Emerald City Knights Prologue: The Silver Storm

hero4hire · Nov 12, 2011

It is a sunny day in Emerald City. A much needed break in a string of grey and cloudy days. The bright sun and blue skies are enough to make even the most depressed just feel glad about being alive. Seemingly all of Emerald City has ventured outside to take advantage of the good weather. Every downtown street is lined with people out roller-blading, walking their dogs, people-watching at sidewalk cafes, or doing a little shopping.

Bargain-hunters are preeminently drawn to Yellow Brick Row, and most local merchants have sidewalk sales set up to greet them. Food and beverage carts aren’t hard to find, and city newcomers are bound to notice the Row’s restaurateurs offer cuisine with an Asian flair. There are plenty of burgers and fries to be had, but just as many good spots to grab some pad Thai, teriyaki, and other Eastern delicacies.

OOC:

Go ahead and post what brought your character downtown on a warm sunny day. Lunch, stroll in the park, business, whatever.

Please also include you character's name condition and hero points in the header of each of your posts.

drothgery · Nov 12, 2011

The Spellslinger (no conditions, 1 hero point)

Dr. Roland was a European specialist, but she'd always liked the mixed Asian cafe -- they thought nothing of offering Japanese, Chinese, and Thai on the same menu -- she'd just finished her lunch at. The food was good, the prices were good, and the owner didn't mind Susan tying up a table outside while she graded papers. At least, she didn't mind if Susan ordered a drink or an apetizer every once in a while.

She'd placed a few posters adverizing the next performance of Susan the Magnificent on her way in; on a day like today, families would bring their kids, and kids always loved magic. They didn't know it wasn't real. Their parents knew otherwise, though in the case of her show, they were wrong.

Every once in a while she thought about building a purse with the same kind of pockets as she'd built into the Spellslinger's jacket; carrying a laptop, posters, and what she needed to become the Spellslinger -- which she hardly was going to leave at home -- got to be a bit bulky. But putting extradimensional spaces inside of each other could be tricky, and someone might very well notice she took more out of her handbag than could possibly fit.

Graybeard · Nov 12, 2011

Horus (condition=normal, HP=1)

Jack's boss was being generous today and gave the entire crew a 2 hour lunch break. He and a few other guys decided to head downtown and eat outside to enjoy the fresh air and nice weather. The four of them eventually found a table in the crowded area. Jack had grabbed a double bacon cheeseburger, large fried, and a large Coke. His coworker Frank had grabbed a couple of chili cheese dogs, chips, and a large Mt Dew. The other two guys, Carlos and Enrique, had grabbed some Chinese food. Jack had tried it a few times and even though he liked it, it always gave him heartburn afterwards.

The four of them sat there, eating their lunch, talking about sports, cars, girls, and other small talk. Occasionally, one of them would point out a cute girl or a woman in a tight, short skirt and heels. They were never lewd or obnoxious towards the young ladies. They just enjoyed watching. None of them ever dared to stop one of the women and ask her out. The unwritten rules were you didn't do that during working hours. You waited until you were off the clock and out of uniform. The company wanted to avoid any possible lawsuits or bad publicity.

The guys were enjoying their break from building yet another convenience store. At least the money was good and the steady work paid the bills. Jack had his eye on a modest house and had been saving much of his paychecks towards a down payment. He already had nearly 20 grand saved up. In his mind, he knew that he wanted a finished basement with a pool table, air hockey table, 60" flat screen 1080i TV, kick ass stereo, fully stocked bar, and everything else a man cave needed. The house would also have a small gym and a large kitchen. Jack had taught himself how to cook some basic meals so he wouldn't starve and didn't need to keep eating mac and cheese or frozen dinners. He had even stopped at the bookstore last weekend and picked up a Cooking for Guys cookbook and a Real Men Cook cookbook. Neither one contained gourmet recipes but they would expand his dining options.

He took a large swig of his Coke as he looked around at the crowd. People watching had always been one of his favorite hobbies. He spotted a 20-something hottie in a clingy black dress and heels.

"Guys, check that out!"

Insight · Nov 12, 2011

Kid Bionic [No Conditions, 1 Hero Point]

SELF-DESIGNATE "KID BIONIC" currently positioned at 47°36′35″N 122°19′59″W. Currently heading west/northwest on 4th Avenue towards corner of Asbury Street. Local colloquial designate: "EMERALD CITY - YELLOW BRICK ROW". Atmospheric conditions: Normal. Environmental Conditions: Normal. Brightness: Normal. Wind: S/W 5MpH. Other Weather Conditions: None.

I have to concentrate. I have to be... human. Look at all these people. ALIVE! I was once alive... wasn't I?

Currently stopped movement at corner of 4th Avenue and Asbury Street. Potential Combat Targets: 37. Subset - Armed Targets: 1. Identify Potential Threat: "POLICE OFFICER OF LOCAL URBAN AUTHORITY - EMERALD CITY POLICE". Security Scan results (14ns response): MINIMAL THREAT.

People are shopping, eating, LIVING. I can't do any of those things anymore. I am... THIS.

SYSTEM RECOMMENDATION: Threat Level 1a Configuration ver 1.00.1.13. ACCEPTED. IMPLEMENTED. IN PROCESS... COMPLETE.

Kid Bionic's arms slack to his side. He assumes a "normal" walking gait and stance. He watches the people as they pass by. Some stare at the robotic exoskeleton Kid Bionic wears. Some ignore him altogether.

I need to go to the University. Someone there can help me understand what I've become.

Walking Dad · Nov 12, 2011

Greyhound (condition=normal, HP=1)

James, 'Jim' for his friends, is on his way to the local park, his bag over the shoulder and walking with a light gait. A walking stick in one hand and a chicken teriyaki sandwich in the other, he enjoys the slowness of his movement. While he knows what he must to do, even feeling a burning need to do it, he also knows that he has to savor the good, slow moments in life. Like his ritual walk to the park and doing his slow tai chi meditation there. His nights are fast and hectic enough...

[sblock=OOC]
will take 'silver' as speaking color, if possible.

Greyhound in Emerald City Knights OOC[/sblock]

Shayuri · Nov 12, 2011

Between his styrofoam container of pad thai and the awesome day, Daniel could have been in Heaven itself. He was perched on one of the wire chairs in the outdoors eating area of 'Jacket and Thai - Far East Eats', taking occasional forkfuls of mildly spicy noodles as he avidly worked on a cover design for a new project he wanted to pitch to Paragons comics, a fairly popular "quasi-indie" publisher that was based in Emerald City.

And if he was basing the main character off his own abilities, well, what was the harm in that? The best art was inspired by reality, wasn't it?

...

Okay, maybe that didn't apply to superhero comics as much, and he had to admit that having a published character under his name might put a crimp in any real crimefighting that he might, or might not, do. Hard to keep family safe if all a bad guy had to do was buy a current issue and read the byline.

But it was fun to dream. And he wasn't absolutely sure if he wanted to go the hero route. It wasn't that he didn't want to. Hell, it was every comic geek's dream! And his experiments had shown that the 'plasm' he created was up to the job, or at least SHOULD be. But he wasn't as sure about how it would handle super villains. And that gave him pause. He'd need a lot more than ghostly shapes and a resilient 'shell' to protect him. Did he have the raw power to take down something superhuman? And if he did, could he DO it? He'd never hit another person in his life. Even the stupid martial arts class he'd taken hadn't really had people hitting each other.

Daniel sighed unhappily and looked at his sketched cover design. Visage looked back up at him, swathed in thick smoke, blank eyes staring out of his 'mask' with vengeance and righteous rage as fists coalesced around him to administer an almighty beatdown on the forces of evil.

Things were so much simpler when they weren't real.

He put down his pencil and eraser and looked around, doing a little peoplewatching as he finished his pad thai and tried to clear his head.

hero4hire · Nov 12, 2011

ALL
Suddenly the loud, heart-stopping sounds of an explosion and shattering glass along with the accompanying shock strike you all without warning. Within moments, a strange cloud of silvery mist blankets the surrounding area. Just as panic and flight are about to take hold, the cloud begins to swirl without any evident prompting from the wind. It whips itself into a cyclonic mass, discharging what appear to be bolts of bluish lightning both within itself and outward around its immediate vicinity. Both blast and bolts subside and begin to dissipate before anyone (yourselves included) can arrive on the scene, leaving the dead and injured as the most immediate concern. The fleeing panicked crowds and hopelessly jammed roads make you all the only first-responders available for the critically injured now.

drothgery · Nov 12, 2011

The Spellslinger (no conditions, 1 hero point)

"My God!" Dr. Roland says, as she hastily collects her things. She disappears into the ladies' room, and seconds later emerges on the scene in the black mask, black coat, green clothes, and red hair that were the trademarks of The Spellslinger.

She tries to make sense of what just happened as she approaches the scene. She didn't have any medical training; other than providing an illusion of calm authority, there was little she could do for the injured. "Has someone already called 911?" She asks as she approaches.[sblock=actions]routine Deception to keep anyone from noticing Dr. Roland leaving and The Spellslinger appearing
perception and Expertise: Magic checks to see if she has any idea what's going on. perception check; Experise: Magic check (1d20+14=24, 1d20+14=33)
[/sblock]

Graybeard · Nov 13, 2011

Horus (Condition- normal? HP=1)

Jack nearly dropped his Coke when all hell broke loose. Explosions, shattering glass, swirling clouds, lightning bolts, and more unnatural things were happening all around. Almost as soon as they started, everything returned to normal. IN the aftermath, people lay all around injured and dying. They needed help.

Jack looked around and saw everyone panicking. People were running all around screaming and trying to get out of the area. He quickly whipped out his cellphone and called 911. All he got was an automated message that all lines were busy and to try his call again later.

He turned to his coworkers and was surprised to see they were no longer at the table.

"Great, they all took off just like everyone else." he said to no one.

With all the people fleeing from the area, the roads will be clogged. EMTs and ambulances won't be able to get here to help.

Just as he was considering looking for a discrete place to change into 'HIM', he heard a woman's voice call out.

"Has someone already called 911?"

He looked around for the source of the voice and saw something odd. It was a woman dressed in some sort of costume. She was wearing a black mask and coat and had red hair. He had no idea who she was or if she was the one who caused the trouble. Actually, he doubted that last part. If she had caused the problems, she wouldn't be asking if anyone had called 911.

"I just tried to call and got an error message. All the phone lines are tied up." he yelled back to her.

He didn't have any medical training so he wasn't sure what he could do to help. As Horus, he could fly some of the injured to the hospital but, if he remembered correctly, moving injured people could cause more harm.

Fighting his way through the crowd, he made his way towards the strangely dressed woman.

"The name's Jack. I don't know anything about first aid except for basic things like bandaids, ace bandages, and aspirin. What can I do to help?"

Walking Dad · Nov 13, 2011

Greyhound (condition=normal, HP=1)

Jim curses, than moves faster than most eyes can see, getting dressed and returning in mere minutes, because he stopped briefly next to a parking ambulance wagon to tell them about a panic and hurt people on the Yellow Brick Road.
He feels uncomfortable acting openly in the daylight, but he will not let innocents suffer because of secrecy or style.

Returning, he sees the masked woman asking around and the hurt people lying on the floor. His mind races what to do next.

[sblock=OOC]
I assume high parry, dodge and his super-movement powers allow him to navigate through the crowd. If not, I will change my post.

How far is the next hospital?

Game physic questions:
Is Str 2 enough to carry another person without speed penalty?
If not, how high would it be?
Are persons one carries protected from the effects of the fast movement (standard in comics)?

Greyhound in Emerald City Knights OOC[/sblock]