[fitd]: FREEDOM CITY! [Issue #1: Let's get Kraken!]

[fireinthedust]

The doors of Freedom Hall open for you, and inside you see an entrance hall with a high ceiling and marble pedastles holding up green plants.
Spotlights from about the room light up statues of heroes past, from the golden age to the present, who died in battle or retired with honor from the league. One in particular is a scale model of the statue of the Centurion, Freedom's greatest champion who died in the Terminus Invasion fighting Omega.

You are greeted by a human woman named Nancy Gardener, well-known as the wife of the Freedom League's leader, Captain Thunder.
They can seem intimidating, all that history. Let's go downstairs, where the others are waiting.
She smiles at you, and leads you through an elevator; the lift has a pleasant hum, and you feel it move fairly quickly, before the doors hiss open.

You exit into a large room. It's several stories high, grey walls with a maze of glowing blue lines covering the walls. There are other invitee's there, other costumed heroes trying out for the Freedom League.

A voice crackles over the intercom, and you can see a figure in a booth high above you, speaking into an intercom. The voice is frank, brusk and business like. Okay, we're going to start the first trials with a Roll Call. Please state your name and powers.

Spoiler

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Okay, introduce yourselves. You're in a "Wreck Room", or holodec/Danger Room. It's really high-quality stuff, giving you a sense that you're in the big leagues for sure with these guys. At any rate, once you lot introduce yourselves the trial will start.

[Green Bean]

As he entered, Tempo decelerated to a more normal walking speed and gaped at the room before him. Forgetting himself with all of the grandeur, he spends literally tenths of a second taking high-speed closer looks at each statue, before remembering his original purpose and heading for the elevator at a much more normal speed.

In the Wreck Room, Tempo is standing with the other heroes when the voice speaks. "I'm Tempo, and I run really fast. Do y'all want a demonstration?" Normally, he only had a bit of a Texas accent because of his years spent away from home, but it always seemed to creep back when he was nervous.

[fireinthedust]

The original voice starts, but is interupted. That's why we have trials, so--
A different voice from the intercom sounds, a younger man's voice, more friendly with an excited energy. Sure kid, show us what you got!

[Green Bean]

"Of course. Uh, right. Here goes." Tempo pauses for a moment to plan his performance, then takes off like a shot. He does a few slow laps around the room (at a mere 100 miles per hour), then abruptly kicks into high gear, visible only as a blue streak travelling over the walls, floors, and ceiling.

After a few seconds of this, Tempo slows down, stopping completely next to the door he had originally entered through. He turns to the invisible voices. "I, uh, I've only done this a couple of times before..." His whole body blurs, as if shaking faster than the eye can fully process. The shaking accelerates even more, and Tempo almost looks purple-tinted. Finally, when the right speed was apparently reached, Tempo slowly steps through the closed door. There is a few seconds of silence, then the speedster comes racing back out, literally passing through several of his fellow applicants before coming to a halt where he had stood originally.

((Or mechanically, Tempo moves All Out for a land speed of 2 000 000 miles per hour and shows off his Wall Running skillz, after which he demonstrates his Insubstantiality))

[Nerd-o-rama]

On the way in, Fireblade walks through and appreciates the...Whatchacallit. Ambience (he thinks) of the Freedom Hall's entry. He looks a bit self-conscious in costume (or the half of his face you can see does). Normally I only wear this thing when I'm actually fighting crime. Seems kinda silly to go to a job interview in it. But then again... he adds, looking at the get-ups on some of the statues. He smiles comfortably at Mrs. Gardener's invitation, though, and follows her into the elevator.

He's a bit too invested in his internal monologue at the moment to chat with the other applicants. Holy crap, I'm trying out for the Freedom League. Holy crap, I've met one of them and that didn't weird me out before. Why didn't it weird me out before? Okay, focus. You're cool.

Once in the apparent testing room, Fireblade looks up at the booth. Wow. Imposing. He stands back and lets the speedster go first, trying utterly in vain to watch him run around over the walls, and grunting briefly in alarm as Tempo runs through him at the end of his demonstration.

"Jeez, warn a guy next time," he mutters quickly before stepping forward himself, confident grin prominently displayed.

"I'm Fireblade," he begins, lifting the impressive-looking bronze-inlaid scabbard from the hook where it rested on his belt. "I've got a sword that can cut steel and shoot fire, and yet it can still dice a tomato. I'm pretty good with it, but I'll save the demonstration for later. I also can't be harmed by fire and can come back from the dead, but I'd really rather save the demonstration on that one."

[sun_tzu]

Soul looked around her. In this form, she had long dark hair, a tight but tasteful white uniform that covered everything below the neck save for her hands, and an otherworldy, glowing aura emanating from her.
I am SO over my head. Which I should be used to by now, given that I've been over my head since before this entire mess started. But this is the FREEDOM LEAGUE. For Einstein's sake, I'm not even old enough to legally be part of this...
...but this isn't the time to freak out. This is too important to screw up. Breath slowly, keep your cool, don't let them see how much of a fish out of water you are.
"Greetin..." she began to say, when Tempo went ahead and presented himself. Truth be told, she had spoken too softly - she doubted anyone had heard her. Then he began showing his abilities.
A speedster. Nice. I've been trying to figure out a ritual to give me speed, but no such luck. A power like this should be a HUGE advantage...You could attack before your foes realized the fight had started, get all the civilians out of the way...I should probably say something.
"Impressive." she said, in what she hoped sounded like a dignified and mysterious tone. "I suppose it is my turn.
I am known as Soul. I possess magical talents...Multi-purpose, I guess." As she spoke, she began flying. Small objects began flying around her. "I can fly, move objects from a distance - I've gone as far as 50 tons, though I don't think it is my limit - observe distant locations, create objects out of thin air, disrupt magic, and open portals through space. I've been experimenting with spells to heal wounds or paralyze foes, but I'm afraid they're untested..." As she finished her list, the objects all flew back to their original positions, approximately. Soul kept hovering about a foot above the ground.

[SuperMuldoon]

Apex followed the group into the foyer of Freedom Hall, his visor HUD displaying readouts and information on the various things he was seeing. Amazing he thought, tributes to those who came before, such history in this place! Snapped back to reality by a woman who introduced herself as Nancy Gardener, he followed her and the rest of the group into an elevator.

Stepping out, he glances at the other costumed figures standing in this large room, and falls into place among the group. After hearing the voice coming from the figure(s) in the booth, Apex stepped back and watched the young man called Tempo do his thing. So it's a test, is it?

Two others then displayed their skills. Fireblade and Soul hm? So far everyone has shown that they definitely have skills and then some. I guess it's my turn now.

"I am known as Apex, " he declares, stepping forward "As a wearer of the "Buster Core" power suit, I am granted a variety of different abilities. The suit gives me the ability of flight..." at which he steps off of the ground and rises into the air. "...at top speeds of 500mph. It also provides the wearer with increased strength and dexterity, allowing me to lift weights approaching 24 tons." Apex then raises his fist and points it at a target away from the other heroes, but in clear view of the booth. "The suit comes equipped with two wrist mounted blasters, with variable settings." He fires a few blasts at the target, blowing it away, then flying back and landing in front of the booth. "It's force field enables the wearer to withstand many types of attacks and escape unscathed." Apex activates his force field, which appears as a slight, wavy blue glow around his person, and then dissappears."Finally, it is equipped with a range of support functions, such as medical interface, life support, and a capable sensor suite, which are all operating at maximum efficiency."

Grinning confidently, he looks up at the booth and then back at the others standing and suddenly feels nervous. Still with a stupid grin on his face, Apex then chuckles awkwardly and scratches the back of his head before stepping back in line to let the next person go. Way to get carried away self...what a first impression... Apex shakes his head to himself and turns to look at the next hero to go.


(OOC: Just for clarification, the suit isn't an armor like an Iron Man suit, it's more of a Booster Gold or Supernova suit, where it looks more like a hero costume)

[fireinthedust]

The gruff voice over the intercom comes in again. Well, that's good to know. Is that everyone?

[Ditto]

Coming to a skidding halt, a wiry gent with tousled brown hair jogs into the room. He's snuggled into an aquamarine one-piece that's a cross between your garden variety superspandexsupersuit and a surfers wetsuit. "'Allo team. Thom Thames, water guy, 'ere 'n present 'n all. Wot'd oi miss, hm?"

Spoiler

Show

(S'a Cockney accent, to answer your question FITD.
I'm not sure Thom'd feel the need to elaborate muchly on himself & his powers without prompting, since he's already established himself as a super. It's possible he's not considering that his name-recognition might not be as high in America. If he's supposed to share more (beyond actually doing some trials), certainly have Mr. Voicebox Guy give him an eyebrow waggle.)

[Nerd-o-rama]

Fireblade fidgets a bit with the hilt of his sword as he waits for the Imposing Voice (Johnny Rocket and...hm, can't place it)to continue.

So, fast guy, magician, overachiever in flying armor, and...an English guy.

Hey, he continues, mentally addressing his sword. These guys can all fly or go superspeed. How come I can't do that?

*

Oh, the teleportation totally doesn't count. How often is there actually a fire handy where I want to go?

*

Well yeah, Summers's office fireplace came in handy, but most people who aren't batty old men use thermostats nowadays. That was a fluke.

*

Relax, man. No need to get all defensive. If I get picked, though, I'm asking for a jetpack.

[Green Bean]

While the others are demonstrating their powers, Tempo finds himself standing to the sword-wielding fellow. By the way the speedster keeps glancing at him, it's obvious that he has a burning question (no pun intended), but hasn't gathered the courage to ask it.

Eventually (while there's a lull), he taps Fireblade on the shoulder. "Erm, I don't mean to pry, but you can really come back from the dead?"

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Yep," Fireblade responds. "It's something or other about my 'Inner Fire', or something. If I get killed, I wake up a day later with no memory of the last twenty-four hours and a nasty hangover. So basically, dying is like a weekend in Montreal to me."

[sun_tzu]

"Yep," Fireblade responds. "It's something or other about my 'Inner Fire', or something. If I get killed, I wake up a day later with no memory of the last twenty-four hours and a nasty hangover. So basically, dying is like a weekend in Montreal to me."

Soul shuddered. "That's...good. I've had the opportunity to study the passage from this life to whatever lay beyond, but I'll admit I'm not eager to repeat the experience." After a moment of hesitation, she added: "But at least now we know who to send on suicide missions."

[Ditto]

Thom Thames

"Recommend against those sorts o' tasks, actually. En't good for morale. Weekend in Montreal, though - 'at's a good time fer all involved. Once knew a chap as went on a pubcrawl in Worcerster, got 'iself 'free sheets t'tha wind afore brefkist on Sunday. Woke up in Mornington Crescent wif-ou' a clue uf wot's 'e's been at since Tuesday an' wearink a wedding band. 'E never found th'lucky lass agin. S'fer the best, oi say."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Hey, girl, I'm not volunteering for anything yet. It's still not something I want to make a habit of," Fireblade says.

"And as for you, Thom, um...I have no idea what you just said, so you just keep doin' what you're doin'.

[Green Bean]

Luckily for Tempo, he'd spent some time out of the country, and wasn't half bad at decoding accents. "You're Tom, right? Nice to meet you. Are you from London? I go up there for takeout sometimes, and it's always seemed like a nice enough place."

[sun_tzu]

"Hey, girl, I'm not volunteering for anything yet. It's still not something I want to make a habit of," Fireblade says.

"And as for you, Thom, um...I have no idea what you just said, so you just keep doin' what you're doin'.

"I think he is talking about a fellow who got engaged while drunk. I'll admit that I'm mostly speculating."
Wow. That accent was so thick you could cut it with a chainsaw.

[SuperMuldoon]

Montreal? London? Apex thought to himself, I have never heard of these places before...but they all seem to be bonding over this common thread...showing they have something that can make them a team! I gotta say something!

"I also enjoy these places of which you speak! I am quite fond of Montreal, the...uh...great recreation center for all the fun? Haha, right?" Apex awkwardly interjects with a smile on his face.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Fireblade looks at Apex carefully. "Yeah...actually, yeah, that's pretty much what it is. At least during college season."

Alien. Possibly a robot.

[fireinthedust]

ooc: huh, I guess that last post I did didn't go through. bah!
Also: are we going to be joined by our kindly Dr. Doom? If not now, he'll have to wait until after the session in the Wreck Room (as the audition would be closed for now).

IC:

you hear the gruff voice on the intercom again. Zeus' groin, did you hear that limey? If he makes it through, fine, but I hear him say "shine yuh shoes gobnah" and I'm going back into space!
Uh, Daed, the intercom is still running.
Huh? Oh, er, <cough> alright heroes! Let's start by seeing how you handle yourselves in a combat situation, starting... now!

A cadre of robots emerge from sliding panels in the walls and floor, and charge to attack!

ooc: everyone roll a Notice check to see if you're surprised. DC15, if you make it you can act in this round.

[sun_tzu]

notice - (1d20+8)[18]
Combat situ...WaitwowwhatI...
Focus.
Flying back a couple of feet in reflex, Soul raises her right hand in the direction of the nearest robot, makes a gesture with her left hand, and unleashes a blast of arcane energy.
((That is, if she can act.))
initiative - (1d20)[17]
attack roll - (1d20+7)[12]
second attack roll - (1d20+7)[10]
((Second attack roll provided if needed - her blasts have the "Homing" feat. Damage bonus is +13.))

[Nerd-o-rama]

Notice - (1d20+10)[15]

With practiced quickness, the Heart of Fire is unsheathed and in Fireblade's hand, its blade flashing a strange golden color.

"Freedom League: subtlety is not their specialty."

((How far away are the robots? Particularly, are they 60' or less away? Also, how many?))

[Green Bean]

Notice Check (1d20 5=21)

Wait, wha-?

By some twist of fortune, Tempo had happened to be looking in the right direction when the robots popped out. The world slowed down to a crawl as he sprinted toward the lead robot, stopping long enough to deliver dozens of rapid-fire blows, then zipping back next to the other applicants.

"Anyone got a plan?"

((a.k.a., Autofire Strike with Move-by Action

Attack Roll: Attack Roll (1d20 12=28)))

[fireinthedust]

ooc: there is one robot per Hero; they're armed with big, beefy arms (which may or may not shoot blasts of energy); and they look like humanoid torsos with orbs for legs that let them hover just above the ground.

[Nerd-o-rama]

((Well, just ignore the attack part if they're more than 30' away, and call it a move action.))

"How about: I charge out and draw their fire while you all sit back and either hit-and-run or artillery. Don't worry, I'm dodgy."

Fireblade dashes out, sword held high. Reaching the nearest robot, he brings it down in a powerful forehand slash aimed at the robot's "shoulder." before withdrawing the blade back to a ready position.

Initiative - (1d20+6)[17]
Charge! - (1d20+10)[25]

((Power Attack 2: Damage is +12. Defense is at +8 for the next round.))
((Quick note: I can Block ranged attacks at +5 (free action I'll be taking pretty much every round). Every attack after the first adds a cumulative -2 to this roll, though.))

[SuperMuldoon]

Notice - (1d20+9)[13]

Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say...hey wait where is everyone going?

Apex fails to notice the robots and is surprised.



(OOC: This is my first roll/combat post! Let me know if everything is ok, I had his actions down for if he saw the robots, but since he failed I edited the post and deleted it. Now I wait until next round to post my actions right?)

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[fireinthedust]

ooc: yeah, you're doing fine. Just post your actions in description format, then put the crunch/rules bit in ooc below that... basically just like you did.

and yeah, they're zooming towards each of you to attack on their initiative during this, the surprise round. Sorry, missed the question (terribly ill and all)

Anyway: for those of you who hit them, which of you has a damage bonus higher than +10?

[Green Bean]

((A mere +8 here.))

[sun_tzu]

((I have a damage bonus of +13, but I suspect I didn't hit, even with Homing...))

[Nerd-o-rama]

((Total damage bonus of 12 on that attack, with 7 ranks of Penetrating.))