The NEW Vanguard! Kyoko Issue 1 "The Enemy of My Enemy..."

Kyoko and Stormbreaker

Stormbreaker tried to determine the origin point of the field...

OOC 2d10 → [5,10] = (15) Success

Much as Alex might have expected, the centre of the of the field was somewhere inside the Castle ruins itself. Harder to determine was the origin of the powerful field. Living being, or artifact of some kind?

'This smells of an ancient evil. The power to cover such a large area and with such potency limits the potential enemies to but a handful, that I know about' rasped the sword inside of Stormbreakers mind.

Meanwhile Kyoko levelled a hand and pointed at the castle. Casting a spell she blasted a potent mystical blast at the castle... and as she might have expected, there was a reaction, though perhaps not the one she might have expected.

OOC 2d10 → [8,7] = (15) Success. Invisible castle is nothing if not consistent... (same roll total result as before)

The blast got much closer to the castle - within yards - and there was a rainbow flash of a dome as it lit up. The magic blast dissipated against the rainbow dome, which Kyoko expected was some kind of protective magic field. That too, was potent.

So there were two fields - at least - and shape of the inside field was a perfect scale reduction of the outer dome. It hadn't moved either. Chances were it was originated from an artifact of some kind, a potent object that was able to drain magic and protect itself against magic attacks. How many had been lured in with the promise of power by that artifact? To own that would boost the power of the wielder by a huge magnitude.

Kyoko felt she was a step closer to determining the lure of the threads and perhaps had found another clue. Such artifacts as might be within those ruins would not be new, and somewhere there might be knowledge about such things, and with knowledge, perhaps a way to find a weakness...

Alex nods at the swords warning of the power needed for such an effect, intently watching the result of girls attack. Rather than being absorbed by the field, it simply stuck an actual barrier and wasted its energy against it.

Wait a moment.. He requests of the sword.

"Interesting.. Multiple barriers of differing nature. Either this is an incredibly powerful individual or a superbly well crafted artifact." His comment is as much to himself as to Jinni, though he does give her a nod. "Lets test its limits." With that said he draws his sword and raises it over head, electricity crackling along the blade as he brings it back down to point at the castle, a bolt of lightening streaming from the tip towards the castle!

Alex watches the result intently, then turns his attention inwards.

Now, tell me what you will of those who could do something like this.

(( That's a 12 AP lightening bolt. Possibly more important is that it's a purely physical power. Stormbreaker is a storm elemental (or was before being turned into a sword), he doesn't need any magic to cause a little lightening

Also, if he keeps being this talkative I'll have to add something to the sheet to account for how helpful he's being.. though Alex does a fairly good job at interaction checks I suppose.. ))

Kyoko was surprised to see the bolt hit the other field. She wondered if perhaps the drain only took place between the two fields, and if she teleported into the inner one's area, the draining might stop? It was a possibility. It was also a possibility that she might have read something about the artifact in one of her occult books. Perhaps a spell to boost memory might help, she reflected.

"Very impressive," she says to Stormbreaker, as whether it did anything or not, a lightning bolt of that power was impressive. But she would add in a questioning tone, "However, you didn't answer my questions?"

And then she would decide that rather than try to think about what she might have read, it would be easier to call the occult knowledge of the universe unto herself, and she would do so, to learn all about the items that might be in play here.

(OOC)
Kyoko has 11 Spirit and takes no mystic bashing damage at 10 APs or less. She uses 10 APs of sorcery for `powered skill: occultist' at 10 APs, and that is normally a FC: 10 (160 hp). Using your method of bonuses and limitations, she take the following limitations:
Occultism does not include create artifact (-1FC)
Occultism does not include ritual magic (-1FC)
Occultism does not include premonition (-1FC)
Occultism does not include mentor (-1FC)
Lack of control (-2FC)
Non-Variable (-1FC)
Time Limit- 5 APs (-1FC)
Power restriction: does not work in darkness (-1FC)

So, it is a now FC: 1, and so that 160 points of effect gives her 28 APs of effect on her occult knowledge and identify artifact checks for the next 5 APs, or 30 rounds, so even with the +2CS penalty to OV, she has a very good chance of making her rolls. And since she is only using 10 APs of sorcery, she has no mystic damage to worry about either.

Also, I disagree with you on your long email about sorcery, on several levels and for several reasons. I will put that in the OOC thread though, ratther than here. However, you can see from the above why I think your decision is problematic.

And yes, as while it is a serious problem, I am being less than serious here, so I am fine with us not using 28 APs for the check. She can just apply 10 APs of power reserve to her occultism score directly and make the check as a 15.

OOC Ok Dee, seeing as you want to (seemingly) argue every post and disagree with everything I suggest let me just make clear that I am NOT trying to 'nerf' your character but instead trying to strike some game balance. Are you really suggesting that Sorcery should be allowed to apply unlimited advantages and (in the example I gave) affect the entire universe, all of known reality and beyond? For free? Without limit? If that were the case a simple magic blast with unlimited area effect would kill everyone, instantly, save for those with higher than 2 spirit. It's such an opened ended power that it makes clear that the GM gets final approval on spells.

Also remember with the example you give, Sorcery is about casting spells. Can you see any character casting a spell that has more than one or two limitations or drawbacks applied? The example you give is ludicrous. Adding a single (or perhaps two) bonuses or limitations (say extra range, area effect, lethal, affects non living etc) to adjust a power so it resembled a different spell would be acceptable. Dumping all manner of limitations on simply to reduce cost and 'break' the house rule wouldn't work anyway - 'Powers invoked through Sorcery must be approved by the Game Master before they can be used' and its clear in this example what you are doing. If you're piling on limitations simply to get round a house rule (which I'm offering up as a way to balance the books as opposed to unlimited power and options) the spell won't work, simple as.

I'm not interested in debating every rule or facet of the game. Anyone can 'break' the game by simple piling on of limitations to get the Factor Cost down to 1, but is that what you're here for, or would you like to play as well as debate and disagree? I don't want to come across as being cranky having just finished a 12 hour shift but I haven't got time to debate every ruling and as far as I'm concerned, I've offered a rule that gives some balance. Sure you can add bonuses, but you get less bang for buck. You can make your spell less reliable as well, but get a bonus in the power it puts out with higher APs. That's what I offer. You offer arguments, not solutions. I'll take a look at the OOC thread but if it's another text wall I'm just gonna hit the sack.

Stormbreaker and Kyoko

Stormbreaker summoned a potent lightning bolt from his sword, and pointed it towards the castle!

OOC 2d10 → [6,7] = (13)

The lightning bolt flashed out towards the castle... and lit up a purple dome - whatever was inside there knew how to defend itself! Stormbreaker felt uneasy. His blast was powerful enough to slice through a vault door and yet it'd been rebuffed by the field... He wondered then if the thing might also repel mental attacks. If so then attacking it would not be the way to go, or at least it would take more power than he had to overwhelm the thing.

'Smells of demons' grumbled his sword.

OOC how much do you want me assume the sword interacts with you? Does it grunt, or is it chatty, cheerful, grumpy etc. I assume a sentient being tied up to a sword might be somewhat less than cheerful and even resentful that its wielder can do things it can't, but that's your call.

Meanwhile Kyoko wove another potent spell, this time designed to grant her the knowledge she desired to 'guess' the artifact, if such was behind those walls. It might have succeeded too, had she not tied herself in knots with the casting, adding layer upon layer of intricacy until what came out was unintelligible mumbo jumbo, and the spell fizzled. Even had it succeeded, knowledge of artifacts was not 'all knowing'. Without actually seeing what it was she was dealing with, and perhaps even touching it, the chances were she would be none the wiser. Certainly a spell to give her Occult knowledge would not also grant her the ability to mystically divine what the cause of the fields was.

However, the heroes attempts to 'break' the fields had not gone unnoticed...

Standing in the ruins were cloaked and hooded figures - four of them. Man shaped, around 6' tall, but with features cast within the shadows of the brown cloaks. They started to stride through the grounds of the ruins towards the edge of the fields and, once out, might be fair game for the two heroes...

They stood around 50 yards from where the heroes stood, as if challenging the pair to come closer.

Both heard a whisper, as if on the wind... "Do not fight us... we offer you power! Come, claim it! Join us! Join the Coven of Chaos!"

The name was new to the pair, but the man - if such it was - had a musical, almost hypnotic quality to its voice. Perhaps somewhere in those ruins WAS a source of ultimate power that the heroes could use - for good - and in doing so thwart this 'Coven'...?

OOC *sigh* can someone point me to 'powered skill' please? Where does that turn up? We're sticking to the book and whatever house rules are required to clarify certain things yeah? If 'powered skill' comes from the yahoo group list I'd rather not include it. We'd be so wrapped up and tangled in additional rules and new powers/skills/limitations etc we'd never get anything done. In tabletop play we can sort this stuff out quickly, decisively, but with play by post there are obvious delays due to real life, time zones and the like. I just don't want to get bogged down in rules discussions every 5 minutes, and I certainly don't want to argue or fall out with anyone.

(( Skills as powers is in a sidebar of the BoH book, near the top of the skill section. Breaking it down though, it's a -5 Base Cost reduction, the skill is then considered as a power and subject to normal neutralize, mimic, power drain, etc. No Factor Cost adjustment happens and it otherwise functions as normal.

On a more related note, I'll get you a writeup for Stormbreaker(the sword), and possibly the other enemies on the sheet tomorrow before posting. I finally found a full time job so I can take the day off to be creative! All my rules debating stuff has mostly been done from the bus while moving between potential jobs.. Now I dont have to do that! ))

(ooc)
I am sorry for being argumentative. I enjoy the discussions about rules and from prior discussions here and the other group, I thought you did as well. As that is not the case, I will cease doing so.

Stormbreaker

Alex lets out a little whistle as the bolt of lightening he had called forth crashed pointlessly against the barrier, completely ineffective.

"Impressive might be a better word for their defences.. and to answer your questions, there isn't anyone else, just us.." Again he had spoken in a plural while referring to himself. ".. and it looks like we won't get to finish with the questions. Our hosts have arrived." He motions down at the group of figures exiting the field.

The 'offer' that came to them on the wind prompted him to laugh. It wasn't a mocking laugh, but was rather quite genuine, like he found the offer honestly amusing.

"We are Stormbreaker! I have no need for your offer of power! I have more then enough that I may earn of my own merit. Hell, I have plenty now! I mounted the horn of a dragon on my wall as a trophy last month! What need have I for stolen power!" While boastful and apparently at ease, he was appraising them, seeking to gain some measure of their power. The longer he could 'chat' with them, the long he would have to take their measure after all..

Auto1: flight.. cause I dont want to fall out of the air..
Dice: Magic Sense to gauge their strength. AV/EV of 11/9 (the power has no AV and uses Inf for it instead)

(( So.. shall we get back to what we should be doing here? Having fun and making a story together? ))

Their promises were unattractive, as that was not her motivation. And given the capability she could sense Stormbreaker had, he seemed far more capable of solving the problem than she was. And so, she would leave the problem in his hands. Perhaps the Gaelic Knights had the right idea. She teleported away.

OOC I am sorry to see Dee go - genuinely - but the show continues.

Stormbreaker caught the 'vanishing act' out of the corner of his eye and saw that the young woman had... well... gone!

The four figures strode to the edge of the field. They noted that the seemed bold and full of confidence, but...

"The sorcerer has left..."

"She took with her the power we need... I can no longer sense it..."

"This one is not worth our..."

The words died on the lips of the third speaker...

A silence that seemed to last an age but in reality took only seconds!

The figures seemed to react as one, hissing, crouching and snarling beneath the hoods! "The sword! Do you sense it brothers?"

"Sense? I can taste it! We must tell the Master!" cried another of the beings.

OOC 2d10 → [1,3] = (4) for magic Sense. Eeesh. A roll of 5 would've done. You can probably work out the threat level from that, but Stormbreaker can't...

Stormbreaker furrowed his brow. He couldn't 'read' the creatures in front of him, though whether that was because they were in some way blocking him, some effect of the artifact or his not using his power correctly, he couldn't be sure...

"You three... take him! I will report to the Master!" snarled one. The other three hissed and advanced, leaving the 'protection' of the field and moving out into the open air... Right then Stormbreaker knew he was dealing with demons! Whether it was through a trembling of the fabulous blade he wielded, or some innate sense, he knew not, but it was clear these things were demonic in nature and needed to stop them!

The demon heading back to the ruins turned and called "Kaberaxus sends greetings, mortal! That blade you wield shall know an eternity of torment! If you give it up now your death shall be swift! Know that my brothers hope you shall choose to fight - we do so love the taste of mortal flesh!"

Kaberaxus?!?!? Stormbreaker was suddenly alarmed - the sword in his hand bucked and twisted, seemingly pointing and dragging him towards the demons, clearly minions of its hated enemy!

As he considered the three demons coming towards him, albeit on the ground with him in the air, Stormbreaker heard something else in his mind 'Warrior! Seek the White Warlock!' came the cry, and then the voice was silent!

OOC 2d10 → [10,4] = (14) Roll 10 for Stormbreaker, 4 for the bad guys. Stormbreaker acts first. These things are still 3APs (75 feet or so) away but are OUT of that magic field now. By now you are aware that there *may* well be four fields. A magic neutralizing/draining field, and one of each that protect against physical, mental and mystical attack. With Claymores' friend having been lured here, and more besides, it's clear that something big is going to happen... Stormbreaker doesn't know anything of the history of the Castle but the name 'White Warlock' might ring a bell if you want to use a dice action to rack your brains... with Demons coming at you, that course of action might be wise or... it might not...

Alex was startled by the girls disappearance. For all that he had been about to make light of the situation, he had been counting on her to be around to help him when things went south.. Which he was watching happen infront of him. Just as he was about to open his mouth to taunt them about being under manned to deal with him, they mentioned the name Kaberaxus. His expression instantly turned from slightly taunting to a predatory snarl.

Years previously he had encountered the remains of a cult of Kaberaxus. He remembered walking into the rented hall, littered with the empty shells of several dozen victims, along with all the human cultists. Every single one of them had literally had their life essence, their soul, ripped from them. The only living person in the room had been himself. The head cultist, while still moving was obviously not truly alive. By the end of the night he was no longer animated either.

The agression he felt was eclipsed by the feelings given off by the sword. He needed no prompting. A crack of thunder split the air moments after the demons name was said, well before the lackey finished his sentence even. The next sight three robed demons would have of Stormbringer was of him seemingly appearing out of no where, not even a second later ready to deliver a mighty overhand blow to the speaker!

The true blow came to all three of them, slashing horizontally across their midsections. Alex had used a recently picked up trick, stopping for a moment in an exaggeratedly agressive pose so that the naked eye could see what he was doing, then resuming his full speed attack by coming in at a different angle! Blowing past the trio he lets himself land and turns, feet dragging along the ground from his momentum until he stopped some 50 or so feet away, facing them.

Auto 1&2: I want to use the after-image maneuver I posted about, so long as I can use it with flight that is. Leave one after-image as described. Hopefully that'll be worth a blindside bonus. perception to see through the maneuver is at 13/13
Dice: Pressing the attack (-1 OV to myself and my targets), combined with a multi-attack (3 targets = +2 CS to opponents OV/RV, use highest OV/RV in the group) Hopefully I'll get that Blindside bonus! AV/EV = 14(Dex)/15(sword) vs Dex/Body before any CS changes.

(( I'm sad to see Dee going. She's a great player and I generally enjoyed out discussions. It's rare to get into that kind of thing and not have it come down to a flame-war when its online.

On a happier note.. You're awesome for pulling in an Arch Enemey that I havent even given you a slight writeup about yet! That made my day! Also, I hope you dont mind me using fancy movement maneuvers!)

ThhhhhhhhhooooooooooooooooommmmmMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

Trees whipped back, grass flattened and the air cracked as Stormbreaker took to the sky at full speed!

"HA! See the mortal run!"

"He sensed our power! I would have fed on his soul!"

The third Demon stood silent, frowning from within the hood. He glanced at his 'brothers' and smiled, a crooked foul mouth full of yellows sharpened stumps and black ichor with long pointed tongue rasping out like a snake. Unlike the other two he'd not looked up to see where the mortal had gone, rather where he was coming from.

Even so, Stormbreaker was so fast that it was difficult to register the blur of motion at the head of a bending 'cloud flare' that shot over the dome and crashed downwards as the hero slashed outwards with his sword!

OOC Because one of the Demons made his check its OV is the highest applied. Roll 2d10 → [8,5] = (13) Hit, 2CS on each. Each Demon takes 7RAPs damage, leaving each on 3 Body. They are all knocked flying. With no mention/bonus of/from the sword being blessed or holy, there is no extra damage applied in this instance.

SMASH!

All three creatures scattered and tumbled across the ground, though spun and rolled to come up onto their feet like cats! Alex saw the hoods flung from two of them - they were pale of skin, with cat like eyes, yellowed sharp stumps for teeth and black ichor dripping from their maws... Their hands ended in long claws at each fingertip, and an ethereal quality leant itself to them. These were truly demons, malicious spirits now housed in the form of men which had been twisted and corrupted thanks to the unholy symbiote within. Even as the wind whipped up and lank rats tail hair flapped about, the creatures launched themselves at Stormbreaker, flying through the air with claws outstretched! They attacked as one, and Stormbreaker knew he must evade their deadly embrace!

OOC Ok these things are nasty...

One tries a SNARE attack (No range, vs Dex/Str). Another attacks with CLAWS (vs Dex/Body) and the third attacks with SPIRITUAL DRAIN (no range so requires a touch and vs Dex/Spirit).

They get TEAM ATTACK as they do this sort of thing all the time - strength in numbers and all that.

Stormbreaker has OV14/RV... Skin Armour always on? Ah, no An 'always on' that benefits the user doesn't apply, unfortunately. Skin Amour always being on is something I'd consider to be the case anyway. I'll treat Stormbreaker as RV11 FOR THIS ATTACK (against Claws) but you may want to re-jig things. Force Field perhaps (and I wouldn't advise 'always on' for that. That would give -1, but Unus the Untouchable could probably give advice about that power being 'always on' - he's the guy that couldn't pick up food and whatnot isn't he?)

ATTACK ROLLS:

2d10 → [6,6] = (12) DOUBLE plus 2d10 → [2,7] = (9) = 21 rolled. 3CS. Success, 13RAPs
2d10 → [8,4] = (12) MISSED
2d10 → [10,1] = (11) MISSED

Stormbreaker has his Dex/Flight (linked) reduced to 1 (from 14) and Initiative to 12.

Ducking first one blow, then another, Stormbreaker found he was ducking and twisting whilst the three creatures swooped around him like a cloud! Even so, he was superhuman fast, transcending what normal people might even consider possible by his sheer speed and agility! He knew these things couldn't hurt him then, and that this battle would draw to it's inevitable conclusion with just another swing of his mighty...

The first of the attackers missed - or seemed to. It's nails shot out as they swept close by and encircled Stormbreakers arms, pinning them to his chest! They seemed to be made of something harder than steel, a cruel black bond that encapsulated him in seconds!

Though seemingly incapable of fear (OOC Spirit 12 just about covers it...) Alex knew he'd blundered into a trap - these creatures were no mere pawns of the dark one, but experienced sub-lieutenants, capable of wreaking great damage with their vile attacks! He had only moments before they sank their claws into him, now that he was trapped!

OOC I need clarification on how many points go from Power Reserve into strength please - I assume 2 points, boosting strength to 8, as 5 go into Dex? Not a vast difference - 12RAPs instead of 13, but Stormbreaker is in deep do-do...Initiative 3 Stormbreaker (15) and 2 Demons (23). They act first. Declare actions/words then they'll do their baddest... And yeah, they were designed to take on you and Kyoko, but don't worry - help comes from unusual places... Sometimes. On another note it's another Double which is causing the problems. They needed 13+ just to hit...

OOC Don't suppose it matters what actions Stormbreaker declares if he's tied up (almost - has 1 Dex) and lost initiative. The Demonic creatures attack first...

One of the beings lifted his hood slightly... Though Stormbreaker saw only darkness within, he saw something else...

Walls, enclosed. No door. Darkness.... the walls.. closing in on him!

OOC PHOBIA attack 2d10 → [5,8] = (13) 2CS. 8RAPs. Stormbreaker is petrified! He believes he's been transported to a room where the walls are closing in on him - his greatest fear! (Or at least the one listed on his sheet as being something he doesn't like much)

Something within Alexs' mind seemed to snap! He could feel himself falling.. and looked around to see he was in a tiny room, naked, no space to stand, walls closing in slowly... and laughter... cruel, hard laughter ringing out!

Into that darkness there came a creeping cold.. and he turned, to late, to see a pale white hand rest on his naked shoulder! Where was his sword where was... ARGGGGH!

OOC SPIRITUAL DRAIN from another of the beings. Going for a Spirit Drain. Now herein lies a question. The power (in this case) has 'no range' meaning it requires a touch - a physical attack. Now I would read into that that the attack must first overcome a Dex vs Dex attack (to actually touch the target) then attack normally, with APs of power vs Influence and Spirit. I think that would be the fairest way to do it seeing as Stormbreaker has huge influence and bypassing that is not a fair option. Let me know your thoughts on that. I think it will result in a favourable outcome for you (that huge infl/Spirit) even though your dex has been lowered. Attack 2d10 → [10,4] = (14) touch successful. Spirit Drain vs Influence 2d10 → [6,5] = (11) Success, 2 RAPs. Stormbreaker is reduced to 10/12 Spirit.

Alex grunted - the pain was incredible, an icy seeping cold rushing through his blood! And yet, his incredible spiritual fortitude could take it, aye, and more of it! Despite being frightened witless by the loss of his freedom in this tiny black walled hell, he knew whilst he still lived there was hope - thanks to his indomitable spirit!

He heard distant voices...

"...not possible. This one glows bright with strength! We will feed well on him, brothers, but... what if the dark one wants such a spirit for his own? He is not like the others..."

"Not a sorcerer!"

"no... not a sorcerer... but still he answered the call... and that sword! The master will want it!"

"but will you pick it up?"

"Me? Not I! YOU take it!"

Reeling from the pain Alex wondered what was next. The answer wasn't long in coming!

OOC CLAW attack, critical blow...2d10 → [6,3] = (9) On the dot. 1 less would have been a miss, even with 1 Dex! 9RAPs! Body reduced to zero...

A searing pain struck Alex in his chest! Raking claws slashed his skin! He felt faint... falling...

Pain again, but different this time... This pain told him he was alive, and whilst still alive he would be able to fight on - if he could escape the trap he'd blundered into!

OOC Regeneration kicks in, which is handy...2d10 → [7,10] = (17) Stormbreaker is restored to full Spirit and Body

He opened his eyes into darkness again! No... would this torment never cease!

"Arggh! See that? he wakens! We can have a feast with this one, e'en before the master gets him! Like Prometheus! Chain him inside his mind, feast on his body and spirit! See it heal! Power unfettered! This one, a grand prize! We shall..."

"What's that? Light? Who are..."

"Arggh! It burns! Away! AWAY!"



A searing light shone in the corners of the dark cell Stormbreaker was trapped in, and he opened his eyes to see a wondrous sight! Maidens, barely clad, riding on mist wreathed steeds towards the creatures than shambled and flew away towards the sphere and the castle beyond! The maidens pulled up at the sphere, horses champing at the bits, and two turned away, giving a glance to where Stormbreaker lay, curled up. One called out, but it was in Norwegian, possibly some ancient variant or dialect, and she gave a nod, respectful. Their horses took to the sky, and with a gust of wind, they vanished, dispersing like smoke!

Had it been a dream? Stormbreaker reached for the sword that his name derived from...

A cold metal blade rested gently on his shoulder and he tensed!

"I would say 'Fear Not' bold warrior, but it is your lack of fear that led you to charge those vile creatures! My enchanted spear has granted you - for a short time - the ability to understand my words." said the woman, her voice strong, but not stern. She offered a hand, and Alex glanced about. Whoever the woman was, her timely intervention might have saved him!



"I am Sigrdrífa, of the Valkyrja. My lord, Odin, sent me to this place called Midgard to rescue a Druid, one of the few true servants the Allfather has on this realm. Alas..." she turns, looking at the castle and the spheres of magic protection. "...I fear we are too late. That place has at its heart an artifact, the mirror of a great and powerful cup save that it comes from a realm of darkness, and that which spills from it is evil. It requires great and powerful magic to hold it in this realm, however, and the being that drinks from it conspired to feed the cup, and in turn be fed, by the souls and power of sorcerers! I am but a humble shield maiden, and such powers are beyond my ability to fight. Those creatures, those, we can fight. You have seen by their cowardly ways how they run when the odds are evened. Go you from here, seek the White Warlock in his retreat and ask of him to return that favour which he owes me my lord, and help you in your quest to defeat the evil in castle yonder!"

She turns and walks to the horse, looking back and smiling at the warrior. "You are most welcome in the hall of heroes. Seek me out should you ever get there, but your time is not now."

OOC Don't know if you want to ask her anything or call out, otherwise she'll climb onto the horse and ride off, dispersing as she reaches the clouds, like her sister Valkyrie...

(( You continue to surprise me with stuff.. As for the rules stuff about the spirit drain.. technically by the BoH rules 'no range' does not equal 'touch' it instead essentially means 'range 0'. 0 APs is 10 feet though, so no contact is needed. It would still operate at APs of power as AV/EV. The next step is 'no AV' but that would make Spirit Drain into an attack using Inf/APs of power vs Inf/Spirit. I believe the solution you want would be something like 'requires targeting' for -1 FC. Would make a non physical power use Dex as AV. Combine with 'no range' to get a touch power out of Spirit Drain. I like your solution to the defence end of it as well. Not by the rules but it's appropriate and feels right for how I would think it should work.

Also, a recovery check only applies to a single current condition at a time. In this case it should be Body. That would prompt a check using Body as AV/EV vs.. actually that part has slipped my mind. However RAPs from the check are restored to the condition being healed. That makes me think of another potential drawback for my Regen 'must recover any condition that would restore consciousness first, if unconsciousness is the result of damage'. It wouldn't let me recover powers and such in combat, I'd have to keep recovering what ever would get me on my feet fastest... Anyway, on with the show! ))

Alex had been in the midst of calling up something of his own, hopefully enough of a surprise that he could have taken out one of the demons. Then the blackness had washed over his vision, and the walls had literally started to close in. Small spaces had always made him nervous, since taking up Stormbreaker such confinement had taken him even harder and he felt the panic and terror rising up to choke him..

Then the pain cut through the darkness. Doubling over Alex grunted in shock before hitting the ground, darkness took him again before he made contact. It was different, cold but familiar and safe. It only lasted a moment. Before he hit the ground he was back, the power invested in him by the sword knitting his torn body back together. Normally this is when he would bounce back, often the shock would give him an advantage, today he was simply trapped again in the prison that had been imposed on his own mind. He screamed then, silently within his mind.

It was good. An outlet. Something he could channel himself through, perhaps a way to get out of this crushing hell. Just as he was gathering himself to try and break free of these mental confines a great light shattered the illusion and scattered the demons back into the safety of the castle..

His next fully coherant thought was to recognize the feel of a blade on his skin. He turned, ready to take a defensive posture and sweep Stormbreaker back into his hand.. and froze. The woman before him was beautiful, unearthly so. She took his breath away in a way no other woman he had seen had, including his occasional encounter with other otherworldly women. It took him a moment to recover from the surprise and straighten out her words in his head so he could understand them. He let her words sink in in silence, until she extended an invitation to seek her out if he came to the Hall of Heroes. At that he smiles in an almost sad way.

"I begin to suspect that it is nearly impossible for me to go to that fabled realm. But thank you Sigrdrífa. If I could.." He stops and shakes his head. "Give my thanks to your lord for me!" He calls after her, holding a hand up to her in salute as she takes to the sky.

Not long after he would do the same, giving himself some considerable distance between himself and the castle before stopping to ponder this White Warlock..

(( No specific actions.. I'm figuring this to take a couple rounds to all happen. Somewhere in there though I'd like to lay on a full Inf/Aura to make a good impression. Then I'll need an appropriate check to recall anything about the warlock, probably Occult at 9/9 ))

OOC So his spirit is still 10/12 as he needs to have it reduced to 0 or lower for Regen to kick in. No probs. He'll probably recover it in an hour but the speed at which he flies means he'll get to the next stage of his journey before he recovers...

Infl/Aura on the Valkyrie... 2d10 → [10,4] = (14)

Stormbreaker made quite the impression!

Alex watched the beautiful warrior maiden go, and was about to turn away when he saw her glance back and smile...

That almost made up for the fact he'd been bested by three demons, albeit powerful ones! This place was dangerous, no doubt about that. From what he could gather it was a lure to draw sorcerers in, like the young lady who'd appeared and just as abruptly vanished without trace! She had - perhaps wisely - deduced it to be a trap. A lure, possibly for those who lusted after power, and in doing so were stripped of their own magic!

He considered the other name mentioned. The White Warlock.

OOC Occult Knowledge check. 2d10 → [9,7] = (16) Success.

Ah yes. Active up to around five years ago when he took sides in the 'registration war' with the government backed supers against everyone else (friend or foe). He was considered to be something of a 'side balancer' because his power was so great, but once the war was done his appetite for super-heroics seemed to go with it. He apparently gave over his magic power to a successor, some apprentice or trainee, and embarked on a career as a TV Mentalist, claiming to speak to the dead and making rather a good job of being convincing. What was his... ah, Jonathan LeBlanc.

LeBlanc lived in London, and was rich from his TV show and tie in book deals. He was attacked on live television by a costumed villain, only to turn the tables when he hypnotised the man and made him strut like a chicken on stage before the Police showed up. After that, even though there was a price on his head few villains considered it adequate payment for being humiliated in front of millions of people. And of course his ratings shot through the roof.

The man was reckoned to be the most powerful sorcerer in the British Isles, possibly of Europe and certainly in the top ten of the whole planet. Because it is so hard to accurately gauge the true might of a sorcerer in their prime (they like their secrets) it would perhaps never be known just how powerful he was.

Now though, he was simply an entertainer. Retired, still in the limelight, but for different reasons. So why had the warrior woman mentioned him? Might he have some information about what was going on here? Alex pondered some more. The fellow was based in London, and he recalled that the TV show was filmed by a company called Bailwood Productions. It might be worth investigating there and tracking this 'White Warlock' - as was, down.

He glanced back at the castle. A sense of unease was growing. Within those walls, protected by powerful fields, something dark and evil lurked. His old nemesis, possibly, and that chilled the soul. The Demon was cunning, cruel and patient. The last factor was the most disturbing - the beast would wait to strike at the most opportune moment.

OOC Over to London, or back to Edinburgh to report to Claymore?

(( Theoretically Alex could take a nap as well. His regeneration power kicks in whenever he's unconscious after all, not just when hes been knocked out. Also.. I think I might have to go after a subplot to get some kind of dimension travel device now.. ))

Alex smiles to himself grimly. The options ahead of him were not pleasent. Someone needed to ward this area against people foolishly wandering into the castle. Claymore deserved to know what was happening so close to his home, yet leaving the place unattended sat ill with Alex. He couldn't follow up on the White Warlock while playing nanny for a castle full of demons either. He briefly considered his options while gaining some altitude, playing with the idea of waiting for someone else to come along and enlisting them as a guard before discarding it for having to many unknown factors. His mind was made up, back to Edinburgh to fill in the Captain and then on to London. A slight grimace crossed his face at the thought of selling Claymore on letting up a super from the rest of the UK. He'd have to find a way..

Once free of the unusual glue like substance, Stormbreaker thunders off towards the Scottish city and back to the last place he had known Claymore would be - the ruin of the museum. The next issue is a signal, he had agreed to not go out in the open after all. Picking a nearby building to land on Alex opts for the direct approach, loosing a 4 mile high bolt of lightening straight up into the sky after positioning himself where the ground bound casual observer would be unable to see him. With luck, the Captain would be able to work out what it meant.

It didn't take Captain Claymore long to respond...

The man flew over, looking around before landing. "No Druid?" he asked, frowning. When Alex told him of what had transpired (OOC unless you want to leave certain things out...?) his frown deepened. He sat on a low wall at the edge of the roof and sighed. "Ma own investigations show that th' Professor was locked in a room that was set on fire. From the inside as far as ah can tell. There's nae evidence o keys an' locks bein' used either. It's got th' bobbies stumped but ah know when magic is at play. Coupled with wha's happenin' at th' castle makes me think the Professor was lookin' inta somethin' that someone didna want him tae find. Ah still need tae find out what. In the meantime ah'll make some calls. This sort o thing is no for th' police tae be sortin' out. Before ya know it some flatfoot will wander into th' ruins an' that'll be that. Ah have some old... acquaintances who owe me. We're not friends, but then tha' does nae matter. Ah'll get on it. Can you do me a favour an' go to London tae find this Warlock chap? Sounds like a proper bighead an' giant ego tae match his wallet, but if tha' was what th' lady said, best tae follow it up. Might be th' only way tae see my friend again..."

Alex retells the tale in full, though cutting out the fine details for the sake of expediency. What Claymore had found was grim news, he wanted to find whoever was responsible.. but for now this was to large an opportunity to strike a blow to one of Stormbreakers greatest foes. He nods acceptance to the proposed idea. "I was planning to go there. As soon as possible, can you take up guard over the castle? We need to keep the demon from taking any more power then he already has." A scowl crosses his features at the thought and is quickly shaken off.

He bids Claymore farewell, claps him on the shoulder a moment and then takes off for London!

Captain Claymore stands silent for a moment, then nods "Be careful... friend. There are forces here which are more powerful than is easy to imagine. All o this cannae be fer the usual reasons bad people do things... revenge... money... stupidity. This is something else...Ah'll make arrangements tae guard an' watch th' castle, an head off any more lemmings wantin' tae rush in tae their doom!"

Stormbreaker took his leave and started to head south at speed!

Accelerating to top speed above the clouds he cracked the air behind him, slicing through it and leaving a white trail... He knew it was over 300 miles from Edinburgh to London... and yet he could cover that in the time that an Olympian distance runner could run a single mile!

THOOOOOOOM!!!!

The green fields, towns, cities, roads and rolling hills flashed by underneath, but at this altitude the effect was lessened. A beautiful land, blighted by horrible weather most of the time and various social and economic problems, yet a place steeped in history and legend which few western civilisations could match. A land of conquerers and of conquered people, this tiny island had been at the heart of many of the worlds great events over the last ... well... thousand years or so. Stormbreaker wondered if the magic field around the castle heralded another event of dark portent.

He poured on the speed.

=========

"Tracking a projectile at speed sir!"

A man in uniform turned, strode to the console in the darkened room, full of operatives staring at screens and coordinating via headsets. Leaning over the womans shoulder he squinted at the dot, a smear picked up by satellite image. "Scan?"

"Still trying. It's path might take it close to tracking station Theta. We might have a better idea then."

"Piggyback onto the mobile phone network. I want a 3D map of that. If it's a missile, I want it shot down!"

"Yes... wait. The computer is increasing resolution. Compensating for blur. It's a human, sir. Male. No other details are possible at this level of magnification. Computer says no matches with current database on Superhumans."

The man leaned back, pondering. "An unknown super who flies at mach... what, 5?"

"Closer to 8 sir. It's hard to get a reading."

"Call the UKC monitor station. They can have this one. Keep an eye on it anyway. I still want that map..."

"But the UK mobile telephone networks will be down for..." the operative glanced at the grizzled man, he commander in chief, and gulped. "On it sir."

He watched the screen then turned to walk back to his office. On the wall there was a sign and legend reading "SMITE"

=========

A secret base, location classified...

"Priority one. Inbound projectile heading from Scotland to the South East, presumably to London" said the man in the skin tight dark purple costume. He watched the screen readout flash up with typed details and saw the picture. "Blurry, don't recognise him. We'd better take a look."

=========

Stormbreaker soared through the clouds and avoided as best he could the flight paths of incoming and outbound planes...

London and the South east of England loomed, an urban sprawl that could be seen from space at night. A big city of some eight million or more inhabitants. He was after only one though. Where to start looking?

He might have been looking for only one person among millions.. but he could also compare it to looking for a lightbulb in the dark. Of the millions of inhabitants of London, only a handful would have more then a trace of magic, and only a handful of those would be powerful enough that he might mistake them for the White Warlock at a distance and at speed. Which was exactly how he meant to search.

Alex pulled to a stop above the city, breaking it down into chunks separated by easily Identifiable landmarks. By his reckoning he could cover 16 miles in 4 seconds, and he could sense magical power at a range of a half mile in all directions comfortably. He would split the city up into sections, prioritize by apparent population density and start where he figured he had the best chance of finding the Warlock. High population density areas, starting with TV studios and then moving on to downtown and other high density areas. He could at least eliminate the largest number of people that way as quickly as possible.

The only question was how high up to conduct his search from.. Ground level would give him the longest range. He could blow past 15 feet in the air and functionally sense the entire population for a half mile around him. It would just subject everybody to a sonic boom going off a couple stories above their heads.. He could also do his sweeps from a quarter mile up, covering approximately a quarter mile radius at ground level. It would be less of a disturbance but would take twice as long to do..

Claymore would be standing guard over the castle by now, or would at least be doing so soon.. but the thought of the demon being nearby and active in the mortal world burned in the back of his mind. Some of that Alex knew, was Stormbreaker’s animosity towards the demon seeping through their link. It wouldn’t surprise him if the sword was capable of taking over its wielder and doing battle directly that way.. perhaps that was way the sword offered little in the way of protection against mental intrusion.

Either way, time was something that was not on his side. He would do it the fast way, full speed and close to the ground where his senses could cover the most area. Some people would end up with a severe headache, better that then being fodder for the demon.

First though, he needed to work out the areas of the city like he intended to.

Auto1: flight to move around the city at altitude to grab some landmarks to break up his search by, and hopefully to identify if there’s a part of the city dedicated to TV studios.

Dice: any checks needed to do as described

Auto2: passive non dice action version of magic sense. Mostly to detect any incoming magical foes/attacks, but he’s also open to the hope that the Warlock has such a big aura that he can just pick it up this way..

Stormbreaker saw the recognisable landmarks of London below him...

The BT Tower, Big Ben, even Nelsons column, though the steel and glass buildings dominated the skyline for the most part, with brick built Victorian era buildings clashing with more modern blocks all melding into a mish mash from the hero's vantage point.



Mindful of sonic booms, along with the resultant hazard of falling glass and masonry, Stormbreaker balanced speed with the need to thoroughly search, reaching out with his magic sense...

Immediately he felt strong, powerful magic in the area. Frowning, the hero turned. He'd travelled around a mile or so, and it felt the same. Was the city somehow magical? No, surely not. But the White Warlock wouldn't be able to hide his power - as the foremost sorcerer in the land it would be clear where he was, purely because he would be like a roaring campfire when all around was dark. Alex thought some more...

OOC An intelligence check... 2d10 → [8,10] = (18) Success.

Stormbreaker looked around again. Everywhere the magic seemed to be strong, nowhere stronger than anywhere else. Why? Unless... unless the Warlock knew he would stick out like a sore thumb so he enchanted items or places to emanate the same level of power as he did. If he stood out like a lone tree in the centre of a field, there'd be nowhere to hide... so he'd 'grown' a forest around him. Perhaps some enchanted nick nack that would give off a false signature, one that matched the Warlocks. He narrowed his focus and homed in as best he could on whatever was blanketing the area with a powerful magic signature...

OOC 2d10 → [6,1] = (7) Failure

Hovering over the rooftops, he looked about. What would it be? A building? Some kind of totem or artifact? If he could find those... whatever was left would be the Warlock, he assumed, unless there were other magic practitioners. If only the young woman hadn't left so abruptly...

Just then he turned.



Hovering without means of propulsion was a powerfully built figure in blue, with red helmet and wristbands. "I am ULTRAMARINE of the UKChampions. You will 'power down' and land on a nearby roof." he pointed towards a flat rooftop nearby. "Then put the sword down. Until your are identified and processed, you will be considered an outlaw."

In the distance the crack of air displacing behind a jet at hypersonic speeds suggested Stormbreaker and this 'Ultramarine' might soon have company...

Alex growls in frustration at the massively prevasive aura of magic around the city. Still he had to admire the work as an artifacer. If it had been him though, he would have enchanted something that was prevasive throughout the city.. the power grid for example. Something that was a single object that reached all the city. In that case he would likely never simply 'feel out' the Warlock.. he sighs and turns to consider the area he had just passed over..

This really isn't my day.. Another sigh escapes him as this 'Ultramarine' starts issuing orders. The sound of sonic booms in the distance didn't lend him much confidence of fighting through this one either.

"You know, Xenophobia is never a word I've heard used to describe the British but you Brit supers are really trying hard to change that from everything I've been through today." He pauses a moment, hoping that the sound he had just heard wasn't Adjutant on his way over. A couple of your bread and butter supers he could handle if things got ugly.. Adjutant was well out of his league and he knew it. Still, he didn't have time to play the 'rules and regs' game.

"Frankly, I don't have time to wait for you to 'process' me. You can consider me whatever you like but I'm not powering down and you are NOT getting this sword from me. You're countryside is practically crawling with demons and I mean to put an end to it. For that I need help. So kindly tell me where I can find the White Warlock and then get out of my way." His voice floated between agitation and being civil, rage boiling just under the surface at the thought of how difficult doing something as simple as besting such an obvious source of evil seemed to be here..

"Your accent suggests you are not a native of the British isles. Perhaps you are unaware of a major incident several years ago that forced the government to outlaw all unregistered superhumans for the good of the populace as a whole." stated Ultramarine in a distinctly robotic voice.

"Whilst the laws were relaxed to a certain extent the fact remains that unregulated superhumans can either help or hinder society. Until we can be sure which 'camp' you fall in, you must be treated as an outlaw, and therefore I shall repeat the request again - surrender peacefully and put down your weapon, so that we may process you into our system, or be treated as an enemy of the state. This is for your own protection as well as others, as a number of superhuman groups operate both within and outside of the law in the United Kingdom, and they would not have engaged you in dialogue, rather they usually attack first and ask questions later. I will also have to ask - what is your business with 'The White Warlock'?"

Alex fought to contain his temper and knew that whilst he chatted here with this guy his friends - if that's who they were - would soon be here, and that would complicate matters. It seemed the whole superhuman community had 'the jitters' and any new, unproven or at least unfamiliar superhumans would be treated with suspicion, regardless of who they were. Captain Claymore would probably vouch for him right now, but Claymore himself might not be in the best of standings with the UK government.

He could see in the distance now a silvery dot getting bigger by the second.

Then his magic sense felt something else - a pulse, of sorts. What was that? Perhaps this 'Warlock' had left his warning net out not just to warn of mystical occurrences but to gather information on them. He glanced at the sword. If that were the case the sword would probably have lit Warlocks grid up like a beacon, and hopefully that would draw the man to Stormbreaker, as opposed to trying to track him down...

"Final warning" stated Ultramarine. "Stand down. Now."

OOC With regards the paranoia, know that Britain had a superhero 'civil war' several years ago in the game (this game actually started up in 2009 with that as the base storyline and Dave/Frostbite/Lionheart was more or less the first player) and this is the 'aftermath' years. It all started when a bad guy impersonated Adjutant and went berserk, smashing Manchester up and causing a media frenzy. As a result Adjutant and the UKChampions became state back and revealed their identities as an example to others. That didn't work out so well, as a number of heroes found their families/friends targeted, and criminals had a field day whilst hero battled hero. American heroes were asked to come over to sort the warring sides out, and they were embarrassed into leaving when they were shown up for not revealing their own identities, and thus were breaking the law. The conflict was (eventually) resolved, but the fallout remains. Distrust and fear amongst the common man, and not knowing whether the next masked man/woman is a hero or villain.

Alex grits his teeth, hand clenching on the hilt of Stormbreaker. He could feel the irritation and rage seething within the blade through their mental connection, doing nothing to help contain his own matching feelings. Lashing out would do him no good. Odds were fairly good he could disable this Ultramarine with a mystical binding, however there was the chance that this was a robot of some kind and lacked any kind of spirit or soul. If that was the case such a binding would be ineffective. Standing down wasn't an option, speed was essential to head Kabaraxus off as soon as possible. That left a direct attack, flight.. or whoever it was that was approaching. With luck it would be someone a little more receptive.

With that thought in mind, Stormbreaker disappears with a crack of thunder!

Heading up and then arcing around to approach the incoming super, Alex flies at full speed to maximize his 'disappearing act'. He pulls to a stop directly in the path of the approaching 'silver blip'. "I hope to all the powers that you're more helpful then that bucket of bolts back there. I'm looking for the White Warlock. I've been instructed to collect a favor he owes.. someone important. The stakes are high and time is short so please either help me, or step aside."

Auto1: More magic sensing!
Auto2: Flight at 14 APs. This shouldn't cause much damage as the faster something goes the narrower the 'boom cone' it leaves behind, this is also true for the size, smaller objects leave less of a boom. At something between mach 32 and mach 60 any sonic boom Stormbreaker has should be extremely small.
Dice: Inf/Aura for a persuasion attempt! I think that's at 10/7.. I'm not completely sure to be honest though.

With a flash of motion, a crack of thunder, Stormbreaker was gone!

Zipping about at high speed, he hoped that any radar that was able to track him had been thrown off...

And the 'silver dot' turned out to be something... unexpected.

As Stormbreaker got closer it became clear that the 'dot' was in fact an aircraft of some kind...



His heart sunk. The Mistrust surrounding him was clearly causing others to assume he was an enemy or criminal!

The jet changed its angle of flight to head towards him where he hovered over another part of the city. His magic sense changed his vision from this angle to reveal what appeared to be a blanket of thin magic over the city, criss crossed like a net with small bright dots joined by brighter strands.

Just then he felt magic building near him, and looked on a rooftop. The building was fairly nondescript - a place where business was conducted, but the 'dot' of magic on the roof seemed to grow more intense! He hovered some 500 yards from it, and this oncoming jet was less than half a mile away now. He couldn't be sure, but it seemed the magic 'dot' was growing larger... an attack of some kind, or a portal, expanding for someone - or something - to step through?

Another crack of thunder... Stormbreaker groaned as he saw a blue dot getting closer - Ultramarine!

Just then he was fired at by the blue garbed figure! The energy flashed through the air, heading unerringly at Stormbreaker!

OOC Energy Blast at Stormbreaker! You've not used your dice action this round so a dodge or block with the sword is possible, and you have other options of course. Roll 2d10 → [5,6] = (11) - Before I apply the roll (hit or miss) I'll wait on your response to the dice action or perhaps to move closer to the magic dot on the rooftop, or perhaps to skedaddle out of there (but the energy blast will attack first)