Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Hotel Teriitahi
"And with a stellar entrance. Well," Matten shrugged at the group. "Come around. We can go the direct route. No scenic flights. My apologies, Chroma-boy."
Her whimsy faded for a moment. "And we'll bring your boy back to you, Ines. I know you can't rest easy, but do not punish yourself, dear."
"Shall we be off?" Matten folded her arms behind her, turning to the other group. We'll start some ways away, so we can work out that plan. We can always approach the last couple blocks by foot."
Teriitahi cleared her throat. "And bring the Chroma kid back alive. I have a broom for him when he returns. That landing was not clean."
Kirby Row
Destitution Drive was as miserable looking as the heroes remembered: dark, with buildings that were never repaired after a supervillain burned them down, and only criminals hanging around at night.
Fortunately, thanks to the info the heroes had, locating the right half-burned husk was not hard to do. And as expected, there were guards on the door- of the building next to it, trying to act like just a couple of hoods just hanging out.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Kirby Row—Destitution Drive
"Geesh, this place is as dreary as I remember, only no warring gangs calling me 'crying woman.' So that's an uptick. And Jeffrey lives here. Really gonna have to branch out into public works..." ''If I keep ending up here, perhaps a nice little monument to me of course. She put a finger to her chin before cocking her head. "And the rest of you too of course!"
"So, how's everyone's new look?" She struck a pose herself, having gone with some creative example of a Villainous Harlequin with tattered, gothic-styled clothes and a cloak...and wings, a dark aura, and a halo. Even her hand bell found another use, almost permanently affixed to her hand and painted with smiles. She spun around, winking before continuing. "I dance about like a Will-o-Wisp, and that's a perfect title, for I lead the unwary astray wherever I tread. Even if you slip and call me a goddess they'll understand."
"Also," Matten waived her finger in circles. "Does anybody no where we get tickets to this? And is there a senior discount?"
edited 16th Mar '18 7:34:08 PM by CenturyEye
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Sister Strigoi smiled at Matten’s request.
“That should not be a problem.” Her native Austrian accent, normally almost negligible, was now significantly thicker.
She approached the two guards and looked them both in the eye.
“Let us in.”
(Roll for mind control.)
Chroma still couldn't believe what he got himself dragged into. He had exchanged his admittedly flamboyant bandanna for a grossly emo skull one, bought a black hoodie to go with it, and was wearing shades instead of his goggles.
And he had to put on skinny jeans.
"God, this sucks." A thought occurred to Chroma, maybe emo people are miserable because they hate what they're wearing.
Mind Control 18, Difficulty 10
The hoods easily fell under the vampire's charm and allowed the group to enter unchallenged.
Inside, after going through a series of twisting underground passages, they emerged inside a surprisingly large basement. An abandoned cold-war era bomb shelter perhaps?
The place was packed with people of all kinds; from ruffians to wealthy-looking people. There were of course, costumed figures as well. And in the middle, a deathmatch-style wrestling cage.
At the end of the room, sitting on a throne-like chair, was some gangster type. Next to him stood a truly hideous person- like a very obese man whose flesh had half-melted [1]
. He seemed to be guarding the gangster.
edited 16th Mar '18 8:04:15 PM by Sijo
An Ordinary Oddball
Magpie, or Crow, rather, walked solemnly by Matten's side. She had pulled on a long black hooded robe over her normal outfit and put on a plague doctor mask over her face. She kept her top hat because it still fit the image. The only thing visible was her black white-streaked hair, and that was not very telling of her identity.
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Chroma recognized the half-molten man as Mass Attack, a villain who often hired himself as "muscle."
Inside the ring, a "biker-type" dude was being pounded on by a young Black man (whom the heroes easily recognized from Ines' picture to be Eric). Despite the blows, the man -who Chroma recognized as Battery, an energy-absorber that was neither hero nor villain- didn;t even budge.
"Ha ha! Better give up now, kid. I don't wanna hurt ya!" he laughed.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Fight Club
Matten had been halfway to waiving down a concession guy for the match, only to recognize Eric. Sigh. "Well, that doesn't look it its going that well." Matten chewed her lip, watching the performance. "Let us get better viewing space." Translation, get closer in case we need to act fast.
"And please stay close. I might feel like scratching one of you, or sending you off into space if I'm disappointed." Stay close so that I can dungeon bypass us out of here as soon as we must.
An Ordinary Oddball
Edited Out
edited 16th Mar '18 8:51:29 PM by JumpingFruit
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
"N-Never!" Eric said bravely, though it was obvious he was at the end of his rope.
Battery shook his head. "Gotta admire yer moxie, runt. But, two million is a lot of money so-"
-and then he brought his hands together and KaBLAM!!
-the resulting release of accumulated energy shook the whole room like a thunderclap!
"GAAH!" the young man gasped, literally knocked off his feet.
"The winner- Battery!!" a hidden announcer declared, to the cheers of the crowd while some thugs opened the cage and dragged the unconscious boy out.
"Only one more fight left, everyone!" the announcer said. "The winner gets the prize money!"
Suddenly, the hidden heroes saw the guards return, dragging another body- this time into the cage! It was an unconscious costumed figure. They recognized him as the African hero, Nangwaya! [1]
"Hey! No heroes allowed!" Battery protested.
"Silence, Battery! You don't exactly have a complete dark record yourself!" the Boss said. "Now, for tonight's final match: Battery vs Nagwaya- To the Death!
edited 16th Mar '18 8:57:40 PM by Sijo
An Ordinary Oddball
Fight Club
Magpie was inscrutable in her mask, so she took the opportunity to scowl. Of course they would do something like this. Of course. She had to find a way to cause trouble so that the match would be affected.
So, she did what she always did.
Power Trick: One For Sorrow: (Area effect?) Gives surrounding villains bad luck based on the level of their evil (GM's discretion)
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Something odd happens: a transparent dome is lowered on top of the ring.
It quickly and solidly latches to the it. Battery looks around, confused.
Meanwhile, Nangwaya gets back on his feet. "Battery! We don't have to do this. I know you're better than that!"
"Shaddup do-gooder! You don't know me!" the biker snaps back, but he does not attack, not yet.
And then suddenly- click! SSSSS
"HEY! What's with the smoke??" Battery remarks.
"OH NO! I know what this is" the African hero gasps. "Rage gas!"
"RAAAAGH!!" the Mystic Lion roars, as the gas takes effect. He jumps on Battery, who is pounding away on him just as furiously.
Magpie decides not to abandon the noble hero to this grisly fate. She deduces there must be switch for the gas somewhere in the room, and that it was the "Boss" who used it. Noticing his horrid bodyguard had gone away somewhere, she quietly slid past the distracted crowd until she was next to him. Stealth roll 36, Target Number 10
She notices a button on the side of the chair, but pressing it alone won't do much good. But then she spots cables coming from behind it, and up to the roof! With her prodigious sleight of hand skill, she cuts them wires with a knife. Immediately, the gas stops pouring into the dome.
"Hey! What happened?" the middle-aged man in the chair said furiously. He then began to press the button on his "throne" to no effect.
Magpie then tried to sneak away once again, but as luck would have it, the man looked behind at the wires in that moment, and spotted her. Stealth roll 20, -1 Setback = 19, TN 20, fail
"Hey! What are you doing back there, kid??"
edited 19th Mar '18 5:50:08 PM by Sijo
An Ordinary Oddball
"Oh, I was looking for the bathroom in here. What do you think I was doing?" Magpie said.
Deception, specialty Lying
edited 19th Mar '18 5:54:09 PM by JumpingFruit
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
"You were checking for the bathroom?" the man says incredulously. " behind my chair? ".
"I have a bad sense of direction."
(he eyes her)
"Extremely bad."
"Some inconsiderate idiot put the chair there? Maybe?"
That was the last straw. This kid had to be- retarded. Deception/Lying roll 33, Target Number 20
"Sigh. Get lost, kid. Go back to yer mama."
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Fight Club
Matten had finally gotten the concession guy's attention—and he casually explained his lack of hot dogs. Mother Bugger! Matten folded her arms and turned away from the man. Bad enough I had to watch that little fight, and gas is obscuring this next one, but I don't have any franks!
"Well, may as well head out. We can get tickets for next time..." And Magpie had skittered over to the ring. Damn. And the elf child clearly had heroics in mind. She ran off into the crowd after her something in the cage. Fae kids... Well, she gets around. She'll be..and then the chair-guy called her out. Oh...damn.
Watching Magpie with wary eyes, Matten let out a breath when the guy dismissed her. She glanced at the hero in the ring. I guess you can come out of there.
edited 19th Mar '18 6:14:42 PM by CenturyEye
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
Then, as soon as the air was normal, the dome was withdrawn.
The audience was baffled.
Inside, Battery stood dazed, but no longer raging; Nangwaya however was knocked down again.
And then suddenly, Mass Attack jumped on top of him from the rafters above!
"Hah! Now its just you and me, old chum! That money's as good as mine!"
"Boooo! Bad sport! Boooo!" Magpie, by now having moved away from the Boss booed.
Battery struggled, but despite his enhanced strength, found himself choking in his foe's disgusting body mass
"Can Magpie handle him?" Sister Strigoi asked. "I think I have an idea. We may have to get the spectators out, though."
"Sure I can! What do you need?" Magpie pops out of nowhere looking satisfied with herself.
: "How do you feel about arson?"
Matten (lightly) bonks the fae child on the head. "What the hell?"
"I love arson! Especially when used against evil!"
Sister Strigoi smiled. "Then you'll love this.We'll need to split up. We have to get the spectators out and get to the electrical system in the basement."
"What do you need?" Magpie asked.
"You and Chroma will get the spectators out and distract the wrestlers. Matten, do you mind helping me in the basement?"
"Of course" Matten agreed.
"Aye aye captain! Message received!" Magpie cheerfully said.
"Do not let Eric out of sight, now." Matten warned.
"You should probably lug him around. Just to be sure!" Magpie suggested.
"Hm..." Matten glanced at the boy slumped over by the ring. Who would miss him? "Fair enough."
She drags the boy behind her like a sack of rice. Harsh yes, but this place probably won't appreciate affection.
Magpie searches for the nearest fire alarm, and pulls it. BRRRIIIINNNNGG!!!
Everyone stands up in a panic, and starts running towards the exits.(Except the people in the ring)
Sister Strigoi searched for the basement door. However, she did not find one. Security Skill check at default, 6.
"Sorry! Show's over! Ehehehe!" Magpie gloated.
"Magpie, you're an elf, yes? Are your senses sharper than mine?" the vampire nun asked.
edited 19th Mar '18 6:55:29 PM by Sijo
"Banu Porcelain, do you intend to destroy this place?" Matten whispers to the nun. "Or just cause panic. There are multiple ways for both." In the meantime she takes the chance to teleport Eric back to his mother's lap (at least if she was in that same chair). He was getting heavy.
"You could say that! And maybe, maybe they are. Or I just know a lot." Magpied gloated.
"If everyone - and I mean everyone - is evacuated, I say let the place burn. If nothing else, we can stall their operations." the nun said. "Magpie, can you spot the door to the basement?"
"It's right there, Sister! Now what do you say, shall we get this show on the road?" Security roll 64
Sister Strigoi nodded at Matten, and ran towards the basement.Upon making it down the stairs, she began looking for the electrical box.
Matten returned the nod, following, albeit slightly behind. Porcelain lass was fast.
Magpie takes off her plague doctor costume to reveal her normal getup and a bow and quiverful of arrows already slung onto her back, and jumps into the ring.
"You!" Magpie points at Mass Attack. "You face me tonight! Magpie! She who steals luck and snatches victory from the jaws of defeat!"
Matten analyzed the place, searching for the same- and finds it. roll 28
"You're wearing rubber soled shoes, yes?" Matten asks the nun. "In any case, don't touch any pipes."
"That won't be a problem," Sister Strigoi replied. She opened her mouth, allowing her canines to sharpen, and she opened the fusebox and sank her fangs into one of the important-looking wires.damage roll 33, Soak 5, hits 20
The wire is cut but Strigoi gets a shock first. damage 30, soak 21, damage 9 has 91 Hits left.
Slightly singed and giving off a burned smell, Sister Strigoi stepped away from the fusebox.
Matten rolls a wad of duct tape as a wick before planting it in the wood and casually bowing aside, giving Strigoi an appreciative whistle. "That was great! By the way, you are smoking. Or is that singed?"
"Both, I think," Strigoi replied. "Shall we leave now, or do you want to watch the fire start?"
"Why lets be off."
"Don''t know what kind of trouble the others are in."
Matten seizes Strigoi's arm and begins to race back.
"Hope the others aren't in too much trouble."
"And Eric is gone. We can take our leave once I have them."
Strigoi gripped Matten's arm in turn and followed her up the stairs
"Eh? Who are you, kid? Get lost before you get hurt!" Mass Attack growls.
Magpie's arrow hits dead center! Attack roll 44,Defense 14
Unfortunately, it seems to do no damage! Damage 16, Soak 30
He strecthes an arm like its made of rubber and tries to grab Magpie! She easily avoids it though. Attack 6, Defense 44
Naturally, as soon as they left the basement, Matten saw the waif fluttering around the slime giant. "And the fae child has gained the attention of the ring. I need a leash for her..." Matten put a finger to her chin with a ghost of a grin though. "She takes after someone though..."
Magpie felt like she had to get Mass Attack away from Battery and Nangwaya and distract him from the backup arriving, so she ran in front of a wall and blew a raspberry.
"Come on, you lardass! Come and get me!" Taunt: Mind roll 24 vs Mind roll 5
"Why you little brat!" the man-monster shouts as he starts chasing her.
His attack however, activates her luck-based defense. Confusion roll 30, Mind roll 11
Magpie runs alongside the wall.
Chroma snapped out of the day dream he was having when he saw Magpie run across the freaking wall, which, if anything, was his job. He did do it first. He looked at the girl, and figured she was in a good spot, so he sprinted toward the two unconscious fighters, and picked them up, ready to take them outside.
The man who sleeps with a machete is a fool every night but one.
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
Matten idly curled her hair, watching the group split up. "We have to save them too, do we?" She watched Chroma drag the two away a moment.
"Guess I'll give you another special gift. What with running off and getting in the face of a blob-thing, you certainly deserve it..." Wry grin on her face, Matten sent tendrils of darkness around one of Magpie's arrows.
I could just push spikes into his head... Matten cocked her head at the Blob before stealing glances at Strigoi and Magpie, but I haven't shown off my archery, and I can hardly pose gracefully while blowing a mind. At least not blowing a mind in that way...
Matten took advantage of Magpie's stunt, staying well back, and standing and drawing her own bow with all the poise she could muster, before loosing an arrow at the Blob.
Power Stunt: Special Attack [Sacred Arrow], ranged 5, Agility +3DM to Hit and Mind +2DM to Damage; total x4 to hit, x6 damage, limit: requires a medium (bow and arrow); power trick: imbue Magpie, the aforementioned special attack; Sacred Arrow attack at the Blob
TO BE EDITED IN
May 3
It was a nice day in the city of Megapolis.
And then it appeared: a HUGE ship, alien in design, about the size of a Destroyer, just hanging in the sky!
In fact, the heroes soon find out via the media that more such ships have appeared over other major cities of Earth!
As you can imagine, people are confused, scared, the government furiously discusses what to do, the army gets ready, the media tries to keep things calm...
And then came the message:
An image of a barely-humanoid creature suddenly apears on all tv screens! [1]
An obviously inhuman voice is then heard:
"Huuumans. Weee are the X'rl, from Deeemension Zero. Weee have come for yooour resources."
"Suuurender and we will let you liiiive. Oootherwise, we wiiiill exterminate you."
Players: State where your characters are and what their reactions are.
Sister Strigoi slipped out of the shadows, clad in full habit.
“Matter Nacht, reporting for duty.”