MAP KEY TO McCLAIN IRON COMPANY
A. Main Gate: Anyone who approaches the company in a traditional manner will arrive at this gate. The gate is a bit tougher than the fence. Those who arrive here will be checked by the security guard on duty. If no appointment is scheduled, then the guard will turn the visitors away. If asked, he will explain he is under strict orders from Mr. McClain, himself.
B. Perimeter Fence: A tall fence surrounds the entirety of the iron company and even runs parallel to the road which leads to the mines. The fence is 15 feet tall at all points. It is clearly marked as being electrified.
C. Guard Station: This is a small roofed area under which the guard on duty during the day stands.
D. Administrative Building: All of the business ends of the company are run from this building. Those with an appointment to meet Mr. McClain will find the meeting takes place in this building.
E. Water Towers: Water is required during various stages of the processing of the iron. Each tower holds about 12,000 gallons of water.
F. Guard HQ: This building serves as the security guards’ headquarters. It is set upto permit guards to stay on site in the event of inclement weather.
G. Shed. This is merely storage sheds that contains various parts and cast off materials used in the mines.
H. Processing Building: This is the building where all of the iron is processed.
I. Mine Access Road: This fence enclosed road leads from the main highway, paralleling the company grounds, and going directly to the iron mines themselves.
J. Pit Mine: This large pit is the iron extraction operation for the mining company. The Mine Access Road continues here as a sloped road that leads deeper and deeper, from tier to tier, into the pit to provide access to the vehicles that remove the iron ore and transport it to the processing building.
K. Highway Gate: This is the gate that vehicles and machinery are brought through to go to the mine when returning empty from delivery or extended off-site maintenance.
L. Rear Gate: This is the gate that vehicles and machinery are brought through to go to and from the mine with raw materials to be processed.
M. Maintenance Bays: These are large bays that contain vehicles and equipment that is under repair or not in use.
N. Cameras: These are the locations of security cameras which monitor in all directions.
O. Main Parking Lot: This is the general parking lot for visitors and employees alike, plenty large to accommodate the needs of the company.
P. The Foreman’s Office: This is a small trailer that the Pit Foreman runs the site from.
Q. Main Highway: This is the main arterial road that leads through the area.

At first chagrined the open pit nature of the mine, Shade soon finds the shadows beneath the haul trucks are just what he requires. Looking through other shadows into other buildings doesn't reveal much. The only oddity is in the processing building, where the processed iron is being stacked on pallets in preparation for moving, but no one is loading the haul truck just outside.

A foot weary and shabbily dressed vagabond approaches the front gate.  Tentatively he approaches the Guards at front
"Pardon the intrusion Sirs but I was wondering if you know...
Are their any jobs at all going here?... I am not picky just desperate."
"Any kind of job at all?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:45, Sat 01 May 2021.

The Stuntman reflexively dropped to the ground, face down. He did not expect to arrive under a truck, and his first reflex was to duck. It was when he realized he didn't need to duck moving parts that he got up.

These vehicles were massive. They had hiding spots galore here.

Still, when it came to hiding, it was always the small things that got attention. So much harder than hiding in the movies. He opted to wait for the rest of the crew... but not too long.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:52, Sun 02 May 2021.

The security personnel guarding the gate are obviously ex-military, having done all they can to turn the tan security slacks and short-sleeved shirt into something like combat fatigues. The patches on their shirts opposite the name tags (John and Karl) read "Executive Control Solutions" (a well known security firm). They are lightly armed, and friendly in manner.
Karl responds to Drifter, "Oh, I'm really sorry but we won't be able to do anything for you. Our orders are a that no one comes in without being escorted by the mine's security people."
"Mr. McClain is using our firm to guard the perimeter on a trial basis, so we wouldn't know about anything internally. So, I can't help you about a job, and I can't let you in to ask anyone else."

Just an FYI, the haul trucks used in this mining operation are 8m tall x 9m wide x 15m long.

Anyone else find it funny that the operation here has two security systems even if one is just for a trial?  It sounds more like someone is trying to use one hand to keep the other hand in the dark.  Like a magician doing a trick.



Wow they must really be hauling a massive amount of earth to need trucks that large.  I wonder if they have permits for such massive earth works?  Anyone got a laptop handy?

Shade heads over to the processing building. Moving through the ground, and looking for an underground base. Not that there had to be one, but these days it was just better to check if one existed.

This message was last edited by the GM at 01:24, Thu 13 May 2021.

Darryl, having entered the highway gate, continues riding under the haul truck to the pit. There were likely less cameras at the excavation site, and it would be easier to disembark there to begin his investigation into the heart of the mines.

tmnt

"Hey K9 do you have a visual on any of the others?"

Darryl Starre finds that this mine has not tunnels. Despite the security cameras that feed into one of the offices, no one accosts him. This may be because he's good at sneaking into places to get the story.

Drifter remains at the main gate, trying to convince the security guards to let him in. One of the two finally relents far enough to get on the phone and make a call before saying to Drifter, "I told them you were here, sometimes they send someone, sometimes they don't."
The guards then pay little attention to Drifter, discussing instead the depravity of someone they call 'Sarge' and concluding that this 'Sarge' garners some sort of pleasure out of causing pain to those he is supposed to be teaching.

The Stuntman, similar to Darryl Starre, finds little of interest and little interest in his being there.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:19, Thu 27 May 2021.

In reply to The Great Karnac (msg # 12):

An hour is not a long time but pain is pain. A thing he would rather avoid if feasible.

"Well that being the case I can not wait. If the mountain won't come to whoever and all that stuff.  Oh by the way your commander sounds like a highly ineffective one.  You should never have taken his attitude.  Is that not what Unions are for?"

Turning his back on the camp the vagabond retreats to garner his possessions including K9 and enter the mines via the Ethereal plane.  Ghosting in as it were.

The Stuntman simply waited, partially losing himself in thought. He was used to "hurry up and wait" as a hunting philosophy. It bothered him how many skills he had lost going cold turkey from his uncle's formula, although he didn't miss the loss of anger.

Also, in the past, he would have just fired up a stealth field and walked right in. His former side had a strangely easier time getting funding and nice toys to play with. Now, he was down to a handful of tools, and the skills he had not lost for whatever reason.

So, he waited until he heard things. He was pretty good at not being seen by the cameras. All he had to do was wait.

Shade takes note of what he is overhearing. Following up on the clue, he tracks down a batch of the materials and follows it to its processing and shipment center. If he can find out the entire process, he might be able to see what they do with them by staying unseen.

"Executive Control Solutions?" Blizzard questioned. He could easily ice the two guards without much trouble, it was unlikely they could break his ice cubes but he preferred not to engage normals if at all possible.

"Don't believe I've heard of you fellows before, new company?" he asked.

He scanned the area looking about with his thermal vision to see if any unusual hot spots (or cold spots).

"Yep. That's us."
"One of our buddies convinced a 'venture capitalist' to fund the start of a security firm. This is one of our first gigs, and not a paying one, at that. On the other hand, if it takes off we'll all have steady employment."

"Not a paying gig?" Blizzard asked, "So how are you eating if you aren't being paid? Also isn't that illegal. They'd have to pay you at least minimum wage!"

"Oh, our paychecks come from ECS. They figure if we do this gratis, McClain might hire us instead of filling the holes in their own ranks. They still don't know where their people went. Half of their security folk vanished, without a trace, so they gotta have replacements."
"To be honest, I didn't realize how much could be lifted from a site like this. They're guarding their trucks to keep people from siphoning the fuel, guarding the ore because there's apparently a black market for that, guarding the processing center because the final steps of extraction is a proprietary process that only McClain knows. Not what I expected as security for an open mine."
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:22, Tue 08 June 2021.

"So the previous security disappeared?" Blizzard asked, "That doesn't make you a little bit scared? How exactly did they disappear? Have they been gone long?"

"Oh, I don't know the specifics. I've heard from the ones still here that for a while everyone assigned to the processing building would be missing the day after their shift."

"Have you ever had a shift in the processing building?" Blizzard asked.

Blizzard wasn't so sure but for some reason he thought of Soylent Green when the guard mentioned the disappeared guards at the processing plant.

"Nope. We're hired to guard the gate. At the end of our shift, our relief arrives in one of the company cars, and we take the car back to the office to debrief."

"Who debriefs you?" he asked.

Pointing to the other guard, who is taking notes in a log book, he says, "we just debrief each other, turn in our log books, sign a form. It's a procedure thing, if you do it whether or not it's needed you don't forget to do it when it's important."

"You've been most helpful," Blizzard told the guard, "Thank you."

Blizzard thought it might do good to check with the local Sheriff to see if any of these disappearances had been reported. It might provide more information on the goings on.



OOC: Leave and head to the local Sheriff's Office unless someone else has a better idea.

Blizzard steps back from the gate and starts to call the local sheriff on his phone, recognizing that the Crusaders have enough renown to get the question answered without a personal visit. Unfortunately, no matter who he calls no one is aware of any reported disappearances. It should also be noted that, despite a barracks and other indications there should be, there are no visible security personnel other than the gate guards.

Ethereally making his way over with K9 to what appears to be a Shed. Drifter will scope out the area listening and peeking through windows in an attempt to make sure it is unoccupied before shifting planes inside.

Using the same methodology he used to enter the facility, Darryl times his approach to a truck coming up from the pit. Avoiding the cameras, he sneaks under and aboard a mining truck and gains access to the inner perimeter via the rear gate. His target destination is the processing plant.

Once he felt the guards were sufficiently relaxed (and himself bored and looking for an excuse to move), he slipped through the shadows where he was pretty sure the cameras wouldn't pick him up right. Even if someone was watching, he was certain they wouldn't notice him.

From building to building - nobody. Now that is odd.

There was a three hundred foot dash between the northernmost building, and the primary office building. He couldn't see anyone through the windows. That left the possibility of cameras over this wide open space.

Within the span of five seconds, he covered that distance. If anyone was watching, they were going to swear there was an NFL star in a duster.

OOC: Noncombat Velocity, 22m Running Speed. I'm pretty sure I cover that distance in the time described.

He put his back to the building, aiming to avoid the spots he was used to cameras looking at or being at. Now it was time for him to approach the building from behind. Usually, there was a door on both sides of these buildings - in this case, he actually didn't care if it was the main door.

He then realized he could not pick these locks. He was used to having that knowledge - apparently, the loss of the drugs and the neural boosters his uncle had given him took away a lot of his skills. He frowned as he realized he was likely to have to systematically break the doorknob with the guns - actually using bullets would make too much noise, and even this was going to be really loud.

He waited until he heard the sounds of distraction - a large, passing vehicle on the roadside, or something - and then he would strike at the doorknob, intent on breaking it.

But before he did that, he did fiddle with it a bit to see if it was actually locked. One never knew when they'd get lucky, and someone would forget to lock up properly.

OOC: 23:05, Today: The Stuntman rolled 8 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,2,5.  Lucky twice? If I am, it is not by my roll.

Drifter makes it into the shed without incident. Oddly enough, the only doors that are locked are the doors to the shed, so the others also make it into their targeted spaces. There is little activity going on outside of the digging and processing of the ore. It's almost as if office work is accomplished elsewhere, which is odd considering the owner's office is on site.

In reply to The Great Karnac (msg # 31):

setting The Indomitable K9 down Drifter asks the fellow to see what it could see, following suit


in hushed tones he gives an update

Blizzard thought to himself, That's mighty suspicious, disappearances not reported. Either the guy was lying or he's been misinformed. He seemed genuine I think perhaps misinformed.

Blizzard looked about to see if there might be a place he could desolid through the gate without the guards seeing him. The others had already made it past and perhaps he'd been a useful distraction, but they might need him.

The Stuntman slipped quietly into the business building, and closed the door behind him. If he was right, it might be a day or two before the Crusaders had to answer for B&E, and by that time, they could make all of those irrelevant. "The fate of the world" had a way of making minor crimes go under the rug.

If he was wrong... wouldn't be the first time.

He kept the pistols in the holsters. He didn't need to go live yet.

Time to search some files.

Shade repiles over the radio. "Checking out the shipment center. Got a lead there..." The lead he got suggested there was something more than just trucks going in and out.

Watching out for cameras, Darryl slips inside and starts checking for delivery manifests, noting incoming vs outgoing quantities. He searches for big variants in the manifests that would indicate diverted resources.

The heroes easily infiltrate the mining operation, most of the security is, after all, designed to keep things in, not people out. For most of the day, operations are normal. However, as sunset approaches the mine begins to shut down. The equipment is stowed, the conveyors are turned off, and a bus marked with the mine's logo is used to take almost everyone back to town. The gate guards become perimeter guards, circling the perimeter fence from outside on dirt bikes. The last van from Executive Control Solutions had a trailer attached, inside the trailer were the dirt bikes. At the mine buildings, Mr. McClain, himself,  exits the Administration Building and walks down to the Processing Building.

Darryl makes his way to a good high spot for observation. He sets up his phone to RECORD, and expands the screen to get a good close look at the operations inside the processing building.



22:38, Today: Darryl Starre rolled 10 using 3d6.  Stealth 13-.

22:38, Today: Darryl Starre rolled 8 using 3d6.  Concealment 13-.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:10, Sun 20 June 2021.

The processing building has no windows, you can't see what is done inside from the outside.

*shrug*


updated post. Darryl would get to high ground to record the processing facility in any case.

Blizzard is not bothered by such concerns, still he kept thinking back to Soylent Green and he shivered a bit at the thought. Approaching the processing center he vibrates his molecules and walks through the wall to see what's on the other side. He will pick a point close to the entrance so that he can quickly open the doors for the others should need arise.

In reply to Blizzard (msg # 41):

OOC Blizzard just what is your fixation with eating people? even if they are flat small snack sized and green

The Stuntman went through files, quietly talking to himself. "Junk. Junk. Junk. Junk. There is nothing here but a legitimate business doing business things. At least on the paperwork end, anyhow. None of the normal mistakes you'd think they'd make."

He had gotten so wrapped up going through useless paperwork and trying to put it back how he found it that he hadn't noticed the sun going down. But when he finally did, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally."

He got on the radio. ++"Well, wrapped up office. Nothing of note. Checking... hmm... I don't know. Processing? Maybe it has hot metal in it. My climatic instincts take me there. Over."++

He slipped out the back, shut it behind him quietly, and began making his way to the processing plant under the cover of darkness.

Shade tries to use the shadows to see and hear what goes on inside. "I'm taking a peek inside, guys..." He whispers over the comms.

OOC-Using penetrating telescopic seeing and hearing.

11:14, Today: Shade rolled 9 using 3d6.  Perception 13-.

This message was last edited by the player at 15:14, Mon 21 June 2021.

Except for flickering light (as if from some sort of flame) underneath the door, from the outside the processing center appears quiescent.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:54, Fri 25 June 2021.

In reply to The Great Karnac (msg # 45):

"Ummm...guys? The inside of that warehouse looks like someone decorated in mystic temple style. With actually magical artifacts to set the mood. Plus some odd guys doing a lot of manual labor, but I don't know where they popped in from." Shade's odd voice came from the commlinks.

Stuntman gave a subdued sound that expressed pure joy, and grinned. ++"Really? Le Temple Maudit and everything? Pray tell me there is a man saying 'kali-ma' or something nonsense like that."++

He moved a bit faster to get to the processing plant, and promptly jumped to the rooftop on the top of processing. Sure, the front door was right down there, and probably unlocked, but coming in through the top was the best approach. Provided, of course, that all routes were not filled with murder gases and heat.

Blizzard steps back out. He thought a few moments.

"Somewhat of an Egyptian theme with the Ankh, though I'm no expert on mysticism. It seems it may be some sort of teleportation system. That allows the iron ore to be transported to some unknown destination. The four men that come through and go back seem large. That might give them the unnatural strength necessary to carry the ore. I mean seems kinda odd but as for mines it is somewhat environmentally cleaner than running trucks to carry the ore. Evergreen would of liked that," he says.

"Obviously if it is a time portal than it can significantly change history. Imagine a world where Egypt discovers the new world...because the portal lets them know of America long before Columbus voyage potentially. However as magic is not my area of expertise I'm not sure how we shut it down. Or the dangers in doing so." he adds.

As Magic seemed to be involved, Darryl called for his inner self to be unlocked, transferring his suspicions to his other self, hoping that some might filter through. Soon, a hawk-headed figure surveyed the energy pyramid from above and his sharp eyes darted to the four corners, his claws extending as he notices a representation of Set.

"Anybody need a way inside? I can take you..." Shade said over the coms. Granted he had not tested if his shadow portals could access the mystic temple. Nor did he try and pass through the walls.

Stuntman paused his hunt for an entry briefly. ++"Sure, Monsieur Shade. Probably safer than what I had in mind. Out of curiosity, have we figured out who or why yet? I mean, there are dozens of countries to elevate to global conqueror in this fashion - why Egypt? And perhaps that can be used to narrow down the who, but alas, my knowledge of this community I am now in is out of date."++

Truesilver's thoughts come into your minds in response to Shade. "Yes, I could use help getting in - no thumbs to open the door, after all." In response to the Stuntman, Truesilver chimes in again: "All questions that I share. Once we get inside, I'm sure we can get some answers from them; if they're nonco-operative, I can drag out the information we need."

Shade, using his shadow senses to track down teammates, proceeds to gather up Truesliver and Stuntman. Once he does so, he moves the three of them into the temple area via his shadow portals.

Nighthawk acts, flying across to snag the anhk, disrupting the pyramid. He points a feathered hand at McClain and says "you disrupt the natural order! Horus demands an explanation!"

OOC: GM, can you describe the interior of the building to me in more detail? Also, are there any noteworthy smells?

Stuntman paused as he took in the new surroundings. He wanted to chide Shade for scaring the hell out of him like that with a no-warning teleport, but he recognized they were still in a hot zone, and may not have been detected yet. A massive talking bird-man was aiming to fix that, though.

He assumed it was NightHawk - not to be confused with the other Nighthawk, who was an angry man who liked to beat the holy crap out of anyone who made the mistake of underestimating him and was absolutely fun as hell to match wits with, and not a bird at all. This one was on his team, and apparently had more of an understanding of Egyptian history than Stuntman himself had. He had to take notes - maybe impress someone with his learning.

Until then, he shut up... and remembered something about discharging firearms being a thing. Was it this guy? I'm pretty sure it was this guy.

So, he looked around for a good person he could hit in the face. It sounded like go-time anyways.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:45, Thu 08 July 2021.

"Anyone interested it having some Fitplus Heavy Duty Multifunction All-in-One Adjustable Weight Bench with Pulldown Home Gyms?  Once we get a exercise/sparing room... it would come in handy to keep up our stamina and all.

Or am I on the wrong page here! and a group is not being formed?"

The interior of the processing plant is mostly conveyors, hammers, and chemical baths^*. The mystical pyramid is set up at the north of the building, in the loading area.
NightHawk swings to grab the ankh, and his claws pass through it as if it isn't there. There is no disruption as there would be with any sort of technologically contrived image, and no feeling to suggest something is in place of the ankh.
Upon entering, it can be seen that McClain has changed. He appears to wear the garb of ancient Egypt, much as portrayed in old movies. There are five of the muscular, tall men carrying iron ore in the place. McClain yells, perhaps at the heroes, perhaps at the slaves. It's hard to tell which, as he says, [Language unknown: "Om ee ntven artromnce, pro caevit etonul aveeravor."]
He steps to the base of the pyramid and calls back as he steps through, [Language unknown: "Le, tinsomurehat! Si anpr wh dinnd Sethoucom ngst ich wachca neivfo ta Nante! Aill! Tinthuday un ch urepa leder!"]

---

^*Processing Building

This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 20:41, Fri 09 July 2021.

All of you except Nighthawk hear Truesilver's mental voice. "Something about those men smells... Wrong. They might be more than human; be on guard."

Blizzard sends back through the mental link, "What's our play, is it safe to freeze the portal?"

"I should scout out the rest of the area. I can relay that info via True and his mind voice thingy." Shade whispers totally unnecessarily, due to afore mentioned mind link.

As the last of the iron lugging men steps completely into the pyramid, three of the same step out... from EACH of the four sides. As there's no more iron to carry, their intent is probably not in the heroes best interests.

Giving everything a looksee

Noticing the other heroes tense up, Truesilver mentally prepares himself for a fight.

From above, Nighthawk sends a flurry of pinfeathers at a line of 3 servants. He assesses their reaction at the painful pincushioning.

14:24, Today: NightHawk rolled 16 using 3d6.  OCV 9 attack vs DCV 3 hex

Hits line of 18"

14:24, Today: NightHawk rolled 1 using 1d6.  RKA, A-P. No BODY

14:24, Today: NightHawk rolled 8 using 1d6+3.  Stun Multiplier .

3 Servants take 8 STUN A-P (Killing stun)

The Stuntman shrugged. "Well, I guess things have gotten bad. I'll see what I can do about... a problem over here."

And with that, the Stuntman moved into the shadows, aiming to break line of sight, and drew his custom pistols. He intended to wait until a substantially loud noise was made, and then he'd fire in with his weapons. The rules they couldn't prove he was breaking would be rules that wouldn't bother him.

He locked himself against the nearest wall to steady his aim, and waited for the right moment to pull the trigger.

Likely, my first turn on Segment 2 is eaten up with repositioning, Stealth, Quick Draw, and aiming. Segment 4, however, will either coincide with someone's actions, or be delayed so that he can do it under the cover of another's actions - whoever is loud enough for him. Flash and thunder will certainly be heard, but everyone who cares at that point will have to choose between the fight in their face or Stuntman.

17:13, Today: The Stuntman rolled 12 using 3d6.  Quick Draw Small Arms. TN 15.
17:13, Today: The Stuntman rolled 13 using 3d6.  Stealth. TN 15.
Brace = +2 OCV to offset range penalties, DCV/2 = DCV 5, tragically
17:35, Today: The Stuntman rolled 10 using 3d6.  Leg Shot aimed at someone closest bad guy to the rest of the team, OCV 10. +2 OCV if I am closer then I think. DCV remains 5.
17:40, Today: The Stuntman rolled 4 using 2d6.  2d6 RKA..
17:41, Today: The Stuntman rolled 2 using 1d3.  ...plus 1/2 RKA.

So, a total of 6 BODY - underwhelming to phrase it mildly - and that's probably 24 STUN if I am understanding Stun Multiplier correctly. I'll be surprised if I injure them, although stalling their movement with the Throw is the real goal.

OOC: Doesn't combat normally start on Phase 12 of the first Turn?

Phase 12, EGO 30:
Truesilver will attempt to make a Mental connection with one of the workers that my allies have not attacked and invoke his Confusion Power on them.

11:50, Today: Truesilver rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,3,6. Mental Attack Roll hits DMCV 20 - 3d6
Mental Attack Roll for Mental Paralysis hits DMCV 10

Shade let the others do the assult. He absorbed the matter of a trash bin, converting its solid mass into his shadow form. Best he be ready when they started shooting back...

ooc-15:41, Today: Shade rolled 12 using 3d6.  Transfer body.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver

# - brutes (incapacitated)

We'll begin on phase twelve.
Truesilver somehow causes one of the brawny men to stop moving and look back and forth as if disoriented.
The Stuntman will moonwalk back into the shadows out of sight.
Shade absorbs some trash and bulks up.
NightHawk sends sharp feathers flying at a line of brutes. All of them react as if they had received no more than a light slap.
Drifter prepares to avoid the brutes¹.
The brutes advance on the heroes, three of them surround Shade in the corner and attempt to grab him. Their clumsy attempts lead to failure.
Four of the brutes surround and grab at Drifter, and despite his attempts to dodge away two of the brutes manage to get their hands on Drifter, each grabbing one of the interdimensional sales-being's arms.
K9, having finally navigated through the surrounding terrain, rolls through the door into the building.
We move on to phase two, The Stuntman has declared his action, everyone else should do so.

¹dodge maneuver, this will be SOP when I think someone might miss a move.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:14, Sun 25 July 2021.

Truesilver suddenly seems to disappear as he invokes Nondetection. In your minds you hear his voice reassure you, "You will be unable to notice me as stealth is the best strategy to guard myself, but know that I remain in the fight." Truesilver then invokes Confusion two more times.

Phase 2, EGO 30:
Truesilver activates Nondetection (which should be a 0-Phase Action), then begins a Multiple Attack sequence, using Confusion twice; first targets enemy 10, second targets enemy 12.

02:58, Today: Truesilver rolled 13 using 3d6.  Mental Attack Roll hits DMCV 18 - 3d6.
02:58, Today: Truesilver rolled 10 using 3d6.  Mental Attack Roll hits DMCV 18 - 3d6.

Cost of Confusion: 5 END
Cost of Nondetection: 6 END
Endurance Reserve END: 144/160
Endurance Reserve REC: 15

Feeling a little adventurous Drifter grabs out for the nearest hood (in G2) and tries to throw him in an odd way wailing the dreaded battle phrase.. "and your mama wears army boots" as he does so
This message was last edited by the player at 11:43, Sat 24 July 2021.

Shade's bizarre form shifts and slides around the grasping hands. They might as well be trying to hold a mobile pool of ink. "Rude! That's not how you treat guests! You give them a gift...like this!"

At that point, the shadows of the area come alive. Grabbing as many goons as possible and wrapping thier arms and legs tight. Shade nods at his efforts, then steps into his own pool of darkness at where his feet should be.

He reforms atop the across the room, coming out of another patch of darkness.

OOC:Phase 2, shade uses his cone attack entangle to try and hit as many goons as he can around him.then he will teleport to A1.

09:01, Today: Shade rolled 15 using 3d6 with rolls of 4,6,5.  Entangle body die, 3 def and transparent to outside attack. Works out to 4 body entangle.

09:00, Today: Shade rolled 21 using 3d6+8.  Entangle cone area effect to hit, ocv 8 vs dcv 3.

This message was last edited by the player at 15:04, Sat 24 July 2021.

To be clear, I should have said the pyramid is an energy/light construct and is not solid. Both McClain and the brutes walked through it as if it wasn't there.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver

# - brutes (incapacitated,prone,entangled)

on phase two
Truesilver reaches out to discover he was fortunate the first time. The brains of these brutes are not defended by walls of indomitable will, or the extra-thick skin of the jaded, but, like the fruit fly, they are difficult to target due to their small size. Truesilver was lucky when he focused on the first one (who continues to stand and stare vacantly into space).
The Stuntman manages to knock down one of the brutes surrounding Drifter, it does have a small wound on its leg appearing more as if it were struck by a bb gun.
Shade's shadows enfold the brutes around him, and he shadow's himself across the room.
One of the brutes holding Drifter releases his arm as it falls from the impact of the slug in its leg, Drifter extends his other arm and jumps up to wrap his legs around the brute that continues to hold him. Placing his free hand on the ground, Drifter uses this leverage to toss the brute off his arm and onto the floor.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (incapacitated,prone,entangled)

on phase two
NightHawk flies around near the apex of the pyramidal construct.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
NightHawk takes a dodge maneuver

---

on phase three
The brutes held by Shade's shadows rip through the shadows and move towards the heroes (1,2,4,6).
The brutes on the ground stand up and prepare to continue their assault (9,12)
Brute 3 tosses brute 11 back into the pyramid and takes the aforementioned foes place.
Two of the brutes previously unengaged lumber over to where Shade appears and attempt to grab him. The first one grabs at air, the second gets his hands on the shadowy arms of the hero (brute 8 is holding Shade).
A second attempt to grab Drifter, by brute 10, is successful and the brute lifts Drifter to his feet (brute 10 is holding Drifter).
phase 4 begins
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:22, Sun 01 Aug 2021.

with a laugh Drifter goes misty
  as he seems to Drift away from clutching hands he murmurs the words
  "mist me I guess"

Seeing Shade's plight, Nighthawk soars over and slashes brute #8 across the back.
3 skill lvls
1 to OCV
2 to DCV
OCV 10 DCV 11

01:46, Today: NightHawk rolled 12 using 21-3d6.  Attack

01:45, Today: NightHawk rolled 13 using 3d6+1.  HKA damage.

01:44, Today: NightHawk rolled 3 using 1d3+2.  Srun Multiplier.

Nighthawk hits DCV 12. His claws do 13 BODY 39 STUN to brute #8.

"Thank you, NightHawk! These guys are very grabby. And RUDE!" Weather or not the Brute holding him is taken down by feathered hero, Shade vanishes into a shadow. Unless the goon can keep hold of darkness, Shade literally slips through his fingers.

He reforms on the other side of the Pyramind, next to Stuntman. "These guys are too strong to hold...gonna have to blast them." He says to his teammate. He gestures at one of the nearby Brutes, and a large hammer forms out of the shadows and attempts to smash into the closest one.

OOC:
Shade Teleports to G9. If the Brute holding Shade have some means to prevent this, he will change his action.

After moving, he will use his energy blast on Brute #1.

10:38, Today: Shade rolled 50 using 12d6 with rolls of 6,1,4,4,3,4,6,3,6,3,5,5.  Shadow Blast damage. Total damage=50 stun, 14 body, as well as possible knockback.

10:37, Today: Shade rolled 12 using 3d6.  Blasting #1 with an OCV of 8.

How high is the ceiling in this room?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Mon 02 Aug 2021.

OOC: GM, I realized I made a boo-boo. Nondetection and Confusion are both in the Multipower together. Probably the most fair thing to do is retarget some of the dudes at me and refund the END I spent on Nondetection, or alternatively, just roll with it for that Phase but force me to choose Nondetection or some other Power in the Multipower on my next Phase. I'm going to declare my intended next action.

Truesilver, deciding that simply disorienting the brutes isn't enough, will attempt to dominate one of them.

Phase 4, EGO 30:
Truesilver switches Multipower to Mental Dominion, uses Haymaker with Mental Dominion targeting Brute 5. Truesilver will command the Brute to defend him against the other Brutes' advance.

23:24, Today: Truesilver rolled 11 using 3d6.  Mental Attack Roll OMCV 9.
23:25, Today: Truesilver rolled 59 using 16d6.  Mental Dominion Effect Roll.

"Je suis populaire." Stuntman was grinning. "Autographs after the show, if you please!"

At this range, and with the durability they had demonstrated, it was just fast, skirmish range shots from here. He waited perhaps one second for the hammer to drop and grant him line of vision to the one not about to get a hammer in the face (#4), and fired a quick three-round burst from his pistol, his desire to not be seen completely forgotten in the moment.

OOC: 06:49, Today: The Stuntman rolled 13 using 3d6.  Three round autofire, Quick Shot total OCV 11. Eight shots remaining in the clip.
06:53, Today: The Stuntman rolled 8 using 2d6.  2d6 RKA..
06:53, Today: The Stuntman rolled 1 using 1d3.  ...plus 1/2 RKA.
Grand total: 9 BODY, and 36 STUN. I'm not confident those other two shots hit, though.

No bracing this time, as they were quite clearly drawn to a sound equal to a jackhammer and he needed to be ready to move fast. If he had time, he'd fire a second volley at the same one.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (incapacitated,prone,desolid)

on phase four
Truesilver does something to the brute in front of him, and the brute stops trying to grab Drifter and moves towards Truesilver, facing away from the wolf.
The Stuntman shoots brute #4, doing some damage and knocking them back into the pyramid.
NightHawk slashes brute #8.
Shade slips away from the brute holding him and pops up next to The Stuntman. After some exposition, he manifests a shadow hammer and whacks brute #1, knocking it back into the pyramid.
Drifter sips from a bottle andbecomes hazy and ghostlike, easily escaping the grasp of the brute grabbing at him.
Phase six begins, Drifter will be ethereal this phase. Please take your actions.
In response to Shade's query, this is a warehouse type building, the ceiling is about forty feet above the floor.

In reply to The Great Karnac (msg # 81):

"Be right back." Shade said to Stuntman, and vanished once more into his own shadow.

He rises from another pool of darkness near drifter, given how he is surrounded by many of the foe. He calls out "SURPRISE!" and gestures, and three fists of solid darkness erupt from the shadow around him, punching three of the Brutes squarely. "Anyone notice they don't seem to be coming out of the pyramid after they enter it?" He muses out loud.

OOC:

Teleporting to G5 in order to spread my energy blast.

I should hit #12, #10, #3 for 28 stun and 7 body.

10:38, Today: Shade rolled -5 using 7-2d6 with rolls of 6,6. No knockback.

10:34, Today: Shade rolled 28 using 9d6 with rolls of 5,3,1,4,1,6,1,5,2.  Blast damage on all 3 targets.

10:33, Today: Shade rolled 8 using 3d6.  Spread energy blast on #3, OCV 8.

10:32, Today: Shade rolled 13 using 3d6.  Spread energy blast on #10, OCV 8.

10:32, Today: Shade rolled 10 using 3d6.  Spread energy blast on #12, OCV 8.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:44, Wed 04 Aug 2021.

Nighthawk hovers and slashes again at brute#8.

1 lvl OCV
2 lvls DCV


00:30, Today: NightHawk rolled 10 using 21-3d6.  To hit OCV 10 DCV 11.

00:30, Today: NightHawk rolled 7 using 3d6+1.  HKA damage.

00:29, Today: NightHawk rolled 3 using 1d3+2.  Stun Multiplier

Nighthawk is 10 OCV 11 DCV
His strike hits a DCV of 10.

It does 7 BODY 21 STUN

Phase 6, EGO 30:

A repeat of Phase 4's Attack, targeting Brute 10. I'll command that brute to attack Brutes 9, 12, and 3, then defend me.

21:00, Today: Truesilver rolled 12 using 3d6.  Mental Attack Roll OMCV 9.
21:01, Today: Truesilver rolled 59 using 16d6.  Mental Dominion Effect Roll.

stepping through agent 5 Drifter attempts to draw that fellows attention away from what Truesilver is doing
  "Hi there bad guy" he taunts "how's it going for yall"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:13, Sat 07 Aug 2021.

"I'm sure sending them into magic time pyramid won't bite anyone." The Stuntman figured anyone who was not fine would be revealed as not fine shortly. Noting that Truesilver seemed to be the only one in any real danger, and that two of the others were covering for him, The Stuntman slipped into shadow again, and began looking for what might be of interest on this side - was there a cunningly placed piece of environment that could tip this battle if rearranged on short notice?

OOC: 10:03, Today: The Stuntman rolled 16 using 3d6.  Stealth. TN 15. ...damn.
10:04, Today: The Stuntman rolled 11 using 3d6.  Perception, study environment. TN 12. That's better.
Heading north to A10, or as close as I can get.

He was so distracted looking for it that he didn't notice that he had made himself a potential target.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:06, Sat 07 Aug 2021.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (incapacitated,prone,desolid)

on phase six
Truesilver does something to another brute, brute #10 seems to change turns his head from staring at Drifter to brute #3.
The Stuntman jogs to the northeast corner of the building, looking for something. He doesn't really see what he's looking for.
NightHawk wields his claws and slashes at brute #8. Despite the damage, which is much less than it should be, the brute continues advancinc.
Shade blips away and pops up next to the brutes surrounding Drifter. After one word of exposition he manifests shadowy fists that strike at the three brutes. All three fists strike home with meaty thwacks, and the brutes go on about their business without showing the fists were bothersome at all.
As Drifter steps through brute #5, the brute ambles northward towards brute #9.
Brute #2 heads for The Stuntman.
Brute #3 tries to grab Shade.
Brute #5 maintains its position between Truesilver and the other brutes.
Brute #6 tries to grab NightHawk.
Brute #7 marches south and tries to grab Drifter, who is still intangible and therefore not grabbed.
Brute #8 tries to grab NightHawk.
Brute #9 also tries to grab Drifter, who is still intangible and therefore not grabbed.
Brute #10 backhands brute #3 who goes flying through the air to slam into the wall and fall to the ground near to the spots recently occupied by Shade and The Stuntman.
Brute #12 grabs at Shade and misses.
Phase Seven begins, and will segue right into phase eight. We'll need new actions from everyone.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:27, Sun 08 Aug 2021.

In reply to The Great Karnac (msg # 87):

"These guys really, really, REALLY wanna reach and touch someone! I figure it's to get us into the pyramid. Anyone wanna test that theory with one of them?" Shade said, even as his semi tangible form makes holes in itself in order not to be grabbed.

"Let me just deal with these two knuckleheads..." He slashes his arm through the air, and a wave of solid shadow strikes the two trying to grapple him. Sending both flying like bowling pins.

Then he transports back to Stuntman. "Sorry about before, I got distracted. What where we talking about?"

OOC-Spreading energy blast again, hitting both for 45 stun 13 body, and 5" knockback on both.

Then teleporting to B10.

15:03, Today: Shade rolled 8 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,2.  Knockback vs body 13 attack.

15:00, Today: Shade rolled 45 using 11d6 with rolls of 2,3,4,4,5,6,2,5,3,6,5.  Energy blast damage after spreading.

15:00, Today: Shade rolled 12 using 3d6.  Spread energy blast on #12, OCV 8.

15:00, Today: Shade rolled 11 using 3d6.  Spread energy blast on #10, OCV 8.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:19, Mon 09 Aug 2021.

With some clicking and whirring, the two antennae atop the robots head oscillate for a moment before it speaks, "bigger on the inside, Master."

In reply to K9 (msg # 89):

"Oh dear it seems that there is some trans dimensional shenanigans going on here.
Be ready for more operatives of indeterminate numbers or even heavy caliber weaponry or traps of formidable size... you get the drift?

 K9 if you would be so kind as to act as my vanguard and take snipe shots at anyone or anything who might attack us?"

By the way, Truesilver makes sure to inform his teammates about the fact he dominated a couple of the brutes, and also specifies which ones are under his influence.

Phase 8, EGO 30:
Truesilver uses Confusion on Brute #8.

23:22, Today: Truesilver rolled 11 using 3d6.  Mental Attack Roll OMCV 9.

Hovering in place, Nighthawk switches targets to #6. Pumping his powerful wings, he sends a blast of air that blows #6 off his feet and into the wall.


1 level to OCV
2 levels to increase damage.
Base attack 8d6 EB (physical), double knockback.


01:25, Today: NightHawk rolled 12 using 20-3d6 with rolls of 2,3,3.  Wind attack OCV 9 DCV 8.

01:24, Today: NightHawk rolled 34 using 9d6 with rolls of 3,6,5,3,5,3,3,4,2.  Wing buffet damage.

01:23, Today: NightHawk rolled 10 using 2d6.  Knockback modifier.

Nighthawk's attack hits a DCV of 12. It does 10 BODY 34 STUN (physical damage) and does (2×10)-10 = 10" knockback, straight into the wall behind it (-,5).
This message was last edited by the player at 08:33, Sat 14 Aug 2021.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (entangled,prone,desolid)

on phase seven
NightHawk blows back brute #6, who strikes the wall and bounces to the floor.
on phase eight
Truesilver does something, brute #8 appears to lose focus and starts staring into space.
Shade throws shadows at brute #10 and #12. Both go flying back to the wall on either side of K9 and land in a heap on the floor.
Still on phase eight, waiting on Drifter and The Stuntman.

"Temporal anomaly eminent, Master. The material transported through the time loop is approaching critical displacement. The resulting time quake will cause system-wide damage."

In reply to K9 (msg # 94):

"quick K9 power down if you deem it too dangerous to remain active... I will do my best to protect you... Perhaps on the Astral plane.

All a drift who is going to drift." The foot loose vagabond announces. giving people a few moments to decide which course they want to take.  Flee or fight.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:17, Mon 16 Aug 2021.

"What does that mean...'system wide damage?' What are we talking about? Damage to the whole base? More?" Shade said, sounding worried. If the base was gonna blow, he needed to get people out. If it was a larger area...that was very different.

He shrugged, replying to Shade's inquiry. "I dunno, something something I should just shoot them, right?"

The Stuntman was currently very concerned about the big one that had noticed him and decided his face might make a good pinata, when K9's words sank in to him. "Simonaque, he means the place is going to blow if more things come or go through pyramid!"

That meant a short term change to his tactics. He jumped away from the big guy, and discharged a trio of trained shots at him, aiming to send the foe into the wall instead of the pyramid. His firearms roared, and he knew they had enough kick to send a bag of sand back twelve feet.

OOC: Jumped to D10.
09:43, Today: The Stuntman rolled 12 using 3d6.  Three round autofire, Trained Shot total OCV 12. Five shots remaining in the clip.
09:43, Today: The Stuntman rolled 10 using 2d6.  RKA damage. That's 40 STUN. Woohoo!

His mind did wander a bit. I am bad at this 'not using firearms thing' though.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Mon 16 Aug 2021.

"Not my systems, Master. Solar system."
K9's ears rotate back and forth another time, and he says, "at current level of mass-temporal shift, time-quake likely to occur within a fortnight."

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (entangled,prone,desolid)

on phase eight
Truesilver does something, brute #8 appears to lose focus and starts staring into space.
Shade throws shadows at brute #10 and #12. Both go flying back to the wall on either side of K9 and land in a heap on the floor.
The Stuntman hops away and slams three shots into brute #2. Despite being, obviously, hurt the brute bounces off the wall behind him and stays on his feet.
Drifter considers K9's data and prepares to avoid attacks in the event one of the brutes grabs at him (dodge).
Phase nine begins, NightHawk first then the brutes.

TMNT

Nighthawk flies to D-3 and slams an air attack at Brute #5, blowing him into the wall at G-0.

Wing buffet attack, 8d6 double knockback
3 lvls to increase +1DC


16:50, Today: NightHawk rolled 8 using 20-3d6.  Double knockback attack, OCV 9 DCV 9.

16:49, Today: NightHawk rolled 34 using 9d6 with rolls of 1,3,4,6,6,4,5,4,1.  Wing buffet damage.

16:49, Today: NightHawk rolled 7 using 2d6.  Knockback modifier.

Attack does 9 BODY 34 STUN (Physical). Knockback is [2×9]-7= 11".
Brute #5 flies into Wall @ G-0 and takes 11d6, which does 11 BODY 37 STUN


16:55, Today: NightHawk rolled 37 using 11d6 with rolls of 3,5,2,2,2,3,1,6,5,5,3.  Knockback damage.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (entangled,prone,desolid)

on phase nine
NightHawk wings blast a wall of air at brute #5, the wind slams into the brute and slams the brute into the wall. No matter HOW human the creatures were before, they aren't human, now. Either the blast of wind or the impact with the wall would have stunned, and possibly incapacitated, a normal human. Brute #5 bounces off the wall and falls down, only to resume standing immediately thereafter.
Brute #2 attempts to grab The Stuntman, but misses.
Brute #3 stands up and moves to help brute #2.
Brute #5 stands up and hits Brute #7, knocking #7 down.
Brute #6 stands up and walks towards Brutes 8 and 10, where he shoves Brute #8 back into the pyramid.
Brute #7 stands up and clumsily tries to grab Drifter.
Brute #9 saunters over and grabs Shade.
Brute #10 wanders down to Shade, and throws a punch at Brute #9, but misses.
K9 zips over to be between Drifter and Brute #9, then fires a laser from his nose at the brute, missing despite the point blank range.
We move to phase ten, need actions from Truesilver, The Stuntman, Shade, and Drifter.

"Get off grabby! There is this thing called personal space...look into it!"

Shade gestures, and the shadows reach up and drag the Brute holding him into a black portal. It teleports 16 meters up and away, and gravity quickly takes over and it starts to drop towards one of its friends.

OOC-
11:38, Today: Shade rolled 12 using 3d6.  Teleport other on #9. OCV 8.

Teleporting #9 16 M up at F2 directly over number #7. The target of this teleport will fall 10" this round, and starting in phase 11 will fall the rest of the way into #7 with a velocity of 15". Hitting number 7, I believe both will take 15d6 damage due to the speed of impact.

11:46, Today: Shade rolled 69 using 15d6 with rolls of 2,6,2,6,6,5,4,1,6,6,6,6,1,6,6. 21 Body, 69 stun.

with a friendly smile Drifter attempts to capture thug 7's offered arm just to use it to throw the fellow with a muleisian whompcaizer manuver... or that is what he thinks it is called.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (entangled,prone,desolid)

in phase ten
Brute #7's attempt to grab Drifter becomes and opportunity as Drifter grabs both of the brute's wrists and spins while hooking the brute's left ankle with Drifter's right foot. The resulting imbalance causes the brute to fall down.

Rather than quibble about dice rolled, I'm going to add a final 16th dice at it's highest total (6 STUN, 2 BODY) to the roll that was made (69 STUN, 22 BODY) and then apply half that damage to both critters. That works out to 37 STUN and 12 BODY.
After bouncing off brute #7 on the groung floor, brute #9 lands next to his fellow brute.

need actions from Truesilver, The Stuntman
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:53, Mon 30 Aug 2021.

Phase 10, EGO 30:
Truesilver uses Confusion on Brute 10

00:49, Today: Truesilver rolled 11 using 3d6.  Mental Attack Roll OMCV 9.

"Ah. Mais voyez-vous, je suis le leurre." The Stuntman did a quick shuffle about four meters away from the target he focused on, noting the double teaming he was getting away from everyone else. He had failed at his objective at making another way to fight, but at least he was peeling two away from everyone else singled-handed.

He coolly discharged another three rounds to the one he had already shot before. He was glad they could take it. It had been a while since he had fought real opponents with none of the treatments propping him up - he felt alive dodging and juking their attempts to grab him.

OOC: 19:32, Today: The Stuntman rolled 8 using 3d6. Three round autofire, Trained Shot total OCV 12. Aimed at Brute #2.
19:33, Today: The Stuntman rolled 6 using 2d6. RKA damage. So, hopefully 24 damage plus any other potential hits will knock the big guy out will leave me dealing with only one guy who wants to pound my face in.
Oh, two rounds left in the clip.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:36, Tue 31 Aug 2021.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (entangled,prone,desolid)

in phase ten
Truesilver tosses mists of confusion over the mind of brute #10, which means everyone else sees the brute suddenly stop what it was doing and look around as if it can't figure out where it is.
The Stuntman slams three more rounds into Brute #2, the creature staggers back to the wall and takes a knee.
Brute #7's attempt to grab Drifter becomes an opportunity as Drifter grabs both of the brute's wrists and spins while hooking the brute's left ankle with Drifter's right foot. The resulting imbalance causes the brute to fall down.

Rather than quibble about dice rolled, I'm going to add a final 16th dice at it's highest total (6 STUN, 2 BODY) to the roll that was made (69 STUN, 22 BODY) and then apply half that damage to both critters. That works out to 37 STUN and 12 BODY.
After bouncing off brute #7 on the groung, brute #9 lands next to his fellow brute.

moving on to phase eleven, need NightHawk's action
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:26, Tue 31 Aug 2021.

Nighthawk flies to A-2 and blasts Brute #6, blowing him into the pyramid.

Wing buffet attack, 8d6 double knockback
3 lvls to increase +1DC


01:25, Today: NightHawk rolled 13 using 20-3d6 with rolls of 1,3,3.  Wind Attack OCV 9 DCV 9.

01:25, Today: NightHawk rolled 34 using 9d6 with rolls of 5,5,3,1,2,3,3,6,6.  Wing buffet damage.

01:24, Today: NightHawk rolled 8 using 2d6.  Knockback modifier.

Attack hits a DCV of 13.
It does 10 BODY 34 STUN and does 12" knockback into the pyramid
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:10, Wed 01 Sept 2021.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (entangled,prone,desolid,unconscious)

in phase eleven
Nighthawk flies to A-2 and blasts Brute #6, blowing him into the pyramid.
phase twelve begins,
there are seven brutes left active, one of them is following Truesilver's commands, one of them is staring into space in confusion, one of them is following Truesilver's commands AND staring into space in confusion, one more is almost destroyed and is on the floor trying not to bleed
Brutes #3, #7, and #9 remain intent on grabbing the heroes
Need actions from everyone

In reply to The Great Karnac (msg # 110):
Seeing that agent 5 is currently the only standing foe left
Drifter gives the foe a friendly Liverpool kiss
"here is something to think about evil doer."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:41, Wed 01 Sept 2021.

This message was deleted by the player at 12:42, Wed 01 Sept 2021.

Shade looks about at the Brutes still struggling. "We gonna deal with the other dimension through the pyramid, or just destroy the portal on this side?" He asked.

OOC-Shade takes recovery action in addition to the free segment 12 recovery

In reply to Shade (msg # 113):

"and put the lives of any people inside at risk? why would we do that?"

In reply to Drifter (msg # 114):

"So if there are hostages, we need to get in there, right? That being said, did Robot Dog figure out what dimension we are dealing with? I would like to know beforehand if possible..." Shade replied.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 01:55, Thu 02 Sept 2021.

"Master, when did we acquire a Robot Dog?
 Why would you ever bother with such inferior mechanoids?"

K9 hovers up to the center of the pyramid, and twists his radar antenna ears back and forth again.

"It is a temporal shift, not a dimensional one. There appear to be several tons of matter taken through the temporal gate. The temporal shear from the displacement is reaching a critical stage, and will soon spawn a time quake."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:38, Thu 02 Sept 2021.

In reply to K9 (msg # 116):

"I did not understand all of that, but I do know anything with the word 'quake' in it is bad. How do we keep that from happening?" Shade said, looking to Drifter and K9.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:57, Thu 02 Sept 2021.

In reply to Shade (msg # 117):

"well I guess we could try to alleviate the temporal shear?

Time quakes ugg where is Cronos when you need him?  Probably still festering in Tartarus somewhere... I guess.

Well I hope so, if he were free it would be more likely the fellow would egg the shear on than end it... I do hope he is not the source of the event.


 Brrr that idea gives me the shivers.  Perhaps the best course of action would be to use time to heal time.  A stich in time as it were?"
This message was last edited by the player at 03:51, Thu 02 Sept 2021.

Nighthawk flies to D-1 and slashes Brute #12. He says "We need to ferry the displaced mass back to this century. Less displaced mass means less Shear, right?"

Claws attack, 3d6+1 HKA, +2 Stun multiplier.
3 lvls to increase DCV.


20:42, Today: NightHawk rolled 11 using 20-3d6.  Claw attack OCV 9 DCV 12.

20:42, Today: NightHawk rolled 9 using 3d6+1.  HKA damage.

20:41, Today: NightHawk rolled 3 using 1d3+2.  Stun Multiplier .

Nighthawk hits an 11 DCV. He does 9 BODY 27 STUN.

In reply to NightHawk (msg # 119):

"That is as good a theory as any.  I would not know for sure as I have never survived a time shear before.  Thought The Doctor or K9 here may know the answer.

Do you want to ask the brave little time trooper if he has the answer?"

giving K9 a wink as I talk.

"No one to ask, master. Doctor remains in his primary dimension."
"Effects of a time quake are theoretical, data doesn't escape these events."

"Ok, as I am likely the most durable of us, should I head into the pyramid and try getting people and objects out and back to here? I can transport quite a lot of weight when I need to..." Shade pointed out. He had no idea what another weird time dimension would do to his energy body, but they had little choice.

Phase 12, EGO 30:
Truesilver will invoke Confusion on Brute #7.

21:52, Today: Truesilver rolled 11 using 3d6.  Mental Attack Roll OMCV 9.

"Oui oui, très technique. Bad guys down first. Then details." He took a step back to a corner, carefully lined up his next shot, and fired one round beyond Shade, to the one standing there with a slack-jawed expression on Shade's right.

OOC: 21:01, Today: The Stuntman rolled 12 using 3d6.  Firing an Accurate Shot at Brute #10. OCV 12, DCV 8. Accidentally rolled a d20 for the first roll - I need to be more careful with that kind of heresy here. It's a squeaker of a hit, even so.

21:03, Today: The Stuntman rolled 4 using 2d6.  Single round damage - no autofire. Sad days - 4 Body and 16 Stun isn't much.

Moved to G10.

"Gah." Against an unmoving target? Perhaps the weapons need maintaining.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:05, Wed 08 Sept 2021.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (entangled,prone,prone AND entangled,unconscious)

in phase twelve
Truesilver does something, and brute #7 stops trying to get up.
The Stuntman shoots brute #10, who continues to stand stock still and act like he's in another world.
NightHawk flits down to savage brute #12, but decides the conscious brute #5 would be more sporting and slashes it, instead. It makes no sound but is knocked to the ground.
Brute #9 stands up and tries to grab The Stuntman, and misses.
Brute #3 saunters down to Shade, and attempts to grab but misses.
The other brutes are all incapacitated in one fashion or another.
K9 responds to Shade, saying "I'll take a look," as he floats into the pyramid.
Brute #5 stands and walks to brute #3 before backhanding its compatriot, knocking brute #3 down.
The remaining active brutes are attempting to fight their way through their confusion, and failing. Post phase twelve recovery applied, time for the second turn, phase 2.
Actions needed from Truesilver, The Stuntman, NightHawk, Shade, Drifter.

looking down at the unentangled Prone Brute (no 9)at his feet Drifter quips "Good night and pleasant dreams... I hope" as he attempts to render the guy unconscious with a kick to the mans chin

In reply to The Great Karnac (msg # 125):

Shade vanishes once more, only to appear by Truesliver.

"Can you stay in mental contact with Robot Dog?" He asked the other canine.

Then he seemingly blasts the brute who tried to grab him in the back.

OOC: Shade teleports to space south of Truesliver. Then he blasts number 3, and does 1" of knockback.

14:02, Today: Shade rolled 11 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,5.  Possible knockback.

14:00, Today: Shade rolled 40 using 12d6 with rolls of 1,4,2,6,4,2,2,5,4,6,3,1.  EB damage on #3. 12 body, 40 stun.

14:00, Today: Shade rolled 8 using 3d6.  Energy blast #3.

The Stuntman was appalled. One of the brutes had straight up walked past him and ignored him.

"Vous avez le cerveau d'un canard!" He was not used to being ignored, and actually walked closer to before discharging a single round into the leg of his opponent.

OOC: 20:48, Today: The Stuntman rolled 12 using 3d6.  Leg Shot aimed at #5, OCV 10, DCV 9. I don't think that hit, but I'll roll damage anyhow.
20:50, Today: The Stuntman rolled 6 using 2d6.  2d6 RKA..
20:50, Today: The Stuntman rolled 1 using 1d3.  ...plus 1/2 RKA. Total damage 7, if it hit, plus Throw effect. 0 rounds remaining in that clip.
Moved to F8.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:53, Sun 12 Sept 2021.

Locations can be indicated with row and column labels. The mystical pyramid is indicated with "P".
T - The Stuntman
D - Drifter
N - NightHawk
S - Shade
Z - Truesilver
K - K9

# - brutes (entangled,prone,prone AND entangled,unconscious)

turn 2 phase 2

Actions needed from Truesilver, The Stuntman, NightHawk, Shade, Drifter.
The Stuntman shoots brute #5 in the leg, knocking the creature down.
Shade moves and blasts brute #3, knocking the creature down.
Drifter kicks brute #9 in the face, and the creature doesn't notice.
Need actions from Truesilver and NightHawk.

Nighthawk flies to Brute #2 and slashes at its belly.


09:11, Today: NightHawk rolled 7 using 3d6.  Claw attack OCV 9 DCV 12.

09:11, Today: NightHawk rolled 11 using 3d6+1.  HKA damage.

09:10, Today: NightHawk rolled 3 using 1d3+2.  Stun Multiplier .
Nighthawk hits DCV 13.
He does 11 BODY 33 STUN

Phase 2, EGO 30:
Truesilver uses Confusion on Brute 3.

12:16, Today: Truesilver rolled 9 using 3d6.  Mental Attack Roll OMCV 9.

having lost a visual on K9!  Drifter looks around to see if he can spot the fellow.

"K9?"

"Master?"

The brutes remain prone or confused, their failure having rendered them immobile. Despite their unnatural strength and endurance, they were bested in less than fifteen seconds.

Motoring back out of the pyramid, K9 makes his way to Drifter and says,"it does not compute, Master. The displacement in both time and space are mathematically impossible. Disruption from the temporal shear will be quite lethal."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:23, Tue 28 Sept 2021.

In reply to K9 (msg # 135):

"oh well that is just fine, another impossible task against unsurmountable odds... I guess that is just what Heroic entities are made for... anyone have an idea on what to do?

I suggest sending the whole mess forward to the beginning of time and let it aid in creation

I just don't know how to do so?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 20:01, Tue 28 Sept 2021.

"If its really that bad, I should just head inside and try to get out as many people as I can..." Shade suggests. Granted he had no idea of the science of such an reckless act, but it seemed a better result than time quakes...whatever that was.

OOC-I don't suppose I can use my projected senses inside/through the portal pyramid and find out what's going on there?
This message was last edited by the player at 13:39, Wed 29 Sept 2021.

The Stuntman took the time to slide the empty clip out and reload, before putting his Custom Hand-Cannon away. He was making some effort to hide the disappointment in himself for what he felt was a subpar performance. If I had the old treatments and weapons, I'd be doing much better. "I'll have to recall not all sets will be optimal for my next show."

He starting stalking around it, studying it, and making sure he didn't accidentally step into arm's reach of any of the prone foes. "So, it is the time travel, and if we go through we die? Can we close it or bury it? Que pouvons-nous faire? I am not a great thinker, but if I know what to do, it will get done."

In reply to Shade (msg # 137):

"You might just hold on to that action for a little Shade.

A wormhole does have at least two ends and I just think it would be advisable to see if anything is going to creep, slither, pounce, trudge or otherwise find their end of it too much of an exciting opportunity not to explore?

It is something I would do... new places, different cultures, strange sensations... perhaps   something like the 5th sensation?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:53, Wed 29 Sept 2021.

OOC: I still don’t really understand how time got messed up, not sure if that would help me think up a solution. If possible, Truesilver would like to try and extend his awareness beyond the anomaly using Eyes of the Mind (Mind Scan). If Truesilver can find a Mind he’s familiar with, he could potentially establish mental communication.

K9 comes back through the edge of the pyramid. "Not bigger on the inside, master. This one is a door, not a house."
Whirring over to Drifter, he explains, "it's an unnatural tunnel, between two places minutely separated in space and time. It starts there, and comes here. The mass that they have retrieved already exists in their time. The strain on the time stream will continue to increase till the brane threshold is reached, at which point the displaced matter will be instantaneously returned to its proper time. Unfortunately, this will be done naturally and the matter will become energy as indicated by Einstein's general relativity."
"It's very similar to the disastrous time travel experiments the Vogons performed around sixty-eight solar cycles ago resulting in the Helix Nebula."

In reply to K9 (msg # 141):

"Ahh! The Vogons could never appreciate the finer things in life,
 like the Restaurant at the End of the Universe... The one at the other end:)

I wonder what is on The their menu today?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:53, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

Stuntman started tapping his foot impatiently while holding a hand to his head. "Voyons! Is this going to end up like Egypt? Where we just... left? Can we go in? Do we close the gate? Do we have the stunt double poke it with a stick? Does anyone know what we are doing, or am I just following my instinct on this one?"

"Because my instincts are to go in, get the bad guy, win the gorgeous exotic beauty, and come out as the shaken but victorious good guy with her on my arm while all of you talk about the problem."

In reply to The Stuntman (msg # 143):

"I do think you should poke it with a light saber instead, it is a Master Stunt Bond here after all."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 23:08, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

In reply to K9 (msg # 141):

"Look, I did not understand all that, or even most of what K9 said, but I think he means that as long as stuff from here stays over there, time gets all quakey. Which is bad, right?

Anywho, can iron wonder dog whip up a way to track down stuff that does not belong there and belongs here? Then maybe we can go in and get everything and everyone back to where they belong?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Wed 06 Oct 2021.

"I am equipped to track psychic spoor, material from this time frame would differ from that within the other time frame. Yes, I can track it."

In reply to K9 (msg # 146):

"and if K9 can track it? I might with a little luck and a side trip... go and get a gizmo or gadget pack for anyone who wants one with limited charges for their own personal use.  Err not sure if I can get that them custom built on short notice? But they might come in a range of styles???

For a price of course.  oh and I have access to a supply of small two headed birds used for anyone who wants one of them for a pet.  courtesy of Farscape verse."

Nighthawk caws "and if we pass through the time portal and we are transported to daylight it could be troublesome. I must assume my other self." Nighthawk stands before the energy pyramid and a swirl of black feathers surround and obscure him. When they fall and dissipate, a man stands there....a man you know.

"Damn, I hate it when he does that.....So, what's the situation?"

In reply to Darryl Starre (msg # 149):

Shade nods, but then suddenly stares at Starre. "You are NightHawk!? I read all your stuff!

Holy crow!

Er, sorry about that. It sorta just came out..."

In reply to Darryl Starre (msg # 149):
"I think you should secure your camera person... I have not seen yours in awhile
Master Starre?"

Everything is quiet. The defeated people, upon closer inspection, appear to be nearly identical. They are hairless and wear only loincloths made of linen. Their skin is tanned and weathered, indicating a lot of time in the sun. Though they're not necessarily injured or unconscious, they remain on the floor with unblinking eyes focused on nothing at all.

"Darryl Starre is... NightHawk?" The Stuntman reconsidered his assessments, and in a rare moment his voice became contrite. "Ah. I've read your work. My apologies then, for... um... my specialty. I understand now."

He smiled, breaking into a grin as he steeled himself, and his voice lightened up. "On ne vit qu'une fois. Make it count. This moment is my job, and exactly why I am with you."

He jumped into the portal, yelling as he did. "Coûte que coûte!"

In reply to The Great Karnac (msg # 152):

going up to one of the minions, Drifter looks into the eyes of one.  Seeking a shred of
cognizance or awareness.
"Hey people what are we going to do with the living mannequins?" he asks of his fellow heroes.

In reply to Drifter (msg # 154):

"Hang on, let me check." Shade says, and proceeds to see past the first few layers of skin to see of these beings had functional internal organs.

The living mannequins are quite human, and seem to be in a sort of fugue state. Just how real IS pyramid power.

"we can't just leave them here to die of thirst or starvation.  The only thing I can come up with is to have them taken by us or by some ambulances to some Hospital. that way the victims can put them on some form of medical procedure to keep them alive... or cured somehow."

This message was last edited by the player at 03:42, Tue 12 Oct 2021.

In reply to The Stuntman (msg # 153):

Darryl shakes his head. "I don't know why the Hawk hates guns. I use one myself. But while we share some physical characteristics,  his mind is alien to me. For all I know, he's a reincarnation of Horus, the Egyptian hawk-headed god."

In reply to Darryl Starre (msg # 158):

Drifter shrugs at the reporters comment as he shifts his three handed weapon to his other shoulder.

"Master, the servants don't belong here. They belong in there."

Shade looks at K9. "So as long as they are here, they are making that time/mass imbalance thing that makes the quake?" He gestured at the now immobile foes. "It sounds like we have to bring them across."

He gestures, causing a large shadow hand to rise from the ground. The floating extension of shadow was easily bigger than a man, and clearly strong enough to gather up all of the foes.

In reply to K9 (msg # 160):

with a sigh Drifter proceeds to sling his tazer, before he manhandles the fellows across the great divide.

with hope one of them would give him a tip for his assist.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:39, Tue 12 Oct 2021.

Desiree frowned as she lowered her binoculars, asking herself why the Crusaders were here.  Her client had hired her to find out why McClain's wasn't supplying the iron he had paid for.  Whatever has the Crusaders here, probably has something to do with her case.  Of course whatever brought the Crusaders here was going to be big.  She reached back and hung her binoculars on the handlebars of her harley.  She better get down there and help if she wanted in on the action.  If Mr Goldsmith found out the Crusaders were the ones to solve the problem, he might try to cut her pay.  And being seen working with the Crusaders could only do good things to her reputation and if something big was going down, she should help as much as she could.

She strode down the hillside she was on, sliding a little bit through the dirt and when she got within 10 feet of the 10 foot tall chain link fence, she bent her knees a little bit extra and then with a surge leaped over the fence, landing 10 feet beyond it with a slight flex of her knees.  Striding confidently up to the building she saw the Crusaders enter, she listened carefully, trying to catch a hint of what was going on.

She walked through a door the Crusaders had left open, confident that her nigh-invulnerability would protect her from any attack as she looked around curiously.  She heard some talking from ahead and strode down the hallway in that direction.  Stopped in the doorway, a slight glow around her body, as she took in the glowing portal, the fallen foes and the Crusaders, but mainly the glowing portal.  "What the Heck??!"

In reply to Desiree Diamond (msg # 163):

startled by an unfamiliar voice Drifter drops whatever he is carrying and clutches about for his assault tazer.  His eyes darting about till they find the source of the declaration


"halt... friend or foe" he queries with a gasp

"Not an anomaly, master. She is from this time period."

Darryl spins, having heard her light steps on the concrete floor before she spoke. He recognizes her, having tried (and failed) to get a one-on-one interview before. "Ah, Detective Diamond! How are you tonight? Let me guess.....you tracked me down, feeling guilty about avoiding an interview? No?"


01:47, Today: Darryl Starre rolled 11 using 3d6.  Superbeings 13-.

In reply to Darryl Starre (msg # 166):

"Is anyone else going to help and K9 get these people and the equipment back to where they belong?  No need of setting off a time quake, let alone a dimensional one.  We do not need to leave the weapons functional though, do we?

Oh hello Mam" Drifter responds to the presence of the newly arrived person.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 09:39, Wed 13 Oct 2021.

In reply to Drifter (msg # 167):

"What do you think I am doing? Sheesh..." Shade says, gathering up the fallen foes in the enormous shadow hand. He glances back at Detectice Diamond. At least she thinks he does, as his body and head are made of some sort of solid shadow.

"Oh, hey hows it going? We are about to transport these mind controlled goons back to thier dimension in an effort to get our people back. And so time does not go all quakey. And if you think I understand any of that, I in fact dont and Robot dog is calling the shots." He gestures as K9.

As Drifter pointed his strange weapon at her, Desiree lowered her sunglasses a bit to look over the top of the frames, "Friend obviously, you all are Crusaders."  She blinked as she looked down at K9, she had heard about the robot dog, but never seen it before and hadn't been sure if it had actually existed.

At Mr Starre's quip of her looking for him, "Were you trying to get an interview with me?  I must have missed that," she flashed the man a quick smile as she pushed her sunglasses back up.  She wasn't sure who the man was, but he was obviously part of the Crusaders so she could make time for an interview with him. "If you still want that interview, we can talk after this."

"Which goes back to my original question, What the heck is going on here?"  The busty blonde detective asked again as she entered the room and started helping move some of the heavier equipment carefully.  "Hello, so we are moving this stuff into that portal?" She nodded at Shade, a little confused about where he was facing but perfectly fine with him focusing on what he was doing and as he mentioned that the robot dog knew what was going she asked K9, "Do I want to know what happens with a Time Quake?  Or is it just very very bad? None of this stuff is going to explode right?" 

In reply to Desiree Diamond (msg # 169):

"well technically neither I nor K9 here are Crusaders.  We are both just vagabonds wandering around helping out here and there trying to make a little dinero. Ergo the name Drifter! If I ever had a real name I can not remember it.

I hooked up with K9 here when I met a Gallifreyan known as The Doctor or Dr Who. OH by the way K9 is a real AI not a robot. Please treat him as a real person.

As to what is going on here... these operatives are people out of time and space and we are trying to get them back to where they belong before the Multiverse catches on to what is what and shows her displeasure.  Oof this one is heavy" Drifter ends with a grunt as he drags the hood across the great divide.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:12, Wed 13 Oct 2021.

Darryl's lean frame bends to the task of bringing the humanoid drones back through the portal.

Desiree nodded at Grifter as the man asked her to treat K9 like she would anyone else as she helped move bodies and equipment, moving the bigger stuff that a normal human couldn't move on their own.  "Could these guys be responsible for iron shipments not getting sent out?"  She asked curiously as she tried to make sense of what was going on here, "Why were these guys here anyway?"

Turning to K9, Desiree asked the AI dog, "If they took stuff from out world to theirs," she paused hesitantly as she tried to process other dimensions, "would that pose a problem?"

Darryl says "until recently, these guys were transformed into Humanoid juggernauts and were transporting ore by the ton from this time period to ancient Egypt through this pyramidal time-space portal. Our job is to reclaim the ore and bring it back to this time period before temporal shear rends history."

In reply to Desiree Diamond (msg # 172):

"The world is the same, it is different points on the timeline that is the problem. Different worlds would pose no difficulty. Dimensional travel is quite possible and in some cases very profitable.  For example Master Drifter here traversed the void to find The Doctor to see if I was available.  It is just something he does... regularly" 
This message was last edited by the player at 15:55, Fri 15 Oct 2021.

with a raised eyebrow Drifter wonders if
Desire needed a new outlet.

"I could show you how simple it is if you wanted to go on a road trip.  Naturally I would call shotgun"

Desiree nodded at Darryl as the man summed up what the goals of the current mission.  Cross time stuff was beyond her experience. And while she didn't know what a time shear was, it didn't sound good, so she was there to help, even if she was feeling like a fish out of the water.  Even though she was never going to show it to them.

As K9 explained that dimensional trade was okay, but not time trade, for a lack of a better word.  She didn't know what the difference was and frankly it was necessary for her to at this point, she just needed to know what needed to be done.  "Right, we stuff these guys back through the portal and pull back the stuff taken there." She frowned as the thought about moving tons of ore back through.  "Umm, how much time do we have before the portal goes down?"

At Grifter's offer of travelling with him, the busty blonde shock her head, "Now is not the time, Grifter."

Once all the goons had been shoved through the portal, Shade nodded. "Ok, it should be fine for normal people to go through safely, but best let me and anyone who is super humanly durable to use the portal first just to be sure. Ummm...gonna  grab a snack frist."

Shade proceeds to absorb part of the floor where his feet would be. Rather then the pool of darkness which followed him about as he moved.

OOC-doing body transfer to keep the duration going.07:49, Today: Shade rolled 14 using 3d6.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:55, Tue 19 Oct 2021.

once the last thug has been relocated Drifter decides it is time to be on the road again.

"Thanks Shade. So K9 where do you want to go now? How about Darkover or The Many Coloured Land?
 perhaps Sydney or Salisbury?  If you want to come along also Master Shade your more than welcome:)"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:50, Tue 19 Oct 2021.

"Master, shouldn't we retrieve the displaced mass, and Mr. Stuntman, first? The portal is quite safe for human transport."

"oops my mind does seem to wonder a lot at times I guess K9... my bad.

Do you think The Stuntman will ever consider hiring me as his comic side kick?

I could show him the Teluvian stunt throw!  basically it is just a sacrifice throw with a nifty name"

Desiree was carrying the last piece of equipment as she stopped in front of the portal and looked back at the others. "Guess it is time to find out what is on the other side," she looked a little bit unsure as Shade suggested that the tough people should go first, just in case.  Which she knew included her, even if the others didn't, her skin bounced bullets.

She relaxed a little bit as K9 affirmed that it was safe and then mentioned Stuntman, "Wait, someone already went through without backup?" She looked at the others sternly and then stepped through, letting someone go into danger alone was not good, everyone should have backup.

She braced herself as she stepped through the portal, not knowing what to expected as she traveled through the barrier and appeared on the other side.

Desiree steps through the portal, and vanishes just as The Stuntman did.

In reply to Desiree Diamond (msg # 181):

"really young people now a days... they should let the beings who do not breathe go first...oh well

Hey K9 how many people can you think will jump off a cliff just because someone else did it too?

see you on the other side K9 and I do hope there is not a long drop with a sudden stop on the other side. "
 as he flies through carrying K9 just to be safe
This message was last edited by the player at 06:26, Thu 21 Oct 2021.

"Conveyance is unnecessary, this one has passed this way previously."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:26, Fri 22 Oct 2021.

"I meant me guys. I am the one who can wander around space and all..." So, he shrugged followed the others through the portal

Darryl shrugs. Another new adventure it seemed. He crosses the Portal, hoping his language skills would suffice in ancient Egypt.

Those that step through the portal will appear in Must Be a Conman Because Egypt Me.

Mere moments after stepping through the portal, the heroes are back. They aren't alone, the unconscious body of the man that was Phoenix is lying near a fair quantity of iron. The giant scorpion is also there, looking as confused as a scorpion can look. Numerous other items of mundane and eclectic purpose are scattered about, as well. The portal, of course, is gone.

"Do we have a zoo able to handle that thing?" Shade asks. "Or a really big insect farm? Failing that I could make a shadow flyswatter..."

"ZOO?!"
The scorpion's tail sags, almost to the point of touching the ground with its stinger. His claws do rest on the floor. "I knew I was destined to be alone, why not in a zoo. They would, at least, feed me."

Desiree tilted her head at the giant scorpion, "And what do you think we should do with you?  You were willing to help overthrow the past, helped steal iron ingots from the McClain Iron Company and attacked people?  What do you think the just thing to do with you is?"  The busty blonde asked curiously as she crossed her arms.

"That past was all I've ever known. Before he started to burn all the time, Dr. Byrnes said I must've been caught on the edge of the temporal field and forcefully mutated to this form. Before he was completely consumed by the fire, he taught me to speak."

"And look!" As soon as he had his bearing, The Stuntman waved a hand past Diamond, Muse, and the iron. "I have returned from the past with beautiful women and the iron, just as I said I would. Truly the humble Stuntman is amazing, but not as much so as the stars he stands in for. Thank you, thank you."

He then zeroed his attention on the Scorpion. "I do not think you are the type for imprisoning, my arachnid friend. Barring your appearance, I think you'd have an easy time getting work as security, especially if you can knock someone out instead of making them dead."

He looks over to the depowered Pheonix and points his pistol at him out of reflex. "Now, your... uh... uplifter, on the other hand? He needs a bull... prison."

He put the pistol away, remembering that he was trying to play by some rules these days. "A prison strong enough to hold at least a bull, and nothing else that I could have possibly been advising. I'm willing to vouch for you, for what that is worth, but I doubt anyone except you might vouch for him."

He seemed satisfied with what was around him. "Annnnnnyways, I am hungry, low on ammo, and we should get ready to explain to the media our glorious triumph that we cannot prove in any way. Maybe 'we prevented a mass iron theft.'"

"Computers do have memory"

As the Pharaoh gives his speech Muse is off to the side lightly hitting her head with the side of her fist quietly chanting, "I am not qualified to diagnose him, I am not Qualified to diagnose him."


Back in the present she takes a turn addressing the scorpion while patting him on the shoulder? in a comforting manner. "It sounds like you are a victim of circumstance. There may be a group that can help you get settled under that understanding. After all you're too intelligent for a zoo, and I agree with Stuntman's assessment that you probably shouldn't be incarcerated. Partially due to the possibility that if you had been approached by a more ethical hand you might never have commited a crime. If I'm getting the correct impression your sense of right and wrong maybe" She stops a moment to consider a diplomatic way to phrase "Under developed." She turns to the group "Does anyone have contact with any child victim groups? Especially if they have any experience with super powered victims."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:40, Sun 25 Dec 2022.

Desiree tilted her head as she listened to what the Giant Scorpion informed them about its origins and nodded her head, "Okay, yeah you got a bum deal and you deserve a second chance." She paused in thought, "By the way, do you have a name?" They were a sentient being, she would prefer to have a name for them instead of referring to them as giant scorpion.  "I have no idea how to integrate you into society though," she admitted as she looked over at the others to see if they had an idea. She nodded as in agreement as Muse made several suggestions on some ways to help.

"Is the Scorpion even allowed any choice in it's future?
 She may not even want to be part of human society.
 Why do you not ask her? and what kind of hosts are you lot anyway

No one has yet asked her if she is feeling like a little aperitif like some KFC or Lamb Ragout?

 So Lady Scorpion what are your thoughts on the multitude of questions and events that are being dumped on you?
This message was last edited by the player at 19:46, Mon 26 Dec 2022.

Nighthawk tells Desiree "whatever the scorpion might say, remember the story of the toad and the scorpion. Just because she has a voice doesn't mean she can overcome her nature."

"The bird man isn't wrong. I have always been a predator and know no other way. Perhaps a caged enclosure where I could be monitored and fed would be the best for all involved."

In reply to Giant Scorpion (msg # 199):

"How long has it been since you figured out how to talk? Humans are predators too, but we learned not to kill each other. For the most part. If you can understand all the concepts we are throwing around at you, maybe you can overcome your instincts." Shade points out.

"[Language unknown: Witnceicapre.] Prison never made anyone I knew better at anything except crime when they got out." The Stuntman breathed out. "Do what you must do to eat, scorpion person. You'll need friends when you get out, and I hope you don't run to the bad ones."

"As for me, food, unless there is a reason to stick around." He looked back at the prone Phoenix, and hauled him up on his shoulders in a carry position. "The things I do for reputation. Shooting you would really speed things up, but nooooo. That's 'frowned upon.'"

He considered something and got an idea that put a smile back on his face. "Hey, we count as police, right?"

In reply to The Stuntman (msg # 201):

"technically speaking we might count as Vigilantes or Special Ops but Police need to be trained in some knowledge about the Law.

we could always find some south pacific Island that is suitable for... Stinger here.  So Scorpion would you like having a nick name like Stinger???"

"Ummm...dont eat anything that can talk. And no cats and dogs." Shade adds quickly.

"ah ha we could always go to Glorantha! According to the facts I have, there are Intelligent insects and animals like Giant Tapir and Unicorns actually exist.  Just another road trip begging to be taken."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 07:30, Wed 28 Dec 2022.

Obviously, greater authorities will need to deal with Stinger and the Phoenix. In the meantime, it appears all of the damage done by the false Pharaoh was undone by whatever he did upon his demise. Perhaps there will be some 'death curse' eventually. Plagues and geological disasters have to come from somewhere.
In this case, however, the Crusaders of Central City can return to Central City and go about their crusading.