raphael's life energy. Perhaps the spell was perfectly crafted to deal with this sort of foe, or perhaps Helios simply struck at the right place and time by sheer coincidence, but the end result is the same: Raphael collapses, first to her knees, then to her stomach, a deep groan coming out of her before her head slumps to the ground. The forest, a moment before a burst of movement and activity, goes quiet and still once again.

A pulse of green light starts at Raphael's hooves and moves swiftly upwards, covering her body in a gentle flash. Once it is gone, the damage from Helios' fire is entirely gone; the massive ox, pouring out life energy even in slumber, still sleeps for the moment.

Spoiler: OOC

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End of Raphael's Turn: Regeneration kicks in. Raphael heals 1 Bruise.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Well...dang.

Lily...look, Lily'd be honest, she had not expected that to go that well (especially considering how well the encounter with Raphael had been going up to that point, which was to say not at all). Truth was, while Lily resented people underestimating her new powers, it wasn't because she was super-confident in them and couldn't understand why others couldn't see how awesome they were. It was because the doubts hit too close to home. No matter how much science she threw at them, no matter how much further she took them than they could ever possibly have been meant to go, Lily was always painfully aware that at their core, they were still just some dinky little flower powers. In the back of her mind, faint but never silent, was always the lingering worry that this next enemy would be the one to reveal that all her tricks and science didn't amount to any real power at all, possibly by splattering her all over the ground.

But here was Raphael, one of the most powerful of Manchineel's minions, and Floral's "dinky little flower powers" had stopped her cold. And her team had not just finished her off, but taken out her Sapling defenders as easy as plucking a few weeds.

Lily's internal evaluation of the probabilities once again updated strongly in the direction of "we can actually do this".

Outwardly, of course, she didn't reveal anything about her (now smaller than they had been) doubts. As Floral, she simply fluttered down to the ground, her expression not even changing behind her veil of flowers, as if that had gone precisely as she had intended and expected rather than wildly exceeding her best hopes. "Uh, Watcher? We have one giant ox ready for...transport, or whatever." Presumably he'd still have a bird nearby. Meanwhile, she headed back over to regroup with the others, one hand raised to offer high-fives.

[Ridai]

The focusing did unravel a few Saplings, but Raphael just shrugged it off. Before Nope is even done with the reflexive raising of hands held like claws towards him, shaking with impotent frustration, Raphael just keels over (alive! Keels over alive!) due to the rest of the team. The rest of the Saplings is also done for post-haste.

So poor Nope just stands there, blinking, blinking again, very clearly and blatantly perplexed by his much more competent teammates and the extent of their competence. He weakly points two fingers to Raphael, then the others, then it's just chaos of switching between all of them until he weakly returns the high-five. He also remembers aces low, but he saw that in only one piece of media and immediately discards that as not fitting.

"That was, uh, wow." A beat. "I, uh, I think Raphael has too much mass for me to handle..." Nope sheepishly admits, hands just closing and opening, arms swinging a little, not sure what to do right now other than wait for what Watcher has to say.

[Dorni]

Helios let out a sigh of relief. That had almost gone poorly. Their plan had been touch and go for awhile, and Rapheal had bolted and nearly escaped at the end, but they'd done it. They'd even put her to sleep without hurting the undeserving ox too badly in the process. They still needed to get her to Watcher, but he could see the Life energy drained out of her. It was going to be a while before she woke up.

"One archangel down!" He shared a high-five with Lily.

He nodded acknowledgement to Nope and turned his attention back to the enormous ox. "Let me handle Rapheal" A series of wispy runes of another spell briefly appeared in front of him. There was a brief gust as the surrounding winds collected, which he then directed to Rapheal and gently lifted her off the ground. Turned out the ox was a lot heavier than he'd expected, but his spell was still up to the task. He readjusted the power until she was floating comfortably, then looked around for Watcher's pigeon. "Where do you want us to meet you?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Using Strength 10 from Crossing the Sky to lift Rapheal.

[Abracadangit]

Kal flicks her needle to the left, and a floating hand made of red thread returns Floral's high five. "A job well done, but there is much thread yet to be spun," she says, stealing one of Ariadne's lines for her own.

They were lucky that Raphael was relatively peaceful; if only every enemy was effectively a giant mass of healing magic, she thinks to herself.

"That magic you wield," Kal says, gesturing to Helios' runes when they appear for a moment. "Where do you draw its power from?"

[Dorni]

"This? There is air all around us. Its simply a matter of willing it where to go and how to go about it." It was an accurate answer, but how could he succinctly describe the process of reaching out to the traces of aether in the air, collecting it together to form a mass of air, drawing out the traces of water in the air and then remixing them back into the aether to give the mass of air the property of surface tension making it hard to the touch yet retaining flexibility, then forming a wind on the other side to push the hardened air to give it force, all while keeping the structure of the spell balanced? He bore the girl no ill will, but to fully explain his magic would require starting at the fundamentals. Besides, he was supposed to be empowered by Helios and channeling the power of that god, not a wizard. He had to be careful how much he revealed around that spirit that was bound to her. He wasn't sure if he believed its story that it was the real Ariadne, but it was undeniable it was much stronger than many of the spirits the cult contacted.

"If you would entertain a question of mine, how did you meet the spirit that possesses you?"

[Zelphas]

Green energy has begun to build at Raphael's hooves once again just before Helios' spell fully takes form. He lifts the giant ox into the air, readying her for transport... and the green energy dissipates. Raphael continues to lay upon her new bed of air, unconscious, thoroughly... well, cowed.

Spoiler: Helios

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As you lift Raphael into the air, the Life energy surrounding her changes subtly. It is still present. but it isn't nearly as active as before, which is probably a good sign.

There is a prolonged pause as you regroup and congratulate one another, and then a pigeon darts down out of the trees, landing on Raphael's slumbering head. "You're heroes, I keep saying this, I should know what that means, but you keep on surprising me!" Watcher's voice exclaims with glee, the pigeon hopping up and down along one of Raphael's long horns. "Let's see... hmm... Got it! abandoned gas station-slash-autobody shop at the end of town, big building with peeling white paint on the edge of the Industrial Block, almost due north of here. Lock's rusted almost completely away, big garage doors. That keeps Raphael away from the forest until I can get her here; I'm just putting together the finishing touches on the one-way teleport... though the way you all can move, you'll have Raphael there before I finish this sentence!" The voice chuckles to himself before trailing away ever so slightly. "Um, right. Get her there, and I'll take care of the rest! You're awesome!" The pigeon flies away.

A few days later...

It was a bizarre case, even for the bizarre world everyone in Forester's Bay has been living in for the past month. A half-dozen people from all ages and walks of life, all dressed in the red scaled robes that mark them as members of the Suneater Cult, all dead in a parking garage on the west side of the Main Drag. Even with everything that's been happening, there have been shockingly few outright deaths, so this comes as a surprise to most. Even more concerning is the shape of the bodies; four of the cultists look like they were torn apart by some sort of wild animal with large, long claws, while the last two are hunched over in positions of agony, with no external injuries except for blood coming out of their ears. The police have kept the rest quiet, but one thing is certain: nothing anyone's seen so far could make those precise types of injuries, and nothing except the six cultists (and a smudged chalk drawing impossible to make out) was found at the scene.

Spoiler: OOC

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And that's the first mission fully complete! Everyone gets 3 Downtime actions before your next choice to Act or React.

For your valiant efforts to find a peaceful resolution to capturing Raphael, everyone may take a +5 bonus to the first Persuasion or Insight check they make in this Downtime.

[Zelphas]

Historical Insignificance

August 12, 2018.

Things had been quiet in Forester's Bay for a few days. After the discovery of whatever happened to the Suneaters, there seems to have been something of an unofficial lull in the actions of the League; the Chain Gang has been seen around less often and don't seem to be actively stealing, mugging, or otherwise making a mess, the Suneaters are as unpredictable as always, and Doctor Proxy's robots haven't been seen for almost a week. Most surprising to the four of you perhaps is the complete lack of response from Manchineel. After losing one of her Menagerie, the one in charge of spreading the forest, the League member repeatedly described as a "force of nature" has responded with... nothing. Even the Saplings seem to be dormant, with only a few furtive glimpses of them here and there, though Gabriel still patrols the edge of the Dome and Abel still wanders the forests to the north and west, it seems.

Remy is at the Forester's Bay Museum of Natural History when this small lull ends. He is looking for his sister, beginning with where she told him to go in her last message. As he prepares to leave after another day of searching, he sees several very familiar forms moving with spiderlike speed across the street towards the museum, following after a figure in dark chrome with a long scarlet cape. The last time Remy saw this suit, he was on the inside.

By the time Nope finds the rest of the group and gets all of you to the museum, the Proxysuit and its company of robots are already inside, and the overwhelming majority of museum visitors and staff have already fled. The movement of the Proxysuit and company is easy to follow; broken glass and missing exhibits dot the rooms. No exhibit is broken, but several glass fronts have either been cut cleanly by a small laser or simply broken by metal arms. The metallic group has ignored the exhibits on prehistory, biomes, and flora and fauna, traveling up the stairs and into the wing focused on human civilization. You catch up to them in a room titled "Development of Tools: Pre-Bronze to Iron Age".

The relatively smaller, spiderlike "Helper" robots swarm over several sections of the exhibit, warming up their laser cutters to break through the protective shielding and get to the artifacts held within. Taking up much more of the large room are two enormous versions of their smaller cousins. Instead of several segmented metallic legs, these "Movers" have four triangular wings jutting out from their flattened square center, each wing holding a turbine that whirs with a surprising lack of sound, keeping the whole contraption aloft. At each corner of the flattened metal square sprout two long, thick arms of dark chrome metal and black cabling; these sixteen arms (eight for each machine) are currently testing either side of a squat exhibit that houses a bronze smelting furnace and an iron smeltign furnace side by side to show the differences in the technology, as though preparing to lift the entire exhibit up and carry it away. In contrast to the Helpers, each of which already have a few museum pieces placed upon their central square dock, the Movers are both empty; you can easily see the numbers "889" etched into the center of their platforms.

Past the Movers and seemingly unaware of anything else in the room is the Proxysuit, though it is currently hidden from view of Nope and Ariadne. Helios and Floral can see a humanoid figure made entirely of dark chrome, lacking any distinguishing human features aside from its shape. The entire "suit" is seamless, flowing like liquid with each movement of the body underneath; even the faceplate is just a blank, flat plane of chrome metal, without eyes, nose, mouth, chin, or ears. The only bit of extra embellishment to this frank humanoid form is a long, flowing cape of deep, dark scarlet, which seems to be embedded in the suit at the shoulders and drapes down to the figure's heels. The Proxysuit has its faceless form turned towards the far wall, where a floor-to-ceiling display holds shards of pottery from before the Bronze Age housed within.

Spoiler: OOC

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Map!

Initiative

Floral: (1d20+8)[16]
Ariadne: (1d20+4)[17]
Helios: (1d20)[1]
Nope: (1d20)[11]

When a Proxysuit is in the room and functional, the 'bots all follow its lead, so the suit will roll Initiative for everyone.

Proxysuit (and bots): (1d20)[3]

All Pcs except for Helios are up.

[Ridai]

You know what sucks? Not being able to actually teleport. Well, that isn't correct, he can kind of do that and it isn't a scifi teleport that raises all sorts of existential (dread) questions whether an identical copy is still the same and whether your existence ends as the one that disappears and ANYWAY moving his position is not the fastest he can go relative to realtime!

So not only does Remy lose some precious seconds having to get to a spot where he won't be seen by anyone and thus won't be noticed to just disappear, but he then spends subjective hours in zero time, trying to find the others and bringing them back. Nature has uniquely blessed Remy with the ability to care. Care that is not wont to decrease because of getting used to something. Thus it is hours of dreading something bad happening to innocent people while he is away, while trying to maintain a grip on removing personal time and travel time without causing havoc or getting someone stuck or bumping anyone into anything.

So he appears in front of Ariadne looking kind of stressed going "A Proxysuit and entourage appeared at a museum, please come with me!"
Then in front of Helios with Ariadne, looking jittery, going "Proxysuit and stuff at a museum, please come."
Then Floral, with Ariadne and Helios in tow, holding his head, going "Proxysuit, museum" and just kind of gesturing for her to agree to come with them.

The group of heroes and the indistinct form of Nope that somehow manages to look distinctly disheveled appear in the museum. Looking at his (burner) phone, Nope tries to remember how much realtime has passed while following the trail of burglary, relieved to see no victims. But man, Nora would be so unhappy about the burglary. Ouch, Nope just hurt himself thinking about Nora again.

"Okay so" Nope taking a deep breath, being very out of said breath. Did you know you don't need to breathe in zero time and that your body kind of stops trying to do that and you don't get tired but Nope still does because ouch concentration on Removal and trying not to erase general time and space? "someone's in the 'suit. Normal person. So don't crush or fry it or something. They've no control." There's just general trying to readjust to realtime and his headache. Headaches are the worst when he needs to fight.

When they do eventually reach the exhibition, Nope has mostly regained normal bodily status (headache still there), but seeing the Proxysuit causes all sort of his namesake normally reserved for his powers. You are not supposed to show fear in front of an enemy but dammit Nope does because bloody hell the Proxysuit scares him to no end! Which, in a way... helps! He wants the suit and the other Proxy minions to go away! So he very quickly tries to do so with all his might (and momentarily tightly shut eyes). But hurriedly has to amend but not the person in the suit! Not the person in the suit! Just the suit! The Proxysuit! Stop thinking about normal suits! With closed eyes, hunched, balled fists, and shaking all over his body, he tries to visualize all the bad Proxy things (minus the person in the Proxysuit) and how they disappear. Open hands, go.

He will need so much combat training to not leave himself massively open in situations like this. The shaking and sweating don't seem to stop.

Spoiler: Actions

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Free Switch to Remove Second Guessing and Remove Hit Points, Mass

Move Forget I wanted to move Move to AB25.

Standard Attack all enemies with Remove Hit Points, Mass. Two 240' bendable lines via Multiattack. Damage DC 25, Ranged, Penetrating (Pierce Resistance), Multiattack (multitarget). AoA -5/+5, Crit 16+
Routining attacks vs Helpers for 25
Attack vs Helper 1 (1d20+13)[15]
Attack vs Helper 1 (1d20+13)[25]
Attack vs Proxysuit (1d20+13)[23]

[Abracadangit]

While everything happening at the speed of Nope was quite a lot to process, Kal finally catches up and flicks one of her trademark needles into her hand. With Nope... er... "Noping" most of the smaller robots, it gives Kal a chance to focus on one of the larger mechs.

Red threads begin to materialize around the Mover, and a split-second later, Kal grabs a snarl of thread in her open hand and pulls.

Spoiler: OOC

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Free Action -- Switching Threadwork Conjurations to Defensive Thread.
Snaring Strands on Mover 2, AoA for +3/-3.

Mover 2: (1d20+13)[26]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lily...actually kinda appreciated Proxy targeting the museum, in a weird way. It was like, sure, it was still a robbery and that was wrong and all that. But there was at least a certain amount of coherence to it. I mean, I'm not saying it makes sense that the super-inventor from the future is going after archaic historical weapons. Let's not go crazy here. But like sure, Proxy's trying to change history and invents weapons, so something something historical something weapons...it at least rhymed with something that made sense. Or that had met something that made sense. It made at least a quarter as much sense as Nope's powers?

...Look, Lily's first experience with Proxy was when he sent some helpers to steal a couple perfectly normal teacups from a random china shop. We grade on a curve here, is what I'm saying.

Not important. Nope took out most of the Helpers, and Ariadne swiftly entangled one of the Movers in her threads. Seemed worth exploiting. Lily darted over to the Mover, and...

Well, I mean, to all appearances, she just kinda reached out to touch it. I mean, okay, it wasn't an entirely light touch. It was more of a gentle shoving motion. Which didn't seem like it should really do much coming from a five-foot-and-a-shrug, slightly-built woman who was pretty much exactly as strong as she looked, against a fifteen-foot monstrosity of metal and robotic arms.

But given her hand and, really, her entire forearm were currently sweating high-powered acid, a gentle shove was really all the physical exertion required to deal some potentially massive damage.

Spoiler

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Free: Reconfigure Flower Power. 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Drugged Nectar, 10 points to Lingering Acid, 10 points to Potent Acid. Variable Descriptor to [Energy] [Acid] for all effects.

Move: Into S29.

Standard: Attack Mover 2 with Flower Power, Power Attacking for 4, at (1d20+6)[9]. On a hit, Resistance DC 29+Penetrating/24 vs. Secondary Effect Damage Linked Weaken Resistance and Effect Bonus. Gentle shoves not optimal attack modes for superheroic combat. You heard it here first.

Current Status: Normal.

[Zelphas]

Round 1

Time forgets something at home and reverses back to get it, and when it gets back it's forgotten that most of the Helpers were not piles of sparking scrap metal. Or Nope uses his powers to take down the majority of the Helpers, knock a few of the thinner struts loose from one of the Movers, and turn a section of the chrome arm of the Proxysuit into thin vapor that quickly dissipates. One of the two. One Helper continues to work at a display case without noticing the ruckus, and one Mover stands untouched by the chaos, multiple arms undulating steadily.

The already-injured Mover isn't fast enough to avoid the thread bursting out from Ariadne's weaving, finding itself ensnared in red webbing. Unfortunately, even when webbed, the second Mover is able to avoid Floral's "gentle shove", a swing of one long arm knocking her hand aside before any of the acid can find purchase to eat into its circuits.

"The excursion is a success." The voice coming out of the Proxysuit is older, female, with a slight accent that sounds like it might be Eastern European. It is also entirely monotone, flat, without human emotion. "One anomaly produces another. One wrinkle remains; which anomaly is the instigator?" One hand waves slightly towards the remaining Proxybots, sending them swinging into motion. The Mover entangled in red threading shifts it many arms of a long moment, struggling, before something snaps deep within it, a massive blue-black cable suddenly spiking out of the machine to slam into Ariadne. A moment later, the cable tightens, trying to pull Ariadne bodily across the room and into Floral. The untouched Mover is much more direct in its attack. It shifts carefully away from the replica forges, rotates to bring one massive corner to face towards Nope, and ignites its jets all at once, Barreling at the blurry hero and seeking to send him careening into Helios behind him.


The Proxysuit's faceless front watches the final Helper turn away from the display case it was working on and scuttle towards the right wall, then drifts towards Helios, its bloodred cape flowing as it moves. It halts itself near him. One hand lifts up perpendicular to the body, and a shiny black tube slides out of the liquid-like suit at its right wrist. Without looking in that direction, the Proxysuit fires at Floral, the black tube disgorging a lightning-fast burst of pure white light.

Spoiler: OOC

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Mover 2

Move Action: Dazed, Immobile.

Standard Action: Use Cable Lash on Ariadne. (1d20+14)[32] On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20/22 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Defense (Progressive) Linked Strength vs. being Launched into Floral. Hit
If Ariadne is Launched, Accuracy to hit Floral: (1d20+14)[23] On a hit, Resistance DC 25 vs. Damage. If Launched, that's a Hit

End of turn: Resistance to Remove Progressive Affliction (DC 20): (1d20+14)[26] Resists

Mover 1

Move Action: Shift (center) to AB23.

Standard Action: Use Ram on Nope. (1d20+10)[28] On a hit, Resistance DC 29 31/24/22 vs. Penetrating (Pierce Resistance) Damage Linked Dazed & Impaired/Stunned & Disabled Linked Strength vs. being Launched into Helios. Hit; +2 Penetrating
If Nope is Launched, Accuracy to hit Helios: (1d20+10)[11] On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Damage Linked Dazed & Impaired/Stunned & Disabled. Miss

Helper

Move Action: Shift to AR18.

Standard Action: Use Laser Cutter on the glass display. Display Resistance (DC 21): (1d20+2)[20] Tough glass. 1 Bruise; unbroken!

Proxysuit

Move Action: Shift to AC29.

Standard Action: Use Laser Blast on Floral. (1d20+14)[23] On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 + Multiattack (on both) vs. Damage Linked Weaken Resistance. both of these also have Secondary Effect. Hit, no Multiattack

[Ridai]

Upside: nothing that shouldn't have disappeared or broke did either of those!

Downside: there are still Proxybots, and the Proxysuit is still turbo nightmare fuel.

So after peeking out from his "stance" to check the results of his attack, he suddenly finds a Mover barreling towards him, faster than Nope can react, really. Well. Kind of? The gigantic thing slams into him, thrusters on full throttle and all, Nope jerks back... and everyone is treated to the sight of this Mover just... jetboosting in place? The heevie-jeevies are already going up and down Nope's back because a Proxysuit is here, but there's a not very funny second set joining in because he doesn't have time to check what his pseudo-reflexive defense did beyond momentarily remove kinetic energy and speed.

Instead, seeing how he basically has his nose pressed against a large rearranger of objects and potentially anatomy, Nope just forms one thought and that is BLIP!. Reality has momentary screentearing issues and hopefully the Mover is gone because in this case wishful thinking might actually help!

Spoiler: Actions

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Free Switch to Remove Hit Points

Standard Attack Mover 1 with Remove Hit Points. DC 25/20/20 vs Damage 10, Linked Weaken Resistance 10, Linked Affliction 10 (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated). Crit 16+
Attack vs Mover 1 (1d20+10)[17]

[Dorni]

"A successful excursion? I think you forget that you still need to escape with your gains," Helios shot back. He leapt backwards and hung in the air a few inches off the ground, sailing out of the immediate reach of the Proxybot. Scarlet runes winked in and out of existence around him as he conjured - to be matched with three blindingly brilliant fireballs erupting around the chrome proxybot and its oversized minions. Despite Nope and Floral being right up close with the Movers, in a mark of excellent control they felt no more heat than a warm summer breeze. Helios' technique might have improved since the battle with Rapheal.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move: to AH30
Standard: Cast PA 2 Solar Flare centered at X28. Using Selective to restrict the AoE to the 2 Mover bots and the Proxybot. Definitely excluding the exhibits as well. On hit, DC 27/22 vs Damage and Affliction [Vulnerable / Defenseless]

Mover 1: (1d20+8)[28] Nat 20, Crit
Mover 2: (1d20+8)[26] Crit
Proxybot: (1d20+8)[19]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lily raised her arms up crossed in an X before her catching the laser blast. It was hardly a perfect defense, and she got a second-degree burn on her right forearm for her trouble.

But that was about all she got, and one might notice that the shin around the burn had turned a vivid shade of green.

And Lily cracked up. The smell of poppies filled the air around her.

"Oh...oh you've got to be kidding me!" she said between giggles. "The photosynthesis? Really? It helps against...oh...wow." Another light breath of laughter and a shake of her head. "Okay. Credit where due. That one's legit useful."

"Let's try that again, shall we?" Lily said to the Mover, before lunging for it with both hands dripping with virulent acid, using the energy she had absorbed from the laser to power the acid up further.

Spoiler

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Move: Dazed.

Standard: Attack Mover 2 with Flower Power, All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 4, at (1d20+11)[28]. On a hit, Resistance DC 29+Penetrating/24 vs. Secondary Effect Damage Linked Weaken Resistance and Effect Bonus.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: Unless it's somehow down, do it again at (1d20+11)[19]. Spending a Hero Point to buy off the fatigue immediately, since fluff-wise she's fueling this with energy absorbed from the laser. However, if the first attack misses, then rather than using EE I'll just spend the HP rerolling, since that gives me better odds.

End of Turn: Recover 1 Resistance.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, AoA -5.

[Abracadangit]

A circular web of Kal's threads lift her up off the floor, and instantly disappear into nothing as soon as she's back on her feet. She feels bruised, but not broken -- the threads acted as a sort of cushion, softening the blow as she slammed into the nearby display case. It feels much less heroic when they send you flying, she thinks to herself, still a little dizzy from the impact.

"Are you alright, engoní?" Ariadne asks, concerned.

"I'll live," Kal thinks back, trying to sound tough. "I've been hit before, but not... like that. If I didn't have the threads to protect me..."

"But you do," Ariadne counters. "They will strike at you with claws, and clubs, and other wicked splinters of violence. Fear them not. Do you remember the Pattern of Protection, from four days ago?"

"I don't know that I'm ready. What if it doesn't work as it should?"

"Then it is better you discover it now, than against a deadlier foe, hm?"

Kal couldn't argue with that logic. She runs over to a spot between Floral and Nope, slips a second needle into her open hand, and begins to work. Beautiful, elaborate displays of red fabric flow into the air, encasing herself, Floral, and Nope in woven barricades that will stretch and contort around their movements.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Free Actions: Getting up with Instant Up advantage, switching Threadwork Conjurations array to Dual Needle Weaving.
Move: Moving to W27.
Action: Using Silken Shields, Deflect Effect 10; Burst Area, Selective. Linked to Create 10; Selective, Reduced Range [Close]. With Dual Needle Weaving: Add Reflect, Redirect. Catching Ariadne herself, Floral, and Nope in the Area of both the Deflect and the Created Shape, plus the Created Shape should be under Deflect as well (if I'm understanding this correctly).

Status: 1 Bruise.

[Zelphas]

Round 2

Fortunately for Nope, whatever he accidentally did to the Mover that barreled at him before completely stops its momentum. Unfortunately, whatever happened actually turns the mass of cabling and metal into a non-object, antithetical to the laws of reality. Space and time begins to bubble and tear, ripping and clawing at this non-thing that also tries to exert its existing nonexistence to a world that refuses to believe in it.

Then Nope BLIPs it away, returning the completely untouched Mover to its original realness and regular position. So... that's probably a good thing, in the long run, though the still-functional Mover is a bit of a concern.

The Proxysuit engages whatever thrusters are hidden within its form, shifting silently to one side and avoiding Helios' massive blast of fire. The other two fireballs engulf the Movers... and then die, with the two hulking machines remaining entirely untouched. "As one of the villains of your era has said: 'My goals are beyond your understanding,'" the flat voice from the Proxysuit intones, its form still turned towards Helios. "Grandiose, arrogant, overly pompous... for the moment, a correct assessment."

Floral, darting at the Mover in front of her once again, manages to catch it with her acid-sweating hands in a crucial juncture between two of its arms. The acid seeps in and eats a hole straight through the machinery, the chemical runoff of acid and metal dropping to the floor to eat through it as well and into the museum below. Hopefully no exhibits are directly underneath where they are standing. The Mover goes into robotic spasms at the extend of the damage, flailing wildly with its cables at Floral. Even as it does so, Ariadne's threadwork builds up a defense between herself, Floral, Nope, and those around them, causing the lash to whip at the threadwork wall instead of Floral herself. Although Ariadne's threads can guard Floral against the attack of the cable, they can do nothing for the white light which struck her before, which suddenly flares to life again in a burning wave over the flower hero.

One hand comes up on the Proxysuit, and the fully functional Mover shifts away from Nope, maneuvering towards Helios. Cables and arms fly outwards, seeking to lash at the sun-themed hero and bind him in place. The Proxysuit lifts up its right arm, pointing it at Helios: a blast of crawling black energy fountains outwards, leaping towards him.

At the east wall, you hear the sound of shattering glass.

Spoiler: OOC

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Mover 2

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use Cable Lash on the thread wall around Floral, All-Out Power Attacking for 5. (1d20+14)[22] vs. (1d20+10)[29] (minimum 20 for Deflect) on a hit, thread wall Resistance: (1d20+10)[13] vs. DC 23 Damage. Redirected; Ariadne, this attack has a 30 foot range.

Mover 1

Move Action: Shift around the Iron Age Farming Tools display, ending up at AJ30.

Free Action: Swap to Cable Lash.

Standard Action: Use Cable Lash on Helios. (1d20+14)[34] Criton a hit, Resistance DC 25/20/30/25/27 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Defense (Progressive) Linked Strength to Grab. Movers have Improved Hold, so if you are grabbed, attempts to escape will be made at a -5 penalty.

Helper

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use Laser Cutter on the glass display. Display Resistance (DC 21/16): (1d20+1)[3] Destroyed

Proxysuit

Move Action: Nah.

Free Action: Swap to Crippling Blast.

Standard Action: Use Crippling Blast on Helios. (1d20+12)[20] On a hit, Resistance DC 31/26 + Multiattack (on both) vs. Damage Linked Impaired & Vulnerable/Disabled & Defenseless. The Damage has Secondary Effect; the Affliction has Progressive. Hit; no multiattack.

End of Turn: Secondary Effect Triggers. Floral, I need a Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Damage & Weaken Resistance. This has the [Light] descriptor.

[Ridai]

Nope blinks and wonders what just happened, quickly followed by a creeping feeling that he just fixed something very bad that was in the process of making things worse... but he also hasn't really made the bad things go away. And now the world is red cables- no, correction, thread! Much better than murdercables. Much better.

So with the Proxysuit still being extremely hella creepy, glass shattering, and Nope trying not to get himself tangled up in the thread, he squints through the wooly wall, trying to make out the various bots. Think through, make them go away (except the person in the Proxysuit!), but no deleting the threads!

Nope has no idea how the others are able to banter, laugh, and be competent while fighting. He tried that once and it came out incredibly lame and removed the colors from some Chaingangers' clothes instead of anything useful.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Free Switch back to Hit Points, Mass

Standard Attack all enemies with Remove Hit Points, Mass. Damage DC 25, Ranged, Penetrating (Pierce Immunity), Multiattack (single target). Crit 16+
Routine vs Helper for 20
Attack vs Mover 1 (1d20+10)[20]
Attack vs Mover 2 (1d20+10)[30] Natural 20, Crit!
Attack vs Proxysuit (1d20+10)[24]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Lily grinned and gave Ariadne an appreciative wave as she shielded them with her barrier of threads. Unfortunately, Helios had been out of range, and resultantly came under heavy fire. Lily winced as the sun mage took some hard hits.

But courtesy of Nope it was now four to two. Lily pointed one hand in the general direction of her allies, a vine extending out from her palm and winding its way around to all of them, a couple dozen golden hued and actually just slightly glowing berries growing from the vines as they reached each of her teammates' positions (and another bunch growing out from her hand.

The berries began to grow brighter, and brighter, and then suddenly burst into golden nectar that would soothe their injuries and cleanse their ailments.

Spoiler

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Free: Reconfigure flower power. 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Medicinal Nectar, 10 points to Solar Nectar, 10 points to Floral Vines (applied to Healing with Dynamic Choices).

Move: Nah.

Standard: Healing Nectar on all allies, though Nope is uninjured so doesn't get any benefit. Persistent Restorative Healing.

Lily: (1d20+10)[18]. 8/10 RP
Ariadne: (1d20+10)[17]. 7/10 RP
Helios: (1d20+10)[22]. 12+5 RP; removes one condition, 7/10 RP towards removing a second

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: Do it again, rolled OOC.

Current Status: Normal, Fatigued as of next turn.