The devil went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal.
He was in a bind 'cos he was way behind: he was willin' to make a deal.

Silverburg's Auditorium, Charlotte, NC

"You understand what I want Tombs?" Walker purred into the cell phone as he watched the crowd shuffled into the modified theater across the street.

"Yo, Walker..you are paying me 20 large to break the bank open and keep the fuzz busy for at least 45 minutes, I get it. Where do you want to meet with the dough after I get clear?"

He cringed as the woman on the other side of the connection mangled the King's English. He missed the days when folk such as her did as they were told by him. People these days had no understanding of their place or how to behave to their betters.

"Don't. Keep the cash too. You're just to keep folks from being to interested in my side of town." He clicked the phone shut and sighed. If he had known what would have come of dealing with the thug, he'd have hired a group of normal crooks but they didn't have the 'presence' that she did. Still, he reminded himself, she had to learn that just because the 'mundanes' couldn't hurt her that didn't mean he couldn't put her in her place, but that was something to worry on later. His gaze returned to auditorium's front and took in the sign out front.

Mary Lafouche, one night only.

Twenty minutes later, inside

The concert was surprisingly good. Mary, a New Orlean's native who had just made the big scene was doing a charity concert to raise funds for the renovation of the French Quarter. The singer/guitarist worked though a variety of songs both rock, jazz and blues. The performance has a 'magic' to it that seems to be so powerful that the audience can't but be taken in with her performances of a myriad of dead musicians. She seems to perfectly copy each artist's style as she plays a few songs from each in turn. John Lenon, Elvish Presley, Darrell Abbott, Jim Morrison and nearly a dozen other stars play into her act.

OOC: Okay..here's the start of the game. Sorry about the wait. Here is the breakdown. Alec (need to come up with a name or risk me coming up with one!), Yeoman, Volt and Remarkable all got tickets. Alec/Yeoman got it from Yeoman's bossing tossing him a pair from the stack of a dozen he had gotten to give away at the store. (turn's out the boss is a big blue's fan). Volt won them in a radio contest. Remarkable got a ticket in the mail, one ticket that he appeared to have gotten by accident.

Nighthawk, by winning/losing the draw (you can call it which you want), is currently out on patrol on the edge of the city limits
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:59, Sun 12 July 2009.

In reply to Kain (msg #1):

Simon made his way through the small crowd standing at the back of the theatre carrying two glasses of beer. A combination of size, balance, and the fact that he looked like he belonged in a much rougher crowd allowed him to slide through the distracted fans with relative ease. The house of Archer was a place where spilling beer was a crime and he managed to stay on the straight and narrow thought the glass on the left was maybe a half inch lower than the one on the right.

"You know this chick is way better than I thought. I was expecting some kind of hippy blues-fusion mess". He addressed his much smaller brother extending his left hand with Alec's beer in it while turning to face the stage.

In reply to Yeoman (msg #2):

Able stood in a small cluster at the foot of the stage. As he looked to his left, he saw a gorgeus woman dancing beside him. he pulled his thumb to his lips and blew in it, his muscles blew up accordingly.

Ben sat near the front row, tapping his foot in time to the beat. The tickets had been a surprise, seeing as his knowledge of movie trivia was less than stellar. But, hey, here he was. Jenny sat beside him, caught up like most of the audience in the performance. He hadn't seen her in years and just happened to remember she lived in the area before driving down. Luckily, she was free for the night and turned out to be a fan of Mary LaFourche.

Ben sighed as the guy in front of him's cell phone went off AGAIN, drawing looks of consternation from the people around him.

"That's enough," he thought as he concentrated and told the phone to turn itself off. As the man lifted the phone to see who was calling, it gave a weak little triple beep and the screen went blank. The man's confusion was a little comical, but he put it away. Ben settled in to watch the rest of the show, Jenny's arm looped through his.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:57, Sun 12 July 2009.

Taking the beer from his brother Alec smiles appreciatively towards the stage.  "Can't beat the classics, bro.  If you could this chick would be close".  Alec drinks his beer in quiet contemplation while he focuses his full attention on the performance.  After a few moments he looks toward his brother and says "She kinda looks like that girl I went out with in middle school.  Except... curvier."

In reply to Alec Archer (msg #5):

"I'll take your word for it. I only saw her the one time when I was on leave and I thought she looked kinda like a talking mop" Simon settled into his seat with a smirk. He knew damn well that Sarah McKeigh had gone on to win Homecoming queen and even finished 3rd for Miss Junior North Carolina.

"It's kinda weird she mostly does dudes though innit. Sings their songs I mean"

In reply to Yeoman (msg #6):

   Having no luck with the girl, able deflated himself and walked over to the bar(next to the archers.)

"Um, milk please."

Feeling this would not sound inpressive to the two large men sitting next to him, he added,"on the rocks!"

In reply to Remarkable (msg #7):

Andy pushed her glasses back up on the bridge of her nose as she studied the incoming data. "Diagnostic is complete and it looks like this last round of modifications took care of the heat sink problem."

Nighthawk lowered his altitude and settled into a comfortable cruising speed as he neared the outskirts of the City. "Yeah well I'm still sweating my balls off."

Andy rolled her eyes. "Charming.  You know it is July in Charlotte, pretty much everyone is sweating something off." Andy looked at her watch. "Still, we can look at a complete redesign on the coolant system.. Monday.  Mary Lafouche, one night only, and I'm already running late."

Morgan smiled. "Thanks Andy have fun."

Andy packed up her things, hitting a few key strokes on the computer. "You too, at least for another thirty seven minutes at your current speed, then it's time to refuel."  Andy adjusted the blue tooth on her ear and headed out the door locking it behind her. "And seriously Morgan if you run out of gas again I am so not coming to pick you up.  Night."

Morgan grinned a bit more as the communication ended and then quickly refocused on the report he was picking up on the police band.  Altering his course Nighthawk headed for the area SWAT was being dispatched too.

Once in the area Nighthawk will begin running a full sensor sweep.

(OOC: sorry for the late post My Internet was out all weekend.)

(OOC: Edit Dice Roll Added 10:50, Today: Nighthawk rolled 27 using 1d20+9. Notice.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:17, Tue 14 July 2009.

Alec looks toward Simon with a frown on his face about to argue the point when hears an order for milk on the rocks.  "HAHAHAHA".  Alec's laughter is cut off as he looks towards the customer placing the order and realizes that it's a real order.  Alec turns his head back to Simon, now with a smirk of his own.

Somewhere along Billy Graham, South Charlotte

Nighthawk's first impulse is to join SWAT as a single word makes this an dangerous night for the police. Hardbody. Everyone who has lived in the Carolinas in the last few years knows about the Tarheel state's most dangerous metahuman. Muscle for hire and a stone cold killer.

The train of thought is interrupted as something goes weird. One moment Nighthawk's navigation systems are online and properly working the next they are all errattically indicating all sorts of things. Down on the street below, he spots what can only be called a 'gateway' to somewhere not of Earth open and several forms bolt out of it, and speed away into traffic. Advance optics let Nighthawk spot at least half a dozen.. mastiff like dogs. Assuming you can find a breeder who breeds them the size of a small pony with flaming eyes and muzzles. They are bee-lining in the opposite direction of the majority of Charlotte's police force.

The choice is simple. Follow the 'doggies' or help the cops with Hardbody. And no one else knows about these puppies.

Inside the theater

Alec is about to make another comment to his brother as they collect a second beer, while on stage Mary is cranking out another tune after pulling out an old bluesman's hat and acoustic guitar. It's early blues, but something very powerful in the song as the New Orlean's native sings it. At the point she starts singing, Alec feels a touch of something that had been in the background all night.
Magic. Nothing he can locate, or quantify..but now quite tangible and present and building all around him.

      Early this mornin'
      when you knocked upon my door
      Early this mornin', ooh
      when you knocked upon my door
      And I said, "Hello, Satan,"

      I believe it's time to go."
      Me and the Devil
      was walkin' side by side
      Me and the Devil, ooh
      was walkin' side by side"


OOC: Alec and Nighthawk have to post actions. And there are PMs for them.

In reply to Kain (msg #10):

Nighthawk didn't hesitate, SWAT was in route and though they were likely not equipped to handle Hardbody Morgan hoped they could hold their own long enough for help to arrive.  What ever these creatures were they posed an immediate threat to everyone around them.  Rolling left Morgan gave the fuel gauge on his heads up display a brief glance before focusing in on the Creatures.


Cursing slightly under his breath as the fog rolls in, Nighthawk begins flying at street level adjusting his speed until he is just over the pack preparing to blast as many of the creatures as he can with his entangle foam.

Alec looks toward at his brother with sudden realization.  "Bro, something is happening.  I can feel magic energy...".  Alec leans back and closes his eyes in an attempt to focus in on the source of the magic.  "I can't feel where its coming from or what it's doing... it's too subtle".

"Hoodoo mumbo jummbo I was just starting to like this crap!" Simon spoke barely loud enough to be understood.

Rolling his weight subtley forward so that he was prepared to rise quickly he glanced around the room looking for signs of trouble (or unecessary concentration). "Damn" he thought checking under his arm where the ASP rode,"it's a long way to the truck."

Reaching in his shirt pocket Simon surreptitiously placed his earbud comm-link in and finger tapped it to contact his jury-rigged commo suite back at the shop. The thing was supposed to ping when there was a problem but he had removed it because it was hard to enjoy music with one ear blocked.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:38, Wed 15 July 2009.

In reply to Yeoman (msg #13):

Able sat watching the two men. "I'll bet those guys do something really important. Like a Fireman. Or a barber."

Nighthawk's gear was top of the line, cutting edge in a lot of ways.  The word Prototype comes to mind. Particularly as he lines up the recital on the dog and triggered his restraint foam, only to have the discharge of the foam throw his aim off unexpectedly. His shot pulled up and in front of the lead dog of the pack.

A long surreal howl started at the realization the unearthly hounds were not alone. What happened next almost unbelievable to Nighthawk as the pack leader literally leaped though the car in front of it. Though the foggy night, it came out the other side of the car and turned to make a beeline towards the now visible theater mere blocks away. Clearly the pack's target.

OOC: Nighthawk rolled a 1. BaH!
Everyone in the theater give me a notice Roll (15) to hear the doggies coming.

Simon grabs his brothers arm "What the hell is that?..I think I better go to the truck."

Yeoman takes off through the crowd like an icebreaker throwing half-hearted apologies over his shoulder as he goes. On the way out he taps his comm-link switching ti to the police band.


(OOC: He rolled a 19 on the Notice check. He will be heading to get his Yeoman gear from the truck and then toward the disturbance wherever it may be by then)

As the music reached a crescendo, Jenny snuggled closer, the music working its magic on the crowd. The song reached a rest, leaving a momentary silence, and allowing the sounds of something... odd to reach Ben's ears.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Ben muttered. He knew that sound. Sometimes, it was a different noise or a different volume, but it always carried the same tone. Trouble.

Jenny looked up at him as he slid his arm from out of hers, a look of concern on her face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Uh, nothing, nothing... just gotta hit the restroom for a second," Ben replied, making a slight look of embarrassment cross his face.

"Well, hurry up. Wouldn't want to miss the end of the show," she said, a slight smile tilting the edges of her mouth.

Ben grinned back and made his way towards the theater's entrance, the familiar buzzing feeling of the electricity building within him.

(OOC: Volt rolled 24 using 1d20+8. Notice. Volt will be heading towards the nearest side exit to change.)

In reply to Volt (msg #17):

Able watched as the big man ran through the crowd."Must be a fire. Or a mullet."





(Remarkable rolled a 14 on 1d20+8. grrr.)

In reply to Remarkable (msg #18):

Alec rushes out after his brother.  Hearing the noises from outside for the first time.  "What is that?"

(Got a 28 on my notice check)

As the two brothers (and Volt) come out of the theater, the night has gone from the forecasted 'very clear and hot/muggy' to 'hot and muggy, with lots of fog and an after taste of sulfur'. Visibility has to be about 30 yards  and you can JUST make the edge of the parking lot out.  Beyond that you hear the howling baying sound and see flashes that seemed to be headed this way.

Nighthawk

With the polyfiber restraint system making ominous noises, he switched to some tried and true alternative. A quick juicing of the suit sent him ahead of the lead.. dog and the launcher huffed out a small shaped charge straight at it as it came ouf of the side of a semi. The shaped charge's concussive blast went off right were it was supposed to, about 3 feet from target and with a flash and a loud WOMPH the dog is blasted back into the side of the semi. This time it hits the truck and slides to the ground totally stunned. Out for the count.

Of course it's pack mates are continuing towards their target, which Nighthawk realizes with a shiver is the theater.


OOC:
Okay.. Nighthawk downed one (beat it by a bit) and it's out and stunned. The others (and he can't tell in the thickening stew of fog) are about 2 rounds from arriving at the theater. Everyone but remarkable (who needs to make another notice roll DC 15) have 2 rounds to set up.

"Alec, Brimstone...either this is a frat prank or some kinda Hoodoo. Wanna bet on which?"

That said Simon fades into the mist and, recovering it from the truck, begins to don his Yeoman gear.

(OOC: Stealth Roll= 25, Despite having some of his Eq. on already it will take him all of the two rounds to get geared up)
This message was last edited by the player at 19:23, Thu 23 July 2009.

In reply to Yeoman (msg #21):

Able's head kirked up at the sounds from outside. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his aviator sunglasses and slipped them on, thus signifying it was time to throw down. He charged into the mosh pit and transformed into his red and gold self. Then he swung from the rafters till he got outside.

Ben's head jerked up to look towards the sound of the explosion. As he pulled his shirt off, revealing the white and blue of his costume, he continued to marvel at the bad timing of villains. Sparks began to arc between his fingers as he pulled on the gloves and prepared to face whatever it was that sped towards him in the dark.

OOC: It'll take the usual number of rounds to get changed into costume (2, I do believe).

"Can't let them get into the theater Morgan, lets see if we can still put this restraint foam to good use."

Rocketing forward Nighthawk will circle the building ejecting foam canisters near the doors and windows. Nighthawk will broadcast across open communications in hopes that security inside, nearby police, or other heroes will pick up the broadcast. "There are a half dozen fire breathing mutts making a B-line for the theater.  I'm going to try and make sure they can't get inside."

After the canisters are deployed Nighthawk will switch over to live ammo and strafe the canisters in hopes of sealing off entrances into the building.


OOC: That will probably take 2 rounds one to drop the canisters and another to spolde them.  I'll drop a hero point if need be to make sure they go off before the hounds get to the building.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:43, Sun 26 July 2009.

"Brimstone would be a nice touch for a prank" Alec says to his brother as Simon disappears.  Alec wills his clothes to change form into his Mage costume.  The transformation is almost instantaneous.  He then looks around to see if he can find the source of the commotion.

The first thing to appear (to the men in the parking lot) is a flying man who loops around and slings something back the way he came. The object goes off with a WHOMPH And there is a loud baying heard from the fog behind him.

Mage feels the approach of something BAD.

OOC: Mage and Nighthawk are in 'role' with costumes in place. Nighthawk needs to give me a roll (and yes, you can use a HP to make it an AOE attack ont he bind). The others are in various stages of costuming. The roll determines what comes out of the fog.

In reply to Kain (msg #26):

Successful or not once Nighthawk has made his last circle of the building he will land in the parking lot putting himself between the Hounds and the Theater.

OOC: 22:44, Today: Nighthawk rolled 18 using 1d20+8. Attack Ranged.

What comes out of the fog isn't normal. They look sorta like the hounds from Ghostbusters, except Gozar's hounds didn't drool fire.  Or leap THROUGH an overhead sign in an attempt to get at the flying suited man that was responsible for most of their pack's capture.

Both miss, and the lead hound lands with an impact that can be felt across the parking lot as it turns and orients on the theater.

OOC: I've (as hopefully alex has told you guys) have a mental block with some of the mechanics.. bear with me.. this is as much an exercise in getting me to learn the system better as it is for you guys to learn PbP. :D
All but TWO failed their saves.. heck.. 2 rolled 1s! (Kain hates dicebot). You've got two very ugly mad puppies on one side of a crowded parking lot headed for the theater front door.

Ok I'm not sure how good a shot I have at the two coming at the theater.  If I have line of site I am going to throw an arcane bolt at one of them.  If not then I will use my levitation power to get some height before blasting.
I rolled a 22 to hit.  My damage dc for the blast is a 21 I also have sneak attack if it will apply to this situation.

Ben's eyes widened as he saw the pair of hounds land. He balled his fists, allowing the electricity to gather around his hands and readied himself.

"Ain't no way you fellas are gettin' through me! Time to show you a few new tricks," he shouted, hoping to draw their attention.

His form flashed in the darkness as he brought the electromagnetic field up around himself, electricity coruscating across his torso and down his limbs. Volt extended a hand, releasing a single bolt of blue-white energy at the hounds.

OOC: Volt rolled 30 using 1d20+12. Initiative. Activating Force Field as a Free Action. Volt rolled 27 using 1d20+8. To Hit. Toughness Save DC 23
This message was last edited by the player at 01:24, Mon 03 Aug 2009.

In reply to Volt (msg #30):

Remarkable landed in the parking lot. In his hero form he appears to be a red person with a gold "R" on his chest wearing aviator sunglasses.

"Whoa, Beethoven from hell."





OOC: rolled a 10 on initiative. The dicebot hates me.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:38, Sat 01 Aug 2009.

In reply to Remarkable (msg #31):

(OOC: not sure if you had already rolled this or not but here is an initiative in case you need it.

15:58, Today: Nighthawk rolled 21 using 1d20+1. Initiative.

Silently the Yeoman rose from the back of a pickup truck with his bow at full extension.

No reason to go easy on a demon dog. He thought as he released a broadhead arrow at one of the beasts.


(ooc Init 21, To Hit 29, DC 22 Toughness save, Killing Damage)
This message was last edited by the player at 02:26, Mon 03 Aug 2009.

The lightning fast reactions of our heroes took over as the otherworldly dog emerged from the fogbank only to receive MULTIBLE killing attacks. Singularly it would have shrugged off any of them, possibly more than one. All of them summed were more than the animal could handle as all of them hit in rapid order as it is taken by them in midleap.

The smoking body slides to a halt a mere 10 yards from Yeoman's position. It reeks of blood and burned flesh from the various attacks, and looks very very dead.

<b>Just out of sight</p>

He frowned as he ran a finger down his cane, it was always like this it seemed.

"Damn busybodies always moving into my plans." He growled out a word, fell and dark, and lightning came to his will. He smiled as the blast struck it's target and freed his minions.

OOC: GM Fiat.. Bad guy uses his magics to unleash the trapped demon dogs. (Everyone gets a Hero Point..and add 5 xp to your characters for your patients and my birthday)

OOC 2: I apologize profoundly about the wait guys.. life has been really weird of late. Moving to Florida, losing the job (due to security investigation snafus), getting the job only to find out I have to apply to it again (Lockheed Martin took the contract on), and so on.

Volt watched the dog flop to a stop.

"Damn, that thing is ugly," he thought to himself just as a massive bolt of lightning struck somewhere nearby.

Before his brain could fully register the fact that he'd not been the only one trying to stop the demonic hound, he heard more baying and grimaced.

"Yep... gonna miss the curtain closer..." Volt thought as he willed more electrical energy into his hands.

Nighthawk smiled under his visor as the Beast was brought down.  With the others trapped and obviously other heroes on the scene he almost took off to help the cops trying to take down  Hardbody.  Then came the Lightning followed by the howling of the freed hounds. "Thats not good" looking up briefly he looked back to the dogs.  Iightning his thrusters he gained some elevation and prepared to fire his sub machine guns. "I'm pretty sure that didn't just happen by chance."

Waiting for the hell muts to break through the fog Nighthawk started running a fun sensor sweep trying to locate anyone else in the area that wasn't running from the creatures besides the heroes fighting them.




19:01, Today: Nighthawk rolled 13 using 1d20+9. notice (sensors).
19:01, Today: Nighthawk rolled 18 using 1d20+8. attack ranged.
 

Yoeman felt confident that Remarkable and the guy throwing lightning could handle the dogs. If not he wasn't sure how much good a grunt with a bow would do.

Instead of piling in on the beasts he followed the glowing line in his vision backward and took off toward what he hoped was the origin of the lightning.

Seeing the lightning come down Mage mutters "no way that is natural under his breath".  Willing himself to lift high into the air Mage looks for any potential sources for the lightning.  He will also try to sense any magics out there since this whole scene smells of the arcane.

In reply to Alec Archer (msg #38):

(Remarkable takes a swing at the dog nearest him and rolls a 16 to hit.)

Yeoman charges off into the mists, losing the bearing of the bolt, and feeling like he might have misjudged the point of origin of the blast. Behind him he can hear one of the hounds growl as it tries to follow him, only to yelp in pain.
The dog that turned as the masked bowman charged by presented the PERFECT target for his shot, and Volt lights him up with a blast that spins it around. It growls as it's red eyed gaze on the living lightning rod. It looks very angry.
Remarkable's blow reaches out beyond the reach of any normal human and smashes into the lead hound as it staggers out of the chemical foam that had held it. A massive fang flies out of it's mouth from the impact.
Nighthawk, riding his suit's thrusters, scans the area but the surface clutter keeps him from detecting any distinctive movement patters. There are a variety of targets below him from the restrained dogs, and several seem set to charge though the parking lot towards the northern end of the club.

OOC: I'm sorry, truly sorry that I missed posting for so long. If you guys want to tell me to go to hell I understand.


Actions:
-Volt is blasting a Doggie (Hit)
-Nighthawk is trying to spot someone else in the area (Notice roll) and shooting something (? The dogs or the badguy..)
-Remarkable is hitting a dog (Hit)
-Alec is looking for the big bad (spots something flying away into the fog)
-Yeoman is trying to get to the big bad (Doesn't spot the big bad, need a bearing from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock for bearings)

Volt smiled inside his mask.

"Bad dog! No treat for you!" he yelled. The electricity surrounding him flared as he rose upward, the electromagetic field repelling him from the ground.

"C'mon! Poor little doggie can't handle some real opposition?" he said, readying to loose another bolt if the hell hound didn't turn its attention away from the running bowman.

OOC: Hey, we heard about all the s#!t that happened. I'm obviously still game.

Speaking of, I'm Readying to attack if the hound attempts to chase or go after anyone but myself.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:54, Fri 18 Dec 2009.

Yeoman stealthed off toward the direction he had seen the mystic bolt come from. Being uncertain of the direction he picked a direction and started a search pattern.

(OOC: 11 o'clock)


23:05, Today: Yeoman rolled 25 using 1d20+14. Stealth.
23:05, Today: Yeoman rolled 13 using 1d20+12. Search.

Nighthawk will continue running sensors in an attempt to track the movements of the creatures and move to cut off the group heading towards the north side of the building opening up on them with his Uzis.

00:03, Today: Nighthawk rolled 28 using 1d20+8. Ranged Attack.  Uzis(Blast 5 autofire)
00:02, Today: Nighthawk rolled 22 using 1d20+9. notice (Sensors).

Yeoman moves on an arc, trying to find the source that freed the hounds, when something clattered down at his feet. A glance down revealed dozens of ..teeth? That sank into the soft asphalt where a rumbling was heard. Something wicked this way was coming.

The hounds show a new trick to Volt and Nighthawk as their attacks literally go THROUGH them and into the cars behind them as the entire pack lunges though the two heroes and into the wall of the club.


OOC: Waiting on Remarkable/Alec to complete the round.

Remarkable turns and heads back towards the theater.

"Bad dog! Play Dead!"



22:07, Today: Remarkable rolled 20 using 1d20+6 to hit
This message was last edited by the player at 03:08, Tue 05 Jan 2010.

Nighthawks eyes go a little wide as he watches the creatures pass threw the wall. "Nice trick.  I gotta learn that."

As it was Nighthawk opted to fly through one of the higher windows in pursuit of the hounds of heck.  Once inside he will try to manuver in front of the lead one and engage it in hand to hand.


22:23, Today: Nighthawk rolled 21 using 1d20+8. BIFF POW BAMMMN! Melee Attack.

"Now that's just cheating..." Volt said, turning in the air and heading back down towards the theater.

Choosing to make a grand entrance, he dove through the main skylight, trusting in the fact that the hole he made was small. Luckily, the balcony was clear, as most of the people were either still in the show or had moved lower to see what was going on outside.

Landing on the balcony, he quickly checked to see where the demon dogs had landed, prepping a bolt for the first one he saw.

"Everyone, this is an emergency! Please stay back and let us handle it!" he shouted, hoping to God it would at least postpone the inevitable panic.

07:56, Today: Volt rolled 13 using 1d20. Charisma (Hero Point).
07:58, Today: Volt rolled 27 using 1d20+8. To Hit (Readied for demon dog appear).

Remarkable turns back to the club and manages to get in. The bouncer looked a bit shocked to see the 'heroic' guy come by, too stunned to stop him in fact. Volt's arrival and announcement broke up the performance and the stunned crowd looked up to see him, and Nighthawk, come sweeping into the theater from above while Remarkable comes in from the entrance. And starts to move out of the theater in a nearly orderly manner.

The pack emerge from the wall with a howl and the lead hound is surprised to see the waiting armored titan swooping down to attack it. Only to jump startled as the armored fist goes though it, and knocking a table over sending things scattering. The other hounds spread out, circling towards the stage as they flick through chairs and the stray remaining concert attender. Remarkable's amazing right cross as he covers the distance in the room in a step (literally!) is just as ineffective.

Outside

Yeoman had a second to take in the dozens of teeth land around him before skeletal hand erupted from the asphalt and pulled an entire skeleton emerged from the ground. Around him over a dozen more can be seen in the foggy night.

Some distance away, he can hear Alec scream in pain, and is cut off.



OOC:
Okay.. everyone inside the club give me a notice roll (20).
Lineup:
Alec Archer: Currently grappled by LOTS of skeletons. (holding off till Alex can get a pro or con from player)
Remarkable: (End of last round) Heads back inside, looking for the demon dogs. (Gets in before Volt's action, good move)
Volt: Going in, directing the crowd out. (Sorry.. full round action)
Nighthawk:Durn intangible doggies from heck!
Yo!Man (er.. Yeoman):You know your problem.. LOTS of skeletons.. will it be bad or army of darkness comedic?

Nighthawk will try and determine the target the hounds are after.  If he can then he will attempt to grab said target and fly off.  If not then he will use his taser attack on one of the intangible muts from heck.

14:43, Today: Nighthawk rolled 15 using 1d20+8. Ranged Attack.
14:43, Today: Nighthawk rolled 20 using 1d20+9. Notice. 

Yoeman looked around to make sure the area was clear of civilians and then fired a frag arrow into the ground at his feet and vaulted over a nearby car and away.

Landing some distance away his head snaps toward Alec's cry.


15:33, Today: Yeoman rolled 16 using 1d20+12. Acrobatic Roll.
Frag Save DC(15) Ref, then DC(20, or 18 if Ref save made) Fort to all within 20ft radius.

Outside

In the parking lot, there is little to see as Yeoman vaults away from his off the cuff shot. Seconds later a massive BANG is heard and he is joined with bone fragments and teeth raining down around him as car alarms join the sounds of panicky people leaving the club. And with a shock, Yeoman realizes he's the only thing between the bystanders and the horde of dead things he's facing.

Inside
All three heroes inside have their hands full as they take in the chaos of moving the crowd and the fact that their foes are intangible, at least selectively. That is what drew their notice as one of the hounds erupts from the wall and drops with a scream as it tries to leap though a popcorn stand, the body slamming with unnatural suddenness as it collides with the cart/stand and knocks it over.
The contents spill around it as it, and it's slightly slower companion, slam into an 'invisible' wall at the spilled contents. With a bit of a surprise, all three realize the spill of SALT seems to prevent the two hounds from moving towards the stage and the apparently paralyzed singer on stage.

OOC:
Lineup
Yeoman's use of a grenade arrow
Nighthawk: made his notice roll
Volt/Remarkable: Rolled for them (they both made it)

Isolating what he thinks is the target and unable to injure the now intangable creatures Nighthawk will attempt to rocket towards the intended target, snatch the singer up and jet out the window he flew in through gaining as much altitude as he can without putting his passenger in danger.

On his way out Nighthawk will blast the closest Popcorn maker and hope it's salted.

18:34, Today: Nighthawk rolled 10 using 1d20+8. Blastin a Popcorn Maker.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:35, Tue 02 Mar 2010.

Shouting at the civilians in the parking lot to, "Move back, move back!", Yeoman lets fly with his second explosive arrow.

(OOC: 30'aoe, DC16 Reflex, Fail=DC21 Toughness/Succeed=DC18 Toughness)

He turns his head back and forth trying to get some idea what is happening with his brother.

Outside the club

The club patrons back up at the sight of the costumed bowman standing on a car as he spins around to yell at them before turning back to the horde of skeletons. His arrow hits the middle of the crowd of skeletons.

The arrow detonates, sending bone fragments and gravel all over the hero and the front line of the crowd. Who scream in shock and fear and try to back up, only to be stopped by the rush of the mob behind them trying to get out.

<need a spot check DC 12>

Inside the Club
 Huddled behind a counter, a boy pulls out a phone and dials quickly.
"Come on.. come on." He grumbles as he feels the impact of monstrous dog-thing hitting on the bar.

 Nighthawk
Nighthawk scoops up the singer and makes for the skylight in one motion that has her swearing at him in what sounds like cajun or creole. She is screaming about something but the general confusion makes it hard to understand.

 Remarkable
The sound of a screaming woman draws Remarkable's eye as his target turns and charges for the now empty stage. The woman is lying on the ground at the back of the massive crowd exiting the theater area, her leg bent at a nasty angle.

Somewhere outside Atlanta, Ga

A Cell phone rings, waiting for the old man whose hip it is resting on to answer.


OOC:
Waiting Volt's action

Volt flew down to the bar, realizing his blasts were of little use against these foes. As he landed, he looked around for the one thing that seemed to be an effective counter to the demon dogs... anything with salt in it.

Volt rolled 19 using 1d20+8. Notice.

PM

Jacob Kurtsburg, Known better as Atlanta Max, Grabbed his phone off his hip and looked it over. He then let out a hoarse growl.
"I can catch a friggen bullet outa the air in my sleep, but i cant find the damnated talk button on this phone."

He glanced around to make sure no one was looking and then, at super human speed, hit all the buttons until the phone answered.
"Hello?"

Inside the Club
"Grand-Dad! I'm in trouble.. there are some weird dogs trying to claw though the bar here at that club you took me to last fall!" The boy flinched at the impact of what sounded like several hundred pounds of critter and scattered debris. Angry and maddened from the sound of it.

The howls of one hound smashing into the bar draws Volt's eyes to a massive bag by the remains of the popcorn machine that Nighthawk had blasted. It looked in mortal pain as several points of fire come evident. The blast had showered it with salt apparently. Most pointedly, he could see a heft sized bag of popcorn salt laying off to one side.

Of note was the lead hound leapt onto the stage and grabbed the fallen hat and a few other things from the singer's case and dashes though the nearest wall.

"That's the ticket... now for a quick science lesson. What happens when small particles of sodium chloride get too near an object with an electrical charge?" Volt said, leaping over the bar and landing next to the bag of salt.

He concentrated and allowed the electricity to build within his hands. Sparks rolled across his knuckles and clenched fingers as he plunged his hands into the bag.

"Static cling," Volt said, bringing up hands now covered in a salty armor, "Let's dance, pups!"

OOC: I'll spend a Hero Point if needed to do the static trick.

Nighthawk continues to gain a bit of altitude as the Cajun singer continues to curse.  "You know a, thank you Mr Nighthawk for saving me from the giant ghost dogs from hell, would do fine."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:58, Wed 17 Mar 2010.

Outside

Suddenly there is nothing but the sound of falling debris, and car alarms. The skeletons are scattered over the parking lot.

Inside

"How about THANK YOU for breaking my circle of protection, Mr. Nighthawk! She yelled back as she pointed downward.

The lead hound leaped onto the stage as the heroes looked on and scooped up her trunk of memorabilia. From Nighthawk's angle he can see the scattered remains of a circle of salt around the performer's stand and the box.

As soon as the hound got the box, Volt's sparring partner turned at him and howled. And all the hounds vanished in a swirl of smoke, taking the memorabilia with them.

Holding the women Nighthawk begins to hover at his attained altitude.  He looks at the broken circle and groans just a little. "Um... Your welcome?"

[Inside the Theater]

Volt blinked in surprise. The dogs' apparent retreat was unexpected to say the least. He looked up at the flying armored hero holding Lafourche.

"So, I'm guessing whatever was in the box was rather important. You gonna just hang around up there, or what?" he called up, allowing the salt to fall from his hands.

He hoped the guy in the armor could hear him. They all had gadgets that gave them super-acoustic sensitivity, right?

He turned around and looked over the few remnants of the crowd who hadn't had time to flee, wondering if Jenny had made it out.

Ought to be a fun time explaining all this, Volt thought to himself, Hope she doesn't think I ran out on her. Prolly ought to get back to the bathroom soon...
This message was last edited by the player at 22:47, Tue 23 Mar 2010.

OOC: hehe, yet another reason I like location tags.  I've been moved from being outside up in the sky to I guess hovering around the room.

In reply to Kain (msg #58):

Outside, Waaaayyyy outside

Jacob charged out to his car at blinding speed. He reached inside and grabbed the duffel bag containing his suit, boots, and helmet. In a blur he changed into his suit and took off.

I don't know whats going on, but somebody's gettin' an ass whuppin!

[Inside the Theater]

Nighthawk looked down through the sky light at the other costume hero.  Inside his helm Nighthawk took note of his dwindling fuel level and began to slowly lower himself back to the stage, at the same time he tapped back into the local police radio to monitor the incident with Hardbody.  Touching down near Volt.  He resisted the urge to drop Lafourche on her bum and instead set her back down to her feet.  He was looking at Volt as he spoke, his voice slightly augmented through the helm. "So those things were after a box?"

[Inside the Theater]

Volt scratched his head through the mask. Truth be told, he was damn confused by the whole situation. Demonic dogs who couldn't touch or pass salt, an armored guy who seemed to appear out of nowhere, a blues singer who apparently had some connection to not only the dogs but knew enough to make a barrier of salt around the stage... Ugh! Why couldn't villains just rob a damn bank or mug an old lady, like in the comic books?

"I, uh... yeah, looks like," he said.

Turning to the singer, Volt asked, "Sooo... what'ja have in the box?"

With a 'hurrumph' and a glare at Nighthawk, she looks ruefully at her remaining goods and picks up the remaining guitar and tunes it.

"They were all tokens of power, items of connection to various musicians." She said quietly as she tuned the guitar in her hands. "This is a 1966 Fender Stratocaster, played by one Johnny Allen Hendrix, also know as Jimmi Hendrix." She runs her fingers up and down the guitar neck as she plays, and looks up, her eyes taking on a different color as she plays. A deep brown that seems to be the eyes of another person. She plays 'Hey Joe' and it seems different person is playing. Finally she stops.

"I am a spirit speaker, they speak though me.. I've spent my whole life living as the gate way between the here and now and the spirit lands. Each item in the case was a key for me to channel a departed soul. A bockor could use them to.. " She shrugged. "Who knows."

Outside in the Parking Lot

With the immediate danger passed Yeoman is forced to choose between searching for the villain and going to check on Alec.

As frustrating as it is he know that is no choice at all.

He takes off in the direction that he last saw his brother.

[Inside the Theater]

Volt nodded as if he understood, then shook his head.

"So, a bockor is some sort of evil spirit speaker? He's gonna, what, channel Yoko and Lennon and make another Wedding Album?" Volt said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Taking another look around, he surveyed the damage caused by the hell hound pack.

"Or, maybe use them to make this attack look like a firecracker next to a bomb?"

[On The Road]

Max came tearing down the street and slid to a stop in front of the theater. His mind briefly flashed back to a time when he was a child and had not yet learned how to stop. But he shrugged it off quickly and took a look around.

[Inside the Theater]

Nighthawk laughed a little at Volt's "Yoko and Lennon" remark but as the singer gives him a scowl he shook his head and forced a serious tone in his voice. "I mean that's horrible."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:46, Wed 31 Mar 2010.

Inside the Theater
"Imagine that you can gain power from links between people. And power from the abilities of the person's who you have a token for. More than a few of the people whose tokens I carried influenced a lot of people. Imagine how many guitarists were influenced by Jimmi Hendrix, or Robert Johnson or one of a dozen of the blues men who I have channeled."


Outside the Theater

There was no sign of his brother, aside from a fragment of his costume and a small pool of blood.

The WHOOSH of momentum drew his eye to a man who litterally appeared in the street of the theater.

OOC:

Max.. meet Yeoman.. Yeoman meet Max. Play nice.

Outside the Theater

Yeoman snapped to a full draw and zeroed in on Max's chest.

"Geez I hope your a good guy 'cause shooting at somebody as fast as you are is going to absolutely ruin my rep for accuracy!"

Outside the Theater

Max looked at the bow and arrow and chuckled.
"Bow and arrow, that's old school. Kid i like you already."

He stepped forward to stand next to Yeoman.

"Names ATLANTA MAX. Whats the situation?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:33, Mon 05 Apr 2010.

[Inside the Theater]

Electricity began to arc across Volt's knuckles. He didn't seem to notice it.

"Right... so more like Hiroshima... awesome. Um, any way to track it or something?" he asked.

In reply to Atlanta Max (msg #75):

Outside the Theater

"Atlanta Max! Holy crap! I thought you were d...uh...retired."

Yeoman quickly beat his inner fanboy to death.

"Magic. Bad magic. Evil dogs, undead skeletons, and a Dark Sorcerer...or something like that."

"They took my brother. Didn't seem like he was the target though."

Outside the Theater

"Yeah my grand boy is in there. Looks like it's all calmed down now."

Max took the tooth pick out of his mouth and quickly vibrated his fingers, grinding it into sawdust.

"Let's go in and say hello."

and he headed inside.

Inside

"More like making them a 'patient X' in a viral outbreak that can go to anyone that was effected by the artist in the past. Think of how many folks are turned on my a song, and how many interviews have this or that artist cited another artist as an influence." She sighed as she picked around the stage. "And a few of them were.. powerful in other ways."

Outside

Max spots his grandson struggling out of of the crowd on his crutches. He nods but doesn't play too eager to see his grandfather having been taught the role of secrecy when granddad was in costume. Once he's sure that Max had seen him, he ducks back inside to let Max find him at his leisure.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:33, Thu 08 Apr 2010.

Inside the Theater

"Right. Um, look I'm not really up on all this magical lingo and cause-effect relationships. What can we do?" Volt asked.

Inside the Theater

The Yeoman was usually more of the "strike and fade" type but there was no way he was going to disrespect someone like Max the first time they met.

Realizing that there was nothing he could do for Alec at the moment he slung his bow, turned, and walked into the building.

The singer looks up at entrance of the two costumed heroes. Her eyes ran over Max, looking deep at him in a way that made it feel like she was looking right though his mask and under his skin at the man beneath. Then her gaze moved on to Yeoman and stayed there.

"You're not normal. You carry the weight of many men." She says simply to the bowman. "You bear the weight and fate of others on your shoulders, but you have the power to guide the way." Something in her tone and bearing changes, it's like someone else is speaking though her as she meets Yeoman's eyes. She stands and walks forward with a slight limp as she moves to put a hand out to his face.

"What path do you choose Huntsman? You're the Wheel by fate, by Blood you are the Juggler, by Action you are The Angel.." By now her eyes are black through and through and all in the room can feel the otherworldly power radiating from her. "Have you the strength to fetch me that which is mine before the Dark One chains it to his throne?"

Cyrus finds something altogether disturbing about the way this girl is talking. This sort of mumbo jumbo is supposed to be Alec's department.

"Lady I don't know what the hell your talking about. If you mean will I track down the guy who abducted my brother and shoot him the face then we can talk."

Caught off guard Yeoman automatically threw up his Carolina Roughneck act.

Max chuckled.
Lady your something else.
Internally Max thought to himself,
And that something else is Bat $#!+ crazy.

She turns to the new arrivals, the eyes looking at them pure black and the power around the singer hint towards something definitely not human. They meet Max first, and a flash of recognition fills them.

"Ah, Little Bolt.. long have you crossed my ways. You are favored in my eyes. Long have you The inhuman eyes look to Yeoman next. "And you have a hard choice ahead of you." She turns to the others, looking to each hero in turn.

"That which was taken from me must be returned. She will guide you. Bring me that which is mine. I trust you will see this through Little Bolt, they lack a wise man now.." That inhuman gaze returns to Yeoman.

"That which you seek was taken by he that took that which was mine. Hunt them down. I cannot promise that what you seek will still be with the thief, but it might yet be. As the presence finishes speaking the singer collapses to the floor and the heavy weight of.. something in the room fades. Even the theater seems brighter now.

It was clear Max went rigid. It had been nearly 50 years since someone had called him by that name. Since his the girl friend future wife Karen had "reinvented" his image. Most people never made the connection. Karen had sometimes jokingly called him little bolt but she had been dead for 10 years now and the name had all but disappeared.

Recollecting himself,
"I-I appreciate the wisdom comment but my name is Max now. If you don't mind let's stay in this millennium."

Max might have thought for a moment Knighthawk could read minds, but the fact was he was just thinking the same thing as the old ma.. Speedster. "Yep.  Bat $#!+ crazy."

"Still we should probably round up all this rock star memorabilia before the Hard Rock Cafe starts missing it."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:44, Thu 15 Apr 2010.

On it.

Max took off and began collecting memorabilia and dragging it into a pile.

The full helm of his armor hid the expression of surprise but his voice didn't. "Holly Shit!  I meant the stuff the bad guys took from here.... did you just take all that stuff from the hard rock cafe? Where ever it came from that was pretty awesome.

Max patted Nighthawk on the shoulder.
"Son, when you've been doing this as long as i have you really only have two settings: Awesome and Dead."

He held his hand out for a handshake.

"Names Atlanta Max."

Knighthawk's smile could be heard in his slightly mechanical voice. "Knighthawk.  It's good to meet you Sir."

Knighthawk shook Max's hand and thought to himself. "Two settings:  Awesome and Dead"  I'm so stealing that.  You know, If I live long enough to.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:34, Thu 15 Apr 2010.

Max shook Nighthawk's hand firmly.
Damn good to meet you Nighthawk.
He then held out his hand to The Yeoman.


(OOC:Years from now,Max's great great great great grand daughter will marry a guy named Webb and get right to work on making a starfleet captain.lol)

Yeoman shook Max's hand but he seemed distracted.

Volt watched the group quietly. He was definitely in over his head on this one. The singer's sudden "transformation" and collapse took him off-guard. He moved up to check on her, seeing as the others were occupied.

Easing her head up a bit, he checked her pulse and made sure she was breathing.

"Um, Miss Lafourche? Are you alright?"

Volt rolled 17 using 1d20+3. Medicine (Untrained).

"I'm fine..the.." She wobbled a bit as she stood, and looked a bit paler than she was used to looking. "Spirit doesn't fit.. Entity does I guess.. it's gone. I don't know why it needs you to retrieve the soul the dark one took, but it wants that soul back no matter what."

She sits down and takes a deep swallow from a still standing glass of wine and picks up the bottle near by to give the glass she'd just gulped down company. She didn't seem too eager to say anything for a while, clearly shaken.

"I knew I had the.. sight for a long time. I talked to members of the family for years as a child. But I was drawn to musicians and artists. With them and a token of their life, I could channel their skills and knowledge. What... the Creature of the Crossroads.." She shivered at the mention of the being that was just there. "wants is the acoustic guitar I was playing earlier.. It belonged to Robert Johnson..a blues man who was rumored to have sold his soul to be the greatest musician of his lifetime."

Max walked over intending to shake Volt's hand, but when he heard the girl telling a story he stopped to listen.