IC Scene #3: The Mother of Invention
[The New Study Hall, Stanley School, Early September, First Day of New Semester]
"One year ago, you were young kids, grabbing your gift bags full of trinkets and geegaws. What a difference a year makes. Some of you fought through the Hellfire Rebellion, the Pact of Doom and the Sinister Plot. But all of you have earned your place here over the past year. Because of you, we have started a junior class. We are all so proud."
"Now you are back for your second year. I hope you have had a relaxing summer vacation. To welcome you back, we like to offer you a new and very special gift bag. You have earned it."
Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, finished speaking. The X-Men Forge simply smiled tightly. Sometimes they found the mundanities of teaching rather dull. But tonight promised to be more exciting even if the surrounding students didn't know it yet.
The students were the returning class of the Stanley school inaugural student body. And they relaxed about the lush, well-appointed lounge contentedly. All were in their superhero costumes. They had spent the day in combat training and hadn't had time to change. Forge bit back a smile, that had been deliberate.
At the mention of gift bags, the students looked around. Under chairs, behind tables and on high shelves the kids found each found a gift bag addressed to them specifically. Some wondered why they hadn't noticed them before. Still, the allure of free stuff chased most thoughts away. The young heroes wondered just exactly what kind of gifts Iron Man, Reed Richards and Forge (just to mention a few) might have come up with.
The bag's contents were quite underwhelming however. One most obvious item was a 'utility belt' full of useful but mundane tools (tiny Swiss-army knife, USB drive, flashlight. etc.). There also was a palm-sized square of cloth with the word 'SERVICE' printed on it, a single playing card (an ace) and what seemed a tiny 'goldfish' cracker. A literal gem was in the bag, set into a Stanley School class ring.
There were looks of confusion and some frank disappointment. The youngsters were too polite to say outright how generally paltry their gifts had been. Forge guessed what was unsaid. "Not all tools are obvious at first. And as for how to invent a tool or get it to work for you..."
As Forge spoke, the room began to grow dark, walls and furniture began to crumble into dust which began to blow and obscure vision. Forge and Romanoff began to fade away, their smiles going last like Cheshire cats. The Black Widow finished her friend's unfinished sentence, "Well, necessity is the mother of invention..."
And then even their grins were gone, leaving only blackness and biting sand...
OOC:
OK, this is a completely optional IC thread. You can ignore it entirely. It will start freeform but should be rules-compliant by the end of the scene.
What is this thread all about? Well, think of your D&D characters. Between making the characters and cracking orc skulls, you buy equipment for your character. In most games, equipping your character is an 'off-camera', character sheet accounting sort of thing. But it can be more story-centric.
The '007 visits Q Branch' scene is a staple of Bond films. And those scenes can be quite entertaining. Now, your characters will have some equipment simply because common sense demands it. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Avengers at least have their unseen communicators in common. Gadgets won't be a big part of the game (unless gadgets are your character's schtick) but the school would equip you with some protective gear as a mercy. And they would do this on the first day. Thus, since gadgets have to be defined at least once, we might as well do it now. And we might as well have some fun with it.
What does getting equipment have to with a bag full of useless knick-knacks while the world ends to the mocking laughter of two heroes? You will find out if you are lucky and resourceful.
Here's the situation in more detail:
1. Your characters have returned from summer vacation for their second year of school. In the past year, they have had many adventures that will one day be told (but don't have to be now). Speaking of which, what are the Hellfire Rebellion, the Pact of Doom and the Sinister Plot? They are events that I needed to setup the backstory of this universe. These stories don't need to be told right now. Later on, you can decide if your characters were involved your first year at school. And don't get me started on the spilling of the Infinity Chalice. ;-)
2. You have spent the day in combat practice and other superhero training. You are in your superhero costumes which is an Unstable Molecule Suit unless you say it is not.
3. This study hall is brand new and far from the center of campus. It is part of a larger building.
4. Tonight you are all here as one friendly group. It shouldn't matter what team your PC is on for this scene.
5. Before the world ends, assume you had a chance to examine and play with one item from your gift bag. I will give this for free, the gift bag itself is well made but quite mundane. The utility belt of useful items is exactly that. It makes sense for your characters to have these things if they want them. The belt is the default storage for them. You can have whatever small, real-world item makes sense but no weapons save purely defensive ones (tactical pen, say). You can later personalize storage options for your costume.
6. Some of you Marvel mavens might have already kenned what is really going on here. If so, so have your characters and they are free to express their suspicions or not to (just to see what happens next ;-) ).
As I mentioned before, this is a completely optional encounter. You may ignore it completely and thus your PC is not here.
Or,
You may have questions you want answered before posting into this encounter. You can ask them outright or I will likely answer them in a few days.
Or,
You might just start posting in character and see what happens. You won't break my universe.
Or,
You might read and see what happens to the characters who players are actively posting and then decide to join in or not.
For all of the implied threat, this is actually not a critical encounter in the big scheme of things. So I can speed up my usual posting rate. I will try and post every even-numbered day in this scene. It is time to see how this game might move faster if the situation allows. Actual Moves (as in the rules term) should be enabled in a few replies or so...