Zelphas
August 1, 2018. The Dome has been over the city for a month.

In that time, while the League of the Future formed at least in name, the five super-powered people have rarely interacted, at least in public. Lockdown focuses on building up his power base by recruiting people with potential and people without—anyone who’s willing to make a deal. Manchineel sticks to the Manitou Forest, sending out monsters occasionally and steadily erasing all signs of human habitation from the lands around Forester’s Bay. Apophis appears where he wishes and does whatever he likes, sowing small seeds of chaos independently from his fanatic followers, the Suneaters. Doctor Proxy remains unseen, abducting people and things almost at random and creating new mechanical monsters to serve their strange purpose. And Watcher makes his speeches about patience and the needs of the future and remains in his Obelisk, rarely seen, the shimmering Dome a constant evidence of his invisible presence.

The city of Forester’s Bay is by no means in a good place, but being menaced by five supervillains with varying levels of intensity is not as bad as a concerted team effort would be, and there’s no real signs of a true alliance coming into place between the members of the League.

At least, until today.

Here’s the series of events, from what you each could pick up. Nope, sitting quietly in his normal persona in a bar in Pub Alley known to be frequented by Bronze Links, overheard a conversation about a deal struck between a Proxysuit and Dragon, the Gold Link in charge of recruitment and discipline in the Chain Gang. It seems that there was a warehouse on the edge of Forester’s Park that contains some sort of plastic which Doctor Proxy wanted, and they were willing to hire the Chain Gang to secure the warehouse for them as a gesture of cooperation. Whatever Doctor Proxy wants, Nope doesn’t want them to get, so Remy prepared to step in.

Floral, watching the movement of the Saplings on the edges of the Manitou forest, spied a Bronze Link member enter into the forest waving a white flag and calling out to negotiate with Manchineel. About a day later, she was passing by Forester’s Park and saw a small group of Saplings and a malformed, hugely muscled boar-like creature with a piece of white cloth wrapped around one of its tusks entering into a warehouse… through one wall. That seems like something a Superhero should deal with!

Helios and Ariadne knew the least about the situation; they both responded separately to rumors about Apophis appearing in the area, and followed the sound of destroyed architecture and fighting.

At first, dealing with the group of Bronze Links led by the Silver Link known as “Wrath”, the Helpers sent by Doctor Proxy, and even the Saplings led by the Punishment-boar went fairly well; as the four super-heroes on the scene, you were able to recognize one another and coordinate fairly quickly, even against the fiery blasts of Wrath and the raging swipes of the Punishment. Doctor Proxy’s Helpers seemed to ignore everyone as long as nothing got in their way, so you were able to leave them alone and focus on the other enemies. The Bronze Links started falling quickly and the Saplings weren’t far behind.

And then a pair of honest-to-Ra mummies wandered in through the warehouse doors, wailing through their bindings and setting upon anything moving that they came across. The battle got… a bit more chaotic after that.

Wrath, her dark brown hair in disarray, the “glove” of delicate silver chains melting into slag on her left hand, looks up from the charred remains of one mummy, her bright orange eyes glowing with anger as she snarls at the remaining Bronze Links to   “Deal with the other one so we can focus, here!”   Waves of heat roll off of her, distorting the air. The Bronze Links move to obey, one Link looking nervously across at the Boar Punishment, two closing in on the remaining mummy, and the other four spreading out from where they were supporting Wrath to face down their foes.

The Boar Punishment coughs wetly and grunts, Helios’ Combust still taking a slight toll on the massive beast, though it is far from beaten. It and the Saplings have gone berserk from the chaos, lashing out at anything near them. One support pillar is already down, and the Boar eyes the other pillars through its black, hate-filled eyes.

The Helpers have been darting in and out of the warehouse doors in orderly columns, taking packaged blocks of plastic sheeting to a secondary location, depositing them there, and then returning in blurs of speed. Now, they have encountered an obstacle. The Helper at the lead of the column lifts itself slightly on its squat chrome legs, one spindly arm reaching out with an almost inquisitive air towards the mummy standing in its path, then to either side at the Bronze Links also in the way. The other Helpers wait with unnatural stillness, ready to strike or flee as the front-runner makes its assessment.

For the mummy’s part, it continues to wail and mutter in what might be Ancient Egyptian, its cloth-wrapped head rolling from side to side as it looks at nothing at all, twitching in unnatural jerks first this direction, next that one.

The situation may have gotten a little bit out of hand.

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Two days ago, you eavesdropped on Dante testing out his powers. He chanted for a long moment, slammed his fists into the ground, and pulled two mummies by the head out of the ground, directing them with his mind as though they were puppets. Satisfied, he drove the mummies back into the ground and muttered to himself that he was “one step closer.”

It’s a fair bet to guess that these mummies aren’t from Apophis directly, but “gifts” from Dante to Helios.
 

 
 Spoiler: Assessment DC 10 (nested) 
The Bronze Links are PL 6 (+4/+2), with a 2-point Defense shift.

The Saplings are PL 7 (+7/+0), with a 2-point Defense shift.

The Helpers are PL 6, (+6/+0), with a 2/point Defense shift.

All are minions.

 
 Spoiler: DC 15 
Boaris is PL 10.

The Reanimated is PL 10.

 
 Spoiler: DC 20 
Wrath is PL 10.

Boaris’ Attack and Effect shifts are +5/+5.

The Reanimated’s Attack and Effect shifts are +8/+2.

 
 Spoiler: DC 25 
Wrath’s Attack and Effect shifts are +8/+2.

Boaris has a 2-point Resistance Shift.

The Reanimated has a 2-point Resistance shift.

 
 Spoiler: DC 30 
Wrath has a 2-point Defense shift.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 OOC Thread 

Here’s the  map ! Place yourself wherever you like on it within the warehouse.

All PCs have 1 Bruise to start off, since we’re starting in the middle of a fight.  And since it’s in the middle of a fight,  All PCs are on turn.  Best of luck!
 
Quellian-dyrae
This was...absolute chaos.

The notion that the villains might actually be starting to actively work together had been disconcerting.  To that extent, the arrival of the mummies was, oddly enough, kinda reassuring.  Whatever coordination was going on between them clearly was imperfect at best.  Then again, coordination between the three who, you know, weren't possibly-literally Egyptian gods of chaos still wasn't  great  news.

Floral had done some good work as a hero in the past few weeks, she felt.  Well, some decent work.  Well, she had won all of her fights, anyway, no need to comment on how high that particular bar may or may not have been.  This battle was...of a rather larger scale though.  This didn't, in itself, worry her all that much.

After all, the villains weren't the only ones coordinating here.  (Okay, "coordinating" might have been being generous but also they were four for four on working together and the bad guys only three for four so hah!)

No, what scared her, right now, was the realization that if the people-place-time combination had been wrong in certain particulars, it could just have easily been her brother and sister fighting this battle instead of her.  Her siblings were certified badasses, but they weren't strong enough to face battles of this scale.  Lily wasn't sure that the full fighting strength of the Forester's Bay Police Department was.

Lily had only had her powers for a few weeks.  She had next to no combat training, and next to no experience.

But the simple fact remained that she  was .

Standing just inside the doorway to the warehouse, the sun was warm on her back.  The little bruise on her shoulder that the mummy had tagged her with was already fading away.

 "My turn." 

Lily pointed a hand, and a six-inch diameter vine shot out from it - if one looked closely, they would see the skin of her palm actually smoothly transitioning into the structure of the vine.  It extended out practically to the other side of the warehouse, shooting up over the heads of the mummy and the various Helperbots all lined up behind it.  Above each of their heads, a cluster of what looked like grapes grew down from the vine.

Except these grapes, rather than pale green or dark purple, had an almost  violently  vibrant, neon orange hue.

And then they exploded, unleashing a deluge of bright orange acid down on the heads of the robots and the mummy.

(Lily wasn't...actually sure whether her typical repertoire would work against them just as well, but while she may have lacked personal combat experience, she had played enough video games and RPGs and such to figure best not to bother trying things like poisons and pheomones on undead and robots.)

The acidic grapes also seared the vines that had delivered them, some of the acid spreading through the vines to eat them away.  This normally wouldn't matter much, unless for example someone had modified the cellular structure of the vines to chemically react with citric acid to produce a cloying smell that would be mildly unpleasant to those with the right sort of pheromone signatures, and nauseatingly caustic to anyone else.  But who would  do  such a thing?

 
 Spoiler 
Beginning in AD31.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Photosynthetic Regeneration, 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Floral Vines, 10 points to Heady Scent (Variable Descriptor to use Overwhelming Scent's [Physiological] [Nausea]), 10 points to Floral Scent.

Move: Nah.

Standard: Attack with Acidic Vines and Heady Floral Scent.  The Heady Scent is Selective Perception Area (Olfactory), so it targets...I dunno however many folks are reasonable Perception Area's big but it's a big map.  Anyone hit gets Defense DC 20 to negate since Perception Area, and then if they fail that Resistance DC 20 vs. [Physiological] [Nausea] Immobilized/Stunned/Incapacitated.  In addition, Reanimated and the six Helperbots behind him are subject to the Acidic Vines, so if they get hit their Resistance check also faces DC 25 [Energy] [Acid] Damage, regardless of the results of the Defense check (although they're probably immune to the Heady Scent anyway so whatever).
 I'll Routine the attack rolls against the Minions for 20.
Reanimated:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] .
Boaris:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] .
Wrath:  (1d20+10)[ 16 ]  
End of Turn: Regenerate 1 Bruise.

Current Status: Normal.
 
Dorni
From where he'd been engaged with the boar creature, Helios is momentarily taken aback by the mummies abruptly stumbling into the warehouse.  "Nergal."  He all but spat. The solar hero rose into the air and flew towards the front of the building, the boar temporarily abandoned. He threw a hand out towards the mummy. Golden runes filled the air before his outstretched hand one after the other, winking out as abruptly as they appeared - and a curtain of fire abruptly engulfed the middle of the warehouse, blinding in its brilliance. When the firestorm disappeared it was apparent that the firestorm had left both support columns completely unharmed and had stopped short of engulfing Floral.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: To W29, floating 20ft up
Standard: Cast Solar Flare centered on AC24. DC 25/20 vs Damage &amp; Linked Affliction [Vulnerable/Defenseless]

Helperbot 1: Routine 20
Helperbot 2: Routine 20
Helperbot 3: Routine 20
Sapling: Routine 20
Bronze Link: Routine 20
Reanimated  25  Rolled OOC
 
Abracadangit
Kal watched the pandemonium unfold from a distance, her needle darting left and right, as tiny veils of red thread covered the eyeholes of her mask, in response to the roaring flames. As soon as the fire had subsided, the veils unraveled back into nothing.

  "I don't know if I'm cut out for a team,"   Kal thought to herself, concerned.   "Everyone knows where to be and what to do, and I'm still figuring everything out for the first time."  

Ariadne's whispers echoed, down the corridors of her mind.   "You worry much, engoní, which accomplishes little. When you push a needle against the cloth, does the needle hesitate, trembling in your fingers? No, it pushes through, and it cares nothing for what is in its way. Be like a needle, mikrí engoní. Push through, and then..."  
  "Then weave the Thread, I know,"   Kal thought back, a little tired of the sewing metaphors. And if Kal was the needle, did that make Ariadne the seamstress holding her...? She could only think on that topic for a fraction of a second -- any longer than that, and Ariadne would pick up on it, Kal had learned. There would be time for figuring all of that out later, but now, to Ariadne's point, she had to react.

The boar looked to be tremendously strong, and if there was one thing Kal learned from her admittedly small vigilante-ing experience, it was that big, brawny menaces were best dealt with by being tied up in a ball. With some deft needle strokes, she began to conjure hundreds of red threads around the boar, twisting and turning into crimson ropes to ensnare him. By fanning the thread across the air with broad flourishes, she directed some of the weblike patterns to catch a nearby Sapling as well.

 
 Spoiler 

Starting Point: AB31.

Free: Setting Thread Combat Array to Snaring Strands, and Threadwork Conjurations Array to (edit: Mass Thread Combat).

Move: Staying put.

Standard: Targeting Boar (edit: AND nearby Sapling) with Snaring Strands, thank you to Zelphas for the helpful information.

Boar:  (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 
 

 Edited following some pointers from Zelphas. 
Ridai
As vines form and acid fruit ( acid fruit?!  Ohh, I get it now...  ) burst and mesmerizing thread patterns are woven, the indistinct figure the others know to be Nope is careening through the air, cartwheeling multiple times while kind of flailing, momentary blinded by the whole place getting flashbanged, with an alarmed  "Wooooaaaaah!"  of an otherwise just aggressively nondescript voice for good measure. The  " plan "  was to get out of the way of one Boaris by taking a brief break from gravity towards the ceiling, but Boaris had different plans and just rammed him as he started going up. Since acceleration is mostly cancelled right now, that meant a trajectory ending with haphazardly hooking his foot on the upper end of one of the support beams. One of the ones positively swarming with bad guys down below. No pressure.

Well, it could have been worse? But also kind of asked for it when he went to a bar in the rowdy part of town to spy on Chaingangers, when one Remy rarely ever went to a bar (especially alone), doesn't even drink alcohol and such. And then decided to go and try stop... whatever Doctor Proxy and friends are trying to do. He could have shown up here and found himself with no backup! So, all in all, not as bad as it could have been. And only relatively minimal embarassment while he did his best to look both unconcerned about being in the bar and tired while ordering a soft drink, claiming he'd still need to drive today and that his boss won't get off his back. It worked out well enough! For someone without a car.

But anyway. Big stress right now. Reminding himself where down is (it helps that most things and people present are standing on the ground at the moment), since when you mostly cancel gravity and stand on the side of a column, one's brain tries desperately to keep up and frequently misinterpreting, Nope looks around, peering down and around the pillar as well. Right. Helper bots carrying away what the Doctor wants. That's probably bad. That they already carried out so much, that is. Some plant things. Bronze Links. And a mummy. Hoo boy. So, he should probably try to reduce the numbers before the scary lady and  freaking Boaris  (why is there a gigantic boar?!) come after him.

Okay, go through the process. Start with the first target, think through the series of targets after, keep effects in mind to shut them down. Wait. Not the Links, those are people. No blipping things from people! Endurance for those. Okay, start with the Helper Bot back there and start with mechanical removal, but then switch, but maybe don't care with the plant thing over there? Is that okay? Wait, did he get the order of operations right-

...Nope realizes he is starting to doubt. That's bad. He is also in the middle of  live combat!  Okay! No second guessing now! Helper bots! Links! Plant thing! Blip, wear out, eeeeeh whatever  go! 

A bead of sweat or two is slowly moving in a confused path in this local microgravity on his forehead as Nope focuses really, really hard on the mental path, hands balled to fists and shaking. But removing the hesitation, there's a moment of clarity. Execute plan right now! Hands open. And mechanics and physical/mental endurance are hopefully erased. In that order. Switching on the fifth target. Reality begins to glitch around the Helpers and several Links as the mother of all horrifying powers goes to work. Nonlethally. For the people.

A whole lot of breath is pressed out after that moment, puffing out cheeks. Okay, did not carve chunks out of a pillar by accident or blip someone out of existence. No sudden torrent of air from ambient air having been removed either. He'll take it. God, he will never get used to this.


...right. Still on the bad side of things. Remy pushes off the pillar, letting himself float through the air like an astronaut in a space station, turning himself towards a "standing" position again with his hands on the other side. Decidedly closer to his allies. He takes stock of the situation on the way. Multitasking. Gotta get better at it.

 
 Spoiler: Remy nopes into action! 
Nope is placed on AH12, relatively close to the ceiling, and currently horizontally in the air via  Remove Acceleration .

 Free  Switch  Rote Removal  to  Second Guessing , and  Focus Removal  to  Hit Points, Mass .

 Standard  Remove  Hit Points, Mass . 240ft bendable line, starting on the Helper bot in Z7, following the line of Helper bots, then transitioning to the three Bronze Links on the right side of the map and Wrath, and ending on the Sapling in AN26. If I counted correctly and took a more or less okay path, that should be about 200ft of path. Ranged Damage DC 25, Penetrating, Multiattack, Crit 16+. All-out attack +5/-5
 Edit: Creating two line areas, not one. Editing modifiers! 

Routining for the Helper bots, Bronze Links, and the Sapling for   25  23 .
Attack against Wrath  (1d20+15)[ 28 ]  (edit: please substract 2 from the result)

 Move  with  Remove Acceleration  from AH12 to AH24 by pushing off of the pillar and letting the momentum carry him over to the other one closer to his allies.
 
Ridai
The sound of a palm hitting a forehead rings through the hall.

...  Crap!   There are more enemies! This is live combat! He can remove more things! This is serious!

Hands ball, mental path, uhhhh, start with plant thing, just wear that out, screw it, then same with Boaris and the Bronze Links. And then blip the mummy!  It's dead, it doesn't care! 

Focus, more sweat, no second guessing,  gogogogo!  More momentary reality glitches.

... Hurrying through the process is also dangerous as hell, what the hell, Nope?! Floral was right behind that mummy, what were you thinking?! 

Nope has to quickly grab onto the pillar again, threatening to drift away during his self-chastisement.

 
 Spoiler: Remy nopes out of calm! 
I did a dumb and forgot to add a second line with Multiattack! Editing in the lowered modifiers in the first post right after this. Here is the second line, targeting all other enemies thus far not targeted.
Routining for Sapling and Bronze Links for  23 
Attack vs Boaris  (1d20+13)[ 16 ] 
Attack vs Reanimated  (1d20+13)[ 27 ] 

That should be it.
 
Zelphas
 Round 1 

The Bronze Link closest to Floral reels away from her in sudden disgust before collapsing to the warehouse floor in shudders of nausea, unable to rise. Unfortunately, that gives the rest of the enemies near enough to Floral to smell her the warning they needed to cover their noses/smelling orifices, ignoring the sudden sickly sweet scent.

Floral's acid fruits drop on the line of Helpers, melting them into slag before they can react. The lights atop the remaining Helpers instantly turn red as they register an attack on their fellows, quick jerky movements from their spindly arms conveying an almost living-seeming agitation. The unliving mummy directly in front of Floral proves that it is not slow zombie by lurching aside from the dripping fluid in a stumble of uncanny speed, its half-covered, shrunken eye rolling in its socket as it mutters and groans.

The wave of fire from Helios burns away much of the mummy's cloth wrappings, exposing desert-dry grey flesh that crisps and blackens unnaturally. It howls, twisting away from the fire, even as a Sapling and an unfortunate Bronze Link both are bowled over by the roaring flames.

Ariadne fires a bolt of threads which neatly snare a Sapling and squeeze it into unconsciousness, but the red string isn't able to get a good grip on the hulking Boaris before the maddened boar creature rips through them with a razor-sharp tusk.

And then the indistinct figure in midair waves his hands, the world turns sideways and purple greens for just a second, and every Helper bot, Bronze Link, and Sapling still standing drops to the concrete in unison, the lion's share of their vitality plucked from them as though it never was.   "The f---"   Wrath exclaims, her rage momentarily overwritten by shock. Boaris snorts, his brain re-working what to do with the sudden loss of enemies nearby. The mummy simply groans.

  "Oi, you... blurry-looking creepshow!"   Flames suddenly burst up from under Wrath's feet, and she kicks up into the air.   "Lay off!"   The kicking flight transitions into a full roundhouse kick at Nope's face, and then Wrath is past him, skidding to a stop next to the open hole Boaris made when he entered.

The massive boar-creature was distracted by the read thread; it follows the bright color to a figure garbed completely in scarlet, standing far away. The black, hate-filled eyes flare, and Boaris lowers his massive head, tearing across the warehouse at a lumbering run to crash into Ariadne--and if he hits, he rears up and flings the thread-controller into the air and directly at Helios behind him.

The mummy, still reeling from the flames and the strange deletion of some of its essence, throws its head back and looses an unearthly wail; every opponent that can hear it feels the sudden urge to run, to flee, to escape this nightmare creature, abandoning any attempt at guarding themselves in their panicked flight.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Wrath 

Move Action: Fly to AH23, in front of Nope.

Standard Action: Use  Roast  on Nope, All-Out attacking for 2.  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]   Crit!  On a hit, Resistance DC  27/22   37!/27  vs. Penetrating (Pierce Resistance) Damage and Impaired &amp; Vulnerable/Disabled &amp; Defenseless.
Also since Wrath touched Nope,  Cloak of Rage  might activate (11+):  (1d20)[ 5 ]   If so, to hit:  (1d20+8)[ 25 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Damage.   Not Active. 

Move-by Action: Shift to J18, floor.

 Boaris 

Move Action: Shift in a straight line to AA30.

Standard Action: Use  Pinball  on Ariadne.  (1d20+10)[ 12 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20/20 vs. Damage and Vulnerable/Defenseless and being Luanched backwards into Helios.  Miss 
 If Launched, to hit Helios:  (1d20+10)[ 14 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 vs. Damage and Vulnerable/Defenseless (the Affliction is Contagious). 
 Reanimated 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Wail .
Floral:  (1d20+10)[ 15 ]   Miss 
Helios:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ]   Miss 
Ariadne:  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]   Miss 
Nope:  (1d20+10)[ 18 ]   ...Hit 

On a hit, first roll Defense DC 20 to negate, then if that fails, Resistance DC 20 vs. Entranced/Compelled/Controlled (Limited to Only Run Away from the Reanimated) and Weaken Defense.

 All PCs are up! 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily's lips twitched in a slight frown as she and Helios lost a bit of tempo to area overlap.  Okay yeah, coordinating might have been slightly generous.  Totally her fault.  But whatever that thinned the enemy force some and-

Thud.  Every mook still standing just kinda  dropped .

 " Nice  shot-"  she cheerily called before realizing she wasn't...actually familiar with this particular hero.  And now the only name that was popping into her head was "Blurry Looking Creepshow", which seemed rude.   "-Man!"  she finished, definitely not lamely at all.

Mum-Blah or whatever it might have actually been called unleashed its wail.  Lily appeared unaffected, but it wasn't actually true.  I mean, don't get me wrong, it wasn't like she was harmed or in any way hampered by the mummy's wail.  Let's not go crazy here.  But it  did  remind her of mandrakes in the Harry Potter books that had a deadly screaming attack, and while that wasn't true of actual mandrakes, they  did  have powerful hallucinogenic and narcotic properties that could induce unconsciousness, delirium, and madness in sufficient quantities.  That sounded like something worth experimenting with!

The mummy was disoriented, a prime target for attack, but there were three other heroes here who could handle that.  Lily could dish out the hurt well enough with her acid, but the longer the battle went on, the better a sense she got of the capabilities of her allies and the threats on the field.  She suspected her power would be best put to use creating more openings for the others to exploit, rather than finishing off the enemies already opened up.

To that end, she turned her attention on Wrath.  The pyro...kinetic?  Mancer?  She was a Link right?  So kinetic, presumably.  Whatever, the flame-thrower was hanging back from the fray and had seemed to present the greatest direct threat so far.  A light flutter of her wings, and Lily took to the air, zipping through the warehouse to hover some thirty feet away from the pyro, not wanting to get too close to her fiery aura.

And it occurred to Lily, this might be her chance.  This was a big deal.  The forces of all four villains involved, three of them coordinating, over three-dozen bad guys against four heroes.  This wasn't just her usual handful of mooks or whatever.  This might finally be her chance to rehabilitate Floral's image, take her from the cutesy little Flower Girl to the badass warrior-scientist she was in her head!  She wouldn't just weaken the Silver Link.  She'd break her morale, make clear the power and skill of the hero she was dealing with!

 "Roses are red."   Lily, um, threatened?  As her fingernails began to...grow.

 "Violets are blue."   They shaped themselves into sharp, conical forms.

 "Your minions are  dead !"   They...totally weren't.  They'd be fine.  She was exaggerating.

 " And so are you! "  Lily cried out, hurling a barrage of thorns at Wrath.  If they hit, they would transform on contact with her blood into hallucinogenic mandrake root.  Even if they missed, they were originally part of her body, and Lily's personal phytokinesis would guide them around for a second attempt!  The attack was perfectly solid.

But man oh man, Lily Woods was good at many things, but intimidation was not even  close  to one of them.

 
 Spoiler 
I refuse...no, actually, that was terrible and I apologize to all of you.  Especially since I thought up enough of these that I may be forced to turn them into a running gag.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  Variable Descriptor to [Physiological] [Drug].  2 points to Petal Wings, 3 points to Floral Thorns (Ranged 3, Homing, Quirk), 10 points to Heady Scent, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 10 points to Miasmic Scents, 10 points to Lingering Scents, 10 points to Complex Scents.

Move: Into P18.

Standard: Attack Wrath with Mandrake Thorns at  (1d20+10)[ 21 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 20+Multiattack vs. Cumulative, Secondary Effect Immobilized+Vulnerable/Stunned+Defenseless/Incapacitated Affliction.  On a miss, the attack repeats next round with Homing.

Current Status: Normal.
 
Abracadangit
As Boaris came rushing at Kal, she couldn't help herself -- with a flourish, she conjured a cape of red cloth in her hand. Just before the moment of impact, her threads picked her up, yanked her out of harm's way, and deposited her back on the ground, with a little spin. She waved the cloth like a matador, and laughed in her eerie, thread-distorted voice.

" Have   you   no   shame,   simpering   swine ,  that   you   wish   to   fight   like   a   bull   in   a   ring? " Kal began to rise into the air, buoyed by crisscrossing threads. " Then   I   shall   indulge   you,   but   beware --   it   only   ends   one   way,   for   the   bull. "

As Kal's needle began to reshape the threads around the boar once more, Ariadne came back into her thoughts, with a new sense of urgency.   "The tongue of those revenants... I know it well,"   Ariadne said.   "It is of Aigyptos, in my time, in which many a scroll of sorcery was written. They say that they move not of their own will, but forced by a hand unseen."  
  "Then say hi!"   Kal thought back, slightly miffed by the intrusion.   "Busy trying to not get us killed."  

Ariadne momentarily took control of Kal's voice, and blurted out:

 
 Spoiler: In The Tongue Of Aigyptos 

 "Hear me, O spirits of Aigyptos past! I know of your people, your lands, your magics. Tell me how we might break this horrid enchantment upon you, and lay you back to solemn rest!" 
 


Even though Kal didn't actually speak a word of Ancient Egyptian, she still somehow knew what Ariadne was saying, like she could barely remember the meanings of the words from a distant dream.

Just as quickly, her focus returned to the boar in front of her. Without realizing it, she had spooled much more thread around her open hand than usual, which meant that some of the threads she always kept around her for defensive purposes had gotten caught up in this pattern, too. No matter, Kal thought, as she quickly wrapped the threads around her open hand.

Then, she pulled.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 


Free: Shifting Threadwork Conjurations Array to Thread Flight, I gotta get away from this guy. Speaking to the mummies -- I'll be sure to add "Ancient Egyptian" to my Expertises on the OOC page, so everything's accounted for.

Move: Flying up as high as I can, and over to W31 closer to Helios.

Action: Using Snaring Strands on Boaris again, but this time with the help of the All-Out Attack Advantage, to the tune of -3, +3.

Boaris:  (1d20+13)[ 25 ] 
 
Ridai
So, like,  all  of the minions falling over at the same time is mildly disturbing, so immediately after that happens, Nope is busy frantically looking at the various people going  "A-are they still alive?!"  Floral complimenting him was met with a  "Th-thanks?!" 

So when the   "Oi!"   happens, he is yanked out of this state, and then put right into a different one by a flying burning beshoed foot to the face, causing a spectacular horizontal flip and Nope hitting his head on the pillar. Slowly spinning in the air and holding his head, everything is spinning and hurting and ringing, so he just... misses the wailing entirely. He knew that lady was scary. Turns out she is actually crazy scary!   "augh, goddamn my head"  

At least Boaris leaves him alone for now. There may actually be mercy in the world. Having thought that, Nope expects a flying superboar coming after him very soon. Totally jinxed it.

So as he is drifting and his head is spinning, the situation down below comes into frame again. Scary lady far away feels good instinctively. But she also moved across the whole warehouse just now, and jumped up, so that is basically his brain lying to itself. Boaris near the others. Mummy also. Actual mummies. Crazy. And people speaking in tongues.

So, focus. This time only three things to think through. Do not visualize the good folk down below. Gotta focus, even if knowing good people are around is nice and the brain likes thinking about nice things. Visualizing them would be very bad. Very bad!

 "Your minions are dead!" 
From up above in a dazed tone carrying the weight of a pounding two-spot headache but still sounding alarmed:   "Man I hope not! Can someone please check?"  

Right, right. Back to thinking. Stamina on the scary lady and Boaris, and uhhh... necromantic reanimation... magic...spell... on the mummy. Right. No overthinking! Especially not against the scary lady. No panic blipping! Zero! No cheap excuses like "she's a scary villain" or "she is trying to kill me"! Nope's hands are feeling sweaty as he tries to make himself stop spinning. Deep breaths. Deep breaths! Aaaand gogo!

Reality glitches around the remaining villains, briefly distorting and fragmenting before putting itself back together like nothing happened.

 
 Spoiler: Head nope 
 Move  Dazed. Holding head. Spinning slowly.

 Standard  Remove  Hit Points, Mass  against Boaris, the Reanimated, and Wrath. AoA +5/-5, because Nope learned nothing and isn't thinking straight. Damage DC 25, Ranged, Shapeable Line 240', Mutiattack (Single Target), Penetrating (Pierce Immunity), Crit 16+
Attack vs Boaris  [roll]1d20+15z[/roll]   19 
Attack vs Reanimated  [roll]1d20+15z[/roll]   25 
Attack vs Wrath  [roll]1d20+15z[/roll]   33. Crit! 
 Actually functioning rolls here. 
 
Dorni
Before Helios could complete his next spell all of the League's servants abruptly collapsed leaving the sun god with his hand raised imperiously and no spell to conjure.  "Well done!"  he boomed instead.

With the servants dispatched, Helios turned his blazing glare on the mummy, ignoring both its wailing both fearful and mundane.  "Allow me to return you to your rest,"  he declared, devoid of any righteous fury. Whomever they had been in life, Nergal had drawn their spirits from the afterlife, bound them to his will, and used their essence as a fuel to power their bodies. It had struck him as curious that the concept was similar to that of Proxy's creations, but that was a curiosity for anther time. That spirit deserved its rest.

Once again runes flashed through the air. From points around Helios came a sudden barrage of fiery lasers lancing out faster than the eye could track. The beams weren't solely concentrated on the mummy though - There were plenty of the sunbeams to barrage both the mummy and the boar monster between them.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Nah.
Standard: Cast Sunbeam on Reanimated and Boaris, multi-attacking at -2 to hit both. AoA 2, PA 5. This is a Perception attack. On hit, DC 30 vs Secondary Effect Damage.

Boaris:  (1d20+5)[ 14 ]  Finishing Attack.
Reanimated:  (1d20+5)[ 10 ] 

Damage 10 (Multi-Attack, Perception, Secondary Effect)
 
Zelphas
 Round 2 

Wrath's hand snaps up to catch Floral's thrown spines in one palm, flames licking around the thorns. Her expression doesn't change, just a blank, stern mask and glowing amber eyes. Then, she does perhaps the worst thing she could do in this situation.

She sighs, a hint of pity creeping over her expression.

  "You have never been in a fight before this whole Dome mess, have you, Floral?"   she says more than asks, shaking her head.   "You've got some power, but girl, you need to work on your--"  

Down bananas, and then Wrath slumps to the concrete, her eyes rolling back into her head as her surprisingly thin frame loses consciousness from Nope's strange power.

Over near the front of the warehouse, Ariadne's crimson threads wrap all around Boaris, snaking around the massive Boar's joints and the tenderest parts of his body and preventing even this massive beast from moving an inch. Still, he struggles, his enraged growls and roars nearly drowning out the muttering response of the almost-disintegrating mummy nearby.

 
 Spoiler: To Those Who Speak Ancient Egyptian 
  To break mine enchantment, mine foul master must be brok'd; yet 'twould be not enough, for I fear--"  
 


Helios lights up the cavernous space with bolts of searing fire. He times one blast perfectly; the fiery sunbeam strikes at Boaris just as the enraged Boar opens his mouth for another roar, striking at the exposed flesh within and overloading the mutated creature's tortured nerves. The hate in his eyes turns to confusion for a short moment before they cloud over in unconsciousness, the over-muscled frame slumping, held up only by the red strings of Ariadne now.

Other rays strike at the mummy, but it jerks oddly, interrupted by a directive from its master. The beams form into a glow around the tortured soul, promising new violence soon, but for the moment the mummy hunkers down, pulling itself together to face more unwilling punishment from its foes.

You only get an instants warning in the dull thump of metal on concrete, and then a human-sized blur of black and silver rushes through the doors of the warehouse. It resolves a moment later into the form of a giant stuffed bear; the left side of its body composed of the dark chrome of the Proxysuits, the right half made of the same silvery metal as Watcher's costuming. Red, faintly glowing eyes take in the room as the overly-large head spins fully around the body, focusing on each of you in turn. Then the grinning, sharp-toothed mouth opens, widening its grin. The head spins again, and with a deceptively quiet  phut-phut-phut-phut , four shimmering dark chrome spears fly out around the room, each one aiming for a different costumed hero. An instant later, the AKuma has skittered over to the sparking and sizzlign remains of the Helpers, its scarlet eyes searching for something within the wreckage.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Reanimated 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Recover from Staggered.

End of Turn: Resistance to remove Vulnerable (DC 20):  (1d20+12)[ 32 ]   Recovers 
 AKuma 

Move Action: Shift in the warehouse, stopping at Y20.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Spear  on all four of you, All-Out Attacking for 4 to offset Multiattack hitting multiple targets.

Nope:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ]   Hit 
Helios:  (1d20+10)[ 22 ]   Hit 
Ariadne:  (1d20+10)[ 14 ]   Miss 
Floral:  (1d20+10)[ 20 ]   Hit 

On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 vs. Damage and Immobilized/Stunned.

Move-by Action: Shift to AE9, begin looking in the wreckage for... something.

 All PCs are up! 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily raised an eyebrow as Wrath went down.   "I'm sorry, were you saying something?"  she quipped, deadpan.

...Yeah, she was perfectly content to call that one "all according to plan".  Certainly, the fact that she had yet to so much of scratch any of the meaningfully powerful opponents wasn't only deepening her fear that her dinky little plant-transforming power just wasn't up to snuff on an actual superheroic battlefield.

Certainly.

One bad guy left.  She shoved the doubts aside and focused on- well, on the electrified bronze spear that suddenly shot her in the shoulder, as it happened.  Fortunately, her flesh was as hard as wood, so it didn't penetrate deeply.  The force of it was enough to knock the wind out of her, though, and the shock jolted through her.  The spasms would make flight impossible, and heck even walking would probably only get her a first-class trip straight to the floor.

Fortunately, she could shoot fine from right where she was.

You wouldn't, like, think so, given the big ol' support pillars that were set squarely between her and both remaining active enemies.

But those pillars did precisely nothing to keep their scents from reaching Lily's nose.  And as far as providing a physical impediment,  well .

Lily raised a hand, and the flesh of her palm kinda corkscrewed out to form another thorn about thrice as long as the ones she had fired at Wrath.  She shot it straight across the warehouse, arrow-straight - and when it reached the center, it suddenly stopped, held immobile by Lily's personal phytokinesis.

And then her power went to work.  No need for anything fancy here, she just extended that single six-inch long thorn into a lashing vine with each end tapered into a spike.  She unlocked the solar energy that had been stored in those cells as she enacted the transformation, causing the cells to divide and redivide millions of times over in an instant, that burst of energy propelling the double-edged vine-spear outward in both directions - to strike at both enemies on opposite sides of the warehouse.

And if they dodged, she could still twist the vines around to take another swing.

 "Yeah they're totally fine!  Just unconscious!"  she called back to Nope, taking a moment to smell for their vitals while she was processing enemy positioning.  (She'd be honest Nope asking that had kinda worried her so she wanted to make sure.  Like, she had  assumed , but...yeah she'd have felt pretty bad about that taunt if they had  actually  been dead.)

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Dazed.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power Array.  Variable descriptor to [Physical] [Piercing].  10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Potent Acid, 10 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Floral Vines, 5 points to Olfactory Clarity (Accurate, Radius), 2 points to Scent Processing (Detect Biology), 3 points to Scent Intensification (Limited Penetrates Concealment, Extended).

Standard: Attack AKuma and Reanimated with Piercing Vines.  Use Ranged to place the initial point in AE18, then uses the Shapeable Area to extend it into a 6"x6"x120' line going in both directions, which should be able to hit both of them without any Cover issues, using Accurate Scent with Limited Penetrates Concealment to get around any Concealment issues.  All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 5.  On a hit, Resistance DC 30+Penetrating vs. Damage.  On a miss, Homing 1.
 AKuma:  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] .
Reanimated:  (1d20+10)[ 15 ] . 
End of Turn: Resistance to remove Immobilized (DC 20):  (1d20+10)[ 17 ] .   Fails 

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Immobilized (DC 20), AoA -5.
 
Ridai
 "Well done!"    "I'm trying"  
  "Ohwow okay,"   slips out of Nope as he watches just thread and thorns and vines and  freaking lasers  zip about, just generally glad not to be on the receiving end of any of them.

The scary lady dropped like a sack of potatoes and like with the Bronze Links (and all other people he used his powers on) there is this needle of doubt and worry. But he doesn't get much time to consider, trying to focus on the mummy, when suddenly   BEAR   (and an exasperated  "Okay." ). Expanding focus to erase the AKuma (but don't blip the vines! Those are good guy vines!), a zappy spear just rams into Nope's head before bouncing off, clattering to the floor. Holding the spot, the expression preceeds the   "owww!"   Why is everyone going for his head today?! Let's not think about the mechanics of a spear hitting his head and mostly bouncing off and the implications of spontaneous kinetic energy erasure and what  else  might possibly get subconsciously erased. That way lies a bad day.

  "Oh thank goodness, thanks!"   is heard from above once he hears Floral confirm the KO'd people are well. He's just gonna trust her on that one right now. Pushing off the pillar to a new ceiling spot, get everyone in view (no vines!). Necro spell removal (...does that technically count as  dispel magic ?) on the one side and yeah whatever it is one of Doctor Proxy's creepy bots, just aim Removal at it and go. No pun bear getting away with whatever the Doc wants from here. So mummy gets brief distortion glitches (and for a split-second appears absolutely black... Nope wonders if he accidentally erased surrounding light for a while going for whatever  energy  is powering the undead), while AKuma briefly looks like it fell victim to screen-tearing and a garbled signal.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Move  from AH24 to AF22 (closer to ceiling)

 Standard  You guessed it, remove  Hit Points, Mass  with AoA +5/-5 against the Reanimated and AKuma. Damage DC 25, Ranged, Shapeable Line 240', Mutiattack (Single Target), Penetrating (Pierce Immunity), Crit 16+.
Attack vs Reanimated  (1d20+15)[ 20 ] 
Attack vs AKuma  (1d20+15)[ 18 ] 
 
Dorni
The creature's spear slammed into Helios dead on and the warding runes adorning his armor flared to life. A long second later the spear clattered to the warehouse floor while the sun god was unharmed. Flint knew better though - his warding runes had absorbed the impact spectacularly but the energy powering the runes was finite. They could only absorb so much before he'd have to restore the enchantment. And while the ward had physically stopped the spear, the slight spasm in his muscles testified that it hadn't stopped the weapon's electric shock. He'd need to work on improving his wards when he got out of this.

 "Yeah, they should be fine,"  Helios added.  "Now, to deal with this interruption." 

Helios lifted a hand up high and with a flick of the wrist -  Snap . No runes lit the air this time. This time the light was provided by the giant teddy-bear erupting in flame.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Dazed. Just gonna keep floating here.
Standard: Combust this AKuma.  (1d20+10)[ 16 ] . On hit, DC 25+/20+ vs Penetrating Damage / Penetrating Weaken [Resistance] &amp; Affliction [Impaired/Disabled]

Extra Effort: If the AKuma is still up, repeat Combust on the Akuma. If it isn't, Combust the Reanimated.  (1d20+10)[ 13 ] . On hit, DC 25+/20+ vs Penetrating Damage / Penetrating Weaken [Resistance] &amp; Affliction [Impaired/Disabled]

End of Turn: Recover from Affliction:  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]   Recovered 

Status: 2 Bruises, fatigued
 
Abracadangit
The meaning of the mummy's words coalesced strangely in her mind, like a fog was lifting.  " 'Wouldn't be enough' -- well that doesn't sound good,"  she said aloud, half-expecting Ariadne to chime in with something suitably cryptic, but for now, there was only silence. Silence except for a strange electrical buzzing sound, approaching from behind her...?

Kal suddenly flew to the left, spinning in a whirlwind of red thread, and just narrowly evaded the spear as it whistled past her. She eyed the peculiar weapon as it stuck in the wall behind her, trembling in place like a tuning fork.

  "So?"   Kal thought.   "No input on what the mummy had to say?"  
  "I am... how you spoke of yourself, before. Busy trying to not get us killed,"   Ariadne spat back, in a mocking tone.

  "Touche,"   Kal thought back, as she set her sights on the AKuma, lurking by the far side of the warehouse. It certainly couldn't be any harder to restrain than the boar, could it? You know what they say, Kal thought, as she quickly retracted the threads holding up Boaris, and directed all of them to arc towards the AKuma at once, in a zigzagging volley of red ribbons.

Waste not.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Move: Flying over to W23, line of sight to AKuma.

Action: Snaring Strands, gonna All-Out again to the tune of +3, -3.

AKuma:  (1d20+13)[ 26 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Round 3 

Floral's suddenly-grown spike pierces through the center of the AKuma, breaking through to the other side of the mechanism in a shower of broken metal bits. Facing away from the group of heroes nearby, its red eyes flash once, then slowly begin to fill with radiance.  The mummy, recovered slightly from its earlier damage, shifts its head to the side with a dry cracking noise, avoiding the wooden spear that was about to skewer it.

A moment later, upside-down is Tuesday, and then the mummy groans with fresh pain as more of its undead vitality is deleted from its cursed form. As for the AKuma...the two-toned head spins slowly around on the body, and the glowing, burning read eyes meet the blurry gaze of Nope with uncanny accuracy. The Cheshire Cat grin, filled with pointed triangular teeth, opens ever so slightly, as if in a slight laugh.

As Helios trains his fire-forged magic upon the AKuma, a light within its mouth blinks green for a moment, and then it begins venting steam. It is able to stay just ahead of the powerful magic-user's fire, cooling itself off without any injuries. The radiance around the mummy, however, only intensifies, glowing brighter and brighter. The mummy braces itself against the attack, then...relaxes, suddenly, its unbreathing body letting out a long, dust-dry sigh as it crumbles to pale golden sand upon the warehouse floor.

Ariadne's strings catch onto the thick, short limbs of the mechanical stuffed bear, snapping down to hold it in place. One thin thread wraps around the bear's middle, further obscuring the etched number 90 that was already warped by Floral's vine-spike. The AKuma, outnumbered, heavily damaged, unable to complete its mission, executes its last bit of programing. The red light in its eyes builds up to an almost painful intensity, a deep, burnign red glare--then vanishes completely. The mechanical construct slumps forward in Ariadne's strings.

Then it explodes, a wash of flame and shrapnel filling the entire warehouse around it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 AKuma 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Bomb . As part of the Secondary Effect, the AKuma itself rolls Resistance against the Bear Bomb with full Penetrating as part of the attack.

First things first: the supports! The columns are reinforced concrete, while the walls and ceiling are steel. It will Routine the attack against the building itself, rather than Finishing them.

Column 1 (Resistance DC 27):  (1d20+8)[ 10 ]   DESTROYED 
Column 2 (Resistance DC 27):  (1d20+8)[ 18 ]   BREAK 
Column 3 (Resistance DC 27):  (1d20+8)[ 18 ]   BREAK 
Column 4 (Resistance DC 27):  (1d20+8)[ 12 ]   DESTROYED 
Column 5 (Resistance DC 27):  (1d20+8)[ 21 ]   BREAK 
Column 6 (Resistance DC 27):  (1d20+8)[ 16 ]   DESTROYED 
Column 7 (Resistance DC 27):  (1d20+8)[ 28 ]   Resists 

Walls (Resistance DC 27):  (1d20+9)[ 13 ]   ...Fiating that the walls are okay so that the roof doesn't fall on everyone. 
Ceiling (Resistance DC 27):  (1d20+9)[ 29 ]   Resists. 

If Column 2 gets a Break, then Floral gets a +5 to her Resistance check for being under cover. If it is Destroyed, she rolls normally, assuming she is hit.

Next, the PCs:

Nope:  (1d20+8)[ 18 ]   Hit 
Ariadne:  (1d20+8)[ 22 ]   Hit, +2 Penetrating 
Helios:  (1d20+8)[ 17 ]   Miss 
Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 13 ]   Miss 

On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Penetrating Damage.

The blast has about a foot of clearance above the floor, so the unconscious people on the floor and the floor itself do not need to make Resistance checks.

Finally, the AKuma (Resistance DC 32):  (1d20+7)[ 20 ]   Staggered x2 = INCAPACITATED! 
 Battle over! Everyone take a Hero Point. 
 


A few seconds after the dust settles, an ordinary pigeon flies through the open front doors, landing with a ruffle of feathers next to Helios. It regards the four of you first with one eye, then with the other, then opens its beak as if to speak.

  "Well, that probably wasn't necessary, but... good! You're all here! I didn't miss you!"   A voice emanates from the beak as though from a recording or a phone, sounding nervous but excited.   "I've been meaning to catch all of you, and now I have. Can I talk to the four of you? Not here, of course?"   the voice assures you hurriedly, the pigeon looking around the remains of the battle,   "Let's see... I know! There's an abandoned restaurant about two miles from here. The sign on the front calls it  Food Fast . Electronic lock--I'll have it open by the time you get there. Works for you four?"   the pigeon tilts its head almost quizzically.
Quellian-dyrae
Okay!  That was perfectly solid damage to the Evil Robotic Teddy Bear.  Awesome.  No need to develop any complexes here!  Lily was totally chill and 100% satisfied with the performance of her powers in this battle.

The mummy finally burned to, uh, no-longer-moving-ness.  So all that remained was finishing off the bear.  A bit of acid would probably be sufficient to-

Annnnd the bear exploded.  Fortunately the support pillar tanked the blast pretty well and shielded her from the worst of it.  Having flesh as tough as wood meant the force that did get to her she barely even noticed.

 "Everyone *cough* okay?  Does anybody need healing?"  she called to the other heroes.

...And then a pigeon arrived and asked to meet with them.

That put Lily...kinda on her guard.  The bear-bot had undoubtedly been Dr. Proxy's work, so a pigeon-bot had to be assumed with his (her?  Their?) capabilities.  And even if it was a living pigeon, Dr. Proxy was capable of subverting human wills to their ends with psychic powers; it was safe to assume a mundane animal would present no difficulty.

 "I mean, maybe?  Who are you exactly?"  Lily asked.   "And, uh, why are you communicating via pigeon-bot?"  she added, less to actually get an answer to that question and more so that the others were aware that this was indeed not a living pigeon, in case that was relevant to their interests.

Once she had, you know, full control over her nerves and muscles again, she headed over to the crates that the proxybots had been gathering around.  Clearly, they had been looking for something.  It might be helpful to figure out what.  (Or it might not.  This was Dr. Proxy we were talking about.  Lily still had no idea what they wanted the teacups for.)  She started rooting through the crates, just to see if anything jumped out as potentially significant.

 
 Spoiler 
Lily will turn on all her various scent-based stuff, but most of it won't actually be useful - her Limited skill bonuses are all inapplicable for interactions with someone radioing in via pigeon.   Although I suppose the Detect Biology sense could at least confirm whether it's a pigeon or a highly-convincing pigeon-bot.   EDIT: Already covered in Discord.

Regardless, Natural Rapport to Evaluate the person speaking through the pigeon:  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] .

She'll also conduct a search of the crates the Proxybots were checking.  If someone with, you know, an actual Investigation skill also wants to do this, she'll Team Check for them.   (1d20)[ 3 ] , +5 for purposes of contributing to a Team Check.   Lily neither finds nor helps anyone to find literally anything. 
 
Ridai
Nope puffs out his cheeks, just exhaling as the fight is finally over. It is crazy how long this sort of thing feels when you are in the middle of it.  "I-is everyone alri-" 

The    BAKOOM    splats Nope against the ceilings, where he hits his head one last time, one more for the road. With the rebounding acceleration, Nope slowly drifts down towards the floor.   "I'm okay, I think"  

But what isn't okay is the pillars. Some more having been blown apart, more looking precariously damaged, Nope tries to fight through everything spinning and get a mental picture of the intact pillars in his head, then overlaying the damages he sees, identifying  those  as damage  added , altering the state of the base object, then trying to remove that. With the many steps involved and the removed thing less a physical thing but more an... object... property... of reality's engine... or something (seriously, how can he actually do this don't start second guessing it ), he lets gravity resume (slowly), stumbling landing, hurrying over to one of the not entirely obliterated pillars. Hands on, pinch where a chunk is missing or a crack has formed for the mental bridge, then pull the damage out.

 "Yeah we're here,"  Nope auto-pilot responds to the new voice as he tries to keep the ceiling from maybe deciding to collapse at some point, column flickering until it hopefully snaps back to a good condition. Then checking where it comes from, spots the pigeon talking, looks back to the pillar, back to the pigeon, blinking.

 "Yeah, uh... sure...?"  comes out slowly, kind of glancing to the others as he just... pats the restored column a few times.  "Gimme... gimme just a moment. So the roof doesn't... and what they tried stealing isn't just lying around-"  Okay you know what, just try to remove the column's damage and see what happened to the wares and shut up, Nope.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Nope uses Remove  Harm  with Remove  Second Guessing  to try and restore the building to a state where it at least isn't totally threatened by sudden collapse in the near future. Then checks what the Doc tried to loot.

 Investigation roll of  19  to check the wares. 
 
Dorni
Helios chuckled at the sight of the AKuma bellowing out steam from its mouth and ears. The sight reminded him of a sight from a cartoon. It made it a bit less entertaining given that it was an evil robotic minion that moments before had been hurling very deadly electrified spears and a bit embarrassing that it was essentially shrugging off his attempt to destroy it. Then it proceeded to explode. That was even less funny. His warding runes flared to life when the blast washed over him and absorbed it harmlessly.

 "I'm fine" , he answered Floral when the rubble had settled.  "I can help with healing as well if anyone needs it." 

While waiting for an answer he waved a hand in a swiping gesture that left cloudy runes puffing apart in its wake. Dust and rubble that had been falling from the damaged ceiling stopped mid-air as though hitting solid ground - and then rising again as a platform of air rose up and settled under the ceiling to support it. At the same time bits of rubble were being pushed away from one of the piles of crates littering the warehouse - which Helios started floating toward.  "Now let's see what the Dr. was after." 

And then a pigeon fluttered in and spoke. Helios regarded the bird with suspicion. He couldn't detect any magic about it - so it couldn't be a summoned creature or an animal magically controlled. Floral called it a pigeon-bot which would track.  "Maybe, but first allow me to echo Floral in asking to whom we are speaking." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Set Spells array to Crossing the Sky. Using the Move Object portion to support the ceiling so it doesn't collapse while using a smaller portion to start shifting through the rubble to help search for whatever it was the AKuma might have been searching for. If Nope's effect appears to shore up the columns, he'll stop supporting the building and continue with the search.

Investigation  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]  to search.
Deception  (1d20+11)[ 13 ]  to evaluate if the pigeon is being deceptive with its answers
 
Abracadangit
Kal wove a web of thread with lightning speed to catch the brunt of the explosion, but a fleck of razor shrapnel still just got through, leaving a stinging cut on her forearm.  "Ow!"  She cried aloud, as a makeshift thread bandage formed over the scratch.  "I'll   take   anyone   up   on   that   offer   for   healing,"  she said to the room at large, since multiple teammates were offering.  "You'd   think   a   sewing   master   could   mend   wounds,   but   its   pattern   still   eludes   me." 

As the pigeon delivered its message, Kal listened along with the sort of skepticism one might expect from someone listening to an animatronic pigeon. Seeing everyone else have misgivings, she realized she wasn't alone in being slightly put off.  "I   will   journey   there,   so   long   as   you   identify   yourself." 

Kal could just feel Ariadne bristling, at the thought that this might be some kind of trap.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Ok -- you guys beat me to the punch on pretty much any useful information-gathering or supportive task, ha ha. Anyone need some Intimidation?

I kid -- I'll follow suit with Helios, and try to Insight the pigeon.

New band name, Insight vs. the Pigeon:  (1d20+10)[ 16 ] 
 
Zelphas
The combined work of Helios and Nope soon has the warehouse in a functional state... well, at least one step up from "condemned as a hazard to human life", at least. With the remaining pillars patched for the most part, the ceiling reinforced by runic power (it had weathered the AKuma's blast remarkably well, all things considered), and the walls in a serviceable shape, it's unlikely to fall to the ground any time soon provided nothing else explodes, bursts into flame, or slams into a wall or pillar with superhuman strength.

The search of the remaining supplies at the back of the warehouse comes up with very little. Floral finds herself momentarily stymied by the lack of organic matter; anything completely natural or not genetically engineered to be flame-resistant must have been blown up or burned in the fire and explosion. But she was a genius, darn it! She may focus on Biochemistry, but that doesn't mean that she knows  nothing  about other subjects! With all of this wreckage of Proxybots and broken materiel, she has to be... she... yeah, she's got nothing. It's all Greek to her, unfortunately.

Nope and Helios each find a little bit more information in their searches. Nope is able to discover a scrap of the plastic sheeting that he had heard the Bronze Links talking about. The grand majority of it has been burned away, and the edges crumble into dust at his touch. Such a thin, flammable material wouldn't really be terribly useful to Doctor Proxy in making their bots--not by itself at least. But Doctor Proxy made a deal with the Chain Gang to come after this stuff. Why did they want it? One corner of the plastic seems to be stamped with a series of numbers or letters, but it's been warped by the recent expulsions of energy and is currently too blurry for Nope to read.

Helios, looking at the sight where the AKuma exploded, notices something else. Judging by the scattered mechanical parts and twisted lumps of metal, the AKuma had placed itself precisely in the center of the clustered Helpers when it had exploded. It's a bit of a leap, but looking at its placement and replaying its actions, Helios gets the impression that the AKuma was looking for something in the Helpers themselves--and, when it was interrupted, it opted to destroy any evidence of what it was looking for rather than risk it being found.

The pigeon hops from foot to foot, its head bobbing in a perfect facsimile of what it appeared, one eye looking at Floral.   "...Enhanced smell? As part of a flora-faunal hybridization transformation? Augmented by your own talents, of course! Fascinating!"   the pigeon head nods, turning to give Nope a cheery   "Wonderful! I'll hold you to that!"   before turning back towards the three who expressed doubts.

  "All right, then, I'll--I believe the current slang is 'level with you.' Before that, though--I promise to all of you, with the utmost sincerity, that I mean you no harm, at this point or in the foreseeable future. I genuinely support your efforts against the League, and am in fact only here to help you streamline and focus those efforts--okay, that's not completely true, I'm also incredibly excited to meet actual, living superheroes! I was hoping, but--there's nothing like hope realized, is there?"   a shine comes to the pigeon's eyes, which... might be a camera. It's hard to tell how expressive this thing really is.   "This conversation, and any subsequent conversations, will never reach the members of the League through me, and I am honestly on your side as much as I possibly can be."  
 
 Spoiler: Ariadne, Helios, and Floral 
As far as you can tell, the person behind the pigeon is telling you the complete truth.
 

  "All right? Am I in the clear so far?"   The pigeon waits for a second, then gathers its feathers, almost seeming to brace itself. The mechanical eyes look to either side, making sure that none of the various henchmen or botanical creatures have regained consciousness yet.   "I'm Watcher. And I have enough birds to thoroughly annoy you before you get them all, and can make more, so can we talk? Or am I going to need to send another bird?"  
Quellian-dyrae
 "...Well, no teacups, so I've got nothing,"  Lily said after looking through the containers and such.  Lily was more book-smart than street-smart, and lacking any particular hypothesis to start from, she didn't really have any priors for the evidence at hand to adjust.  Giving up on that effort quickly, she headed over to Kal, laying her hands lightly on her injuries.  Kal would feel a momentary damp warmth as Lily covered the injuries with her nectar, but it would evaporate away in a couple seconds, as the stored energy within it both unlocked and heightened its medicinal properties and boiled it away, taking pain and trauma along with it.

She nodded along as the pigeon explained itself (as the person speaking through the robotic pigeon explained himself, whatever, it was more fun this way).  That was...a non-trivial amount of clarification and hedging, but not so much that it cancelled out the general point, and the pigeon  did  seem to be sincere, best she could tell.  She wouldn't begrudge someone being precise with their wording.  And...you know, she'd be honest, it was kinda refreshing to see someone else appreciate what her powers were capable of.  All told, she was feeling fairly positively disposed.

And then the pigeon introduced itself.

And anger ignited in Lily's heart.

 "You're on our  side !?"  she spat back ven- venomously?  But venom's from animals so...toxinous...toxically!  She spat back toxically!   "You're the entire reason the League is here in the first place!  You're their freaking  leader !  You- You  gave them their powers! " 

Okay, to be fair, the evidence was...kinda unclear on all of that.  Like, there was a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing to it, sure, and some kinda wink-wink-nudge-nudge  suggestive  statements on the subject, if you could even take the words of supervillains at face value in the first place.  There were reasonable arguments to be made that the  observed  facts were not sufficient to  confirm  that Watcher bore full personal responsibility for the evils perpetrated by the rest of the League.

Lily Woods was a scientist.  She did not deny the state of the evidence.  But neither did she think she needed a p &lt; 0.05 randomly controlled study to make judgments under uncertainty.  It was still the most  reasonable  conclusion to draw from the evidence at hand.

And even if it wasn't correct...  "The obelisk is yours!  The  dome  is yours!  You trapped an entire town - thousands of innocent people! - with a super-powered street thug, a magic-wielding anarchist with delusions of grandeur, a mind-raping psychopath, and a civilization-destroying dryad!  You trapped us here with no way to call to help!  With no way to escape!  With no way to fight back when they decide they want to  do things  to us!"  Lily's voice...may have gotten a little wild there, as her condemnation kinda slipped into her own personal experiences, and her eyes took on a faintly golden hue as tears of nectar came to them unbidden.  Lily had come to appreciate her new powers...but she also hadn't forgotten the horror of Manchineel's attack on her lab, of those first few days living in a body that was not her own.  And she was the lucky one.  The others working in that lab had all come out of it strictly worse than she had.  That trauma was not even close to fully healed.

 "So go ahead,  Watcher!   Tell us again how you're  on  our SIDE!    Give me one good reason I shouldn't go straight to the media with everything you've said, reveal your opposition to the League to the rest of them, and then chalk up every one of you monsters that the others kill in the infighting as a  victory! " 

Somewhere in the back of Lily's head, a calm, rational voice was telling her that that wasn't how heroes worked.  But right now, facing the man she felt was fundamentally responsible for everything she and her family and her friends and her neighbors had been through over the past month, the voice of rage and vengeance was orders of magnitude louder.
Abracadangit
" Thank   you, " Kal said to Floral, looking on in wonder as the strange nectar washed away the pain as well as the scratch itself, like a soothing balm. " I   hope   to   return   the   favor --   unwise   for   a   sorceress   to   collect   too   many   debts. "

" Ah   yes --   the   'Watcher',"  Kal said, her dissonant voice cool with contempt.  "You   must   see   a   great   many   things   while   you   'watch,'   I   imagine.   Were   you   'watching'   when   your   pet   sorcerer   visited   a   school?" 

While Kal spoke, the red threads hanging limply in the air suddenly went taut, as if pulled tightly by invisible hands. It took every shred of Kal's patience to not whip every strand around and crush the robot pigeon into a lump of sparking metal.

 "And   what   is   it   you   hope   to   learn   by   'watching'   us,   hm?   How   do   I   know   your   toy   bird   isn't   sending   pictures   to   all   your   wicked   little   friends?   Looking   for   weaknesses?   Y  o  u'  ll   f  i  n  d    n  o  t  h  i  n  g,"   Kal hissed, her voice distortion intensifying with her spite.
Ridai
Nope looks at the piece of material he found. He... could try to restore that bit? Not sure if it's too far gone. You know, reality's engine marking it as destroyed or... whatever it is reality decides. He's just pushing buttons of a blackbox, really.

He is about to tell the others, when a pigeon begins talking.

 "Wait what," 

The Watcher is a pigeon. And here. No. Wait. Not pigeon. Pigeon bot?

After a moment of processing, Nope tries to speak, but then Floral has a probably justified meltdown. Followed by Ariadne also not being happy to be speaking to Watcher-birb.

It is an intensely awkward situation for Nope at the moment.

 "So, uh..."  he begins, part not knowing how to really begin, part to check if someone else will talk over him. When the latter doesn't seem to be the case, the indistinct figure just... kind of puts his hands together, pointing up in front of his chest, not knowing what else to do with them right now. Just kind of occupying them.  "okay, there are superheroes now... mission accomplished, right? Can you now tell your friends to just..."  Hands turning to have his fingers kind of pointing forward.  "...not? Can they just not?" 

A beat.

 "Not gonna happen, is it?"  It is like asking why people can't just get along. Basically a question doomed to fail.
Dorni
Helios frowned at the scrap of plastic that Nope had pulled from the wreckage. It looked like there might have been something stamped on it but it was too damaged to tell. It seemed like a strange prize for a man with technology from the future to be after. Whatever had been written on there was apparently a important enough for the AKuma to choose to destroy itself to make sure it didn't fall into their hands judging by how it had positioned itself in the middle of the other bots before detonating. So it was important enough to try and figure out what was on there.

That was going to be trickier than it sounded. He'd designed his healing spell for living creatures, not inanimate objects. Crafting a repair spell might not be a bad idea, but there was a world of difference between collecting the pieces of the broken object and reforging them back into a likeness of the thing and trying to reverse damage on something without even knowing what the original form had been. There might be a way to do it but it was beyond Flint's current understanding. He glanced over at Nope. Flint wasn't sure of the principle behind Nope's abilities, but there was a chance he could do it. He'd have to ask later.

For now, his attention settled on the pigeon. On Watcher. Floral had been absolutely right. This whole situation was his doing, and now he was here to, what? Have them to clean up his own mess? The guy had placed an impenetrable miles-wide dome over the entire town. He'd given most of the League their powers. Well, except Proxy and perhaps Apophis, but the point was Watcher certainly had the power to clean up his own mess. And instead what, he was just going to watch from the sidelines? Like Helios and the rest of them trying to resist were just gladiators fighting for his amusement while he Watched? It would cast a different light on his periodic descents from his obelisk to repair damaged infrastructure less as an act of generosity and as more cleaning the arena for the next bout. Even if he was entirely sincere about being on 'their side', he could have a disastrously different idea what being on 'their side' meant and what was an acceptable externality, and 'as much as he could be' was a qualifier with infinite wiggle room.

But while Floral was right about Watcher, Flint had dealt with insurance companies. He'd handled self-centered ghouls before. However much you wanted to, you didn't start the first email or phone call screaming and raging at them.  "Alright everyone, lets calm down a minute. If he wanted to ambush us he'd hardly need a prepared location to do it. He could have just shown up here with all his friends instead of sending a bird." 
 "That being said,"  he rounded on the bird,  "I share their same concerns. This entire situation is one you caused. Why should we trust anything you have to say?" 
Zelphas
The pigeon on the ground responds to Floral's outburst with a jump and a flutter of wings, before landing once again slightly farther away. It simply listens to the various responses, hopping from foot to foot, its head tilting first one way, then the other as each person speaks. The ruffled greyish feathers, wide amber eyes, and short beak are difficult to read, even before taking into account the fact that the bird was robotic in nature.

 
 Spoiler: Deep within the Obelisk--Story Purposes Only 
Watcher leans back from his desk for a moment, sighing.  "You're the one who styled yourself as a villain, hoping to salvage things. What did you expect?" 
 


There is a beat of silence after everyone speaks, and then the pigeon opens its beak again.   "At 4:37 PM on July 1st, Koro Hariot made a deal with a small-time crime boss to get passage on a freighter heading to Canada. From there, he would have made his way to Europe, awakened his powers there, and taken over several small countries with his Chain Gang. He would eventually die, but the resulting war for who would rule his empire would kill countless more people.

"At 6:44 PM on July 1st, Apophis, still looking like Frank Smith, was driving a stolen car south out of Forester's Bay. He would have seeded Suneater Cults throughout the southern US and Central and South America, and eventually made his way to Africa, apparently living there full-time. Others like him would have shown up, most likely due to his influence. The ritualistic death and destruction was still happening when I came back.

"Manchineel... was a gamble. The entire northern US and Canada would have been engulfed in a supernatural forest, and this seemed to be the source. By everything I could find, Manchineel would have awoken within the next three years, and there would have been nothing even resembling humanity left in her anymore. She was already here.

"So yes, I locked everyone in here with them. Because then they wouldn't be global threats. And because even these three are  minor  from my future. My goal isn't to stop them. It's to stop  that ."   The pigeon pauses for a long breath, then the voice continues.   "I messed up, and Lockdown awakened his powers. I thought he would be weaker now--and he is! But I'm still too weak. And I need to stay alive, if my future is going to be prevented. I'm the only one--genetically,"   he says, the pigeon looking at Floral for a second,   "Who has a shot at stopping things right now. So I made a deal.

"I tried to find Manchineel, and I screwed up again. She woke up, and she is too strong for me too. I made another deal."   Frustration is building in the voice on the other end.   "Apophis as too strong. Doctor Proxy... it took a long time to convince them that going to the past was worthwhile, but now they are too committed. They won't stop unless it's obvious they aren't needed, and their methods are... more extreme than I'd like. They seem terrible, but they are better than they seem, I promise. And they'll... 'just not'--"   a glance at Nope, one that somehow conveys confusion even through the medium of pigeon   "--Once the other League members are stopped; I should be able to convince them then.

"Yes, I was 'watching' when Apophis turned the parking lot to sand. That's all I--"   the pigeon's beak abruptly shuts, and it hops around the concrete floor for a few seconds, pecking at bits of detritus. It seems to take sudden notice of Helios and spook, flapping up with a burst of wings towards what remains of the rafters; mid-flight, it changes course again and lands on the ground, uncannily still, the beak opening again.   "We're out of time; Saplings are popping out of the trees nearby, probably moving to check the status, and you should be able to hear police sirens soon."   Sure enough, if you strain your ears the wail of a siren is just barely audible, coming from south and east.   "You have no reason to believe me; all I can do is assure you this is true. I'm asking you to fix my mistakes. That isn't fair. But you haven't seen my future. And I'm doing everything I can to make sure you never have to."  
 
 Spoiler: Everyone's Earlier Evaluates 
Once again, it seems like everything that Watcher is saying here is the truth--or at the very least, what he believes to be the truth.
 


The siren gets louder. The pigeon flutters to the doors.   "My bird will be at  Food Fast , if you want my help. If not, well... you're the heroes. And you obviously hate the League. Things will probably work out."   The pigeon flies away.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily listened with her arms crossed before her, her face still tense with anger.  One might notice that the smell wafting off of her was stronger than normal, and rather than her typical flowery scent it was more like...well, oddly, like fresh-baked bread.

...But she did listen.  Watcher giving them additional information did mollify her slightly, and perhaps more importantly, it gave the analytical, reasonable part of her a bit more to work with, shifter her somewhat out of Traumatized Victim mode and into Dispassionate Scientist mode.

She could admit, grudgingly, that if the three of them would have developed their powers anyway, if Watcher wasn't responsible for  that ...then containing them and trying to make deals to constrain the amount of damage they did was...probably the least wrong option.  It sucked for  them , sure, but it was different than if he had indeed been the one to give them their powers.

The indication that the future he had come back to prevent was something  worse  than the league made little impression on Lily.  But the idea of a Manchineel with no trace of humanity - suggesting of course that the current one  did  have some - was mildly terrifying, to a woman who had faced the wrath of the mad dryad.

She didn't actually answer the pigeon, just continuing to fix it with her steely glare.  She could understand the Watcher's choices, could even admit - in her own head at least - that she might have made them herself, given the same circumstances (though she would like to think she could have come up with a better option, given more information and time to think about it, but she was self-aware enough to know that that may well have just been pride speaking).  But that still didn't mean she  approved .

But once the bird was gone...she kinda deflated, dropping her arms slack at her sides and sagging a bit.  The scent coming off of her changed to jasmine as she said,  "Well...I suppose it would be stupid not to go there and learn whatever we can, huh?" 

She sounded resigned.  The question wasn't entirely rhetorical.  There was a part of her that was kinda hoping one of the others could present a good argument that it wouldn't.
Ridai
Oh good. Things are getting even worse. Watcher not actually in charge. Just beat the four megavillains.

Nope is experiencing this sinking feeling alongside feeling the energy momentarily seep out of his body as he gives the longest sigh. Proxy being allegedly not as bad as it could be didn't help much. It is hard enough to face a small subsection of the current problems, but looking at the whole picture with additional information makes Nope kind of want to just curl up in bed for a while. Though, of course, that is not going to happen, conscience kind of just telling the rest to shut up and suck it up.

Naturally, it might also be the case that Watcher is just generally telling them a whole bunch of crap. Same with the invitation being some trap. Or what-have-you. No way for him to tell. He'll just... have to take the plunge and find out as he goes. As he has to with every confrontation. It's not getting easier to do so yet.

Seeing how hard Floral is taking things, Nope can't help but feel bad for her. There is this urge to somehow try to say something. But he learned across many years that peopleing is hard and he never really learned how to people. Some words come out, never really delivered the right way, frequently misunderstood, and just generally missing the mark. So, as he has learned to do when he isn't forced to respond, he tells himself to shut up.

Blurry Nope responds with the longest shrug, all "I don't know, but can't think of anything better either", but body language gets lost to some degree with how he looks. He trusts that the roughest gist of it is understood. Maybe.

 "I'll, uh, I'll get us out of here,"  he quietly says, moving closer to the others. The next thing people know is that they are standing on a rooftop one or two miles from the warehouse, vaguely visible where they were in said warehouse. For Nope, it was a bit of a trip, as are most "instant" journeys across town, but at least he is getting better at this sort of thing, and handling three other people in zero time. But man, the concept of personal time is slippery, moreso when needing to remove that of more people than himself. Thus, when they reach the rooftop, there is a bit of a tremor in his hands, just glad the journey went mostly well... but he really should have asked and explained beforehand. Ugh. Damn it.

 "I-I'll try to see if I can do... something about this."  He holds up the piece of material found in the warehouse and just... sits down on the ground, trying to figure out if he can even conceptualize what the undamaged or less damaged state of thing might have been. And whether there is anything to be removed. Without removing the piece. Or his fingers. Once is enough.

 "Oh, um. Hi. I'm Nope, I guess."  Whether or not they met before or he may be known about somehow, Nope habitually reintroduces himself. And of course that "I guess" just had to slip out, too, as if he was still trying to decide on a "hero" name. Next, even through the hard to fully pinpoint appearance, there is definitely a furrowed brow on display as he tries to get anything about of the material.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Nope uses Remove  Travel Time  to move everyone out of the warehouse. Note that he can't bring unwilling people and in this one instance, I'm stretching the range a little (in terms of Nope just being close to the others, but not touching all of them at the time of activation) for convenience in a no stakes moment.

On the roof, Nope tries to see whether Remove  Harm  with Remove  Second Guessing  might restore the piece of material
Healing Check  (1d20+10)[ 11 ] 
 
Dorni
Helios listened with rapt focus. It took no time at all to realize that Watcher was being more open than he'd ever expected. Apophis already had his powers before Watcher showed up. Flint shuddered at how easy it was for Apophis to find followers. Sure, Dante was going through rough times, but to throw in with the likes of the Suneaters... he shook his head before he went further down that road right now. Apophis already had his powers before Watcher's appearance. The idea that the others would have awakened eventually wasn't far fetched. And that being the case...

The chains of logic held up. Imprisoning everyone in the dome was a terrible injustice to everyone caught here, but it would contain the damage here. If the world of the future was as dire as Watcher described... he'd been at the hospital for too long to cling to notions that there was always an option that solved a problem without side effects.

 "Agreed,"  Helios answered Floral,  "We should see what he has to say. Even if we put aside any predictions he has about the future, he can tell us more about the League. Even if its unproductive, meeting him does not automatically mean we're working with him." 

He nodded his assent at the indistinct man's offer. A moment later he found himself blinking at simply standing on a nearby rooftop. A useful trick. He needed to study the principle this man's powers worked on.

 "Ah, good that you salvaged that. I'm curious to see what was so important that the AKuma would prefer to self-destruct than risk it falling into our hands." 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily blinked as they were just, suddenly, elsewhere.  Trippy.   "Floral,"  she responded to Nope's introduction with a little smile.
Ridai
 " Aw damn it.  Can't wrap my head around this, sorry. I can try again later,"  Nope says, holding up the material piece (which looks a bit jarring, since it isn't... well, Nope isn't blurry, but it's hard to make something out, so, uh...).

 "So... should I move us to Food Fast? Or we go on our own...?"  he asks. People kind of get the feeling he avoids eye contact. Then again, it is hard to really pinpoint where Nope looks in the first place.
Abracadangit
 "I   agree,"  Kal said, in response to the botanical wonder's question. Before being teleported up to the rooftops, Kal took a moment to mull over all the new information with Ariadne.

  "So the Watcher's a time-traveler from the future, trying to prevent the villains we're stuck with from taking over the world? I just don't know."   She paused.   "This whole thing seems kinda... far-fetched."  

Kal was used to feeling a sort of ornery prickliness in her mind before Ariadne spoke, but this time, there was a strange calm.   "I have heard of magics such as these, that can move one between verses in the song of time. Not very common, and often dangerous, but they exist. Perhaps this man with the wind-up bird speaks the truth."  
  "So you trust him? That doesn't sound like you."  
  "Do not bend my words, great granddaughter -- I can believe one speaks the truth without giving them my trust. You should do the same."  
  "Fine, whatever,"   Kal conceded, hoping to avoid a lecture.   "Still, even if what he said is true, sounds like he messed everything up."  
  "I have -- how do you say -- 'worn his shoes,' before,"   Ariadne admitted, her voice uncharacteristically soft with tinges of sadness.   "You act to save the lives of innocents, and then fate does not obey your plan. No one admires your courage or notices your sacrifice, when this happens. Instead, people tell you that it was a mistake for you to try, that you have only made everything worse, that you should have left things the way they were. So then you have only two options. One is to listen to what they say, stop fighting. Maybe then the people will speak better of you, though I promise you they won't. Or you take the other option."  

There was a pause. Maybe Ariadne was remembering something.   "What's the other option?"  
  "Or, you push forward. Let the people say what they will, and remember the reason you acted in the first place was to save lives, to help the people who suffer, to protect that which you love, and that nothing else matters, and that so long as your reason has not changed, neither should you. It sounds to me like your wind-up bird man is pushing forward."  
  "If what he says is true, I'll help him, though this is becoming more and more complicated. It feels like I just got started with this gig, and now it's me versus all of these villains at once, and alternate timelines?"  
  "But it is not just you versus them, is it. You always have me, great granddaughter, and also..."   An invisible thread of psychic intent pulled Kal's attention to her teammates, gathered before her.   "...you have them."  

A split second later, Kal found herself atop a roof, with her new colleagues. Following Floral's, Nope's, and Helios' statements, Kal waited for a pause to speak.

 "I   am   Ariadne,"  Kal said, with a small bow.  "I   know   that   I   am   not   as...   experienced   as   some   of   you,   in   these   matters.   But   I   shall   lend   whatever   power   I   have   to   our   cause,   and   I   have..." 

Kal took a moment, to ponder the best way to say this without coming off as unhinged.

 "...a   channel   of   communication   open   with   a   very   powerful   authority   on   strange   and   supernatural   matters."  Upon being called a 'very powerful authority,' Kal could hear a dry sort of laugh, echoing through her thoughts.   "Hnn, hnn, hnn,"   Ariadne snickered.

To Nope's latest question, Kal nodded.  "If   all   of   you   are   planning   to   go,   I   shall   accompany   you.   As   the   sun-empowered   man   says,   we   need   not   join   his   side,   to   hear   what   he   has   to   say." 
 
 Spoiler: For Those With Mystic Senses That See With Sightless Eyes: 
Ariadne's aura takes the form of a great many red threads, constantly reshaping themselves around her in conjunction with her words and emotions. As she mentions that she is in communication with some 'powerful authority,' the threads comprising her aura take on a bizarrely large, singular form: the head and upper body of a hooded woman, hovering just above Ariadne's shoulders, like a sort of watchful protector.

The image of the hooded woman looks at you with a note of curious interest, as two dots of crimson light shine where her eyes should be.
 
Quellian-dyrae
 "Yeah, let's get it over with,"  Floral agreed, though she sounded more "resolved" than "glum".  She didn't see any particular advantage to be had in going separately.  (Well, okay, she supposed in principle there were certain cases where if it was a trap approaching individually could lead to some measure of advantage, but across a broad range of possibilities she didn't expect that on average it would be better than being able to all blink right out again and/or just concentrating power to punch through, so meh.)
Ridai
In response to Ariadne's comment about her experience, Nope promptly answers  "Real talk: I'm looking forward to if and when I'll feel experienced enough to not be constantly terrified of accidentally blipping someone."  Followed by a nervous kinda-chuckle.  I just put my ass on the list of "maybe not work together with that one", didn't I? 

Standing up, dusting off his pants, he goes  "Well, I'll move us over there when you're ready." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I feel like I kind of put the brakes on things with teleporting people away and such, so I'll just move everyone to, say, the alleyway next to Food Fast, once they are ready/you want the game to move forward.
 
Dorni
Helios' eyes narrowed as Ariadne introduced herself. Then he very deliberately shifted his gaze to just over Ariadne's left shoulder to where the young woman's aura had shifted, the great many red threads reshaping themselves to take on the form of a hooded woman. There was a spirit bonded to the girl. He kicked himself for not noticing it earlier, but in his defense his attention had been occupied first by the battle and then by the pigeon-bot-time-traveler.

While the girl talked the aura connecting the two... rippled. It wasn't in a random way. Something was passing between the two of them, but despite his efforts Flint couldn't decipher what. Maybe it was communication, or maybe the spirit was asserting control. That the spirit might be possessing the girl couldn't be ruled out.

 "Please, call me Helios. And who are you, spirit?" 
Abracadangit
Kal responded in a puzzled tone.  "Spirit?   I'm   not   quite   sure   what   you   mean." 
  "Your friend addresses me directly,"   Ariadne clarified, her echoing tones whispering in Kal's mental ears.   "So you are not the only one who can see with sightless eyes, hm."  

Suddenly, Kal could hear Ariadne's voice outside her head, for once -- or could she? Despite Ariadne's words sounding unusually clear and sharp, neither Floral nor Nope showed any sign of perceiving it.

 "You heard her the first time, did you not?"  Ariadne asked, more curtly than Kal would have liked for a time where she was trying to make new friends.  "Her answer and mine are one and the same. I am Ariadne, and I am no spirit,  parlor magician.  It was I who faced the Minotaur, who learned to weave from Klothos and Atropos, who traded secrets with Hekate and Nyx, who swore to..." 

Ariadne's voice trailed off, as Kal willed her away, for the time being. For another occasion she might have put up with it, but she wasn't about to ruin her good relations on account of Ariadne's touchy pride.

 "She   is   not   always   like   that,"  Kal explained, apologetically.  "Helios   was   just   communing   with   my   authority.   She,   er...   looks   forward   to   working   with   all   of   you." 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily looked between Helios and Ariadne with a bemused expression on her face.  Or maybe that was confused.  Or skeptical.  Or concerned?  Uh...she currently smelled like potpourri?  No, that doesn't help either.

  Right.  Okay then.  That happened.  Accept it and move on.  

Really, come down to it, was it any more weird than anything else that she had seen over the course of the past month?  Not really, no.
Ridai
Nope side-eyes.  "What?"  There is this creeping feeling in the back of his head that he somehow noped part of a conversation. And maybe a person.
Zelphas
The sign for  Food Fast  isn't terribly hard to find; the logo is simply the words "FOOD FAST" in dark blue and burnt orange, hanging over a glass storefront that consists of a dust-covered counter, a faded menu advertising several types of sandwiches, and very little else. The sirens in the background have reached approximately the sight of the warehouse, as much as you can tell. The completely normal-looking pigeon sitting on top of the counter looks up at your approach and ruffles its feathers for a moment before jerking its head towards the kitchen behind the counter and disappearing back in that direction itself.

The door opens easily enough; looks like it was an electronic lock that has been disabled. The restaurant still smells faintly of baked bread, deli meat, and grease, though over all of this is the nose-itching sent of dust (and for those with stronger senses of smell, the hint of various molds slowly working their way into the structure). There are no seats in the front; it looks like Food Fast took their name very seriously and were pickup or delivery only, and you have to vault the counter to reach the back room where Watcher's pigeon flew.

The kitchen itself is still covered in the same dust, though several streaks and the errant feather hints at a rushed attempt at avian cleaning. So, too, do the haphazardly-stacked milk crates placed around the central prep table, looking like makeshift stools for anyone who wished to sit down. In the center of the table is the bird you all came to meet with your various questions and concerns.

  "Okay! So, um, first things first: what I can do to help,"   the voice from the pigeon begins without preamble, the mingled relief and nervousness evident in his voice.   "I have some information, but not as much as I would like; I was going to do something like 'I'll answer three questions about the future now, and three every time a League member is taken down until the end', but... that seems like a bad plan now. One big piece of information I can tell you is that in order to prevent infighting, there's an informal agreement that each League member stays out of each others' business unless invited--like the whole thing today--so they aren't likely to gang up on you. They don't really... like each other, either, so that might help."   The pigeon's head bobs up and down quickly for a few seconds.

  "Here's the big thing I can offer, though: once you take down a League member, they'll stay down. I mean,"   he looks between the three of you,   "Maybe it's my fault for being in a smaller town instead of New York or something, but the jail here may as well be made out of tissue paper where the League's concerned. I have five floors in the Obelisk set aside for the League as prisons, and I've spent the last month making them stronger once I... you know. If you take down a League member, or even one of their minions, let me know, and I can get them to the Obelisk in secret and keep them there."  

Watcher's voice finally pauses for breath, and the pigeon turns its eyes to see all of you.   "I'm rambling a bit; not a lot of people to... well. Do you have questions for me?"   The sirens in the background wind down; it looks like the police have discovered that they are in the aftermath of a fight, not in the midst of one.
Quellian-dyrae
  "Once you take down a League member, they'll stay down."  

...You know, it was weird.  Up until this point, Lily hadn't really been considering the prospect of actually taking down a League member.  That seemed strange to her in retrospect, but on reflection it was true.  She had become Floral to protect her town.  No, that wasn't even quite correct.  She had done it because she was scared of what might happen to her siblings and wanted to try to help keep them safe.  Not that they had...accepted her help.  So then she had gone out as Floral on her own and...what?  Tried to prove herself?  Tried to stop the bad guys before they could threaten her siblings?  Tried to be a hero because her pride had been smarting and that felt like the correct response?

Protecting the town was nonetheless worth doing.  Lily didn't regret her choices.  But after what Manchineel had done to her, how easy it had been for her to just...warp the bodies of Lily and her coworkers however she saw fit, how little they could do to stop her...  If you had asked her who she was fighting, she would have told you the League of the Future.  But the idea of  actually  fighting the  actual  League, of making a real effort to achieve a real victory...it wasn't that she had considered it and deemed it impossible.  It had just seemed so far beyond what her dinky little flower powers, scienced beyond all reason or no, could possibly be capable of that it hadn't even really entered her mind at all, on the object level.

But now...now she was working with other Heroes.  Now they had support from the Watcher.

Now it was time to consider how to accomplish the actual  goal .

Lily let out a breath, and let go of her anger and resentment towards the Watcher along with it.  The feelings weren't gone.  It would take more than this for Lily to be in the state where she could really  forgive  him.  But for the time being those feelings weren't productive.  The Watcher was, if not an ally, then at least a  resource .  If they were going to defeat the League, they would need to make full use of him.

So, what did they need to know?

She considered and rejected information about the Watcher's future.  That future had been derived of different present conditions. Information about it was fundamentally a curiosity.  What they needed to know...

 "Capabilities.  Force counts.  Lairs, and defenses thereon.  Plans.  Goals.   Weaknesses .  Each member of the League is personally powerful, and has minions to support them.  What we need to know is as much as we can about  them ." 
Abracadangit
Not fond of the layer of dust coating everything, Kal wove a little spiral of red thread in the air, then by figure-eighting her needle back and forth, prompted the little spiral to spin. As the Watcher spoke to them, Kal steered the spiral around the area, collecting dust and depositing it in a little wastebasket nearby. She waited until the pigeon had finished speaking before responding.

 "I   have   many   questions,   but   to   start:   information.   You   seem   to   have   very   detailed   intelligence   regarding   these   criminals --   we   need   to   know   strengths,   weaknesses,   anything   and   everything   that   might   be   of   use." 
 "Second:   resources.   You   say   you   are   sorry   for   what   has   happened,   and   I   think   I   believe   you.   So   then   what   can   you   offer   us   to   help,   by   way   of   apology.   Your   fancy   prison   is   helpful,   but   surely   you   have   other...   toys   at   your   disposal." 
 "Finally,   I   would   very   much   appreciate   a   copy   of   whatever   information   you   have   compiled   about   me,   personally.   I   want   to   know   how   much   you   know;   I   think   that's   only   fair,   seeing   as   how   you've   been   'watching'   us   for   some   time,   from   the   sound   of   it." 
Ridai
Much like he did after getting out of the fight, the first thing Nope does once they arrive near the Food Fast is exhale thoroughly. Alright, this went well overall, judging by the sirens.

Inside where Bird!Watcher is, it's like when he got into various abandoned or restricted places, but this time getting invited. He just kind of scampers over the counter and is about to kind of shake and wipe the dust on the milk crate off with his hand when Ariadne just hoovers up all dust in the whole room. Nope actually remains kind of bent down, looking around for a moment before sitting down.

  Just casually doing that. Holy hell.   That train of thought accompanies him for a while, followed by trying to think of what to ask about first. He is about to open his mouth when Floral and Ariadne just... cover all questions he could think of. At least off the top of his head. Well. They actually asked more than what he thought of. So he kind of just slouches down a bit again, trying to think of something by the time an opening arrives. When one does, he doesn't have much, so he goes:

 "...Ssso did you know that... we would happen around this time?"  Well, he tried.
Dorni
 "One. Severability."  He looked around the room. This was as much a question for them as it was for Watcher.  "Our task isn't just to take down the League. The Suneaters... if Apophis were imprisoned today it wouldn't affect them in the slightest. They don't rely on him for orders or to empower new members. As soon as the dome is released they'll spread out and expand the cult - they need to be dealt with before the threat is over. The same concern applies to the others - can the Chain Gang create new members without Lockdown? How much of a threat is the Chain Gang once Lockdown is removed? Can Manchineel's forest spread without her to spread it?" 
 "Two. Time limit. You said these 3 are minor threats in your future. So someone or something worse is coming, and presumably you don't have forever to spend inside the dome dealing with the League. How long do we have?"  He'd grown more serious as he gave voice to his thought. He hoped he was wrong, that whatever was coming was somehow tied to these three. But if not... and if Watcher was telling the truth... there was a long, long, road ahead. Was he really committing to... all that? He clenched a fist. With all his power, how could he not?
Zelphas
  "...All right. Makes sense."   The pigeon turns to regard Floral first.   "MY information comes almost entirely from my birds, so I only have information that occurs outside of a house or near an open window. And there are... some other issues.

"Take Lockdown. Part of... my deal with him, is that I can't put any supervising devices within one mile of him."   The pigeon ruffles its feathers nervously.   "I can tell you that his 'lair' moves within the Industrial Block; right now, Lockdown is within one mile of Lake Michigan, closer to the southern forest than Pub Alley, but I can't give exact coordinates. As for his numbers: last count, the Chain Gang numbers just above two hundred, though it's growing aggressively. The number of Silver Links fluctuates--at that point, low-level thugs get cold feet or delusions of grandeur and get cut down--but seven have remained fairly stable, the 'seven deadly sins.' Pride is the main recruiter for the Gang; you've heard of him almost certainly. He has enhanced strength, very high endurance, and is a straight brute in combat. Wrath is the... enforcer, I guess? You've met her; fire and strength connected to rage. The two of them work under the Gold Link 'Dragon', who is a humanoid dragon with fire breath, wings, the works. He seems to be focused on growing the numbers of the Gang. Sloth, Greed, and Gluttony work under the Gold Link 'Dullahan'; they are officially the accountants of the Gang, but from the way the Bronze Links talk, the real job of Greed and Gluttony is as 'cleaners' for people who want to leave the Gang. No one is afraid of Sloth, and  everyone  is afraid of Dullahan, but I've never been able to pinpoint either of them. Gluttony seems to have history with Lockdown, but no one was specific. Greed is a newcomer to the gang; he's..."   The pigeon hesitates for a moment.   "I don't have very much on him. Lust and Envy work under the Gold Link 'Djinn'... and that's all I know about any of them. No one in the Chain Gang but Lockdown seems to know who they are; Envy and Djinn have some sort of shapeshifting power, and Lust works 'off-site', whatever that means."  
 
 Spoiler: Nope 
The pigeon looked at you when it hesitated.
 

  "I have less on Manchineel; the moment she realizes that my birds aren't living, she kills them, so I have to keep my distance. Manchineel tends to stay near the logging camp, for reasons I'm not sure about. She wanders the woods, but rarely heads north. She tends to create Punishments and then revert them back to normal after their task is done, so they don't stick around for very long; right now she... was looking for a weasel, which is concerning, and I don't know why. Her Menagerie has four members right now; Manchineel calls them Abel, Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. Abel's 'duty' is to clean up trash in the Forest; he sticks to the northwest, and... I think he seeks out my birds and stays near them, sometimes, but I don't know why. Gabriel flies through the sky, never having to rest; she can fire her feathers like pinions with deadly accuracy, and her talons are at least as dangerous. I think Manchineel has her trying to find breaks in the Dome; she won't find anything."   For just a moment, Watcher's voice sounds a little bit proud, but he quickly moves on.   "Michael is an odd mixture of plant and lion, and its duty seems to be to bodyguard Manchineel and attack any human it finds in the forest. If you're going after Manchineel, it would be good to deal with him first, though he's very tough from all I've seen. Raphael is Manchineel's tool to spread the Forest; she is a large cow-like creature that wanders all around the forest wherever there's bits of humanity, growing trees. She can summon Saplings to herself when distressed, it seems."  
  "As for Apophis... I have even less. Every bird he sees, he kills. I don't know if he knows its me, or what. Sometimes, I haven't even caught a glimpse of him before another of my birds died, so I think he might be able to change his appearance. I have a little bit more on the Suneaters; there are more than a hundred, but there must be less than three hundred. They vary widely in power and ability; many of them seem focused on summoning, with only a relative few actually developing other forms of magical power. So far, their summoning has mostly been successful, though you saw an example of success today. I'm... worried about their madness; most of them are clearly insane, but there's a coordination and method to their madness that I don't quite understand. Sometimes, they gather together and execute an attack or a small ritual without speaking or even seeing one another. It might be mental, or magical; I honestly don't know."  

The pigeon turns next to Ariadne, fluffing its feathers in an oddly apologetic way.   "Well... my 'toys' are pretty obviously mine. I'm sorry, but none of you are inventors, so there would be awkward questions if you suddenly appeared with futuristic weapons. My first priority is the prevention of my future, and my life and continued freedom must go on for as long as possible to increase the chances of fulfilling that objective. I can get you the information I have on you, if you truly wish; it may take a few days to compile it, and... you may not want the others to see it. I can do the same for any of the rest of you, too."  

The pigeon spins to face Nope, and you can hear the excitement return to Watcher's words.   "No; that's what's so amazing! As far as I can tell, all of your abilities are new! NEw heroes are great!"  

The feathers wilt a little bit as the pigeon finally makes it to Helios.   "Well... I guess I'd have to cut it down to a few rooms each, but I can at least make it so that the heavy hitters are all locked in the Obelisk; the small fry will need to be taken care of by you in some ways. As far as I have seen, no one but Lockdown has gained the ability to give new powers in the Chain Gang, and Manchineelrelies on Raphael to spread the forest so capturing Raphael should stop that. The Suneaters are tougher, but most of their power is coming from a thing like Apophis running around... I think. I don't have guarantees. And for your last question... I can't answer that."  The pigeon looks away.   "What I can say is that you don't have to worry about it. I have a plan to deal with what's coming, and that's still going the way it should be... believe it or not."  
Ridai
Ah. Greed. Right. That's what he is going by now, huh. Well, to be honest, he does not really know much about his MO and powers either, so... Nope mostly sits and listens.

Nope can already tell that the moment they try to deal with Greed, the name Remy is getting attached to Nope. Better enjoy the relative anonymity while it lasts, it is going to be extra hell after that.

In the meantime, oh boy. The forces arrayed against them. Sure. Add more existential dread. Maybe it will become tall enough to be struck down by the God of Anxiety for being distressingly unstable.

Watcher telling them he didn't know they would be emerging as "heroes" does lead to a double take.  "Did- did you guess there would be new heroes when you came here?" 
Abracadangit
Kal heard the Watcher out, taking care to mentally note all of the observations regarding the various members of the League of the Future. She paid extra close attention when Apophis was mentioned -- she couldn't wait to pay him back for their meeting at the school, and send  him  flying with a flick of her needle.

 "I   will   take   you   up   on   your   offer,"  Kal said, in regards to receiving the file about herself.  "Perhaps   you   have   observed   something   that   could   be   useful.   And   we   have   your   word   that   this   information   is   known   by   no   one   else?" 
 "I   have   one   other   question.   This   'Obelisk'   sounds   very   safe,   and   very   secure.   Could   we   use   it   as   a   sanctuary   for   our   loved   ones,   in   the   event   they   need   to   be   protected?" 
Zelphas
  "From all accounts, super-powers appear in moments of extreme stress, and... this situation has become that,"   Watcher's voice from the pigeon finishes awkwardly, the pigeon body shuffling its feet slightly on the table.   "Also, an abnormally high percentage of heroes seem to gain their powers from super-powered villains and vice versa, so it was a likely outcome. Well, honestly, it was still a gamble, but it paid off! Now you all are here!"  

The pigeon turns back to Ariadne, its head bobbing up and down once.   "I haven't shared any information that I've gained since coming here; I've spent too much time compiling it and putting everything together. I'll get your information to you later in the day; converting it to the technology of this era shouldn't be too much of a hassle...

"As for your loved ones; well."   The pigeon tilts its head, the eyes going unfocused for a long moment.   "The police are leaving the warehouse with the members of the Chain Gang who are unconscious; it'll be clear around here soon enough, I think. Anyways, once again, my own survival is an unfortunate necessity to stop the future from happening, so I have to protect that at all costs. That being said... If there is a clear danger to your loved ones in the future, we can discuss a way to hide them in the Obelisk. Obviously working openly with you all would ruin everything at the moment, so they'd have to be snuck in, but... we should be able to manage something."  
Quellian-dyrae
Lily mulled quietly over the information Watcher gave them.  A little, spiteful part of her was kinda annoyed that the supposed leader of the League of the Future who went around calling himself Watcher didn't have more data for them, but she could admit that that was mostly just her own personal antipathy towards him; objectively speaking, that was a lot of information they hadn't had before.

She...did kinda blink some as Ariadne asked if their loved ones could be secured in the Obelisk if it came to that.  Because yeah, she wasn't going to extend that sort of trust towards the Watcher for a loooong time.  She did believe him that his goals were aligned with theirs, but that didn't mean she felt comfortable giving him any leverage.

...Although, thinking about it that way, Lily said,  "I'd like to see the information you have on me as well, please."   She hadn't originally been intending to request that; as far as Lily was concerned, Watcher's future was a single thread of probability that was only of particular relevance to her because it happened to have disgorged Watcher and Dr. Proxy back into her present.  She didn't deem information about it particularly useful, and all the less so given that Watcher's stated goal was to prevent it from coming to pass in the first place.

But thinking in terms of trust and leverage...well, yeah, it occurred to her that it would be wise to know more about what Watcher knew about her (even if she could not assume he would necessarily reveal everything he knew).

...The claim that most superheroes seemed to get their powers in an encounter with supervillains sounded like the sort of thing that might keep her up at night, if she spent too long thinking about it.

 "In your time period, Lockdown, Manchineel, and Apophis were all established villains.  Had any of them been defeated in that timeline?  And if so, how?"   That might suggest some manner of weakness, maybe.   "...And I can't help but notice that you left Doctor Proxy out of your description."   She didn't...quite press the point, but she wasn't going to just let it go by uncommented, and her voice certainly contained an element of  expectation .

 
 Spoiler 
Let's try some Persuasion to see if I can get him to open up more about Doctor Proxy.  Pheromones are still on no use when communicating by pigeon-bot, but assuming it has cameras Attractive might apply, so add +5 if it does.   (1d20+10)[ 27 ] .
 
Ridai
 "Ah,"  Nope says about the "gamble". Yeah just... let's just leave it at that.

 "...Which hornet's nest are we poking first? I think Proxy's real dangerous, but I guess so are the other three and all their minions?"  To be frank, Nope's not exactly sounding brave right now. To his credit, he doesn't seem like backing out either.
Abracadangit
 "Much   appreciated,"  Kal said, with a slightly barbed edge. She didn't like having to ask nicely for information that was already about her, like asking the government for the file they have on you, but with a creepier, more voyeuristic bent. She felt that was the least they were owed, given the circumstances.

She nodded along with the Watcher's explanation regarding the Obelisk -- Kal certainly hoped it wouldn't come to that, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had no concept of the forces she was up against, and that protecting Dimetria might involve some tough decisions in the future.

 "No   further   questions   at   this   time,"  she said, before turning to Nope.  "I'm   inclined   to   hunt   Apophis   first,   but   I   can   wait   for   an   opportune   moment   to   strike." 
Quellian-dyrae
 "Hm.  Apophis has the fewest guards, but is the hardest to find.  Manchineel's saplings seemed a bit stronger than the other minions at the warehouse, and she had a fixed base, so while she's easiest to find, we can probably expect her to be the hardest target."   There were certainly no biases that might have been influencing Lily's threat assessment and any claims to the contrary are vicious, hateful  lies!   "Lockdown...seems to be in the middle on both.  Mmm...and it seems like taking them down may have value that scales similarly; defeating Apophis may or may not do  anything  to stop the Suneaters.  Neutralizing Lockdown will at a minimum deprive the Chain Gang of leadership and new members.  And...I'm speculating some, but I expect Manchineel's creations will be the most adversely affected by neutralizing her.  We can't necessarily bet on it, but I wouldn't be surprised if they became anywhere from disorganized to entirely latent without her giving direct orders." 

She didn't bother addressing Doctor Proxy.  Unless Watcher gave them more information on them, they were strictly lowest priority as a matter of simple practicality.  Really based on everything they did know Lily considered it more-than-marginally likely that Doctor Proxy was safe and sound and heavily guarded in the Obelisk, with no need to ever personally leave there.  Heck, she wouldn't have been particularly surprised if it turned out that Doctor Proxy was in fact some sort of alternate personality of the Watcher himself.  Between the pigeonbots and the Proxybots they certainly had a similar modus operandi.  Although maybe everyone in the future operated through drones, what did she know?

 "That all said...I feel like there's a fairly high-priority target in Raphael.  She wouldn't be as strong as any of the three villains themselves, and though she can summon saplings, her operations require her to remain mobile, which somewhat restricts available guards and precludes most fortifications.  She also should be relatively easy to find; Watcher, I assume your birds allow you to keep track of the growth of Manchineel's forest, right?  We can use that to track her movements.  And neutralizing her halts Manchineel's primary objective.  Probably not permanently; Manchineel created her once so presumably could do so again.  But with any luck that will at least take some of her attention, and might prompt her to s-send forces after us directly."   There was a slight stutter in Lily's words there, but she pressed on.   "Which...which is a good thing.   Definitely a good thing.   Because it gives us an opportunity to weaken her forces away from her fortifications, maybe even prepare the battleground ourselves.  And it means her forces are going after people strong enough to take them, rather than civilians."

"I'm not married to the idea or anything, but that would be my suggestion for a starting point." 
Dorni
Helios remained impassive while the others discussed safety for their loved ones. So far Watcher seemed like he had good intentions, but Flint wasn't about to just hand him Sara and Dante as hostages. For now his best option was to keep silent. Flint wasn't sure what Watcher knew about him - so far he'd been careful to make sure no one saw him cast his Helios transformation, but he hadn't exactly been on the lookout for robot-pigeons. If Watcher knew his identity and his family, then they were in no more danger now then they were before this meeting started. If Watcher didn't know about them, then asking about safety for them would just reveal to Watcher that he did in fact have loved ones with him who could be used as leverage. Thinking back on it now, he was banking on the latter - if Watcher knew all of their identities there'd have been little need to send a pigeon to meet with them after battling the League's servants in the warehouse and risking his pigeon being discovered. He could have reached out to them individually to arrange this.

 "I think targeting Rapheal has merit,"  he added,  "but there's another factor to consider. As I understand it, right now the League has a truce where they all agree to stay out of each others' way,"  he said with a glance toward Watcher.  "So they're currently in a stalemate with the town divided up between them. Once we remove one of them, that stalemate will be broken. Those that remain will rebalance themselves and their territories. Proxy, Apophis, and Lockdown have so far keep the townspeople near their territory alive. Manchineel does not. If we start eliminating the others first she might just start expanding her forest into the city." 
Ridai
 "I... I guess Raphael is as good a point to start as any? And then hoping Manchineel won't go crazy?"  This isn't veiled "I think that's dumb", this is very much "I hope Manchineel won't try to burn everything down as retaliation". The thought of discussing who to essentially hunt down and take out still makes him feel kind of weird about the whole thing, plant being associated with an angry dryad or not.

A sudden thought occurs. Nope opens his mouth, but closes it again. No, probably not the time to ask whether Manchineel has a god complex, or she was turned into an angry dryad who was a devout Christian or into Christian mythology before, and thus named her top agents after archangels. That... doesn't really seem very nature-y, but at the same time she sends out punishments, and the Bible claims god created everything, and he doesn't know whether there is like a big overarching nature spirit, and he gets increasingly glad he didn't ask this out loud.
Zelphas
  "All right, information packets on themselves for Ariadne and Floral,"   the pigeon notes, the voice growing slightly distracted as though noting something down.   "Anyone else? Helios? Nope? No? All right."

"Lockdown died before I was born, or shortly after,"   The voice states next, the pigeon absently tracing the dust with one claw.   "Whether he was killed or died of... other factors is uncertain, but the powers he unlocked didn't die with him. There was enough confusion in his empire to suggest that if he was defeated, the person who killed him didn't have the power to command his underlings, so there might have been a trick involved... or just luck.  Manchineel still seemed functional in my time, but no one had caught a glimpse of her, and my birds could only get slightly farther into the forest before something noticed their nonliving nature and shredded them. I even had a base for them in an abandoned tannery for a short time deeper in the forest, but something like that Boar person destroyed it before I could ramp up my efforts. As for Apophis... Frank Smith was pulled before some sort of tribunal or court in Africa, sentenced to death, and killed, but the reports after that are hazy on whether that stopped Apophis. Knowing him, it might have just been some sort of game."  

The pigeon freezes for a moment, one eye staring directly at Floral.   "I trust Doctor Proxy,"   the voice states simply.   "Their methods are harsh, but they are committed to working to stop this future, and I don't believe that the disappearances can be tied to them. In any case, I don't know where they are; they were always... reclusive... even in my future. They are not in my Obelisk; I know that much. And I know what their mental influence feels like. They failed to dominate me once, and have never tried again."  

The pigeon sits fairly quietly as the four of you begin to discus plans, the feathers on its wings seeming to vibrate slightly.   "Not the time, but--it's wonderful to see superheroes really in action!"   the voice bursts out, before the pigeon's head ducks down.   "I know, I have no right, I'm sorry. Raphael is currently fairly close to Manchineel; my birds on watch around her keep getting destroyed. They're near the logging camp at the moment, but I can send a bird when Raphael moves north or west and I start getting a better view."  

The pigeon pauses awkwardly, scraping its talons with tiny screeching noises along the top of the table.   "Do... do you want anything else?"   it ventures up finally.   "I need to keep things a secret, and obviously I'm not exactly  welcome  for reasons that all make sense, but I don't want to be unhelpful."  
Ridai
  ...wait no, one of them's Abel, not Uriel, but that's still Old Testament. Is Manchineel god or Eve or Lilith or all three in this? What does it mean that the one named after a human is there to pick up trash-  

Well hopefully Nope is good enough covering the escaped train of thought underneath his blurry nature when he is kind of asked whether he wants what info Watcher has on him.  "I, uh, I think you already told me enough about what you have on me."  He doesn't sound enthused, but not venomous either. Just kind of uncomfortable.

 "Maybe Apophis can body-hop?"  Nope floats that particular idea to the group when he hears about the host body getting executed, but that's just a wild guess fueled by too many roleplaying games.

Even through the blurry everything, Nope does the human equivalent of Kermit scrunching up his face in regards to Proxy mental domination.

 "C-can we cool it with the superhero title until this whole incident is over, one way or another?"  It feels weird and wrong and like a death flag to be called that.

 "I guess we're... 'good' right now?"  ...He just looks over to the others. Should have said "I'm". Not "we're". Damn it all.
Quellian-dyrae
For a moment, after Watcher spoke about Doctor Proxy, a kinda minty smell rolled off of Lily, coupled with a flat stare.  She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it, letting the matter pass.

Doctor Proxy had attempted to subject Watcher to mental domination, and he still trusted them?  Lily didn't know the whole story, it wasn't that she  couldn't conceive  of a course of events that would make both those facts non-contradictory.  But it was still  weird , and the most obvious one was that the attempt in fact  hadn't  failed.  Watcher being compelled to trust Doctor Proxy implicitly while believing the domination attempt failed seemed to be easily the most likely explanation.

She made the active effort to devalue that probability in accordance with her identified bias against the Watcher, and could not know if she had succeeded...but even giving a substantial penalty for likely bias, that conclusion still seemed more likely than reasonable alternatives, to her.

When Nope requested they not use the title of superheroes...well, it was weird.  Truth be told Lily honestly  didn't  really feel like a "real superhero".  Watcher's excitement at seeing them in action did seem kinda...incorrect, in a way.  They were a bunch of people who (she was pretty sure?) all had had powers for less than a month, and when you get right down to it probably didn't much know what they were doing, and Watcher was talking about them like they were the Justice League or the Avengers or something.

On the other hand, it wasn't like the comic book heroes always knew what they were doing either, it wasn't like they were without flaw.  The four of them may have been new to their powers and may have been in over their heads, but they were  trying , and they might have a chance to succeed where nobody else did.  Did that make them superheroes?

If you forced her to answer, then no.  Lily Woods would have to admit that even so, she did not feel like a superhero.

But...she did believe that Floral, the image of Floral that existed in her head, the ideal she was trying her best to live up to, to make real however imperfectly,  that  Floral...could in fact be a superhero.   Would  in fact be a superhero, if she could be more than a figment of Lily's imagination.

And that meant, then, that Floral would  act  like a superhero.  She wouldn't shrink from the title, or the responsibility it conferred.

...But she also wouldn't look upon it as a symbol of status to be claimed.   "I mean, we are going out and using crazy superpowers to fight bad guys while wearing silly costumes,"  she replied to Nope with a light laugh.   "What else would you call us?" 

Imperfect.  Even as she said the words, she felt they were imperfect, weren't what the Floral in her head would really say, if she actually existed as a real person in the real world.

But for the time being, they were the closest that Lily Woods could come.
Ridai
Nope feels his face heat up as Floral seems to find his request silly. He looks down on what he is wearing.  "I-I'm not wearing a costu-  ...nevermind. " 
Zelphas
  "You guys have superpowers, you're doing heroic deeds, what else could you be?"   Watcher exclaims, the pigeon fluttering its wings and kicking up a small cloud of dust.   "Ah, sorry; I'll... 'dial it back'? That's the slang, right?  you still use dials? "  

Settling itself again, the pigeon flutters over to the back of the room, angling towards a small window set high up on the wall. It perches on the sill for a moment, looking back at the four of you.   "Well, if that's all... okay! I'll get Floral and Ariadne that information later on today. If you need anything else... wave at a bird? It's probably mine. I'll swoop down if needed, ass long as none of the League's nearby. Best of luck on finding Raphael! This is the start of something great, I'm sure of it!"   It takes only a moment for the pigeon to open the latch on the window, and then it is gone.

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
At 6:03 PM that day, you get an email sent to your personal email from an unknown source; the sender's email is literally a blank black bar. The title of the email is "The Information Requested." Opening the email, you find two things, first, a reassurance that "No one except myself can access the Obelisk's files," and a Word document attached. The Word document contains... your life story until the moment the Obelisk appeared.
 

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
At 6:04 PM that day, you get an email sent to your personal email from an unknown source; the sender's email is literally a blank black bar. The title of the email is "The Information Requested." Opening the email, you find two things, first, a reassurance that "No one except myself can access the Obelisk's files," and a Word document attached. The Word document contains... your life story until the moment the Obelisk appeared.
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC for Everyone 
All right, scene 1 is over! Everyone take  4 Downtime Actions .

In addition to the Downtimes I already have up, please come up with Downtime ideas of your own! Post your ideas in the OOC, and I'll develop progression systems for them and DCs that make sense to me, and we'll make sure they work.

Since you have the stated goal of going after Raphael and have sent Watcher specifically to let you know if and when Raphael is away from Manchineel,  Pursue Raphael  is a guaranteed option that you can  Act  on after these Downtimes are over.

Since this is the end of the first scene, please let me know if there are any questions/comments/concerns about the game in general! Thank you all for playing so far!
 
Zelphas
 Light at the Crossroads 

August 7, 2018.

It took the better part of a week, but eventually Watcher's pigeons tracked each of you down separately and let you know that it had finally happened: Manchineel and Raphael had finally moved away from one another. The zone of "dead" bird-bots that is Manchineel herself has moved west and north, closer to Agnelli's Bluff; Raphael was spotted by Watcher moving in the opposite direction, towards the Rudolph Logging Camp. Raphael could move quickly when needed, but usually had a rather slow pace, so she was still a long ways away from the logging camp. If you wanted to catch Raphael and remove her as an option, now would be the best time to strike.

And so, the four of you find yourselves standing (or floating on wings/magic/threads/blatant refusal to obey gravity's laws) in the woods to the south of Forester's Bay, next to a gently-flowing stream bordered by a few small, thick trees. It's mid-afternoon, and the hot summer sunlight breaks intermittently through the foliage overhead in beams of bright yellow, bursting into the green heat and dancing off of the slow-moving water. Standing across the small stream from you is an older woman with dark, weathered skin, wearing comfortable clothes suitable for hiking through the summer weather. He hair is thick and black, shot through with grey, and she has it pulled away from her face in a series of large braids.

  "This town has something new every day, doesn't it?"   the woman comments, her weathered face creasing at the corners in a gentle smile. She leans forward a bit on an aged, polished walking staff, her deep brown eyes looking over the four of you with steady calm.   "It's pretty dangerous to be out in the forest, you know, though it looks like you picked the right place for it for the moment, and I suppose you can handle yourselves. Come to do some sightseeing while the self-proclaimed lady of the woods is away?"  
 
 Spoiler: Expertise (Local) DC 20 
You haven't met her in person, but going by the descriptions you've heard and the place you ran into her, you'd be willing to bet that this is Ntombi Peters, the only human who has spoken directly to Manchineel--twice--and walked away unscathed.
 

 
 Spoiler: Floral--Smell 
The woman smells like a biological human being.

The calm you see in her eyes isn't feigned--she doesn't seem to have any reason to fear you, and she is perfectly at ease in the woods. There is something under the calm, though, something that isn't quite defined enough to be an emotion yet. It's something like impatience, but not that strong or urgent.
 
Ridai
Nope has tried to keep busy in the face of now officially being tasked with taking down the Big Bad Villains instead of just... generally helping and hoping for the best. Nope had to be honest, the latter was kind of what he was doing before, though in his defense, he hasn't been doing this long and his power is terrifying to him. Stop a few bad guys, but a lot of watching the forest, trying to see what is going on with Raphael, Manchineel, just... everything. Without getting murdered very dead. Staying in touch with his new colleagues, too. By giving a lot of prior warning to him popping up, as Nope started to notice... regular people being terrified of him. Well, he can't really blame them given his powers and kind of creepy indistinct "appearance" as Nope... but after momentary frustration, it kind of just makes him a little sad and want to stay entirely out of view. So Floral, Helios, and Ariadne see a kind of subdued Nope. Who apparently also has a habit of reintroducing himself, then apologizing when they actually remember him.

When Watcher tells them Raphael is on its own, it's time to dive into the forest, which is mildly terrifying. Thus imagine his baffled surprise when a seemingly regular person just wanders through it. He is in halted personal time for a moment, just kind of checking if he is imagining things, until he goes back to normal time, tries to not make his appearance too surprising. Hands balling, opening again. And the woman just adresses them with all the calm in the world. Okay... wait, he actually recognizes her. Kind of. Second-handedly, in a way.

 "Uh, are you Miss... Peters, was it?"  Nope ventures, wanting to make sure. There is the feeling of him side-eyeing nowhere in particular, trying to think of how to handle this.  "Are you actually... safe...ish here? Only heard hearsay about that."  Now that he says this, given how Ms. Peters talks, it sounds pretty dumb, if he has to be honest with himself. And now he has to figure out how to talk to her. Would she get put in danger simply by talking to them and not telling Manchineel? Or them telling her something about what they are planning or asking her about Raphael?

...As the train of thought tries its best to reach a decision, he kind of hopes the others chime in first, now that he already blundered into this.
Abracadangit
 "Good   day,"  Kal says, wondering if this woman hides a secret, some leverage over Manchineel, or perhaps has simply not yet aroused the villain's ire.  "Are   you   in   need   of   assistance?" 
  "Doesn't look like she needs any assistance to me,"   Ariadne comments wryly, in Kal's mind.
Quellian-dyrae
 
 Spoiler 
Routining the Expertise check.

Although, on that subject, I'mma also go ahead and Routine Expertise (Local) for 25 to see what the grapevine says about Jennifer Margrethe and Zephyr and Talia Magro.
 


Lily recognized the woman from some pictures she had seen in local news reports.  Ntombi Peters, the only person to have spoken to Manchineel and not be met with hostility, or so the story went.  Some people were suspicious of her, given her outsider status and her apparently friendly nature with Manchineel.

Lily wasn't afraid to say that she was one of them.

It was hard to put it into words.  But she had...faced Manchineel?  No.  For one thing, what Lily had done wasn't  facing  anything; she had cowered and pled and cried and none of it had so much as slowed Manchineel down.  Manchineel had not been interested in their words, had not so much as considered mercy.  Because that was the other thing.  Manchineel wasn't, in Lily's conception, a hostile being you  faced .  She was a natural disaster in humanoid form, a destructive force of nature.  She was something you  weathered , something you  survived .

You don't talk down a volcano.  You don't make friends with a hurricane.

And here Ms. Peters was, casually hiking along the route they were expecting to meet Raphael on.  Perfectly calm.  Indeed, warning  them  that the forest was dangerous.  That struck Lily as  anomalous .  Just ever-so-subtly  off .  It would make sense that Ntombi Peters would not be scared to hike through Manitou Forest,  given  her relationship with Manchineel.  It would make sense that Ntombi Peters would not be scared of the four of them, heroes of the city who had no reason to harm a civilian.

But...you encounter four superheroes assembled in costume...and you calmly ask if they're there to do some sightseeing?  No.  It doesn't matter if you don't believe Manchineel to be hostile to you.  Four superheroes in costume means one of two things: there is  danger nearby  or they are making some sort of public appearance.  When it happens in the middle of a hostile forest ruled by a mad dryad, you can safely narrow that to one.

It wasn't conclusive evidence.  Maybe Ntombi Peters hadn't made that connection that fast.  Maybe she was just that fearless.

Or maybe it was something else.  Raphael moved relatively slowly.  ...Maybe at the speed of, say, an experienced human hiker?

Lily's nose suggested that Ms. Peters was biologically human, but it was not beyond transformative powers to fool.  And she also detected a faint hint of something bordering on impatience.  Perhaps just that of a hiker whose walk had been interrupted.  Or that of a minion with a place to be and a job to do.

 "It might be wise for you to vacate this area,"  Lily said.   "We have reason to believe a dangerous monster is nearby." 

Did it mean anything in particular, that Lily at the moment smelled faintly of mint?

 
 Spoiler 
Bringing up full Olfactory Clarity, Scent Processing, and Scent Intensification and Evaluating her reaction to that warning: [roll]1d20+15z[/roll].

Also going to make a Perception check, both to see if I can detect any indications that there might be more to Ntombi's scent than was obvious, or to like see if I can detect Raphael approaching or whatever because while I definitely consider it plausible that Ntombi is in fact Raphael I'd still only call my probability for it something like 30% or so.  [roll]1d20+15z[/roll].

For reference, current Senses effects are: All Olfactory Senses gain Acute, Analytical, Accurate; Radius Smell improves to All Olfactory; Tracking [Smell]; Ranged Olfactory Detect [Emotions, Biology]; Smell gains Counters Concealment [Overlapping Scents], Penetrates Concealment [Limited to Around Objects].
 
Dorni
Helios met the woman's question with a polite smile, but if anything the situation wasn't simple. By this point everyone knew Manchineel and her minions roamed the forests and were not friendly to outsiders. She had a lot of courage to be coming out here at all, and if it were just that Helios might have been merely impressed but credulous. But the question was out of place given their band was in full superhero costume. Even if he went so far as to assume she didn't recognize any of them as the costumed heros that had been fighting the League, there was no way to mistake them for regular people out for a hike. Costumes often meant superpowers. And with the number of minions the League had, they meant danger. They meant that the group that this was a group with a purpose for being here, not a group of tourists sightseeing.

 "Indeed, there's no telling when the lady of the forest or her servants will appear." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Is there anything at all off about her mystically? Perception [roll]1d20+15z[/roll]
Also going to try to get a read on anything she says to us since the setup gives reason to believe she's hiding stuff  (1d20+11)[ 28 ] 
 
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: Floral Aside 
Jennifer Margrethe is a well-to-do older woman who retired to Forester's Bay with her husband, Norman Margrethe, roughly three years ago. The reason that Norman Margrethe did not appear in your original searches is that within thirty days of their retirement, Norman moved back to California where they had lived and the two began a from-all-accounts acrimonious divorce in that state. Jennifer is still living and well, but since Norman is not a Forester's Bay local and apparently is not on any social media, it is harder to ascertain his situation without further sleuthing.

Zephyr and Talia Magro are a married couple who grew up in Forester's Bay all their lives. Zephyr worked as a warehouse manager primarily in charge of livestock shipments; the recent events and apparently some personal issues have him on "extended leave" from his position at the moment. Talia Magro (maiden name Tonelli) recently picked up a position as the secretary for Moon River Insurance. Zephyr has a twin brother named Nathan Magro; Nathan was known as a rather shiftless person in the Forester's Bay area, and hasn't been seen in town for several years.
 


Ntombi Peters (as Nope and Floral already know the woman to be) smiles back at Nope's question.   "The wilderness isn't 'safe' for anyone, even a forest as tame as this one used to be,"   she answers lightly, the reflected light from the river glinting off of her polished walking stick.   "Danger's always about; the trick is to learn to see it so you can avoid it, or at least turn it aside when it comes. I'm in less danger than most out here, I suppose."  
  "Now, that is an important question,"   she continues, pointing the end of her stick at Ariadne for emphasis.   "See, I don't know any of you, and it looks like only a few of you know me by sight, though not in person. So while assistance is always useful--only a fool would refuse a helping hand in the wilderness--I don't know if assistance is what you can give to me, or what I can give to you. Maybe none of us can assist each other."  

Ntombi nods to Floral and to Helios each in turn, acknowledging their statements.   "Well, those two statements seem to contradict. There's no telling when things will appear, and yet you have reason to believe a dangerous monster is nearby. It seems that the self-styled forest spirit is a bit more predictable than she believes herself to be."   Her eyes twinkle slightly with a bit of a smile.   "That term, though, 'dangerous monster.' Now, there are any number of things both in and out of town in this little bubble that may qualify, but I'm not sure if the one that'll soon be passing through here truly does. After all, can you blame an animal for following its nature? And believe you me, Raphael's nature is a gentle one; Manchineel couldn't change that--or perhaps she caused it."  

Ntombi Peters lets the names she spoke hang in the air for a moment before she continues to speak.   "I know there's a time and place for killing. I'm at home in the wilderness, and the wilderness can be cruel. I'd rather not harm an innocent, though, which is why I'm here--to turn aside the danger without harm. Now, if I may ask a more serious question then before, I will ask: Why are you, four people with no clear connection to any of the monsters rampaging around Forester's Bay, standing in the woods between Raphael and the place Manchineel told her to go?"  
 
 Spoiler: Floral 
You aren't reading more emotions from Ntombi, either via smell or through other markers. Her tone and behavior has remained remarkably even, calm. She is significantly harder to read than most of the other people you have met since gaining your powers.

The wind is at your back, which is why you can smell it. A complex aroma--rich earth, growing greenery, lichen, and the wet, spongy growths from caves, combined with mammalian sweat and wet odor--all blending together as if from one source. It is a fair distance away from you now, moving in your direction, but slowly. At this rate, it will take several minutes for it to reach you, but it will cross your path here unless it suddenly changes course.
 

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Ntombi's tone, inflections, and facial expressions are remarkably even, calm. She is very difficult to read; her words and inflections make her sound trustworthy, but you can't tell if that is true or a clever performance on her part.

You do not sense anything mystical about Ntombi herself, or the air around her, or her clothing. As you are finishing your assessment, you catch the slightest hint of mystical energies at the very bottom of her walking stick. The easiest analogy to the sense you get is like the whiff of damp you might get if someone stepped in a puddle on a rainy day that splashed onto the hem of their pants three hours ago. With where you are and the powers that Manchineel and her Menagerie has been described as possessing, it could easily have come from contact with a mystical source, rather than being generated from the stick itself or the one carrying it.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily...actually relaxed, slightly, when she picked up that odd scent on the wind.  That was, at least, one concern put to rest.

 "They're not, actually.  Contradictory, I mean.  You can be aware of a danger in the area without knowing whether other dangers may be nearby, or when exactly you will encounter it,"  she responded, before stopping as if to think for a moment, casting a sidelong glance at Helios, and adding,  "Although in our case, that would in fact be in about {several*} minutes." 
 
 Spoiler: * 
Estimated as precisely as possible (down to as close as the nearest whole minute) given: an Analytical sense of smell to determine the exact concentration of olfactory particulates on the wind and the current wind speed based on their rate of passage; a +20 Expertise (Nature) to assess the expected scent intensity of relevant substances given that concentration; a +25 Expertise (Biochemistry) to estimate likely rates of initial concentration and dispersal through the air given current wind speed, ambient humidity, and known size of Raphael; a +15 Expertise (Academic) to do be able to perform complex mathematics in her head; the ability to Routine skill checks while not rushed or under duress; and a partridge in a pear tree (let's be honest it's probably Watcher's).
 


Lily gave a little, patient smile as Peters made her philosophical point.   "No, you don't blame animals for their nature.  You also don't let dangerous animals hurt people.  And if dangerous people are using animals to further goals that will hurt people, then you remove their access to those animals.  Ideally, of course, without harming the animals if you can avoid it.  If you are trying to say Raphael is more gentle animal than dangerous monster, I'll take your word for it; you seem to know more about her than we do."   There wasn't...accusation in Lily's voice, quite, but it was a tad  pointed  there.

Lily didn't...really have anything  against  Manchineel's creations, in and of themselves.  To be fair, she hadn't really thought about them in any context other than "dangerous".  When she had faced them before, she never really put in any particular effort to outright kill or destroy them - but neither had she held back the way she would against a person.  She supposed all else being equal, the humane approach  would  be to neutralize them without permanent harm where possible.  It wasn't like she wasn't equipped with plenty of options for that.

 "By the wording of your question, and of your intentions, I suspect you know the answer to that,"  Lily replied.  She saw little point in attempting deception here.  Raphael's travel speed was a known quantity and a factor in their plan.  Lily herself could fly at three times the speed of sound, Nope could teleport all of them in an eyeblink, and she considered it likely that Helios and Ariadne had similar options for swift travel.
 Plus, she had Raphael's scent.  Either Miss Peters was in fact a minion of Manchineel's in some manner, in which case odds were they were going to be throwing down with her one way or another, or she was what she appeared to be, in which case the odds of her being able to thwart them by either physical force or raising a warning were low.

But that didn't mean Lily would dismiss her.  Even if she did not fear her as enemy or obstacle, notwithstanding unknown unknowns, and even if she didn't fully trust her, if she was what she appeared to be she was likely a decent person.  Perhaps misguided, perhaps even deluded, depending on just how close she actually was with Manchineel, but still decent for all that.  And either way, she could perhaps be a valuable asset.

 "We're here to remove Manchineel's access to Raphael.  Manchineel's plans are a threat to the people of Forester's Bay, and as best we've been able to figure out, Raphael is a significant component of those plans.
 The story goes that you have been able to speak to Manchineel without earning her ire; judging by your presence here, and the fact that you know we are standing between Raphael and where Manchineel wants her to go, I expect the story is if anything understated.  I don't know the specifics of your relationship with Manchineel, or what you might have to do to remain on her good side.  I won't ask you to put yourself in danger siding against her, and if you would prefer to leave here before Raphael arrives, you are welcome to.  We can assist you in returning to town or another part of the forest if you would like."

"Or...if you have any advice to offer us on how best to remove Raphael from Machineel's toolkit without causing her any permanent harm, we would of course appreciate it." 
 
 Spoiler 
Let's try some Persuasion.  Assuming she's not lying through her teeth, it seems like her motivation here might be centered primarily on keeping us from harming Raphael.  As actually harming her is largely irrelevant to our goals, this seems like it might be something we can work with Peters on:  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] .  Since Scent Intensification is on, add +10 if Attractive applies.
 
Ridai
Honestly, hearing Raphael is peaceful makes Nope feel bad instantly. He manages to not emit sounds like "oh no", "aw man", and similar audible distress. But Floral steps up with the problem-solving, and in the end, Nope just stands there, looking to Floral, Ms. Peters, Floral, the ground, back to Ms. Peters, hands opening and closing, sometimes going into pockets (well, at least people around Nope think there are pockets?), coming back out.

Until he decides on a contribution to the situation. Which is just generally gesturing to Floral.  Yeah. What she said. 

I never said it was a big or good contribution.
Dorni
The woman reminded him of some of the lawyers he'd dealt with - he could fully imagine them making arcane technical points about who's the real monster while about to be devoured by a very literal one. The thought gave him some joy.

That said, by the way she spoke she was quite familiar with Machineel and Raphael. She was no bystander hiker.  "Just so,"  Helios added.  "We're well aware that many who serve Machineel are also her victims. If there's a way to remove Raphael from Manchineel without slaying her, we would gladly make the attempt." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Going to assist Lily's Persuasion:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] 
 
Abracadangit
Kal considers replying to Peters' elliptical statement, but lets Floral and Helios speak instead.

  "She reminds me of prophets and muses I have met before,"   Ariadne says into Kal's thoughts, dryly.   "You want to go left, first you have to go right. You wish for the sun, you might end up with the moon."   Kal, in her mind's ear, hears the clicking of a tongue.   "If I wanted riddles, I would ask a sphinx."  
Zelphas
Ntombi Peters listens carefully as Floral lays out the goal of the group, seeming to mull over her words. The walking stick taps the ground absently once, twice.

  "There's a scent that fills the air around Manchineel,"   She begins almost suddenly, looking up into the forest canopy.   "Unless you've got a sense of smell better than the average human, it's only noticeable right nearby, but I'm fairly sure it can be smelled for miles to those with the right senses. It's a pleasant enough smell--earthy, growing, like a 'natural' scent made by someone who's never set foot in real wilderness before. That's all it is, if you're a normal human like--well, like just me here, I suppose,"   she smiles slowly, looking over the group once.    "To the creatures that Manchineel's made, though, well...

"Now, it's only my observation and guesswork, mind you, but from all I've seen the Menagerie can't do much of anything when it can smell their mistress, except if she tells them so. She sings, and they dance, and that's all there is to it. Once they're away from the smell again, well then things can change. For the ones that were once human, it means they get to think again, at least a little bit, to go their own way and make their choices. For the animals... well, what would you expect? They act like animals do. Manchineel can rewrite their instincts a little bit, but she can't change them all."  

Reaching down slightly, Ntombi Peters taps the stream with her walking stick, making a slight splash. Her smile turns sly.   "Raphael, she likes water, you see. She doesn't have much use for drinking it anymore, but she likes the feel of it, the cool wetness, perhaps. I figured that I could coax her into the river and lead her a bit upstream, then leave her to follow her instincts. In a day or two, her mistress will have somewhere else to send her agent of quiet vengeance, having forgotten about her current crusade. Manchineel is a creature of caprice herself, you see; she doesn't plan so much as she acts on what bothers her, or angers her, or intrigues her, in the moment."  

As Ntombi Peters looks back up at the four of you, a slight hint of green glints in her brown eyes. The source becomes apparent a few moments later, as a soft green light begins leaking around the trees behind you, to the west of the stream.   "I'm afraid I don't have a permanent way to remove Raphael; as long as she is in the forest, Manchineel will find her. She is gentle, but she is also strong, and her first instinct seems to be to follow whatever Manchineel last told her to do. Getting her fully out will be a trial, if that's what you wish to try."  
Quellian-dyrae
When Ntombi described the effects of Manchineel's scent on her creations...two sides of Lily went to war inside her head.

Floral, the badass warrior-scientist, the genus biochemist who used the shining light of the sun as a resource and all the plants of the world as weapons, who could manipulate vegetable matter on the cellular level and conduct on-the-fly genetic engineering in the heat of combat, got the mental equivalent of a slasher smile and mad scientist glasses gleam.  Manchineel controlled her minions through scent, but more than that, it was a  specific  scent.  Something she could potentially analyze and emulate, and wield against them.  Among Floral's many biochemical weapons were pheromone scents that could influence and control the minds of others.  If Manchineel's creatures were  already  designed to obey a specific olfactory signature, duplicating it should give her powers a tremendous advantage against them!

Already, plans were shooting through that part of her brain.  She would need to smell it herself, of course; Ntombi's description would no more suffice than the description of "a dark haired woman with an interesting smile" would convey the artistry of the Mona Lisa.  Getting a physical sample would be even better; even Lily's knowledge of biochemistry wouldn't allow her to reverse-engineer the  exact  cellular structure to emulate that  exact  olfactory signature simply by smelling it, although it wasn't  impossible  that with enough time she could match it with trial and error.  Still, limits of human memory would be prohibitive there.  But if...

Meanwhile, the Flower Girl was curled up in the fetal position in some dark corner of her mind, wailing in terror and despair.

Manchineel's creations were beholden to her olfactory signature.  Lily was, herself, a creation of Manchineel's.  One that had once been human, just as Ntombi described.  There was no reason to assume that Manchineel  wouldn't  have bound her to her scent just as she did all her other creations.  That she was able to think and act for herself was not evidence; as Ntombi had said, the formerly-human members of the Menagerie could do that when not in range of her.

That part of her mind wanted to weep.  She had worked so hard to turn her dinky little flower powers into a practical powerset...and now it turned out that the one piece she had thought was an actual, stand-on-its-own useful ability, the augmented sense of smell, might in fact be her greatest weakness.  No power at all, but a backdoor Manchineel had installed to control her.  She was defeated before the fight had even begun, all her efforts to become stronger only serving to make her that much more powerful a weapon in Manchineel's hands once she laid claim to the slave she had created.  And the worst part was that she had known it from the start.  Manchineel was a force of nature.

You don't talk down a volcano.  You don't make friends with a hurricane.  You don't overcome them in personal combat, either.

Lily kinda swayed on her feet for a moment, as if dazed, half of her brain occupied with plans for inevitable and glorious victory, the other half overcome with visions of unavoidable and hopeless defeat.  A single piece of evidence shouldn't cause you to update  literally equally strongly  in two  completely opposite directions .

She took a breath, tried to fuse the two sides of her wildly running thoughts back into a coherent whole.

  Call it even odds, then.  Work to develop methods to exploit Manchineel's scent, ideally while avoiding personal exposure.  Among them, a way to protect  yourself  from it, the way you modulate your pheromones to be blocked by the natural scents of your allies.  ...And work with the others to prepare contingencies to ensure they can neutralize you if you are compromised,   Floral advised her with calm, strategic pragmatism.

   You'll have to tell them what you are,    the Flower Girl warned her in a broken mental voice.

 " Thank you ,"  she finally said, and she meant it, the words coming from the bottom of her heart.  The immediate tactical information - Raphael likes water, and all - was useful.  But knowing about Manchineel's scent...that was critical.  Whether it was a path to victory or defeat or  both  was uncertain, but either way, knowing about it made all the difference.

But then the greenish light came spilling through the trees, and Lily turned towards it.   "If you can get clear, now's the time.  Nope might be able to help with that.  Otherwise...stay behind us." 

To the others she said, quietly, a seemingly-uncharacteristic trepidation in her voice,   "When this is over...we need to talk."  
Abracadangit
 "Thank   you,"  Kal said, with a small nod.  "That's   some   valuable   information.   But   as   my   colleague   suggests,   now   would   be   the   time   to...   re-situate   yourself." 

As the emerald glow brightens, Kal brandishes a needle, and weaves a quick couple of figure-eights as a phantom web of crisscrossing threads expands out from her consciousness and over the surrounding area.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Threadwork Sense Activated!
 
Ridai
 "Huh,"  Nope says on the matter. With persumably very Raphaelian light shining through the forest now, Nope already feels the time crunch, so to direct his thoughts, he makes a sort of arm tucked in karate chop motion towards Ms. Peters.  "Ms. Peters do you want to be re-situated and if yes where please answer quickly thank you" 

If she wants to be brought elsewhere, Nope does so without delay. In that case, after bringing her there, he quickly asks if she is feeling okay, with a quick visual check if everything still seems where it is supposed to be, before excusing himself and zipping back.

 "Hey so I can try to make things not aggressive, but that kind of breaks down if people attack 'em, or I can try to wear things out until they fall unconscious. Former or the latter? Try is the important word here." 

...It occurs to Nope that in the past week, they did not get together to discuss, like, tactics, or what sorts of powers they have, or what to go for. He really should have brought that up. Turns out he also gained the Superpower of Hindsight.
Dorni
Helios' face lit up. Figuratively, of course. The concept of pheromones and plants signaling each other with scents wasn't new to him, but he'd never thought to connect it to Machineel. It was so simple now that it had been pointed out, but where his excitement lay was the options that this opened up. If Machineel exerted control over her minions with scent signals, then blocking those scents would deprive her of an important tool.  "Indeed, this will help us immensely. You have my gratitude. While I cannot promise success, I can promise I'll make every attempt to free Rapheal." 

His mind was already spinning with possibilities for this newest puzzle. He'd already worked out a veil to mask him from sight and sound - he could probably adapt it to block out scents. Wait, no, he'd first have to invert it. But would the spell structure remain stable if it was inverted? Or what if he ditched the veil and tried constructing a filter? But for that... The greenish light was a good reminder that now was most definitely not the time for that.

He looked to Ntombi one more time and calmly awaited her decision.
Zelphas
Ntombi Peters looks up, her eyes meeting Floral's. Something flickers in their depths for just a moment, gone before it can be registered, leaving them dark and twinkling once more.

  "I can find my own way; I know enough not to distract those who are on the job,"   she waves off your offers to take her away from the area.   "Be gentle with her if you can, but despite her gentleness she is a wild creature. She can take more than you think, I just don't know that she deserves it. Fortune to you... Perhaps you should think of a name. I never asked nor answered, but others might, and some folks may wonder what you call yourselves when you're in a group."   Waving with her walking stick, Ntombi Peters turns and begins walking east.   "Just a passing traveler's suggestion; take it with you or leave it in the woods, it's yours to use."  

The forest changed around you at Raphael's arrival.

First was the moss, a living carpet of thick, emerald green life that rolled out in a silent wave and covered the earth all along the riverbank to either side as far as you could see. It grew so thick that you could sink into it if you weren't careful. Then, thin tendrils of greenery slowly rose from the ground or drooped from the branches above, thickening slightly into slender, fuzzy vines of darker, murkier green.  They didn't do much to impede your vision, but made moving more difficult, as they clung to everything around them and slowly wrapped what they found in a soft, easily-broken embrace. The air grew thicker, laden with moisture. The temperature rose.

And throughout, the greenish glow beyond the trees grew closer. The vines and new growth darkened the area slightly, making the glow seem slightly brighter, but it didn't truly grow in its brightness as it approached. Instead, it simply intensified, becoming more green, more filled with life. All of you feel it, a sense of growth and growing approaching with the light; to Floral it is not so familiar as to be frightening, but still contains some familiarity with what she encountered roughly a month ago.

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
You "see" Raphael before any of the others do through your thread sense. Unfortunately, your thread sense is nearly whited out by the amount of magical energy Raphael is pouring out, so you mostly get a vague impression of a cow-shaped creature larger than any real-life cow, and Life with a capital L. After a few moments of study, you realize that Raphael isn't really using  magic , it's more like she  is  magic, like what she's accessing is magic in its "raw" form, without the refinement of spells, gestures, bloodlines, or other factors. It's closely related to magic, but not quite the same, which is probably why your Threadwork Sense is giving you such a vague image.
 

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Looking at the green light as it closes, you get a strange response from your Mystic Sense. You sense no magical aptitude from Raphael, but with every second the Life Magic filling the air around you grows stronger, and its all pouring from where Raphael seems to be. She doesn't seem to be able to use magic, whatever she is; instead, she  is  magic, as though a fraction of whatever energy that allows magic to function has taken physical form and is now walking straight towards you.
 


Finally, Raphael herself walks into view. She steps soundlessly on the thick, heavy moss, her deep greenish-black hooves making no sound on its surface. Every inch of her enormous form radiates deep green light, from the tip of her thin, tufted tail to the points of her long, vine-draped horns and the deep, milky greenish-white of her glowing eyes. Her broad back is a carpet of the same moss that now covers the earth around you. Vines and small white flowers wind around her limbs and peek out from behind her long, drooping ears. Her wide, heavy nostrils flare as the wind shifts, and she stops abruptly just before the four of you, her left front forehoof pawing the ground. To either side of her, saplings burst silently from the ground, growing almost instantly into protective bars of wood on either side of the great ox.

Raphael of Manchineel's Menagerie, the Angel of Healing, stands before you, looking at you with eyes that show little but animal confusion, which can quickly turn to fright.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Here's a  map , in case it becomes needed. The darker green is Raphael's Environment; all movement speeds are reduced by 2 while you are in it.

A battle has not started, but in case one does, I'm going to roll Initiative below:

Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 12 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 5 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 6 ] 
Nope:  (1d20)[ 9 ] 

Raphael:  (1d20+16)[ 25 ] 

Raphael is very likely to go first, but she does not initiate combat, so you are all good to go.
 
Ridai
As Nope is kind of left hanging, he now looks up at Raphael, fidgeting.   "Jesus Christ why is Raphael this enormous?"   he asks no one but himself. He has never seen a being this large in person. Especially not this close. And potentially wanting to stomp his bones and guts into the ground as fertilizer.

So since Raphael doesn't look like she will attack immediately, Nope just frantically glances to his team-mates, trying to not make any sudden motions, as he has no idea what they are planning or wanting to do (or what they even are able to do in this situation). As far as Nope is concerned, he is not keen on attacking right away. More like putting more distance between him and Raphael. But they need to deal with Raphael, and he can't just let the others alone on the potential frontline. But he also has never been good with animals. More like being good at being ignored by animals at best.
Quellian-dyrae
 
 Spoiler 
Lily's activating Olfactory Clarity, Commune With Nature, Scent Processing, and Scent Intensification.  Basically her full Senses and olfactory skill buffs suite, plus Comprehend Plants.
 


Lily kept from shivering as she felt that supernatural sense of  growth  pass over her.  It wasn't the same thing...but it was close enough to be unpleasant.

She held her hands out before her, a non-threatening gesture.  She considered the options here.  In some way, maybe some rather important ways, Raphael was...like her.  She hadn't really thought about that before, maybe wouldn't have had it not been for their encounter with Ntombi Peters.  Raphael needed to be taken off the gameboard, but...she didn't seem immediately hostile.  Lily had the tools to neutralize opponents relatively painlessly, but they still weren't exactly fun, or kind.

...And to be fair she wasn't exactly sure of what the proper dosages were for a creature of Raphael's size.

Floral was supposed to be a hero.  A hero wouldn't resort to violence as a first choice, right?  A hero would at least try to settle things peacefully.

The scents coming off of Lily began to change, from the sweet smell of flowers to something more...earthy, more mossy, but still with flower-like undertones.  Something that, to someone with a nose as keen as hers, anyway, still came off as distinctly  her  scent, but sort of blended with Raphael's own.  It was a subtle, nonverbal communication, a sort of combination of recognition and statement.    I'm like you.  

She approached gradually, hands held out before her, not making any sudden movements.  Lily didn't actually have much experience with animals.  She was a city (well, small-town) girl born and raised.  But...she had a sense of how to do this, or at least thought she did.  She couldn't quite say how or why.  Maybe she was picking up cues from Raphael's scent markers?  ...Or maybe her transformation had changed her on a deeper level than even she had realized.  The brain was part of the body too, after all.

If Raphael didn't react defensively to her approach, she'd slowly, gently reach out, and lay one hand on her shoulder.

 
 Spoiler 
Routine Persuasion to try to improve Raphael's reaction.  If I'm right that should come to 30 total after +10 base, +5 for Attractive 2 thanks to Humanoid Plant, and +5 for Scent Intensification thanks to Attractive 2.
 


And if Raphael continued to remain calm, and seemed to be paying attention to her, she would begin speaking aloud.  Not so much because she thought Raphael would understand her words, necessarily.  But more because...that was how she was used to communicating.  That was how she formed her thoughts in a way that could be shared with others.  But the actual process by which she communicated with Raphael had far less to do with vibrations moving through the air, and far more to do with subtle changes in the scents she produced, instinctively in reaction to the words she  intended  to give voice to.

 "Our mistress has new orders for you.  She wants you to follow us.  We'll take you to where new Life needs to bloom." 
 
 Spoiler 
I figured out an approach that might work.

 Lying through my teeth!   I have a good feeling about it!  😁

Deception to try to convince Raphael that Manchineel wants her to come with us.  Again assuming Humanoid Plant allows Attractive and thus Scent Intensification to apply, and with a further +2 circumstance bonus for Favored Foe (Manchineel's Minions), that should come out to  (1d20+22)[ 38 ] .
 
Dorni
Flint drank in the sight, the  feel  of the creature before him. True, some part of him had to admit that when he'd envisioned Raphael, creation and minion of Machineel, he had expected some kind of nightmare monster or maybe a warped plant-creature. He had not expected a cow straight out of a cornucopia myth. But it was far more than that. Rapheal was a creature of  Life  itself.

The air was infused, radiating, dripping with the aether of Life, so abundant that not only did the plants bloom where she walked, the vegetation grew heavy simply by her mere presence. Like a portion of magic itself taken a physical form. Even the light that radiated from the creature was just more  life  spilling out of its too-small vessel.

It was amazing.

And saddening that such a creature was bound to Machineel.

He opened his mouth and closed it again, not sure what to say to convince Rapheal to stand down. While he was at a loss, Floral stepped forward to coax the creature. He caught her scent as she went past, a rich mossy smell that was nothing like the minty sweetness he remembered. It reminded him of Ntombi's description of Machineel. Of course - Floral was trying to communicate. He might not know exactly what to say, but he suspected Floral might.

Slowly, carefully, he eased into a relaxed stance. He didn't want to spook Rapheal. Then, just as slowly, he reached out with his will to the surrounding aether, coaxing it to surround Floral and let her be more of what she was, more vibrant, akin to his Lifeshell spell but much more gentle. And, he hoped, more aetherically similar to Machineel.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Going to team check with Floral . Routine Persuasion 25 and Routine Deception 26 should give both checks a +5.
 
Zelphas
Raphael stares across the suddenly verdant forest at the four of you, her eyes wide and filled with slow confusion and caution. She doesn't react at first when Floral steps forward; in fact, she doesn't seem to acknowledge Floral at all, her attention focused on Helios, Ariadne, and Nope.  Then her nostrils flare, and the tension leaves her form. Her eyes lose the fearful edge, becoming placid and nearly empty. She leans into the touch Floral gives her, a gentle pressure belying her enormous form. Steadily, calmly, she turns to face Floral--

And jerks back in sudden surprise, letting out a snort. Her nostrils flare again, and confusion mixes with alarm in her eyes. She leans her massive head down towards Floral, taking in deep breaths with her nose, her eyes almost squinting; on a cow less enormous than Raphael is, the expression would be almost comical. Around you, the greenery in the air grows noticeably less vibrant, the moss less engulfing underfoot. Raphael, on the other hand, only glows more brightly. Then in a green flash, that brightness rushes towards Floral.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
Raphael is definitely an animal that was changed; her emotions are slow, basic, and steady. Calm acceptance and a form of love met your words, but when she turned to look at you, surprise (which means fear for an herbivore) suddenly appeared. The love and the fear mingled, creating confusion, and then Raphael came to an instinctive decision. Raphael is attempting to use a power on you. You can choose to dodge it, in which case (being an instinctive snap shot) the power will miss.

 
 Spoiler: If you choose not to dodge 
Floral is subjected to a Healing:  (1d20+14)[ 24 ] 
 

 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily observed Raphael's reactions carefully.  She thought she more-or-less had a decent read on her, but it was hard to be sure; Raphael was not human, and this form of communication was still somewhat alien to Lily.  She seemed to respond favorably...but then she reacted with sudden surprise, and unleashed power on her.

Lily wasn't sure what had prompted the reaction.  Perhaps Raphael had a sufficiently strong connection to Manchineel and her wishes that Lily's attempt at deceiving her only served to reveal her as an enemy.  But...her nose pinged fear, not anger or hostility (not that fear couldn't lead to plenty of damage in itself, of course).  And Ntombi Peters had said Raphael was gentle by nature...and even Manchineel couldn't  change  a creature's nature.

There wasn't really time to think.  Half on reason, half on instinct, Lily didn't flinch when the green light enveloped her, standing placidly and letting it roll over and through her.  There was no visible effect.  She felt a rush of vigor, like she was standing in bright sunlight, but more concentrated and intense.  She was uninjured, but she was pretty sure that Raphael had tried to heal her.  She wondered if it was some sort of test, if the light would have had no effect at all, or even proven harmful, if she were human.

Regardless, she could work with that.

 "It's okay,"  she said with a gentle smile, gently stroking the fur (or is it moss?) of Raphael's shoulder.   "Thank you.  But..."   What had she been trying to heal?  Had she perceived a fellow member of the Menagerie for some reason in the form of a human?  Or had she been trying to reverse the transformation Manchineel had inflicted upon her?   "We are what we are, right?"  she asked.  She cupped her hands together, holding them up to Raphael in an offering gesture.  A faintly golden liquid pooled within them.

 
 Spoiler: If Raphael drinks the nectar 
Raphael receives Healing at  (1d20+10)[ 23 ] .

(Flower Power currently set to Olfactory Clarity [10], Commune with Nature [5], Scent Processing [5], Scent Intensification [10], Healing Nectar [20].)
 

 "Will you come with us, now?"  she asked, still gently, but she allowed a touch of urgency to flavor her scent.

 
 Spoiler 
More Persuasion:  (1d20+20)[ 28 ] .
 
Ridai
  Why does it feel like everyone is in on the plan except me?!  

Nope's eyes are jumping back and forth constantly. And when Raphael does her... whatever it is Raphael is doing, Nope is gone. Well, for a moment. He reappears between blinks. Felt a flinch coming, and that turned into noping his presence. Back to... back to uncertain waiting!
Abracadangit
  "What IS that,"   Kal thinks to Ariadne, not daring to weave a single thread for fear that it might cause Raphael to react.   "It's... made from magic?"  
  "It IS magic,"   Ariadne responds, in a rare tone of reverence.   "Or something that is not quite magic, but a close sister. Hard to say."  
  "Never a dull moment, is there. For now I'll trust in Floral, maybe she can turn it without any shots fired. And if she can't..."  
  "Hnn, hnn, hnn,"   Ariadne laughs, dryly.   "Then there is much thread, to be spun."  
Dorni
Flint's heart jumped into his throat at the sight of all that aether crashing onto Floral. He exhaled when she emerged unharmed. His rational mind told him he should have expected such - as a plant he should expect her to benefit even more from the vitality of Life-aspected aether than a human of her size would. A wave of it should invigorate her, within limits. An over-ripe melon would burst.

That was the worry. So Rapheal wasn't just a fount of Life, she could control it to a degree. She wasn't a wizard - the aether she'd drawn in and sent out hadn't been refined, or woven, or shaped - it was just a wave of Life. That didn't make it harmless. Far from it. Just the size alone meant Rapheal could cause real harm even if she didn't mean it. And if she did, ocean waves always wore away the cliff in the end.

However enormous Rapheal was though, she was still a cow. He'd never owned a cow, but he'd owned cats and dogs and those animals were far more attentive to scents than people. If he wanted to avoid spooking her, that seemed like the sensible route to appeal to. He slowly stepped forward but stopped a little out of reach. Or what he guessed was Rapheal's reach. He gently reached a hand out, palm down. It was an offer - not a demand, but an offer for Raphel to smell him. To allow the cow to get accustomed to his scent. He was introducing himself.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Going to routine Persuasion 20 again to keep team checking with Floral.
 
Zelphas
Hesitantly, Raphael leans her enormous head down towards Floral's hands, a surprisingly pink tongue reaching out to touch the nectar. Raphael brings her head up in surprise, her eyes rolling, stretching her neck to look at her own body. A few moments later, she calms again, though twitches race across her skin at irregular intervals.  She moves slowly away from Helios as her grows closer, not running from him, but shrinking back from his outstretched hand (as much as a 15-foot ox can shrink).

At Floral's words, Raphael's eyes look over to her before dancing away again. She shakes herself slowly once, the air becoming filled with tangled vines and the moss thickening on the ground once more. Then, Raphael takes a slow, careful step in Floral's direction. It seems she will follow along. The glowing cow's eyes are rolling slightly in their sockets, bouncing away from Floral periodically and roaming from trunk to trunk, and twitches of muscle movement still play across her massive form.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Raphael is following Floral! She is very nervous, so sudden movements or sounds have a good chance of frightening her away. Here are some ideas for what to do next:

 Lead Raphael far away:  If you do this, I'd like you all to roll Persuasion, Perception, or Insight checks. Essentially, you would be soothing Raphael, keeping an eye out for anything that might spook her, and watching Raphael to see whether she is ready to bolt, respectively. Each Hero can pick one check to do. Roll that check five times. You can choose to double up on checks to do team checks, but that takes up your slot for rolling. Also, choose at least a general destination. If you fail any of the checks, something will happen then depending on the check failed.

 Bind/Knock Out/Subdue Raphael:  This would be a Deception or Stealth check, followed by a power meant to subdue Raphael with the minimum of pain. You may Power Stunt something for this if you wish. You will be able to treat Raphael as though she was an Object for this "Attack", so either don't roll Accuracy and take your DC or roll Accuracy and treat it as a critical hit. If she fails the check, she will suffer the effects; if she doesn't battle will begin.

 Surprise Attack:  Take a surprise round and unload on Raphael, hoping for the best. Obviously, this is a violent response, but it's on the table.

If you guys don't like any of these, then I'm open to suggestion for what you want to do next. We can either come up with rolls or run it with as few rolls as possible. Getting Raphael to calm down in the presence of strangers and follow you is already an achievement in and of itself.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Floral gave Raphael another gentle pat.  She was skittish, but seemed willing to go along for the time being at least.  Okay then.  That was step one.  As for step two, well...

 "Guys,"  she said in a very gentle voice,  "I think Raphael is ready to come with us.  There's also a  bird  in that tree over there,"  she said, nodding towards the tree she smelled one of Watcher's robo-birds in.  She was pretty sure that Raphael didn't actually understand human speech, but she elected to keep her words circumspect just in case.

 
 Spoiler 
Just kinda a little post to point out the Watcher bird to the others.  Didn't want to jump right into making checks without confirming option 1b is what we want to go for.
 
Dorni
Helios would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit disappointed at seeing Rapheal shrink from him, but he accepted the cue and slowly backed away.  "Ok. I'll coordinate with our avian friend and see what can be arranged." 

He backed away to a safe distance and let Floral lead Rapheal a bit before he smoothly took to the sky and approached the pigeon.  "Hello, Watcher? Are you there?" 
Ridai
Nope actually has no desire to try and befriend Raphael, between her not liking Helios being evidence not to try, as well as cats and dogs never really getting along with Remy, thus dooming him to watching funny/adorable pictures and videos of said cats and dogs instead.  "I, uh, I'll try and watch for... bad things then. Once I know where we're going." 

And with that, he quietly blips out of existence once a target location is known.

 
 Spoiler: Rolls 
Time for Perception!
 (1d20+10)[ 19 ] 
 (1d20+10)[ 18 ] 
 (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 
 (1d20+10)[ 22 ] 
 (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
 "This way,"  Lily said/olfactorily communicated/empathically sent to Raphael, leading...basically in the direction most opposite of their understanding of Manchineel's direction based on Watcher's previous scouting while still being kinda perpendicular to Raphael's original route.  She'd stay close to Raphael as they travelled, hoping to keep her calm.

 
 Spoiler 
Persuasion:  (1d20+20)[ 25 ] .
Persuasion:  (1d20+20)[ 23 ] .
 
Abracadangit
Kal may not have had telepathy or super-strong-botanical-pheremone-based... whatever it was Floral had, but a lifetime of growing up in an argumentative family plus years of working in customer service gave her a pretty keen sense for someone else's apprehension, and a knack for calming things down. Granted, most of her experience was with people, not giant manifestations of life force, but as she watched the creature startle at snapping twigs and shrill birds, she figured it couldn't be too different. She kept an eye on Raphael's mood as they went, signaling to Floral if they needed to pause momentarily so the creature could take a breather to calm down.

 
 Spoiler: Rolls 

Insight:  (1d20+10)[ 14 ] 
Insight:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Helios 
  "Managing to soothe Raphael into walking calmly with you... you all are truly heroes!"   Watcher's voice sounds from behind Helios. Turning, he would find a different pigeon landing on a branch behind him, while the first pigeon launched into the air to follow after Raphael.   "Sorry, that one's tailing Raphael, this one's roaming, so--nevermind. So? If she was willingly going along with you it would be different, but with Raphael being seemingly just an animal in intelligence she'll panic if I try to pick her up now. I have something that might help; single-use, you're in the forest, Manchineel isn't nearby, it shouldn't trace back to me. I'll get it--"   The pigeon goes still for a moment, then swings back to you.   "I'll get it to you fast, but you should go help your group. Raphael looks ready to bolt."   The pigeon flies off, darting away back towards Forester's Bay proper.

 Nope, Floral, and Ariadne 

So... things could definitely be going  worse .

Walking along with Raphael has been going well for a little while, with Floral's soothing scent and voice helping to calm the ox while Nope keeps watch for threats and Ariadne monitors Raphael herself. Then the group crosses some sort of boundary line, or something in Raphael's head short-circuits, and the ox gives out a low bellow of dismay, charging forward at an angle away from Floral. She only moves a few steps, and the group is able to rein her back in, but in the confusion no one sees the fox hiding in the undergrowth nearby. As they begin moving again, that fox bursts out of its hiding place and flees, a flash of red fur right in front of Raphael.

Helios returns to the group just in time to see Raphael balk, kicking up her forelegs and backing up slightly. She lowers her head, shaking her enormous horns back and forth, her hooves shuffling, obviously looking for somewhere to flee.  If the group wants to overwhelm her with surprise, now would be the time; or perhaps she can be calmed just long enough for Watcher to deliver his "help".

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
So, if you want to take Option 2 from above, you will need to do so in your next action; remember that you can Power Stunt if you wish.

Alternatively, you can try to keep Raphael calm for a few more seconds until whatever Watcher is bringing arrives. If you do this, I'll need one Persuasion check and one Insight check. You can Team Check on this. you cannot Routine it. The DC is 25 for each check. If you fail, Initiative starts with Raphael going first. If you succeed, you get access to Watcher's "help", and can use it for an Option 2 attack.
 
Ridai
It feels like they barely began, when suddenly Raphael throws a fit. Invisi-Nope spins around, trying to see what he missed, already having this sinking feeling in his stomach that usually means "you effed up". Going over to try and help (reappearing in the process)... he then misses a fox. And that sets off Raphael further. Feeling himself deflate further, Nope just... just tries to maybe,  somehow,  figure out how to make Raphael not run away, or start a fight, or summon Manchineel or... whatever it is Raphael can do. He was about to apologize on reflex, but that might have upset Raphael further. Somehow. Maybe.

 
 Spoiler: Roll 
Team check for Insight  (1d20+15)[ 20 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
...In retrospect, Lily felt she could have thought this plan through more thoroughly.  She could cop to that.  Mistakes were made.

With Raphael near panic, Lily stepped boldly in front of her.  This...may not necessarily have been wise.  Oh, sure, Lily was a superpowered giant flower, but Raphael was a superpowered giant ox.  Typically when a flower stands in the way of a frightened ox, it doesn't go so well for the flower.

Even so.

She reached out to pet her soothingly.   "Shhh...it's okay...it's okay.  It's just a fox.  It can't hurt you.  You're okay."   She tried to calm her down, half hoping the Watcher had some plan...and half getting ready to calm her by more aggressive means if the need arose.

 
 Spoiler 
Persuasion:  (1d20+20)[ 26 ]  + potential Team Check.
 
Dorni
Helios spun at the sound of Rapheal spooking and rushed back to the group. At least at first, but he slowed down as much as he could stand before he arrived. It wouldn't do to burst through the trees at top speed and startle her worse.

 "Easy girl,"  he cooed, floating towards the enormous steer.  "Easy girl, nothing to be afraid of." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Persuasion to team check with Floral:  (1d20+15)[ 27 ] 
 
Abracadangit
It didn't take super-senses to see that the operation had soured -- Kal knows she doesn't have much time.

  "Not so terrible, if this plan does not work,"   Ariadne says, unbothered.   "Do not shed tears for your enemies, save them for your friends."  
  "Why do you always have to be so AWFUL,"   Kal thinks back, perhaps a little more forceful than she intended. Ariadne promptly falls quiet, which isn't the worst thing in the world.

 "Hush   now,"  Kal says, in a soft, cooing voice, as she keeps her eyes glued to Raphael for a precious moment of calm, that maybe the team can seize on to act, even if only for a second.

 
 Spoiler: Roll 
Insight:  (1d20+15)[ 28 ] 
 
Zelphas
Raphael's eyes are rolling, twitches are still moving up and down her body, her massive hooves are still shuffling from place to place... but she doesn't run. She calms, just slightly. It doesn't look like she plans to go anywhere, but she isn't attempting to flee, either. The situation is still clearly delicate; almost anything can break the spider's web of calm you've placed over the giant ox, sending her in flight or fight in moments.

Which is why it's fortunate that the shiny silver object falls from the sky in front of Ariadne, who is not in Raphael's line of sight, hitting the forest floor in complete silence due to the heavy moss carpeting the ground.

 
 Spoiler: The Device 
On the ground is a silvery cylinder, roughly the size of the palm of your hand. One one side is a bright green button. On the other side are inscribed the words:    Press this side to the target, then hit the button. It'll do the rest.   
 
 Spoiler: Mechanics of the Device 
 Minor Stasis Inducer (+0/+12):  Affliction (Entranced/Stunned &amp; Disabled/Incapacitated, Progressive).
 

 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
The next thing you do will trigger Raphael's fight or flight response. If you want to do Option 2 from above, now's the time! Of course, it's your choice whether or not to use Watcher's Device.
 
Ridai
Suddenly, a thing comes plummeting from the sky. Well. Watcher thing, right?

With Raphael on the verge of freaking out again and being as panicky as she is, something tells Nope whatever the thing does, it should be done... sneakily? Sneakily. Thus trying to put him feeling bad about having messed up to the side for now, he wordlessly gestures to Ariadne to pass the Watcher thing to him.

Once he does have the device and reads the inscription, he is fighting his jitters and just feeling so bad for Raphael as he tries to make his way to the giant ox. Gingerly make light steps on the moss without tripping. Press machine into Raphael. Push button. Hope things will go alright and this won't do bad things to anyone. Hopefully all this without messing up again. Oh boy.

 
 Spoiler: Rolls! 
Here we go.

Stealth  (1d20+15)[ 25 ] 

Power Attacking for 2 with The Device for Affliction DC 29 (I think)
Attack check vs Raphael  (1d20+8)[ 11 ] 
 
Zelphas
Nope takes the device from Ariadne and makes his way stealthily towards Raphael, his footsteps silent on the mossy carpeting. Pressing the silvery metal disc to Raphael's shoulder, he taps the green button. Instantly, pale blue light expands out of the edges of the disc where it touches Raphael's fur, expanding into a film of bluish radiance that overwhelms Raphael's green bioluminescence and seems to freeze the massive ox in a moment of time.

...For about a second, that is. The green glow of Raphael appears at her hooves and travels upwards in a wave, shattering the pale blue light of Watcher's attack into motes of blue-green light that hover in the air for a moment, then disappear. When the green light reaches the disc, it solidifies into the same thin greenish creepers that hang in the air all around the area, warping and tarnishing the silvery metal until the device itself crumbles into dust and disappears, taking the creepers along with it.

With a loud bellow of fear, Raphael rears up on her hind legs, stomping into the ground with earth-shaking force. The ground in front of her shudders upwards into eight distinct hummocks of moss, which split apart to reveal the round, teardrop-shaped pale green bodies of Saplings, unfurling from their hidden rest. They rise up on their squat, root-like legs in unison, their arm-like branches spreading wide to block the way between the danger and their lady. Each of their four eyes chooses a different hero to focus upon; the blue eye snaps to Ariadne, the brown eye to Helios, the grey eye to Nope, and the green eye to Floral, watching all of you at once. The blue-veined, dark green leaf at the top of each pointed head quivers.

Saplings are living creatures; therefore, they must eat. Their name and general shape suggests that Saplings "eat" like plants do, taking in nutrients from sun, soil, and water and converting that to their energy. The four of you are given a possible reason to dispute this general belief today, as the front of all eight Saplings split open to reveal a lopsided maw coated with thick strings of sap. The creatures of Manchineel let loose a bubbling growl, the oddly inorganic sound hissing through broken spurs of wood that could possibly pass for teeth.

For her part, Raphael wheels on her enormous hooves, lowers her massive head, and begins to charge... directly away from the group, heading for the trees on the other side of the small clearing.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Raphael 

Free Action: Swap  Ox of Helios Array  to  Call Protection .

Standard Action: Use  Call Protection , summoning 8 Saplings.

Move Action: Shift to AM17.

 Music 
 Map , once again.

As the battle begins, two quick notes:

 Life's Wellspring:  As long as Raphael is on the battlefield, her Saplings gain a measure of protection due to her overwhelming healing energy.  Saplings do not fail Resistance Checks as Minions so long as Raphael is within 300 feet of them; instead, they take a -3 to all Resistance checks. 
 Flight, not Fight:  Raphael is attempting to escape the battle, but her Teleportation only works if she is in contact with a tree that has at least a 10' diameter. It will take her two rounds to reach such a tree from where she is on the field right now.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
Nope tried. He really tried. And cared. So much. But things have not worked out.

Now Raphael tries to flee and there are Saplings. Aw man.

So Nope's shoulders sag as he looks rather dismayed, followed by trying to just... stop the fight. As unlikely as that is. Okay, start with one Sapling. Think through the row. Then Raphael. No blipping! Okay, maybe the Saplings, but not Raphael! No, let's be safe, no blipping! Just wearing out! Readyokaygo!

Sweat has already been on Nope's forehead when trying to get to Raphael, this situation isn't helping as he balls his fists and then open them to do his thing while trying to keep some clarity of purpose in order to not harm the poor creature. The question whether he should be sympathetic in this moment or not is pushed away for the moment.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Free  Sad cat.

 Free  Switch to  Second Guessing  and  Hit Points, Mass 
 Standard  Attack all enemies with  Remove Hit Points, Mass  to tire them out. 240ft bendable line. Damage DC 25, Penetrating (Pierce Immunity), Multiattack, Crit 16+
Routining attacks vs the Saplings for  20 
Attack vs Raphael  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
As Raphael panicked, Lily didn't even sigh.  Resolving this non-violently had always been something of a long-shot, and they had come  close .  It had been well worth the try.

But now it was time to get down to business.

A light flutter of Lily's wings propelled her into the air, over the saplings, and past Raphael.  She was heading for a large tree; Lily didn't quite know why, but some instinct told her it was probably best not to let her reach it.  Once again, the flower interposed herself before the oxen, presenting a barrier far too small and delicate to have any hope of halting Raphael's enormous momentum.  Even if power could cancel power, the simple physics of the situation simply were not on her side.

Physics.  Heh.

Lily raised her hands, and the scent she had given off when she had been communicating with Raphael intensified by several orders of magnitude in an instant.  Before it had been gentle, soothing, calming.

It still was.  Just thousands of times  moreso .  She reached out with one hand, to lay it gently right at the tip of Raphael's nose.  Raphael's momentum would push her effortlessly along.  The flower could not have  physically  obstructed the oxen if she wanted to.

But  chemically , even a tiny, delicate flower could stop an enormous oxen cold.

 "Enough.  It is time for you to  calm down! "  Lily said, as the heady scent billowing from her skin crashed like a breaking wave down on Raphael's nose.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  5 points to Petal Wings, 10 points to Heady Scent, 10 points to Complex Scents, 10 points to Miasmic Scents, 10 points to Lingering Scents, 5 points to Overpowering Scent.

Move: Into AO17, like...10ish feet up?  Right at Raphael's face-level, basically.

Standard: Attack Raphael with Flower Power, All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 5, at  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 25+Multiattack vs. Cumulative, Secondary Effect Immobilized+Impaired/Stunned+Disabled/Incapacitated Affliction.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: DO IT AGAIN at  (1d20+10)[ 23 ] .

Current Status: Normal, Fatigued as of next turn, AoA -5.
 
Dorni
Helios spat a curse as Rapheal broke free of Watcher's device and fled. Seeing Rapheal up close had affirmed his earlier thoughts; that Machineel's servants were just as much her victims. Despite the phenomenal aura of life energy that she was emitting, Rapheal was still at heart an ordinary animal. In this case a frightened animal. He didn't want to imagine what Machineel could have made out of Feo.

Still, his sympathy didn't mean he could let Rapheal escape. Who knew when they'd get another chance like this. He flew after the ox just above the forest floor and clear of the vegetation, conjuring a blinding flare of fire to burn away the moss monsters and thickening vegetation alike before it became so thick as to bar the way.

With the way clear, he turned his attention back to Rapheal herself and started shaping the runes for another spell. Unlike his previous displays of fire, this spell was far less flashy. He'd never imagined trying to influence a creature this large when he'd created the spell, but if it took hold Rapheal would start to feel tired, exhausted, and sleepy as Helios' magic drained her life energy.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: To AU22
Standard: Cast AoA/PA 5 Solar Flare, centered at AH20. This will cover all remaining saplings plus Rapheal. On hit, DC 30/25 vs Damage and Affliction [Vulnerable / Defenseless].

Saplings: Routine attack 20
Rapheal:  (1d20+10)[ 19 ] 

Extra Effort: Cast AoA/PA 5 Drain Vitality on Rapheal.   Rolled 27 OOC, Crit   On hit DC  25  30 vs Affliction [Fatigued &amp; Impaired / Stunned &amp; Disabled / Incap]. This is Affliction is Cumulative and Progressive.

-5 AoA, Fatigued next turn
 
Abracadangit
As Kal watches her teammates handily dispatch Raphael, she spies a couple of saplings still standing. She clicks her tongue, and a second needle slides into her empty hand.

 "Time   to   tie   up   the   last   loose   ends."  Kal immediately hears Ariadne's dry laughter in her mind.   Hnn, hnn, hnn. Loose ends, like the thread. You must think you are very clever.  
  I didn't mean what I said before, about you being awful. It's just...  
  You do not have to explain yourself to me,   Ariadne counters.   This is a different age, the one you live in. Mercy is one of many luxuries afforded to you. Don't worry your little head, I know I am out of place.  
  Not all the time,   Kal thinks back, as her needles glint coldly in the forest light, flicking left and right while red threads ominously form in the air around the saplings.   Like now, for instance. I can always use your help when I'm doing this... sort of thing.  
  And I shall always offer it, engoní,   Ariadne thinks back, just as the threads coil back from the saplings, like snakes waiting to strike.

  For there is still much thread to be spun.  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Switching Threadwork Conjurations to Dual Needle Weaving, dropping an AoA/PA +5 Thread Lash Cloud Area, centered on AD21. Routining the attack on the Saplings for 20.
 
Zelphas
The green forest Tuesdays for just a moment, and then four of the Saplings simply fall apart into twigs and leaves, while the remaining four stagger slightly due to Nope's deletion powers. Two more go down in a burst of Helios' fire, the twigs and leaves smoldering slightly from the after-effects. The final two are just turning to look towards Floral when red threads burst out of thin air, wrapping tightly around them and pulling tighter, tighter, until they burst into a shower of yellow-green leaves and are gone.

Raphael simply ignores Nope's blast, the wellspring of life within her wiping away any fatigue before it can even begin to manifest. The massive ox doesn't even register Floral at first, still pushing towards the trees nearby, but a few moments later the scent works its way into her nostrils and Raphael freezes in midstride, her entire frame shuddering with the conflict of her own panicked desire to flee and Floral's forced command to calm and stop. This leaves her in prime position to be blasted by Helios' fire; the moss on Raphael's back crackles and blackens, but the ox still does not fall.  Then Helios strikes directly at Raphael's life energy. Perhaps the spell was perfectly crafted to deal with this sort of foe, or perhaps Helios simply struck at the right place and time by sheer coincidence, but the end result is the same: Raphael collapses, first to her knees, then to her stomach, a deep groan coming out of her before her head slumps to the ground. The forest, a moment before a burst of movement and activity, goes quiet and still once again.

A pulse of green light starts at Raphael's hooves and moves swiftly upwards, covering her body in a gentle flash. Once it is gone, the damage from Helios' fire is entirely gone; the massive ox, pouring out life energy even in slumber, still sleeps for the moment.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
End of Raphael's Turn: Regeneration kicks in. Raphael heals 1 Bruise.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Well...dang.

Lily...look, Lily'd be honest, she had not expected that to go that well (especially considering how well the encounter with Raphael had been going up to that point, which was to say not at all).  Truth was, while Lily resented people underestimating her new powers, it wasn't because she was super-confident in them and couldn't understand why others couldn't see how awesome they were.  It was because the doubts hit too close to home.  No matter how much science she threw at them, no matter how much further she took them than they could ever possibly have been meant to go, Lily was always painfully aware that at their core, they were still just some dinky little flower powers.  In the back of her mind, faint but never silent, was always the lingering worry that this next enemy would be the one to reveal that all her tricks and science didn't amount to any  real  power at all, possibly by splattering her all over the ground.

But here was Raphael, one of the most powerful of Manchineel's minions, and Floral's "dinky little flower powers" had stopped her cold.  And her team had not just finished her off, but taken out her Sapling defenders as easy as plucking a few weeds.

Lily's internal evaluation of the probabilities once again updated strongly in the direction of "we can actually do this".

Outwardly, of course, she didn't reveal anything about her (now smaller than they had been) doubts.  As Floral, she simply fluttered down to the ground, her expression not even changing behind her veil of flowers, as if that had gone  precisely  as she had intended and expected rather than wildly exceeding her best hopes.   "Uh, Watcher?  We have one giant ox ready for...transport, or whatever."   Presumably he'd still have a bird nearby.  Meanwhile, she headed back over to regroup with the others, one hand raised to offer high-fives.
Ridai
The focusing did unravel a few Saplings, but Raphael just shrugged it off. Before Nope is even done with the reflexive raising of hands held like claws towards him, shaking with impotent frustration, Raphael just keels over (alive! Keels over alive!) due to the rest of the team. The rest of the Saplings is also done for post-haste.

So poor Nope just stands there, blinking, blinking again, very clearly and blatantly perplexed by his much more competent teammates and the extent of their competence. He weakly points two fingers to Raphael, then the others, then it's just chaos of switching between all of them until he weakly returns the high-five. He also remembers aces low, but he saw that in only one piece of media and immediately discards that as not fitting.

 "That was, uh, wow."  A beat.  "I, uh, I think Raphael has too much mass for me to handle..."  Nope sheepishly admits, hands just closing and opening, arms swinging a little, not sure what to do right now other than wait for what Watcher has to say.
Dorni
Helios let out a sigh of relief. That had almost gone poorly. Their plan had been touch and go for awhile, and Rapheal had bolted and nearly escaped at the end, but they'd done it. They'd even put her to sleep without hurting the undeserving ox too badly in the process. They still needed to get her to Watcher, but he could see the Life energy drained out of her. It was going to be a while before she woke up.

 "One archangel down!"  He shared a high-five with Lily.

He nodded acknowledgement to Nope and turned his attention back to the enormous ox.  "Let me handle Rapheal"  A series of wispy runes of another spell briefly appeared in front of him. There was a brief gust as the surrounding winds collected, which he then directed to Rapheal and gently lifted her off the ground. Turned out the ox was a lot heavier than he'd expected, but his spell was still up to the task. He readjusted the power until she was floating comfortably, then looked around for Watcher's pigeon.  "Where do you want us to meet you?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Using Strength 10 from Crossing the Sky to lift Rapheal.
 
Abracadangit
Kal flicks her needle to the left, and a floating hand made of red thread returns Floral's high five.  "A   job   well   done,   but   there   is   much   thread   yet   to   be   spun,"  she says, stealing one of Ariadne's lines for her own.

They were lucky that Raphael was relatively peaceful; if only every enemy was effectively a giant mass of healing magic, she thinks to herself.

 "That   magic   you   wield,"  Kal says, gesturing to Helios' runes when they appear for a moment.  "Where   do   you   draw   its   power   from?" 
Dorni
 "This? There is air all around us. Its simply a matter of willing it where to go and how to go about it."  It was an accurate answer, but how could he succinctly describe the process of reaching out to the traces of aether in the air, collecting it together to form a mass of air, drawing out the traces of water in the air and then remixing them back into the aether to give the mass of air the property of surface tension making it hard to the touch yet retaining flexibility, then forming a wind on the other side to push the hardened air to give it force, all while keeping the structure of the spell balanced? He bore the girl no ill will, but to fully explain his magic would require starting at the fundamentals. Besides, he was supposed to be empowered by Helios and channeling the power of that god, not a wizard. He had to be careful how much he revealed around that spirit that was bound to her. He wasn't sure if he believed its story that it was the real Ariadne, but it was undeniable it was much stronger than many of the spirits the cult contacted.

 "If you would entertain a question of mine, how did you meet the spirit that possesses you?" 
Zelphas
Green energy has begun to build at Raphael's hooves once again just before Helios' spell fully takes form. He lifts the giant ox into the air, readying her for transport... and the green energy dissipates. Raphael continues to lay upon her new bed of air, unconscious, thoroughly... well, cowed.

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
As you lift Raphael into the air, the Life energy surrounding her changes subtly. It is still present. but it isn't nearly as active as before, which is probably a good sign.
 


There is a prolonged pause as you regroup and congratulate one another, and then a pigeon darts down out of the trees, landing on Raphael's slumbering head.    "You're heroes, I keep saying this, I should know what that means, but you keep on surprising me!"   Watcher's voice exclaims with glee, the pigeon hopping up and down along one of Raphael's long horns.   "Let's see... hmm... Got it! abandoned gas station-slash-autobody shop at the end of town, big building with peeling white paint on the edge of the Industrial Block, almost due north of here. Lock's rusted almost completely away, big garage doors. That keeps Raphael away from the forest until I can get her here; I'm just putting together the finishing touches on the one-way teleport... though the way you all can move, you'll have Raphael there before I finish this sentence!"   The voice chuckles to himself before trailing away ever so slightly.   "Um, right. Get her there, and I'll take care of the rest! You're awesome!"   The pigeon flies away.

  A few days later...  

It was a bizarre case, even for the bizarre world everyone in Forester's Bay has been living in for the past month. A half-dozen people from all ages and walks of life, all dressed in the red scaled robes that mark them as members of the Suneater Cult, all dead in a parking garage on the west side of the Main Drag. Even with everything that's been happening, there have been shockingly few outright deaths, so this comes as a surprise to most. Even more concerning is the shape of the bodies; four of the cultists look like they were torn apart by some sort of wild animal with large, long claws, while the last two are hunched over in positions of agony, with no external injuries except for blood coming out of their ears. The police have kept the rest quiet, but one thing is certain: nothing anyone's seen so far could make those precise types of injuries, and nothing except the six cultists (and a smudged chalk drawing impossible to make out) was found at the scene.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
And that's the first mission fully complete! Everyone gets 3 Downtime actions before your next choice to Act or React.

For your valiant efforts to find a peaceful resolution to capturing Raphael, everyone may take a +5 bonus to the first  Persuasion  or  Insight  check they make in this Downtime.
 
Zelphas
 Historical Insignificance 

August 12, 2018.

Things had been quiet in Forester's Bay for a few days. After the discovery of whatever happened to the Suneaters, there seems to have been something of an unofficial lull in the actions of the League; the Chain Gang has been seen around less often and don't seem to be actively stealing, mugging, or otherwise making a mess, the Suneaters are as unpredictable as always, and Doctor Proxy's robots haven't been seen for almost a week. Most surprising to the four of you perhaps is the complete lack of response from Manchineel. After losing one of her Menagerie, the one in charge of spreading the forest, the League member repeatedly described as a "force of nature" has responded with... nothing. Even the Saplings seem to be dormant, with only a few furtive glimpses of them here and there, though Gabriel still patrols the edge of the Dome and Abel still wanders the forests to the north and west, it seems.

Remy is at the Forester's Bay Museum of Natural History when this small lull ends. He is looking for his sister, beginning with where she told him to go in her last message. As he prepares to leave after another day of searching, he sees several very familiar forms moving with spiderlike speed across the street towards the museum, following after a figure in dark chrome with a long scarlet cape. The last time Remy saw this suit, he was on the inside.

By the time Nope finds the rest of the group and gets all of you to the museum, the Proxysuit and its company of robots are already inside, and the overwhelming majority of museum visitors and staff have already fled. The movement of the Proxysuit and company is easy to follow; broken glass and missing exhibits dot the rooms. No exhibit is broken, but several glass fronts have either been cut cleanly by a small laser or simply broken by metal arms. The metallic group has ignored the exhibits on prehistory, biomes, and flora and fauna, traveling up the stairs and into the wing focused on human civilization.  You catch up to them in a room titled "Development of Tools: Pre-Bronze to Iron Age".

The relatively smaller, spiderlike "Helper" robots swarm over several sections of the exhibit, warming up their laser cutters to break through the protective shielding and get to the artifacts held within. Taking up much more of the large room are two enormous versions of their smaller cousins. Instead of several segmented metallic legs, these "Movers" have four triangular wings jutting out from their flattened square center, each wing holding a turbine that whirs with a surprising lack of sound, keeping the whole contraption aloft. At each corner of the flattened metal square sprout two long, thick arms of dark chrome metal and black cabling; these sixteen arms (eight for each machine) are currently testing either side of a squat exhibit that houses a bronze smelting furnace and an iron smeltign furnace side by side to show the differences in the technology, as though preparing to lift the entire exhibit up and carry it away. In contrast to the Helpers, each of which already have a few museum pieces placed upon their central square dock, the Movers are both empty; you can easily see the numbers "889" etched into the center of their platforms.

Past the Movers and seemingly unaware of anything else in the room is the Proxysuit, though it is currently hidden from view of Nope and Ariadne. Helios and Floral can see a humanoid figure made entirely of dark chrome, lacking any distinguishing human features aside from its shape. The entire "suit" is seamless, flowing like liquid with each movement of the body underneath; even the faceplate is just a blank, flat plane of chrome metal, without eyes, nose, mouth, chin, or ears. The only bit of extra embellishment to this frank humanoid form is a long, flowing cape of deep, dark scarlet, which seems to be embedded in the suit at the shoulders and drapes down to the figure's heels. The Proxysuit has its faceless form turned towards the far wall, where a floor-to-ceiling display holds shards of pottery from before the Bronze Age housed within.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map! 
 Initiative 

Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 16 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 17 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 1 ] 
Nope:  (1d20)[ 11 ] 

When a Proxysuit is in the room and functional, the 'bots all follow its lead, so the suit will roll Initiative for everyone.

Proxysuit (and bots):  (1d20)[ 3 ] 
 All Pcs except for Helios are up. 
 
Ridai
You know what sucks? Not being able to actually teleport. Well, that isn't correct, he can kind of do that and it isn't a scifi teleport that raises all sorts of existential (dread) questions whether an identical copy is still the same and whether your existence ends as the one that disappears and   ANYWAY   moving his position is not the fastest he can go relative to realtime!

So not only does Remy lose some precious seconds having to get to a spot where he won't be seen by anyone and thus won't be noticed to just disappear, but he then spends subjective  hours  in zero time, trying to find the others and bringing them back. Nature has uniquely blessed Remy with the ability to care. Care that is not wont to decrease because of getting used to something. Thus it is hours of dreading something bad happening to innocent people while he is away, while trying to maintain a grip on removing personal time and travel time without causing havoc or getting someone stuck or bumping anyone into anything.

So he appears in front of Ariadne looking kind of stressed going  "A Proxysuit and entourage appeared at a museum, please come with me!" 
Then in front of Helios with Ariadne, looking jittery, going  "Proxysuit and stuff at a museum, please come." 
Then Floral, with Ariadne and Helios in tow, holding his head, going  "Proxysuit, museum"  and just kind of gesturing for her to agree to come with them.

The group of heroes and the indistinct form of Nope that somehow manages to look distinctly disheveled appear in the museum. Looking at his (burner) phone, Nope tries to remember how much realtime has passed while following the trail of burglary, relieved to see no victims. But man, Nora would be so unhappy about the burglary. Ouch, Nope just hurt himself thinking about Nora again.

 "Okay so"  Nope taking a deep breath, being very out of said breath. Did you know you don't need to breathe in zero time and that your body kind of stops trying to do that and you don't get tired but Nope still does because ouch concentration on Removal and trying not to erase general time and space?  "someone's in the 'suit. Normal person. So don't crush or fry it or something. They've no control."  There's just general trying to readjust to realtime and his headache. Headaches are the worst when he needs to  fight. 

When they do eventually reach the exhibition, Nope has mostly regained normal bodily status (headache still there), but seeing the Proxysuit causes all sort of his namesake normally reserved for his powers. You are not supposed to show fear in front of an enemy  but dammit Nope does because bloody hell the Proxysuit scares him to no end!  Which, in a way... helps! He wants the suit and the other Proxy minions to go away! So he very quickly tries to do so with all his might (and momentarily tightly shut eyes). But hurriedly has to amend  but not the person in the suit! Not the person in the suit! Just the suit! The Proxysuit! Stop thinking about normal suits!  With closed eyes, hunched, balled fists, and shaking all over his body, he tries to visualize all the bad Proxy things (minus the person in the Proxysuit) and how they disappear. Open hands, go.

He will need so much combat training to not leave himself massively open in situations like this. The shaking and sweating don't seem to stop.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing  and  Remove Hit Points, Mass 
 Move   Forget I wanted to move  Move to AB25.

 Standard  Attack all enemies with  Remove Hit Points, Mass . Two 240' bendable lines via Multiattack. Damage DC 25, Ranged, Penetrating (Pierce Resistance), Multiattack (multitarget). AoA -5/+5, Crit 16+
Routining attacks vs Helpers for  25 
Attack vs Helper 1  (1d20+13)[ 15 ] 
Attack vs Helper 1  (1d20+13)[ 25 ] 
Attack vs Proxysuit  (1d20+13)[ 23 ] 
 
Abracadangit
While everything happening at the speed of Nope was quite a lot to process, Kal finally catches up and flicks one of her trademark needles into her hand. With Nope... er... "Noping" most of the smaller robots, it gives Kal a chance to focus on one of the larger mechs.

Red threads begin to materialize around the Mover, and a split-second later, Kal grabs a snarl of thread in her open hand and pulls.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Free Action -- Switching Threadwork Conjurations to Defensive Thread.
Snaring Strands on Mover 2, AoA for +3/-3.

Mover 2:  (1d20+13)[ 26 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily...actually kinda appreciated Proxy targeting the museum, in a weird way.  It was like, sure, it was still a robbery and that was wrong and all that.  But there was at least a  certain  amount of coherence to it.  I mean, I'm not saying it makes  sense  that the super-inventor from the future is going after archaic historical weapons.  Let's not go crazy here.  But like sure, Proxy's trying to change history and invents weapons, so something something historical something weapons...it at least  rhymed  with something that made sense.  Or that had met something that made sense.  It made at least a quarter as much sense as Nope's powers?

...Look, Lily's first experience with Proxy was when he sent some helpers to steal a couple perfectly normal teacups from a random china shop.  We grade on a curve here, is what I'm saying.

Not important.  Nope took out most of the Helpers, and Ariadne swiftly entangled one of the Movers in her threads.  Seemed worth exploiting.  Lily darted over to the Mover, and...

Well, I mean, to all appearances, she just kinda reached out to touch it.  I mean, okay, it wasn't an entirely light touch.  It was more of a gentle shoving motion.  Which didn't seem like it should really do much coming from a five-foot-and-a-shrug, slightly-built woman who was pretty much  exactly  as strong as she looked, against a fifteen-foot monstrosity of metal and robotic arms.

But given her hand and, really, her entire forearm were currently sweating high-powered acid, a gentle shove was really all the physical exertion required to deal some potentially massive damage.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Drugged Nectar, 10 points to Lingering Acid, 10 points to Potent Acid.  Variable Descriptor to [Energy] [Acid] for all effects.

Move: Into S29.

Standard: Attack Mover 2 with Flower Power, Power Attacking for 4, at  (1d20+6)[ 9 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 29+Penetrating/24 vs. Secondary Effect Damage Linked Weaken Resistance and Effect Bonus.   Gentle shoves not optimal attack modes for superheroic combat.  You heard it here first. 

Current Status: Normal.
 
Zelphas
 Round 1 

Time forgets something at home and reverses back to get it, and when it gets back it's forgotten that most of the Helpers were not piles of sparking scrap metal. Or Nope uses his powers to take down the majority of the Helpers, knock a few of the thinner struts loose from one of the Movers, and turn a section of the chrome arm of the Proxysuit into thin vapor that quickly dissipates. One of the two.  One Helper continues to work at a display case without noticing the ruckus, and one Mover stands untouched by the chaos, multiple arms undulating steadily.

The already-injured Mover isn't fast enough to avoid the thread bursting out from Ariadne's weaving, finding itself ensnared in red webbing. Unfortunately, even when webbed, the second Mover is able to avoid Floral's "gentle shove", a swing of one long arm knocking her hand aside before any of the acid can find purchase to eat into its circuits.

 "The excursion is a success."  The voice coming out of the Proxysuit is older, female, with a slight accent that sounds like it might be Eastern European. It is also entirely monotone, flat, without human emotion.  "One anomaly produces another. One wrinkle remains; which anomaly is the instigator?"  One hand waves slightly towards the remaining Proxybots, sending them swinging into motion. The Mover entangled in red threading shifts it many arms of a long moment, struggling, before something snaps deep within it, a massive blue-black cable suddenly spiking out of the machine to slam into Ariadne. A moment later, the cable tightens, trying to pull Ariadne bodily across the room and into Floral. The untouched Mover is much more direct in its attack. It shifts carefully away from the replica forges, rotates to bring one massive corner to face towards Nope, and ignites its jets all at once, Barreling at the blurry hero and seeking to send him careening into Helios behind him.


The Proxysuit's faceless front watches the final Helper turn away from the display case it was working on and scuttle towards the right wall, then drifts towards Helios, its bloodred cape flowing as it moves. It halts itself near him. One hand lifts up perpendicular to the body, and a shiny black tube slides out of the liquid-like suit at its right wrist. Without looking in that direction, the Proxysuit fires at Floral, the black tube disgorging a lightning-fast burst of pure white light.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Mover 2 

Move Action: Dazed, Immobile.

Standard Action: Use  Cable Lash  on Ariadne.  (1d20+14)[ 32 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20/22 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Defense (Progressive) Linked Strength vs. being Launched into Floral.  Hit 
If Ariadne is Launched, Accuracy to hit Floral:  (1d20+14)[ 23 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25 vs. Damage.  If Launched, that's a Hit 

End of turn: Resistance to Remove Progressive Affliction (DC 20):  (1d20+14)[ 26 ]   Resists 
 Mover 1 

Move Action: Shift (center) to AB23.

Standard Action: Use  Ram  on Nope.  (1d20+10)[ 28 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC  29   31 /24/22 vs. Penetrating (Pierce Resistance) Damage Linked Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled Linked Strength vs. being Launched into Helios.  Hit; +2 Penetrating 
If Nope is Launched, Accuracy to hit Helios:  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Damage Linked Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled.  Miss 
 Helper 

Move Action: Shift to AR18.

Standard Action: Use  Laser Cutter  on the glass display. Display Resistance (DC 21):  (1d20+2)[ 20 ]   Tough glass. 1 Bruise; unbroken! 
 Proxysuit 

Move Action: Shift to AC29.

Standard Action: Use  Laser Blast  on Floral.  (1d20+14)[ 23 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 + Multiattack (on both) vs. Damage Linked Weaken Resistance. both of these also have Secondary Effect.  Hit, no Multiattack 
 
Ridai
Upside: nothing that shouldn't have disappeared or broke did either of those!

Downside: there are still Proxybots, and the Proxysuit is still turbo nightmare fuel.

So after peeking out from his "stance" to check the results of his attack, he suddenly finds a Mover barreling towards him, faster than Nope can react, really. Well. Kind of? The gigantic thing slams into him, thrusters on full throttle and all, Nope jerks back... and everyone is treated to the sight of this Mover just... jetboosting in place? The heevie-jeevies are already going up and down Nope's back because a Proxysuit is here, but there's a not very funny second set joining in because he doesn't have time to check what his pseudo-reflexive defense did beyond momentarily remove kinetic energy and speed.

Instead, seeing how he basically has his nose pressed against a large rearranger of objects and potentially anatomy, Nope just forms one thought and that is   BLIP!  . Reality has momentary screentearing issues and hopefully the Mover is gone because in this case wishful thinking might actually help!

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Hit Points 
 Standard  Attack Mover 1 with  Remove Hit Points . DC 25/20/20 vs Damage 10, Linked Weaken Resistance 10, Linked Affliction 10 (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated). Crit 16+
Attack vs Mover 1  (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 
 
Dorni
 "A successful excursion? I think you forget that you still need to escape with your gains,"  Helios shot back. He leapt backwards and hung in the air a few inches off the ground, sailing out of the immediate reach of the Proxybot. Scarlet runes winked in and out of existence around him as he conjured - to be matched with three blindingly brilliant fireballs erupting around the chrome proxybot and its oversized minions. Despite Nope and Floral being right up close with the Movers, in a mark of excellent control they felt no more heat than a warm summer breeze. Helios' technique might have improved since the battle with Rapheal.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: to AH30
Standard: Cast PA 2 Solar Flare centered at X28. Using Selective to restrict the AoE to the 2 Mover bots and the Proxybot. Definitely excluding the exhibits as well. On hit, DC 27/22 vs Damage and Affliction [Vulnerable / Defenseless]

Mover 1:  (1d20+8)[ 28 ]   Nat 20, Crit 
Mover 2:  (1d20+8)[ 26 ]   Crit 
Proxybot:  (1d20+8)[ 19 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily raised her arms up crossed in an X before her catching the laser blast.  It was hardly a perfect defense, and she got a second-degree burn on her right forearm for her trouble.

But that was about all she got, and one might notice that the shin  around  the burn had turned a vivid shade of green.

And Lily cracked up.  The smell of poppies filled the air around her.

 "Oh...oh you've got to be kidding me!"  she said between giggles.   "The photosynthesis?  Really?  It helps against...oh...wow."   Another light breath of laughter and a shake of her head.   "Okay.  Credit where due.  That one's legit useful." 
 "Let's try that again, shall we?"  Lily said to the Mover, before lunging for it with both hands dripping with virulent acid, using the energy she had absorbed from the laser to power the acid up further.

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Dazed.

Standard: Attack Mover 2 with Flower Power, All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 4, at  (1d20+11)[ 28 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 29+Penetrating/24 vs. Secondary Effect Damage Linked Weaken Resistance and Effect Bonus.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: Unless it's somehow down, do it again at  (1d20+11)[ 19 ] .  Spending a Hero Point to buy off the fatigue immediately, since fluff-wise she's fueling this with energy absorbed from the laser.  However, if the first attack misses, then rather than using EE I'll just spend the HP rerolling, since that gives me better odds.

End of Turn: Recover 1 Resistance.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, AoA -5.
 
Abracadangit
A circular web of Kal's threads lift her up off the floor, and instantly disappear into nothing as soon as she's back on her feet. She feels bruised, but not broken -- the threads acted as a sort of cushion, softening the blow as she slammed into the nearby display case. It feels much less heroic when they send  you  flying, she thinks to herself, still a little dizzy from the impact.

  "Are you alright, engoní?"   Ariadne asks, concerned.

  "I'll live,"   Kal thinks back, trying to sound tough.   "I've been hit before, but not... like that. If I didn't have the threads to protect me..."  
  "But you do,"   Ariadne counters.   "They will strike at you with claws, and clubs, and other wicked splinters of violence. Fear them not. Do you remember the Pattern of Protection, from four days ago?"  
  "I don't know that I'm ready. What if it doesn't work as it should?"  
  "Then it is better you discover it now, than against a deadlier foe, hm?"  

Kal couldn't argue with that logic. She runs over to a spot between Floral and Nope, slips a second needle into her open hand, and begins to work. Beautiful, elaborate displays of red fabric flow into the air, encasing herself, Floral, and Nope in woven barricades that will stretch and contort around their movements.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free Actions: Getting up with Instant Up advantage, switching Threadwork Conjurations array to Dual Needle Weaving.
Move: Moving to W27.
Action: Using Silken Shields, Deflect Effect 10; Burst Area, Selective. Linked to Create 10; Selective, Reduced Range [Close]. With Dual Needle Weaving: Add Reflect, Redirect. Catching Ariadne herself, Floral, and Nope in the Area of both the Deflect and the Created Shape, plus the Created Shape should be under Deflect as well (if I'm understanding this correctly).

Status: 1 Bruise.
 
Zelphas
 Round 2 

Fortunately for Nope, whatever he accidentally did to the Mover that barreled at him before completely stops its momentum. Unfortunately, whatever happened actually turns the mass of cabling and metal into a non-object, antithetical to the laws of reality. Space and time begins to bubble and tear, ripping and clawing at this non-thing that also tries to exert its existing nonexistence to a world that refuses to believe in it.

Then Nope BLIPs it away, returning the completely untouched Mover to its original realness and regular position. So... that's probably a good thing, in the long run, though the still-functional Mover is a bit of a concern.

The Proxysuit engages whatever thrusters are hidden within its form, shifting silently to one side and avoiding Helios' massive blast of fire. The other two fireballs engulf the Movers... and then die, with the two hulking machines remaining entirely untouched.  "As one of the villains of your era has said: 'My goals are beyond your understanding,'"  the flat voice from the Proxysuit intones, its form still turned towards Helios.  "Grandiose, arrogant, overly pompous... for the moment, a correct assessment." 

Floral, darting at the Mover in front of her once again, manages to catch it with her acid-sweating hands in a crucial juncture between two of its arms. The acid seeps in and eats a hole straight through the machinery, the chemical runoff of acid and metal dropping to the floor to eat through it as well and into the museum below. Hopefully no exhibits are directly underneath where they are standing. The Mover goes into robotic spasms at the extend of the damage, flailing wildly with its cables at Floral. Even as it does so, Ariadne's threadwork builds up a defense between herself, Floral, Nope, and those around them, causing the lash to whip at the threadwork wall instead of Floral herself. Although Ariadne's threads can guard Floral against the attack of the cable, they can do nothing for the white light which struck her before, which suddenly flares to life again in a burning wave over the flower hero.

One hand comes up on the Proxysuit, and the fully functional Mover shifts away from Nope, maneuvering towards Helios. Cables and arms fly outwards, seeking to lash at the sun-themed hero and bind him in place. The Proxysuit lifts up its right arm, pointing it at Helios: a blast of crawling black energy fountains outwards, leaping towards him.

At the east wall, you hear the sound of shattering glass.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Mover 2 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Cable Lash  on the thread wall around Floral, All-Out Power Attacking for 5.  (1d20+14)[ 22 ]  vs.  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]  (minimum 20 for Deflect)  on a hit, thread wall Resistance:  (1d20+10)[ 13 ]  vs. DC 23 Damage.   Redirected; Ariadne, this attack has a 30 foot range. 
 Mover 1 

Move Action: Shift around the Iron Age Farming Tools display, ending up at AJ30.

Free Action: Swap to  Cable Lash .

Standard Action: Use  Cable Lash  on Helios.  (1d20+14)[ 34 ]   Crit on a hit, Resistance DC  25/20/  30/25/ 27 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Defense (Progressive) Linked Strength to Grab. Movers have Improved Hold, so if you are grabbed, attempts to escape will be made at a -5 penalty.

 Helper 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Laser Cutter  on the glass display. Display Resistance (DC 21/16):  (1d20+1)[ 3 ]   Destroyed 
 Proxysuit 

Move Action: Nah.

Free Action: Swap to  Crippling Blast .

Standard Action: Use  Crippling Blast  on Helios.  (1d20+12)[ 20 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 31/26 + Multiattack (on both) vs. Damage Linked Impaired &amp; Vulnerable/Disabled &amp; Defenseless. The Damage has Secondary Effect; the Affliction has Progressive.  Hit; no multiattack. 

End of Turn: Secondary Effect Triggers. Floral, I need a Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Damage &amp; Weaken Resistance. This has the [Light] descriptor.
 
Ridai
Nope blinks and wonders what just happened, quickly followed by a creeping feeling that he just fixed something very bad that was in the process of making things worse... but he also hasn't really made the bad things go away. And now the world is red cables- no, correction, thread! Much better than murdercables. Much better.

So with the Proxysuit still being  extremely hella creepy , glass shattering, and Nope trying not to get himself tangled up in the thread, he squints through the wooly wall, trying to make out the various bots. Think through, make them go away (except the person in the Proxysuit!), but no deleting the threads!

Nope has no idea how the others are able to banter, laugh, and be competent while fighting. He tried that once and it came out incredibly lame  and  removed the colors from some Chaingangers' clothes instead of anything useful.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch back to  Hit Points, Mass 
 Standard  Attack all enemies with  Remove Hit Points, Mass . Damage DC 25, Ranged, Penetrating (Pierce Immunity), Multiattack (single target). Crit 16+
Routine vs Helper for  20 
Attack vs Mover 1  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
Attack vs Mover 2  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]   Natural 20, Crit! 
Attack vs Proxysuit  (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily grinned and gave Ariadne an appreciative wave as she shielded them with her barrier of threads.  Unfortunately, Helios had been out of range, and resultantly came under heavy fire.  Lily winced as the sun mage took some hard hits.

But courtesy of Nope it was now four to two.  Lily pointed one hand in the general direction of her allies, a vine extending out from her palm and winding its way around to all of them, a couple dozen golden hued and actually just slightly glowing berries growing from the vines as they reached each of her teammates' positions (and another bunch growing out from her hand.

The berries began to grow brighter, and brighter, and then suddenly burst into golden nectar that would soothe their injuries and cleanse their ailments.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure flower power.  20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Medicinal Nectar, 10 points to Solar Nectar, 10 points to Floral Vines (applied to Healing with Dynamic Choices).

Move: Nah.

Standard: Healing Nectar on all allies, though Nope is uninjured so doesn't get any benefit.  Persistent Restorative Healing.
 Lily:  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] .   8/10 RP 
Ariadne:  (1d20+10)[ 17 ] .   7/10 RP 
Helios:  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] .   12+5 RP; removes one condition, 7/10 RP towards removing a second  
Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: Do it again, rolled OOC.

Current Status: Normal, Fatigued as of next turn.
 
Abracadangit
 "Helios!!"  Kal cries out, as she watches the fight unfold. Is it her fault, for not being able to cover him? She silently reflects that perhaps her pattern of protection isn't so useful if it leaves a solitary teammate unshielded -- then they become the natural target for any would-be aggressors.

She doesn't know quite what to make of Floral's botanical conjurations, but the nectar certainly feels refreshing. She bows to Floral slightly in gratitude, as her bruised legs feel much more sprightly, all of a sudden -- healing powers, on top of everything else! Kal wishes her abilities were so versatile.

  "In time. And look -- the book wizard is fine,"   Ariadne points out, dryly.

Not bothering to respond, Kal focuses on both the Mover and the Proxysuit at once, and hundreds of red threads begin to form in the air around them, spiraling and spinning together into ropes and cords.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Action: AoA +3/-3 Snaring Strands, centered on square AF29, with Cloud Area (15 ft. radius) it should hit both the Proxysuit and the Mover, and with Selective from Dual Needle Weaving, Helios doesn't have to worry.
 (1d20+13)[ 33 ] 
 
Dorni
Surrounded by the Proxybot and its Helper, Helios crossed his arms defensively and his warding runes flared to life. The Proxybot's black bolt hammered those runes and they wavered - for a instant it looked like they might give, but instead it was the black bolt that shattered. But despite the effort the wards couldn't fully contain the energy and black shards leaked through, drawing blood and a pained gasp from Helios.

That was when the Helperbot slammed into the sun god from behind. Already badly tested by the Proxybot, his wards flared wildly under the hammering arms and cables.  It seemed like they were about to give again, but Ariadene's threads enveloped the robot and gave Helios the opening he needed to whirl away from the attack. He willed more power into his wards and while they steadied, they shone less brightly. They'd taken a beating, but they'd held, and the nectar Floral offered healed the worst of his wounds.

Helios himself glared at the Proxybot, then snapped his fingers at the ensnared Helperbot - which erupted in golden flames.


 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move:
Standard: Finishing Attack Mover 2 with PA 5 Combust.  (1d20+5)[ 25 ] .  Crit. Nat 20.  On hit, DC 30+Pen/25+Pen vs Damage (Pen) &amp; Weaken [Resistance] (Pen) &amp;
Affliction [Impaired/Disabled] (Cumulative)
					
 
Zelphas
Nope thinks about making the Proxybots go away--and with a  whoosh  of displaced air, the last standing Helper and the heavily-damaged Mover do just that; simply vanishing without a trace. The other Mover loses about an eight of an inch of its metal plating, causing some minor damage but otherwise leaving it functional. The Proxysuit tilts its head, rotating so that its faceless front is turned towards Nope.  "That is...  familiar. "  Under the flat, unemotional delivery, there is the barest hint of interest.

Floral's berries work wonders for her companions and herself, removing almost all of their bruises and abrasions. Ariadne reaches out with her threads, snaring the other Mover in tightly-wound cords of spectral energy-matter, but the Proxysuit simply slips between the questing red thread with liquid grace, escaping essentially untouched. Helios' golden fire races over the entrapped Mover with an almost musical chorus of rushing fire; the metal contraption comes alight as though it were oil-soaked wood, the Mover simply unable to move before it vanishes in the conflagration entirely.

For a moment, the room settles, and you all can hear approaching police sirens. Hidden until this moment by the sounds of battle, the sirens are now very close.

 "There is no further purpose for this altercation,"  the Proxysuit states, trailing thin red threads that slowly move to attempt binding it once more.  "Congratulations are in order, Floral, Helios, Ariadne... Nope. Both of our primary objectives were completed. An equitable trade. We shall meet again."  The black, crawling energy flares over Helios once again, a final burst of pain.

With that, the Proxysuit begins to boil, the cape furling upwards to capture the rising black smoke in an orb of crimson with a single, black point in its center. Moments later, the suit has evaporated entirely; a woman in her mid to late fifties with olive skin and curly brown hair, dressed in slightly stained hospital scrubs, hangs in the air for a moment, posed in the same way that the Proxysuit floated just moments before. Her eyes, staring sightlessly before her, roll up into her head, and she crumples, falling the last foot or so into the floor.

The sirens still wail, but underneath them you can hear doors slamming and shouted orders near the front of the museum. Floral recognizes at least one of the female voices.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Proxysuit 

Full-round action: Self-destruct.

Congratulations; battle is over!

Helios, it probably doesn't effect much unless you want it to, but you do have a DC 31 Resistance check vs. Damage to roll against from the Secondary Effect of the Proxysuit's attack.

Everyone gets 3 Downtime Actions before your next choice to Act or React.

Since you spoke with the Proxysuit directly here, Downtime Actions regarding Doctor Proxy get a  +5 bonus  for this session of Downtimes.
 
Ridai
Covered in thread and nectar and his own sweat, Nope just stands there for a moment, shaking. It takes some time for him to snap out of whatever state he was in, prompted by things that need to get done, checking on the woman who was in the Proxysuit. Not that he can really tell much other than that she is alive. But he is still shaking.

 "A-are you h-hurt? D-do you w-w-want to get out of, out of here?"  Nope asks the others.

----------------

Whether or not the others are still there, Nope looks to the lady who was in the proxysuit. He very carefully moves her limbs into a more comfortable (and perhaps dignified) position, so she does not simply lie crumpled on the floor. After, he scoots away two or three meters, sitting on the floor, legs crossed, hunched forward with his elbows on his legs. The tremor in his hands isn't going away. It won't be long before the police will arrive in this room. Nope feels he should probably just leave, that he will probably make things worse for himself, maybe others, if he stays. Nothing is going to happen to that lady in this short moment. She probably won't remember any of the time in the proxysuit. Nothing too bad, in the grand scheme of things, was done during her time in the proxysuit.

But Nope isn't moving, he sits there, waiting for the police. This lady was in a proxysuit. Now she is here, lying on the ground like a discarded puppet. Leaving doesn't feel good. Damn hands won't stop shaking.

Once the police arrives, Nope also feels tension, a lot of it. Knowing something about guns is one thing, he knows a few people who are into that sort of thing. But he just doesn't want to be anywhere near actual ones, especially not pointed remotely at him. Clenching his hands when he will likely get yelled at to put up his hands where they can see them and the like. Anything he will do probably will somehow make things worse. So he tells them:  "Th-this lady was in a proxysuit. I think she is unharmed. Physically. P-probably won't remember the time in the suit. She wasn't controlling anything. She was hypnotized in there. Puppeteered by Doctor Proxy. I don't know who she is or where she was kidnapped from. Please take her back, get her medical attention. Sorry for... sorry. I'll try to... clean the damage up now..." 

If, for some reason he highly doubts, the police just lets him, he goes and tries to remove the damage done. He has been here often enough to know what things are supposed to look like, though he probably paid more attention to everything after Nora disappeared. If they try to stop him, through his indistinct features slipping from people's minds, he looks kind of nervous, kind of sad, apologizes once more, and just disappears, removing his presence before going about removing the damage in that state. Taking his time. Wants to do this right.
Quellian-dyrae
The Proxysuit vanished, leaving behind nothing but questions.

...Well, questions and a formerly-possessed woman.

...And a bunch of scrapped robots.

Plus a mess.  Okay, you know what, fine, the Proxysuit left behind plenty.  But  primarily , for Lily's purposes anyway, questions.  As best she could tell, the Proxysuit hadn't taken anything with it.  All the other robots were down.  So if Proxy deemed their (her?  Lily was certain that the  words  coming from the Proxysuit had been Proxy's own, but she wasn't sure about the  voice .  In movies and on TV when someone was possessed their voice sometimes sounded like the possessor's, but Lily had no idea whether that conceit would translate to real life) primary goal completed, it likely didn't involve a physical theft.  That might also explain why Proxy deemed their  own  primary objective completed, if their interference had indeed prevented them from getting whatever they had (secondarily?) come here to steal.

(Strictly speaking, Lily would have considered stopping the theft a secondary objective to making sure nobody was harmed and rescuing the victim who was being forced to pilot the Proxysuit, but given that nobody appeared to be in physical danger and Proxy had released the victim regardless, she supposed in terms of goals that required their intervention to achieve, stopping Proxy from stealing something ended up more-or-less at the top of the list.  Assuming her assessment of Proxy's assessment of their goals was accurate.)

They had been talking about anomalies triggering each other.  So...it was an experiment of some kind.  An anomaly...might have been a change in the timeline, maybe?  Or something else?  As best Lily could tell, the only real change between their arrival and Proxy declaring victory was their initial attacks against the other robots.

And while Lily was still very,  very  unclear about how Nope's powers worked, if you said Helios is to spells as Nope is to blank, "anomalies" would have definitely made Lily's short list for filling in the blank.

She turned to him to ask if he might have any thoughts on the matter, and saw him sitting on the ground, hands trembling, looking at the woman who had been possessed.

That could wait.

She walked over and briefly laid a hand on his shoulder, before starting to walk around the room, sniffing about for anything...anomalous.  She heard the sirens, and the shouts of the police, including the voice of one person in particular that part of her would just as soon avoid a confrontation (she knew better than to pretend it would merely be an "encounter") with.  But the fact was that the police weren't going to be the ones who solved the problem of the League of the Future.  Lily wasn't going to just scamper off when there might be something to find.

...Okay, and maybe Proxy saying they had achieved their primary objective, congratulating them on the same, and just up and leaving when they had just wiped out their minions and clearly had them on the ropes had  kinda  offended her pride and left her in a bit of a confrontational mood.  Just a little bit.

 
 Spoiler 
Turning on the full senses suite (for our purposes what probably matters is the Analytical Olfactory Senses and Detect Biological) and sniffing around to see if there's anything interesting.  Perception:  (1d20+15)[ 20 ] .

...Although I suppose this  does  also mean I'm on Detect Emotions when the police arrive.  Total coincidence of course.  I guess technically I'm Routining Insight for 25.   By coincidence .
 
Abracadangit
Kal doesn't like the sound of the Proxysuit -- its "objective had been completed"? She thought the whole idea of them showing up was to foil Doctor Proxy's plan, but then it seemed like they got what they wanted anyway. She begins to get the feeling that there wouldn't be many clean victories, in the battles to come; there were ulterior motives aplenty, and with alternate timelines making everything more complicated, it felt as though any action whatsoever was playing into at least  someone's  hands.

And to top it all off, she'd been punched across a room by a robot. It bruised her ego more sorely than her frame -- something about the whole "Ariadne" mystique didn't hold up when she was being swatted like a fly. What was the point of the threads protecting her if some supervillain henchman could send her sailing anyway?

  "You are thinking about this the wrong way,"   Ariadne chimes in.   "Were it not for the threads you spin, then you may very well have not survived, or kept all your pretty little bones in the right places."  
  "You're right,"   Kal thinks back, in rare agreement.   "I suppose everyone else makes this look easy, is the thing."  
  "My favorite book wizard weathered quite the attack,"   Ariadne counters.   "And he survived it, and your friends helped him, and now look at him, back on his book wizard feet. There's one lesson he CAN teach you."  
  "But no magic lessons?"   Kal teases.

 "Hmph,"  Ariadne harrumphs.   "Not today."  

Suddenly the police are there, asking questions and investigating, as they do. Seeing Nope speak with them, Ariadne decides to answer their questions along with him -- he seems very nervous by himself, and she wants to do anything she can to support her newfound friends.
Dorni
Helios frowned at the Proxysuit's final words. It had accomplished its primary objective? What did it mean by that? Had the robots stolen whatever it was they were after before they'd arrived? Or...

Helios shook his head and invoked a healing spell.

 "I think not,"  he answered Nope while the last of his injuries disappeared.  "We shouldn't run away just yet. I'd also appreciate if you could hold off on repairing the damage they caused. We still need to find out what it was that Proxy was trying to take, and I suppose now is as good a time as any to make introductions to the police." 

He starts approaching the unconscious woman, but seeing both Floral and Nope at her side he held back. Lily's healing nectar was potent; she had the situation in hand. Instead he takes few steps towards the approaching police.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Will be using Heal/Lifeshell to heal remaining wounds. Whenever its appropriate I'll be Routining a Persuasion 25 to make initial impressions with the police.
 
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: Floral 
There is nothing that pings your smell in this area; while the textiles were made from various grasses and there are traces of wood matter from decayed handles to the bronze and iron tools, these don't seem to connect with whatever Doctor Proxy is doing.

As you look around, you do come to where the last Helper was disappeared. It had broken the display glass in front of several shards of pottery; the largest is three-quarters of a vase from the Fertile Crescent region circa 800 BC, while the smallest is an irregular lump of clay theorized to be a crude idol recovered from a dig in Turkmenistan, dated to 1200 BC or earlier.
 


It takes a short while for the police to reach where you are; from what you can hear, they are sweeping and clearing each room as they pass through, moving with a mixture of haste and care. Eventually, however, they make it to the display room where the four of you remain with the unconscious woman (no visible wounds or distress; she seems to be sleeping at the moment). After a moment of shocked surprise, the four uniformed officers have their weapons ready with shouts to put your hands where you can see them, down on the ground, one calling for backup, the works.    "Wait, isn't that... the Flower-Girl?"     "The threads--some Bronze Links we picked up in the Main Drag said something--     "That one--he's fought the creepy Apophis guy, the one with the magic--I mean--"   

Even with the slow recognition from the officers, it takes a several minutes of explanations and back and forth for the (eventually twelve) officers to realize a few things: you aren't in league with the League, you aren't planning to harm anyone, and you are at most only slightly concerned about the guns that they have trained on you.

The twelfth officer to enter the room is in SWAT gear without the helmet, her gun already holstered when she arrives. Fury clouds her dark green eyes, so intense that you can almost see it running through her cherry-blond hair on end. She instantly breaks the unofficial line between the police and the four of you, marching towards Floral like she's planning to deliver Judgment itself down upon her.

 "Everyone settle."  The last person to enter (bringing the police involved to thirteen) is a man of short stature and stocky build, with grey close-cropped hair, grey eyes, and even a greyish cast to his skin, seeming to blend into his black uniform. Even with this, his voice cracks across the general confusion, silencing the officers immediately. Even the woman marching towards Floral stops in her tracks.  "You,"  the man points to Nope, the light glinting for a second off of the badge on his chest reading   Naples  ,  "Stop tampering with evidence. This city may be in chaos, but this is a crime scene. Woods, Brandis, check on the victim, make sure she's stable." 
 "Sir--"  the woman--Woods--began, her eyes never leaving Floral.

 "That isn't a request, Woods."  The answer hangs in the air for a moment, before Woods gives Floral a look very nearly promising violence later and turns towards the unconscious former occupant of the Proxysuit.  Naples continues giving orders to the other officers, sending some to check artifacts, others to cordon off the pieces of the Proxybots, and other duties, seeming to almost ignore the four of you. Finally, he turns to Helios, who has been handling the negotiation with the police for the most part.

 "Sergeant Naples,"  the man states bluntly, looking at each of you in turn.  "Arresting you is pointless, but I'm not handing out commendations either; you're civilians, and vigilantism is still being debated in the SC. You could have left before we got here. The fact you didn't means you want something. Mind getting to that, so I can tell you it's above my paygrade and get back to dealing with the mountain of paperwork this is going to be?"  His tone is bluff, almost bored, but his eyes are clear.

 
 Spoiler: Floral (Insight) 
The officers have a decent range of emotions. Fear is right there, as is anger, but mixed in is everything from annoyance at these upstarts to childlike glee at "real superheroes" in front of them, though they keep the glee fairly masked.

Hannah is pure rage, so much that you almost miss the worry and relief that twine behind the rage and give them their force.

Sergeant Naples is a brick wall; you don't read anything from him, which is something to note in and of itself. Perhaps he's been on the job so long he knows how to hide his emotions away from even uncommon detection.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily's nose picked up little regarding the scene.  The police were a somewhat different matter.  She smiled a little at the scent of glee coming from a few of them, though they hid it outwardly.

The smile disappeared when one of them called her Flower Girl.

As Hannah started stalking her way, she turned to face her squarely.  If anyone was close enough to Lily that they'd have been able to smell a normal perfume, they'd have caught the sudden scent of freshly baked bread wafting up into the air.  Hannah hadn't even  said  anything, but it didn't matter.  Just the scent of her anger immediately put Lily back into the frame of mind of their last shouting match, and her own anger rose up in response, without some much as a word being spoken between them.

Sergeant Naples, fortunately, interceded before the two sisters could do their best impression of throwing water on an oil fire.  A petulant part of Lily kinda wanted to give a cheeky smile and wave at her, or something, but she resisted the impulse.  She wasn't going to bet on being able to maintain professional decorum under verbal assault from her sister, but she at least wouldn't be the first one to break professionalism.

...Well, hopefully she wouldn't.  She wasn't going to right this second, anyway.

  Stupid that she's mad at me anyway.  What does she think would have happened if her team had been here instead of mine.  Thirteen cops against the Proxysuit.  I took that laser blast and freaking absorbed most of it.  If it had been her, what would she have done.  Gotten a hole burned through her chest and died, probably.  That's what!  

(The freshly baked bread miiiiight have maybe actually smelled more like a freshly baked cinnamon bun.)

With Hannah following orders.  Lily turned back to the scene.  She didn't touch anything, but she considered the pottery.  The Proxysuit had been eyeing this display case in particular when they entered, she recalled.

Pottery.  Pre-Bronze-Age pottery.  What could that mean.  An anomaly...a temporal anomaly, she had hypothesized.  A...change to history, of some kind?  But on pottery?

Lily considered.  She read over whatever plaque or whatever there might have been explaining the provenance of the pieces, going back over what she knew of pre-Bronze Age crafts and tools.  Did anything here seem  anomalous  somehow...?

 
 Spoiler 
Long shot Expertise (History) to try to see if anything seems historically anomalous about these pieces:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] .
 


It was a long shot, and Lily knew it was a long shot.  But follow the theory.  Say the Proxybot is here looking for evidence of alterations to the timeline.  There were other broken display cases leading to this room, but nothing taken.  Why break the display cases if not to take anything?  They were made of glass.  Glass didn't block normal visual light, but certain types of glass could block certain wavelengths of energy, like glasses or windows that were shielded against ultraviolet light.  Some sort of futuretech scanner relying on energies outside of the visual range would not have given any visual display, and could reasonably be obstructed by a barrier of solid glass.  But what would it be scanning for?

The obvious answer would have been some sort of trace biological evidence that might have indicated a person from a modern timeline, but that was implausible.  For one, her sense of smell should have detected it too.  For another, these artifacts would have been handled by modern humans anyway, in digging them up and preparing them for the exhibit and so on.

What Nope - Remy - had revealed previously came back to her.  His sister had worked her, at the Museum of Natural History.  She had disappeared here.  An anomaly.  Alterations to history.  A woman disappears...trapped in the past...but a woman who works at a history museum, who might be expected to know something about how things worked in the past...but also have knowledge of modern technology and methods...

Lily suddenly turned to Sergeant Naples.   "Proxy was examining the artifacts in that case, but didn't seem interested in taking them.  I'm not sure, but it looked like they might have been...scanning them, or something, maybe?"   Lily had to resist the urge to grit her teeth.  Having to maintain a secret identity was frustrating.  She couldn't appear  too  knowledgeable, least of all to the police, who might know more about her civilian identity due to familiarity with Hannah.  Which meant that rather than just telling them the practical course of action, she had to present things so they came to the correct conclusions on their own.

 "I don't know if there's some way you can do some, like, cop show forensic shenanigans or something and find whatever they might have been looking for?"  she said with enough uncertainty to make it sound more like a question than anything, along with a kinda awkward laugh.

Hopefully at the very least it would make them seem more helpful.  But that wasn't her objective.  She needed to get those shards into a lab, where she could examine them for evidence that one of them might have been produced using some sort of modern methodology (or whatever else Proxy may have been interested in them for; it was a decent hypothesis but she couldn't rule anything out).  Lily was sure whoever the FBPD had doing forensic stuff was, you know,  fine .  Objectively decent.  But whoever they were, they weren't  her .  She knew it...and Hannah knew it.  And maybe, just maybe - because she definitely couldn't rely on Hannah here, although she supposed all else being equal Hannah might prefer to have her puttering away in a crime lab examining pottery than out fighting supercriminals - some of Hannah's fellow cops knew it well enough that when their forensic analyst inevitably failed to find anything, they might call in Detective Woods's genius biochemist sister for a consult.

Maybe.  Possibly.  Couldn't know until you tried.

 
 Spoiler 
As one possible option for mechanically shoring this up...Lily has the Connected advantage.  Could I maybe use it kinda in reverse?  To prompt the cops to call in a favor from Lily?  If that's possible at all,  (1d20+10)[ 13 ] .

Either way let me know if I need or could use any other social checks to sell these shenanigans.
 
Ridai
Oh. Good. No fixing the damage, huh? What this means in practicality is that he will need to check back every now and then to see when this is no longer a crime scene and just fixing it then. Nope really doesn't feel like arguing. He doesn't like arguing very much, especially not with guns having been pointed at him not too long ago.

 "Just stuck around to make sure nothing happened to her,"  Nope tells the Sergeant who is in the process of being an ass. If Nope has not had the chance to tell them she was in a proxysuit, he does so. And then it's just, kinda... waiting for the others to want to get out of here?
Abracadangit
 "My   purpose   in   staying   here   was   to   inform   you   of   what   my   colleague   has   spoken.   and   to   introduce   myself."  With some threads and some quick darts of her needle, she begins the work of picking the rubble off of the floor and softly carrying it off to the side, where threads deposit it against the walls.

 "I   am   Ariadne,   and   know   that   I   fight   for   the   city   of   Forester's   Bay."  She bows slightly, reinforcing the idea that she is here to help, not grandstand for photos.

After assisting with some of the cleanup, Kal takes a look at some of the artifacts that Proxy had been interested in, and then decides to do a quick once-over of the rest of the surrounding area, with her threadwork sense. She imagines a network of phantom threads reaching out of her soul, crisscrossing through everywhere in the museum nearby. Then as she closes her eyes, another eye opens.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
If any of the artifacts have any mythical motifs, she'll routine General/Egyptian/Greek mythology to learn anything useful. Gonna pop Threadwork Sense and Remote look around, see if there's anything else in the surrounding areas worth noticing or giving off any kind of magical energy.
 
Dorni
Helios held off a moment, not sure why the one policewoman seemed to have it out for Floral. Before he could interject the Sargent stepped in and suddenly it made sense. Woods, the sargent had called her. She was related to Lily. Which meant it was best not to step in just yet.

He resisted the urge to frown when the sargent - Naples - made his demand. It didn't surprise him that the police wouldn't greet their vigilantism with open arms, but it did disappoint him that Naples was starting off with a pre-emptive dismissal. He hoped it was just the Sargent acting gruff rather than the man having his head so far in the sand that he believed the heroes' help wasn't needed.  "Then allow me to get right to the point, Officer. What we're asking for isn't anything so onerous. We want to help. We're all trapped under the same dome. Our group here can go up against the League and their minions - but the four of us can't be everywhere." 
 "Our ask is pretty simple. We want your help to figure out what the league is up to and where they might strike next, so that we can stop them and protect the city." 
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: Floral 
With just a simple once-over under slightly-broken museum lighting, you can't note anything anomalous about any of the pieces of pottery.

Naples is still difficult to read, but from the other cops you get a mixed series of reactions. I will need another social skill check to push them in the direction you want them to go. Deception will hide your own explicit interest (and thus the hint at your civilian identity), but will have a higher DC towards actually accomplishing your task. Persuasion will have a lower DC, but runs the risk of making the officers (especially Naples) suspicious of Floral's interest.
 


Even without turning around, Floral can feel Hannah's glare on the back of her head after she makes her little "comment". She grew up with Lily, so she knows all the tricks the way only a sibling can. Anyone who is in sight of both of them can see the uniformed Woods shoot a long glare at Floral before reluctantly going back to checking over and securing the unconscious woman on the floor. For his part, Sergeant Naples gives Floral a long look before nodding once.  "Worth checking. Big part of the chaos is lack of knowledge; any hints on the whats and whys are good, or we're all in the madhouse soon enough." 

Nope gets a slightly longer, more piercing look from the Sergeant.  "We've dealt with this before,"  he states simply.  "There's a doctor, a psychologist, support group, the works. Nothing to do with me past initial securing and transporting to safety, which is a shame given my charming bedside manner."  All of this is stated in the same blunt voice without a hint of irony, somehow.

 "So does Watcher, according to him,"  comes Naples' response to Ariadne, taking out a notepad and sketching a quick comment to himself before storing it again.  "Appreciate the statement, and no arguments that you didn't fight the League today, but I'll reserve judgment; keep you in mind if I find a labyrinth." 
 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
Some of the textile fragments depict weaving, with a few adding spiders as motifs, though none directly reference Ariadne. In one, you are able to discern a picture of a woman sitting in front of a loom; on one end she feeds in thread, and on the other she pulls out deserts, rivers, and trees. You're able to identify her as the Egyptian goddess Neith, who was the goddess of creation and weaving (As well as several other domains that escape you at the moment). One of the Helper bots broken here was directly in front of this textile fragment.

Nothing in this room has magical or mystical properties that you can sense.
 


Finally, Naples turns towards Helios, a slight lift in his eyebrows the only change in expression.  "Just to be clear,"  he begins slowly,  "You're asking a uniformed officer to share information on ongoing investigations with four costumed vigilantes, so that the same vigilantes can then interfere directly in these investigations?"  His tone, as always so far, has been fairly bland, but his voice is currently pitched not to carry to the other officers around the room.  "Are you, in short, asking me to directly flaunt the laws of our state and country in light of this increasingly chaotic, unique situation?" 
 
 Spoiler: Insight or Deception DC 20 
Sergeant Naples is difficult to read, but it seems this time his message to Helios is clear; he's messing with him. He seems willign to at least begin helping ,but he wants to hear Helios say it.
 
Ridai
Nope just nods a few times as he turns away when the Sergeant outlines procedures for proxysuit victims. He didn't even imply they don't know what they are doing! Why do people always jump to the worst conclusion?!

On the other hand... support groups. Hm. Going to one doesn't feel right. He got out before anything could really happen. Well. Anything Proxy tried to do. Feels... disrespectful towards the people who basically lost time and were used in crimes. That and saying what did happen to him would be... bad.

So with Nope basically fading into the background, he is aware of what is going on, but his desire to interact just dwindles as fast as his remaining mana for social interactions for the day.
Abracadangit
 "Hnn,   hnn,   hnn,"  Kal and Ariadne snicker, as one.  "Very   funny,   Officer   Naples.   And   we   shall   keep   you   in   mind   if..." 

Kal feels Ariadne attempting to pipe in her thoughts.   "...we need someone to arrive after the fight is already won."  
 "...we   require   external   assistance,"  Kal says, a little strained from having to mentally shush Ariadne.

After answering some more simple questions, Kal takes some time to examine the textile fragments in greater detail.

  "She's beautiful,"   Kal thinks, of the woman at the loom.   "Neith, right?"  
  "Very good,"   Ariadne thinks back.   "An inspiration for myself at the time, one of many. Wherever and whenever you go in the mythologies of the world, there are weavers -- watching, restoring, protecting."  
  "Always sort of in the background, aren't they."  
  "They don't have much time for silly adventures or idiotic wars when they're busy mending all the holes that the other gods keep tearing in the world,"   Ariadne counters, acerbic.   "And they have nothing to prove, to the gods or to themselves. Theirs is a quiet strength, born of patience and understanding."  
  "Hardly sounds like you, though,"   Kal thinks, with some sass.   " 'Patient?' 'Understanding?' I'm surprised you look up to them."  
  "Hnn, hnn, hnn. Such is the goddess' lot -- I never claimed to be a goddess. But I can appreciate their position, healing a world that is forever coming apart at the seams, with little in the way of gratitude. So I offer them my prayers, when I can. It is the least they deserve."  
  "I never thought of you as the faithful type,"   Kal thinks.   "I didn't know you paid respect to the gods."  
  "Not to the gods... only goddesses,"   Ariadne corrects.   "We all inhabit a world that was not made for us. The least we can do is walk through it together. Now go, check on your friends. We can discuss such things later, if you like."  

Kal sees Nope looking sort of drained, so she figures maybe now isn't the best time. When Helios has a break in talking to police officers, she gets his attention.

 "Helios --   one   of   the   robots   was   examining   a   piece   of   a   textile   that   shows   Neith,   the   goddess   of   weaving.   Doesn't   that   seem   like   an   odd   coincidence?" 
Quellian-dyrae
 
 Spoiler 
For the additional social check, I'll go ahead and toss more Persuasion.   (1d20+10)[ 12 ] , and since this one is more directly part of a face-to-face interaction, add +5 against anyone who would be subject to Attractive (from the Limited skill bonus; I'm pretty sure the actual bonus from Attractive doesn't apply since this isn't really an attempt to seduce, deceive, or improve reactions).
 


There wasn't much else Lily could expect to figure out without getting the pottery into a lab and giving them a proper analysis.  But it would behoove them to be in good standing with the police, so she nodded in agreement with Naples's assessment of the need for knowledge, and then said,  "Is there anything we can do to assist your efforts or investigations?  I think the more smoothly we're all able to work together, the better it will be for everybody."

"And myself...I mean, yes, I would absolutely say that this situation is dire enough that if you perceive us as vigilantes, you should one-hundred percent flaunt any laws that would get in the way of us working together to keep this city safe, come down to it.  But to be even more precise...I don't think it's correct to call us vigilantes.   We aren't here to fight crimes."   Okay, to be fair, there was that one thief, but that was kinda a wrong place at the wrong time sort of situation.   "We're here because this city is under  attack , and we can help protect it." 
Dorni
Helios resisted the urge to sigh. Well, it might have been too much to hope that the police would welcome them with open arms, but at least they weren't openly hostile. But he didn't think Lily had thought through her appeal either. If they were responding to the city being under attack by a hostile invader, then didn't that make them essentially the city militia? He was an accountant, not an expert on criminal law, but going down that road felt like the wrong one. To the lawyers he'd suffered working with directly flaunting the law was a high crime, but nothing brought them more joy than creative interpretation.

 "If it makes you feel any better, we're not vigilantes. Vigilantes attempt to enforce the law without the proper authority. We're not trying to supplant you as local law enforcement. I'm more than happy to leave that part to you. We're just good samaritans who happen to show up and quell a crime in progress. If we happen to hear you or your officers discussing an investigation while we're giving statements at a scene, well, sometimes that just can't be helped can it?"  he finished blandly. If the officer was going to be a hardass then so be it, but there was a giant ever-present dome over the town. He could at least pick a legal permission structure that let him do the right thing.

Helios turned to Ariadne when she called for him and frowned in thought at the information.  "Doesn't feel like a coincidence to me. He sent a dozen robots and they skipped a bunch of other exhibits. Feels more like they had some idea what they were after. I wonder if Proxy thinks there might be an edge to be gained from mythology."  There was no shortage of figures with a connection to old myths in town. Himself included, he supposed.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'll throw in a persuasion check as well  (1d20+15)[ 18 ] 
Also as soon as Helios gets a moment he'll take a look at the exhibit as well and see what clues he can find. Investigation  (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 
Also also, figure the answer is no but might as well check - does Helios sense anything about the exhibit with his mystic sense?
 
Zelphas
At Floral's first question, Naples blinks and squints slightly, giving her a closer look.  "Maybe it's the atmosphere making me suspicious, but you seem to be inordinately interested in assisting in the investigation. Beyond protecting from attack or quelling crimes in progress." 
 "Sergeant Naples, the victim's pulse is stable, but slow,"  Detective Woods' voice broke in suddenly, her voice laden with professional urgency.  "I'd like her to be moved to a doctor's care ASAP."  Her eyes flicker back to Floral and then away again, to her patient.

 "Then prep her to move; the scene's clear until forensics arrives in any case."  Naples responds, sounding vaguely surprised at the interruption. He turns back to the four of you, drawing in a breath.

 "...Right."  Sergeant Naples looks over each of you in turn, listening patiently to your explanations.  "You're not vigilantes, you're freedom fighters. Or Good Samaritans. In either case, perfectly legal, and here to help."  He rubs the bridge of his nose in an almost reflexive action, sighing.  "Like I said, above my paygrade. Maybe something will get hashed out by the brass in a few weeks; until then, if you happen to hear about some problems, or drop by a few more crimes in progress and 'quell' the criminals, it's no skin off my nose."  The last statement might have been spoken just loudly enough to be heard by all of the uniformed officers in the room.

 "It takes about fifteen minutes for cleanup to arrive once they're called in,"  Naples continues, checking his watch.  "It would be convenient for all of us if you were not around when they arrive, at least this time around. Good day to you, concerned citizens."  With that, Naples begins directing his team once again out the door, with the unconscious woman and a few of the scattered artifacts in tow.

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
This room does not have the oldest artifacts by any stretch; there are plenty of fossils that are orders of magnitude more ancient. It does, however, have some of the oldest  man-made  artifacts in the museum. A quick check of the spots where the Helpers were (made a bit more difficult since a few simply disappeared from Nope's influence) tells you that they weren't always in front of the oldest artifacts among this collection, but all of them were man-made and old. Perhaps there's something there.

Detective Woods and two of the other officers have latent magical potential, though it's weak and too unformed for you (at this point) to pinpoint what their specialty might be if they honed it. OTher than that, nothing comes across your mystical senses.
 

 A Loud Silence 

August 15, 2018.

Watcher is confused about the most recent avenue you've chosen to pursue.   "There's nothing there; just an abandoned summer camp,"   his pigeon explains to you as you all plan to go to Camp Bubble Brook. He even brings you a few printed-out photos on your way, showing you a collection of log cabins, a fire pit, an overgrown dock with some half-submerged canoes. In the photos, it certainly looks eerie, but completely empty.

Which is why the sound of a guitar playing campfire songs gives you pause as you approach the hill overlooking the camp.

The forest cuts off abruptly at the top of the hill, forming an unnaturally perfect half-circle around Camp Bubble Brook. The little, rolling streamlet that gives the camp its name bursts out of the forest to your left, winding in a lazy s-shape from the western edge of the campsite until it empties into the sweeping expanse of Lake Michigan to the east. Directly in front of you are three rows of three log cabins each, sandwiched on either end with a larger cabin. The cabin to the west has a white rectangle with a red cross painted above its entrance, while the large structure closer to Lake Michigan has large letters reading "ADMINISTRATION" painted on the side. Farther in is another large log structure marked as the "CAFETERIA", directly to the west of a large circle of packed earth with a sunken firepit in the middle, a totem pole standing next to the pit.  Three thin docks stretch into Lake Michigan on the eastern edge of the camp, with neat rows of canoes or kayaks tied to each mooring.  The northern edge of the camp is split into two sections, with the western side laid out like a traditional school running track with various track-and-field supplies while the eastern side is a stretch of grassy field, with bows and arrows on one end and a series of large wooden targets on the other.

A large fire crackles in the firepit, with a few people throwing logs into the blaze from a convenient pile of them placed nearby. The source of the guitar music is revealed to be a... guitar, seemingly floating and strumming by itself next to the fire as scattered children sing campfire songs facing it. As you watch, the cafeteria door opens and a boy walks out, laughing and chatting with thin air. Groups of people or individuals wander the camp, leaving or entering cabins, running on the track, or practicing their archery; occasionally (though it's hard to see from this distance) it looks like a bow fires an arrow on its own, or a puff of dust flies up from an unseen foot. Out on Lake Michigan, a girl pulls determinedly on one set of oars on her canoe; the other set of oars paddle in time with her, no one visibly moving them.

Welcome to Camp Bubble Brook.

 
 Spoiler: Floral (Scent Suite) 
It might be easier to tell once you get closer, but right now your sense of smell is giving you a very confusing set of signals. You can smell living people in the camp, but the smell is... old. It's like the way a room would smell if someone peeled an orange there three hours ago. There are doubtless several theories you can come up with regarding this smell, but none of them are pleasant.
 

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
If you're sensing mystic power from this far away, it's from something big. But if you're sensing it from this far away, you should also be able to pinpoint what type it is, and you can't... yet. It's like the mystic energy has been diffused into the air somehow. You can't even tell if its coming from an entity or from the land itself. Not at this distance, anyway.
 

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne (Threadwork Sense) 
There are threads running through the air of Camp Bubble Brook. If Ariadne had to make a bet, she'd say that these threads are all coming from one spool. However, you are too distant and the threads are either too fine or too large for you to trace them... yet.
 
Ridai
 At the museum 

Naples, at least partially thanks to... basically everyone else, seems to arrive at tolerating the group. When he turns to leave, Nope says  "Thank you, sir" . Maybe it will, for some reason, draw some ire again, but, well... can't do anything about that. This is basically a great outcome, as far as Nope is concerned.


 At Camp Bubble Brook 

Okay.  O-kay.  Souls of children going about camp activities, either unknowingly stuck in a loop or something endless ongoing, if pop culture has even remotely any relevance here as a provider of possible explanations, and those possible explanations should be considered with a truckload of salt. Invisible counselors. And Watcher isn't aware of this. And Manchineel avoids this place. Basically this place triggers similar reactions as Doctor Proxy does for Nope. He has no idea what is going on, and what this place is capable of. And what it can do to them.

And unless Apophis or his cult are having a field day here, they are also now dealing with a sixth superthing they know nothing about in this town.

  "What do you think are the chances I can make a counselor visible and that it is my namesake? And that some of them are just wandering around,"   Nope urgent-whispers. He... okay look, this is  kind of  a productive question, but mainly something he needed to get out of his head.   "I can try looking around with removed presence. Can also try to do that for you, but, um, real talk, I don't know how reliable that'll be or how long and over what distances I can maintain that. Is not easy."   Maybe the "cool guy Batman" thing would have been to say something like "I'll look around" and then just disappear to do a cool guy Batman investigation with cool guy Batman results, but Nope prefers trying to hash out with the others how they want to handle this. As, you know, a team.
Quellian-dyrae
 At The Museum 

Lily had been about to reply with some screed about how given the circumstances that it wasn't  possible  for her to be "inordinately" interested in assisting the investigation, but Hannah's interruption delayed her for long enough to think it through.  Sergeant Naples was clearly a competent cop, and was operating off of dangerously good instincts.  The legible concerns he translated those instincts into were irrelevant; that response might have served well in a formal debate, but here the words would matter less than the intent behind the words.  Whatever she  said , what she would actually be  communicating  was a sense of "this one doth protest too much".

Part of Lily was grateful that Hannah had stepped in to divert his attention elsewhere.

A much bigger part of her was annoyed that her big sister felt like she needed to swoop in to protect her, whether or not she had been right.

 At Camp Bubble Brook 

Well.  This was...let's...let's be generous and say "interesting".  Yes.  Interesting.  Definitely much better than any alternate possibilities.

So, ghosts?  She wasn't sure.  In fiction, it wasn't impossible for ghosts to move objects, but it tended to be...effortful.  Not automatic.  The people in the camp seemed to be acting as if nothing weird were going on, just going about their activities normally.  Then again, Watcher's observations had indicated the camp was abandoned, so the objects themselves might not be quite material.

All reports indicated the camp was abandoned, including Watcher's.  No reports of objects moving on their own.  So what they were encountering was different than others.  Had they simply come closer than others?  Was something about their personal power giving them a clearer view?

Too many unknowns to say.

  "Scouting could be useful, but if we're trying to identify what we're actually seeing here, I think we need more than just observation."   Lily replied to Nope's idea.    "Can the campers perceive us?  Can we make physical contact with them?  There are questions we need to answer that require interaction.  That said, we should also figure out why others didn't perceive what we are perceiving.  Is it a factor of distance, of power, or of something else?  It's possible that our own perceptions are being manipulated here."

"For purposes of gathering data, my thought is something like, you scout, one of us tries to move as far away as possible while keeping the camp in view to see if perception changes with distance, one of us tries to interact with the campers to see what happens, and one of us hangs back and keeps tabs on the other three so they can step in if anything dangerous seems to be happening."

"For purposes of 'you are obviously in a horror movie right now, act accordingly,' my thought is that superpowers or not splitting up is probably a terrible idea."  
Abracadangit
 "There   are   threads   here,"  Kal says as she scans the area quickly with her network of invisible threads, arcing and spinning from her location like a vast spiderweb.  "Hard   to   tell   precisely   where   they're   coming   from,   but   they   seem   to   have   a   singular   point   of   origin." 

She regards the odd spectacle of the self-animated objects with a mix of suspicion and confusion. Kal wonders the same thing as Floral -- why do the campers seem to not notice or mind the strange goings-on? Are they somehow part of it, or merely ignorant of what's actually happening.

 "Your   plan   sounds   effective,"  Kal says, in response to Floral's strategy.  "I   should   not   be   the   one   to   address   the   campers;   my   patience   will   wear   quickly   if   they   do   not   understand   my   questions." 
Dorni
 Camp Bubble Brook 
 "I think it would be unwise to split up,"  Helios chimes in at last. He'd been enthralled by the campsite, squinting at something  just  out of sight.  "There's magic in the air here. Strong magic. But its... diffuse. Spread out. I can't make out if its natural or if its an enchantment that someone laid down. Or some thing . I'd need to get closer."
 
 "If we split up and something happens I'll be too far away to protect you. If we stick together I should be able to give warning if the aether changes and protect us." 
Zelphas
As you converse with one another at the top of the hill, a young camper exiting one of the closer cabins glances your way. The small pigtailed girl does a double take, then moves quickly towards the lake, her steps taking her towards a young woman with a small group of campers at the lake's edge--probably one of the counselors. The blonde-haired woman looks up at the girl's approach, then stands, hands out to calm down the others around her as she begins walking towards the new arrival and, with her, towards the hill where you are standing. She shades her eyes with one hand to look up at you, pausing at the front edge of the closest cabin to you with her other hand on her hip to look you over. After a moment, the hand on her hip lifts up in a beckoning motion towards you.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
If you wish to stay hidden from the counselor, I will need a Stealth Check of DC 20. Some of you can hide while others remain seen with no issues; the girl only caught a glimpse of someone on the hill. If all of you beat a Stealth Check of DC 20, the counselor doesn't beckon; instead, she looks at the hill for several long moments before gently guiding the pigtailed girl back to the group she had been working with before.
 
Ridai
There is a moment where Nope considers to hide his presence immediately. But as has been rightfully pointed out, if the others can't perceive you (whether by being elsewhere or, well, hidden from all senses), they don't know if anything bad has happened to you. And they are basically in a horror movie setup. At least Nope is very safe in terms of immediate death flags. Sooo... meeting the  SCP  people it is?

Unless the others want to avoid the campers and counselors, he heads over to the young woman. Not sure how to handle the situation, but chances are she will let them know what's on her mind.
Quellian-dyrae
Well that was one piece of information acquired; the campers were able to perceive them.  That ruled out things like this being something like spectral images playing out past events or such.

If she were honest, Helios saying they should stick together so he could protect them kinda nettled her pride, sensitive as it was to suggestions of needing protection.  She didn't mention it though; logically she figured he meant it in a "this is a magical situation, magic's my thing" sort of way, it was just her own biases that insisted on hearing it differently.  Lily wasn't immune to bias influencing her feelings, but she was at least sufficiently self-aware to recognize and compensate for it.  Usually.  Mostly.  ...As long as Hannah wasn't the one saying it, anyway.

Regardless, all fictional evidence aside, sticking together in a strange and potentially dangerous situation was simply tactically sound.  Safety in numbers and/or concentration of power.  So when Nope headed for the counselor, she followed along.

  "Any preferences on how we play this?"   she asked quietly as they approached.

When they reached the counselor she gave a friendly smile and said,  "Hey there." 
 
 Spoiler 
Perception to see if there's anything more worth smelling now that I'm closer:  (1d20+15)[ 18 ] .  Reduce by 5 for non-olfactory senses.

Insight to Evaluate the counselor (substituting olfactory Perception with Scent Processing):  (1d20+15)[ 30 ] .
 
Dorni
Helios was at least a little surprised at the counselor noticing them. That... didn't entirely rule out that the camp was an illusion or something spiritual, but it did drop those possibilities far down in his expectations. He fell in alongside Nope and Floral; if the inhabitants were real, maybe they could tell their group what was going on. They could at least try the peaceful approach.

 " Openly, I think. We stand out and they don't seem hostile. I'm not sure we have anything to hide, "  he answered Floral just as quietly.

 "Hello there!"  he greeted the counselor.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Perception  (1d20+15)[ 33 ]  to try and make out more of whatever mystic is happening as we get closer.
 
Abracadangit
Kal raises an eyebrow, behind her mask; she's not sure if the counselor's nonchalance at all of this should make her more comfortable or more suspicious. She follows behind the rest of the group, letting them take point socially.

 "Good   evening,"  she says to the counselor, making sure to keep her voice suitably distorted. The last thing she needs is for someone here to recognize her from her art classes.
Zelphas
The tall young woman seems to relax slightly as you all move down the hill towards her, though her welcoming smile does grow a little bit puzzled as she takes in the four of you and your... unique appearance.   "I know that superpowers seem to be showing up against all odds, but isn't it a bit early to be dressing up like them for Halloween?"  she begins in a musical voice, then shakes her head at herself, embarrassed.  "I'm sorry, what a horrible way to introduce myself. You get used to saying whatever comes to mind working with kids. Hello there! Welcome to Camp Bubble Brook? I'm Sandy. Are you here to pick up a kid, or for something else? We'll get everything settled over at registration, but I figured I could help smooth things along. Go ahead and follow me; walking, hovering, or flying, it's your choice!"  With a laugh, she turns back towards the camp itself. Curious small faces are poking out to look at you from around the cabins, but no one except for Sandy approaches you as of yet.

 
 Spoiler: Expertise (Local) DC 20 
As you prepared to go to Camp Bubble Brook, you looked over the list of those gone missing in the Camp Bubble Brook Disaster. You found a list of names and pictures, both of campers and counselors who vanished that day. Sandra "Sandy" Stier, age 20, was one such name. The person greeting you here looks exactly like the picture next to her name, down to the hair length and style.
 

 
 Spoiler: Nope 
Perhaps it's due to your profound (and unwanted) connection to the concept of negation, but a realization creeps over you as you approach the camp:

It's empty.

Your eyes tell you that campers are running around, interacting with the air and with other campers as they go. It's a lie: there is emptiness there. Your ears bring to you the sound of children at play, of oars hitting water, of balls being thrown back and forth. It's a lie; all is silence. Your nose catches the scent of wood smoke, of roasted marshmallows and hot dogs. It's a lie: the fire is cold and gone, and no food is found here. The camp is empty.

And yet that is not true either. Something--or some things--hide in the empty beyond the false facsimile of life before you. Your senses cannot penetrate their disguise, not yet, but you know that they are there. And since their disguise is active, they are almost certainly watching you.
 

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
Besides a slight feeling as though you have to sneeze, there isn't anything that pops up out of the ordinary. The smell of individual humans, petty rivalries, fragile new friendships, exertion, enjoyment, and both over- and under-cooked food wafts out from the place before you; it's a summer camp, all right. Your other senses agree with this assesment.

Sandy doesn't seem to be lying to you. She's confused by your outfits and slightly amused by them, and she's torn between interest in people from outside of camp and worry that you're bringing bad news for one of her campers. Then she mentions registration, and even though all of your senses tell you that this is just a camp, even though she's telling you the truth and standing right in front of you, some unexplained quirk in Sandy's expression, or her tone, or something else, sends the dominoes dropping down.

It's all a sham. All of it. The "campers" are not human. The cabins are not whole. The campfire is not lit. There is no food, no laughter, nothing here that is alive. But that doesn't mean that there isn't something here.

You can't see or hear or even smell past the fake to see the reality, but you know it now for a fact. This entire charade before you is a play put on for your benefit. To borrow a turn of phrase from Ariadne, something--or some things--are pulling the strings, hidden within the image of a happy summer camp.
 

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
This might be the most frustrating interaction you've had with your mystic sense since it awakened. It's like looking at one of those old magic eye pictures; when you focus directly on something, it slips away from you, but when you focus elsewhere, you can sense it on the edge of your perception. It might begin to give you a headache if it goes on too long.

Coming this close tells you two things for sure, however. In the first place, the very fact that you can't bring it into focus suggests a will or a consciousness of some kind. This isn't a natural effect, but a magical energy that is being imposed by something--or some things. That in and of itself is significant.

The second thing is that even if you can't focus on it directly, the constant maddening snatches of the sense give you information. Eventually, the fragmented bits of sensation shape themselves into a stench that you've 'smelled' before. Death magic is here; how much and for what purpose you cannot yet say, but it is present throughout this camp.
 

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
With your Threadwork Sense active as you approach, you begin to pick out threads. Thousands of them. All gossamer-thin, connected to just about everything you see--the campers, the counselors, the cabins, the ground, with some even vanishing in mid-air. There are too many to count and parse, looming like a thick cloud of thin hair-like strands. You almost get the feeling like you're looking at a carpet under a microscope; all the tiny filaments exposed, revealing nothing to you of their true purpose or intent. Whatever this something--or some things--are that are holding the strings, they are doing a lot... or perhaps very little, all over the camp, all at once.
 
Ridai
Nope is having a moment.

While he has had cases where he felt strange, especially when he got like he is right now, but this sort of... liminal feeling (?) is new. Seeing the campers and counselors, but also seeing they are not there, but not actually seeing that, but it does not feel like simply "sensing" either. Same with his other senses. Sadly, his abilities did not come with some sort of ability to deal with such phenomena. It's like watching a movie scene, only to suddenly switch to an identical shot, but without the music, the saturation and lighting, the characters, just a low drone in the background, before suddenly jumping back as if nothing happened. And you remember this sudden switch, but when you go back, it is not there anymore, but you could swear you saw it. That is what Nope feels like right now, but the movie is his senses.

Hand to his head, trying to shake his head to get his perceptions kind of in order, feeling like he missed part of what has been said and done. Everything's weird right now.  "Uh, sure. Sandy. Say, since, uhm, when has this camp... season? been going?"  He is really not sure what to call it. For how long at a time do these camps operate? These "people" are aware of current events?

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Routining the Expertise Local check for 20.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily was still kinda inexperienced with her augmented sense of smell.  As important as it was to the use of her powers, in some ways it was still a bit of a black box to her.  She could smell a person's biology, and their emotions - which at the end of the day was just smelling the subtle biological changes that they perceived as their feelings - but the truth was that as skilled a biologist as Lily was, she didn't  actually  have a clear mental map of specific scents to particular biological markers.  She knew what biochemical markers would come up to, say, test a person's blood type.  And she could smell those biochemical markers.  And so she could smell a person's blood type.

But she herself had never actually, personally learned what say Type O blood smelled like, at least not before she had first smelled it with her powers, at which point she had  known  it was Type O.  She hadn't  recognized  it as a matter of prior familiarity, her brain simply categorized that particular smell as Type O blood, instinctively and automatically.

Right now her sense of smell wasn't giving her much to work with at a conscious level.  She wasn't consciously  noticing  anything of particular value, that they weren't already aware of.

But the senses did a lot of their work unconsciously.  Took in a lot of information that was never actually promoted to conscious awareness.  And Lily's sense of smell did even more of that.  Somewhere in her head, her brain was taking the scents she picked up and matching them to concepts she understood, even if she didn't know what the concept itself should smell like.

So here, now, even though Lily wasn't consciously aware of any specific scents, even if she couldn't have consciously mapped them onto a known concept if she had been, her brain processed the scents that came in through her nose and told her  exactly  what this camp smelled like.

It.  Smelled.   Fake. 

Lily fixed Sandy with an unimpressed stare and crossed her arms before her.   "Or you can stop wasting our time with illusory tricks and reveal yourself,"  she said simply.  There wasn't a hint of doubt in her tone, not even allowing for the  possibility  that the woman before them might have been real.
Abracadangit
  "Hnn, hnn, hnn,"   Ariadne laughs, inside Kal's mind.   "Like a great tapestry, many little threads all being pulled at once, spinning in a thousand different directions, forming all these strange patterns. Very impressive."  
  "So none of this is real?"   Kal asks.

  "Depends on your definition of 'real,' engoní, but at the least, it is not what it pretends to be. Be wary -- whatever spins this web must be watching us, very carefully."  

Kal takes a moment to ponder how to capitalize on this information, when Floral steps forward and calls out the eerie illusion for what it is.

Many questions remain, but for Kal, the heaviest one is can these 'illusions' still harm them? With a flick of her wrist and some quick needle figure-eights, she conjures a floating spiral of red thread, and sends it soaring over to the campfire.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Gonna thread-cantrip up a little floating design of thread and send it into the campfire, as a kind of litmus test for how much verisimilitude the illusions can muster. Even if they're not real, they might be able to do some damage and/or exert chemical effects on the team, depending on the will of the puppeteer(s).
 
Dorni
Helios only paid half attention to the girl's welcome speech. As they'd drawn closer his sense of the magic hanging over the camp had grown stronger and stronger. And yet, it dangled on the edge of his perception, understanding remaining just out of reach no matter how he strained. It was both strange and frustrating, the first time he'd experienced something like this sense he'd had his eyes opened to the mystic. It was almost like...

It came to him. It reminded him of a carrot on a string. Something being dangled in front of him, but always pulled away just as he reached for it. But if that were so, who was the dangler?

And with that thought, he stopped straining his senses only to realize that he recognized the aura that permeated the camp.  "Death magic." 

He reached for a magic of his own. Heat and cold were opposites, and where the two met they canceled each other out. So too were Death and Life, polar opposites that were at odds with each other on the surface. But like heat and cold, once one delved a little deeper they learned that the two were really just different temperatures, opposite poles of the same phenomenon. So Helios gathered energy from the camp that seethed with Death energy, but instead of bending it to necromancy he wove from it a different Aether.

The spell he wove around himself and his companions like a light, thin golden sheen. Imagine a dreary day, one where you feel awful, everything aches, motivation is zero and you just want to crawl into bed. Compare that to a great day where the sun is shining, you're full of energy and even just the colors of the world itself seem more vibrant. Now take the difference between those feelings, that vibrancy, amplify it, and wrap it around you like a soft blanket.

That was the feeling of being wrapped in Helios'  Lifeshell .

 "If your intentions are peaceful, show yourself!"  he called, adding to the chorus.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Casting Lifeshell on the party. He'll shape the area to affect each party member, so everyone gains a Triggered Restorative Healing 10 SE 6 effect that will go off when/if the character is attacked. Its not exactly cancelling out any effects of the death magic here, but mechanically it should blunt or undo an incoming attack so the end result seems much the same.
 
Zelphas
 "It's... mid-July? So we're about--"  Sandy begins answering Nope's question, still turning towards the administration building, when Floral interrupts her. She half-turns back to the rest of you, taking in Ariadne's silence, Floral's flat stare, and the light and pronouncement from Helios. Her smile slips, slightly. Then her form... melts, the distinguishing marks running together, vibrant skin and hair fading to grey and white, clothing twisting and billowing into clouds that merge with the rest of the mass, until what floats before you is a thing of shadow and chill mist that only vaguely looks human, black holes for eyes staring, only the vaguest impression of a mouth, and enormous trailing claws that look somehow sharp despite being the consistency of mist.

Behind this form, Camp Bubble Brook itself also changes, the illusion--for that is what it was--simply fading like the last notes of a song carried away by the wind. The cabins grow more weathered, obviously not touched for some time, with bits of moss and creeping vines crawling up their sides and through their open windows. The grass thickens and rises somewhat; less than you might expect given the long absence of people here ,but enough to be noticeably rough in places. The campfire winks out, taking even the smoke with it in the next second, Ariadne's thread appearing unharmed and dancing over ashes so old that they have almost become dirt. One of the practice targets in the archery range falls over silently, moss growing over it in sped-up time. The track is still discernible, but barely; grass has overrun it, and the tools are all gone or abandoned, rusting and moss-covered, nearby. The docks are spotted with moss and holes, and a few half-submerged canoes are still tehtered by rotted ropes to the boards.

Everywhere, there are ghosts. There is nothing to distinguish one specter from another; they all look like the thing that once held Sandy's face, creatures of mist and fog with absurdly large, long, wicked claws. A group of ghosts sit staring blankly at the guitar as it falls to the ground with a discordant twang, vanishing a moment later. Pockets of ghosts move in and out of the cabins, wander over the track, or stand at the end of the archery range. Out on Lake Michigan, a solitary ghost circles over the water, looking almost like a low-flying scrap of cloud from this distance.

 "She's   still   trying   to   call   you,"  the ghost that was Sandy speaks, its form unmoving, its eyes looking towards you, through you.  "You   should   go..."  it turns away, drifting back into its own arcane, unknown ritual.

The  Lifeshell  around Floral sparks once, glowing more brilliantly, then calms again.

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
The ghosts are bundles of Death Magic, more energy than being, and not truly enough to sustain themselves for very long. They definitely have the ability to drain life; if you had to guess, those claws are sharp in a mystical sense rather than a physical one.

The power permeating the camp didn't lessen when the illusion stopped. It... concentrated inwards, but it's still actively (or instinctually) trying to evade your sense. It struck outwards once, just a second ago, at all of you. Your  Lifeshell  turned aside three of the attacks, but it hit Floral squarely, though it doesn't seem to have found purchase on her.
 

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
Every one of the ghosts in the camp has a silver thread coming off of it, though the thread vanishes before you can trace it. They're tied to something, sustaining them, keeping them alive. They're more like puppets on strings than anything; they probably won't strike unless provoked... or prodded.

The threads that you have been seeing were cut, all at once, revealing what's underneath, but a new tapestry was put in place. This one is trying to remain unnoticed, rather than to prevent a false image, so you can't quite get a handle on what it's doing. You're pretty sure that whatever caused Helios' effect to flare was probably a result of this tapestry, however.
 

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
For just a moment, after the illusion fell away, you heard the music.

Beautiful, more beautiful than anything you have imagined, in and through your mind in an instant. It tried to steal your will, to bring you sweetly to its embrace, to lose yourself in the music and go where it willed you, do what it told you. Of course, it attempted to do this to  Lily Woods , so it was unsuccessful, but you can remember the haunting song clearly. You can also remember where it was coming from, though it wound its way stealthily through the air, trying to sound as though it was breathing from everywhere at once.

The music, the singing, is coming from the Administration Building, with its weathered lettering and fallen-in roof.
 
Ridai
 Okay.  Okay.   Literal ghosts. Sure. And they are caught by... whoever "she" is. Really, Nope is kind of stuck on how "Sandy" dissolved into a spirit, followed by everything revealing itself. The first part keeps looping in his head.

Nope doesn't look very happy as he glances to the others in the now eerily silent camp, just kind of... checking if they have more of a clue what is going on, since his one insight is now spent.
Abracadangit
 "They're   all...    connected    to   something,"  Kal explains, as she keeps her needle up, defensively.  "But   I   can't   see   exactly   what." 
 "Do   any   of   you   have   experience   fighting   undead?   I   don't   think   they'll   attack   us   unprovoked,   but   we   should   still   be   careful." 
Ridai
 "I don't... think I ever saw any undead, but I think I could fight them. But I don't really want to."  Nope glances around, then to the others.  "Do any of you... see anything where to start, or do we start searching the buildings?" 
Quellian-dyrae
You'd think Lily would be kinda worried about ghosts.  To be fair, she wasn't entirely sure she actually  had  anything for ghosts.  For all that her powers were fueled by the sun, she wasn't some priestess of the Light or anything like that.  Her powers were fueled by the sun the same way  literally everything on the planet , fundamentally, was fueled by the sun.  Only somewhat  moreso .

But ghosts didn't have physiologies to poison or drug, and tended to be unresponsive to acids.  So it was a fair concern.

...Or it would have been, if she had been alone.  But she had a thread mage, a remover, and a freaking  sun mage  with her, so she could really only get so worked up about incorporeal undead.  She'd focus on healing.  It wasn't even a thing.

 "Administration building,"  she answered Nope's question.   "Or at least, that's where the music that tried to put the mind-whammy on me is coming from.  Seems like a good place to start."   She managed to keep her voice almost entirely deadpan as she said it, as if mind-whammying music was no particular concern.
Dorni
 "I've dealt with undead before."  There was no shortage of zombies in his fights the cult, and they'd recently graduated to occasional mummies, but those were primarily physical threats. Physical bodies animated by spirits, or powered by aether. Destroy the body and the spirit would dissipate. The cult did call upon spirits, but so far as he was aware they didn't use them for combat. At least not yet. Still, he didn't want to broadcast it and ruin the others' confidence.

 "If they get ahold of you they can drain your spirit of life energy. My spell will protect against that to some degree, but it isn't infinite. And those claws are sharper in a spiritual sense than a physical one,"  he added the last with a look at both Ariadnes.

He resisted the urge to focus his mystic sense on the cabin and instead tried to keep a feel for the area, alert for any other attacks.  "Well, if 'she' is calling, it would be rude of us keep our host waiting."  He started leading the way towards the administration building.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Helios is on alert and will use his [Life] magic to Counter any more attacks at 1d20+10.
 
Ridai
 "Right, okay,"  Nope says. As always, the others are taking things much better than he is. It might be kind of superfluous, since the camp isn't that big to begin with... but Nope still skips the distance with the group (at least it feels like they skip the distance to the others), in the hopes of avoiding accidentally agitating a spirit or... whatever else might happen just by being here longer.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Nope uses Remove Travel Time because he is creeped out, man.
 
Zelphas
The ghosts do not react to your sudden appearance in front of the Administration Building; one floats past Floral, staring sightlessly ahead, its claws practically brushing one of the "petals" of her skirt as it drifts away. The Administration Building itself is a squat, large square of old timbers joined together in the classic log-cabin style, stacked up to almost three stories in height with a gently-sloped roof made of thinner wooden slats. The double doors stand open; rust stains the hinges in large splotches up the walls on either side, and one of the doors is hanging by only its middle hinge, the top and bottom hinge having apparently rusted apart or fallen away into nothing. Inside, you can see plastic chairs, their metal legs covered in rust, standing against the walls, a large wooden desk that is touched lightly by rot, and several metal filing cabinets, sagging and rusted. A set of stairs on either side of the large desk lead up to a set of what look to be office rooms, their glass windows choked by dust, hinges and knobs rusted over.

Fluorescent lights hang from the ceiling, off, one dangling from only a single wire. Dust chokes the air and practically rolls out into the summers day, covering every surface; no living foot has stepped in this room for a very long time.

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
The threads lead here, you can see that now, but it's like looking at a ball of twine. You practically have to ignore your threadwork sense to see the room itself, and tracking the threads to their actual source may be too much--though this would be the place to start.
 

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
The death magic is thicker here, but it is deliberately trying to avoid your sight. You can be certain of that now; something is still, even now, trying not to be seen by you.
 

 
 Spoiler: Nope 
Floral mentioned music a second ago. For just a moment, right after transporting everyone, you heard it. It was the most beautiful music in the world. You think your power saw it as  a threat, though, because an instant after hearing it, it was removed from your perception.
 

 
 Spoiler: Perception DC 32 
Hanging suspended in the center of the ceiling, looking almost like an after-image in white and grey, hard to focus on, is a beautiful woman whose age you can't define. She smiles at you, her mouth closed, beckoning you with fingers that vanish into wisps of smoke, her entire lower half is mist and darkness, her white hair turning into clouds, everythign fading the moment you see it, but she is there.
 
Ridai
Nope pulls up his t-shirt collar to cover his nose and mouth, holding it in place with one hand. He is not particularly looking forward to inhaling a lot of rot and dust, so maybe this helps a little.

 "Uh, something's siren-songing at me,"  he says, muffled through hand and shirt. A beat, looking around.  "Guess I put it on mute?"  Does this mean he is protected against whatever was doing this? And/or does this mean he won't hear the boss music when he triggers the boss fight?

Armed with the preventative measure of choice of many a science student and machine worker, the protective squint, Nope heads into the building, looking around for... well, he actually doesn't know what he is looking for, but maybe something will catch his eye?

Okay, let's be honest, the more likely situation is that the people with special senses will notice something, but that's no reason not to give it a shot!
Dorni
Helios entered the cabin warily. He wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting, but ambush was high on his list. The room looked... old. decrepit. Like the kind of thing you see in a horror movie. Also, nothing was jumping out to rip their faces off the moment they entered, so that was a plus. The sheer amount of rust and decay struck him as odd and it took a few moments for Helios to put his finger on why. The camp had been abandoned, yes, but only for a year. If he had to judge just by this room though he'd have imagined this place hadn't seen a caretaker in quite a bit longer than that. Was the abundance of death energy in the air accelerating the natural decay? Or was the presence reshaping this area to fit its spooky tastes? Or...

A brief disturbance in the ambient energy is all the warning that Helios got. He threw up a hasty wall of Life aether, not taking the time to form it into anything more complex. There wasn't time before the wave of Death energy crashed into it. Helios got his next surprise. The energy was  strong . Not kinda strong or on-par-with-me strong. Rapheal strong. Or if not exactly that strong, it was at least in that same ballpark. Helios recoiled in surprise. He had known that whatever was here had to be potent based on both Manchineel's brood avoiding this place and the thick death energy that lingered here, but it was another thing to clash with it directly.

Still, he was no slouch himself. His counterspell didn't break apart entirely - the center of the wall held and kept the energy away from himself and Ariadne, but the energy shattered the edges of the barrier and washed over Nope... who put it on mute?

Helios blinked. Ok. That happened.

Still, standing around while this place took free shots at them didn't seem all that appealing.  "That's twice now this thing has attacked us. I'd say its made its intentions pretty clear."  He peered around the cabin again, following where the pulse of Death had come from... and spied a ghost floating along the ceiling. A woman, possessed of an ethereal beauty. Her form was white and grey, yet so translucent she almost looked like a thin fog. She wore a smile and her beckoning hand was kind - if that hand didn't end dissolved in dark smoke - the same mist and darkness that her dress dissolved in.

He reached out in a grasping motion while runes flared. He'd developed his Drain Vitality spell to attack the spirit. For living creatures, that meant draining their energy and incapacitating them. For the undead the Suneaters employed, it drained the spirit energy animating them. And as he understood it, ghosts were almost nothing but spirit.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard: Cast Drain Vitality on Ghost at  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] . On hit, DC 20 vs Cumulative Progressive Affliction [Fatigued &amp; Impaired / Stunned &amp; Disabled / Incap].
 
Abracadangit
Kal couldn't maintain her threadwork sense and see the room with any detail at the same time -- the threads had become too many, too tangled. With a little effort, she maintained just enough of it to keep aware of the threads, but not enough to accurately perceive them, like the mystical equivalent of keeping one eye closed.

She followed Helios' gaze to the ghostly woman up above, and studied her for a moment.

  "Careful now,"   Ariadne warns.   "Not all who smile are kind."  
  "But what if she's in pain? Or trapped? Or held here against your will?"   Kal thinks back.

  "For once I agree with the book wizard,"   Ariadne replies, as Helios lets loose with his spell.   "If you want to speak with her so badly, you can do it after some of her power goes away."  

Anticipating some form of counterattack, Kal flicks a needle into her hand and begins to weave.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Gonna encase the crew in a Silken Shield, on top of Helios' defensive magic.
 
Quellian-dyrae
On the one hand, Lily didn't really think she had much for ghosts.

On the other hand, they appeared to have stymied the ghost's initial attacks, so no immediate healing was needed.  And Lily was, after all, a scientist.

So, you know, she'd experiment.

Most of Lily's repertoire operated on a largely physiological basis.  Poisons, drugs, pheromones.  They operated on biochemistry.  Not super great against creatures that lacked a biology.  For those, such as Dr. Proxy's robots, Lily went with acid.  But acid was still a material substance, and seemed unlikely to harm something without a physical body.

But the ghost could  perceive  them, obviously.  Its senses couldn't work quite like theirs did - if it was permeable to energy, light couldn't interact with its eyes.  If it was permeable to matter, vibrating air couldn't interact with its eardrums.  Nonetheless, there was no reason to believe it couldn't  see  and  hear .

And although trace chemical particles in the air couldn't interact with its nose, there was no reason to believe it couldn't  smell .

So Lily fell back on her oldest, most reliable combat strategy.

Smell good at them.

 REALLY HARD! 
 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  4 points to Olfactory Clarity (Acute Analytical Accurate Smell), 6 points to Scent Intensification (+5 Olfactory Perception, Counters Concealment [Overlapping Scents], Extended Scent), 5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 10 points to Complex Scents, 10 points to Lingering Scents, 10 points to Floral Vines (Dynamic Choices to apply it to Affliction).  Variable Descriptor to pure [Sensory] [Olfactory] - basically straight up smelling good  so hard  the sheer  intensity of the stimulus  causes combat penalties.

Move: Active Perception to better detect the ghost:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] , add +5 for olfactory purposes.   Oh yeah. 

Standard: Attack the location Helios appears to be targeting, using Shapeable Area to extend the attack up there and then spread it over as large an area I can manage.  Assuming that's sufficient for targeting,  (1d20+10)[ 14 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 20+Multiattack vs. Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Affliction.  This carries a Secondary Effect.   It's definitely Lucy. 

Current Status: Normal.
 
Ridai
Nope turns around, still covering and squinting, to see the others generally doing combat things at the ceiling. He looks to the ceiling, sees nothing. Looks back at the others.  "What?" 
Zelphas
Helios' runes flare, Life magic sweeping over the scene. For just a moment, the amount of rust, dust, and decay in the room decreases somewhat, the magic of Life counteracting the strong effect of Death magic for just an instant. Normally, the trail of Helios' Life spells are essentially invisible, manifesting in his gestures and the results on the target, but the latent Death magic in the air burns away from the spell, revealing it as a streak of gold-tinted light shooting upwards towards a point at the center of the ceiling.

Therefore, all of you see a ghostly woman, her bottom half made of shadow and mist, slap aside Helios' spell with an open hand, causing it to dissipate on the timbers of the roof. Those timbers glow for a moment, the decay evident on them fading almost to nothing, before the Death magic begins to creep across them once more.

The woman looks down at the four of you, seeming not to notice Floral's scent attack. Her grey-white hair floats about her as though she were underwater, and her smile seems... puzzled, almost, the hand she used to strike Helios' spell from her fading into mist and drifting back to her side. The grey eyes darken, sinking backwards into holes in her face, and the mist around her beings to lash as though in a high wind. Her smile fades, and she opens her mouth wide... and wider... and still wider... the opening stretches down her neck as her mouth extends into a cloudy, still somehow tooth-filled maw, and she screams.

The sound is not quite audible. It is the loudest sound you have heard. It is silence. It is deafening. It is nothing.

It is a summons.

Drifting through the walls around you, oversized claws extended at their sides, come the ghosts you passed by on your way here. Ariadne can see the threads being pulled by the siren in the air, reeling back in her captured puppets to serve her. Helios senses the Death magic swell and shift, discarding much of its subterfuge, revealing itself concentrated on the woman in the air. All of you can see that the blank eyes are fixed on you, and they have mouths now. They have mouths like the mouth of the woman in the air.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map 

In case it is not clear, the Ghastlings and the Siren all have Insubstantial 4.

 Initiative 
Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 11 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 9 ] 
Nope:  (1d20)[ 20 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 8 ] 

Siren &amp; Ghastlings:  (1d20)[ 8 ] 
 The Ghastlings are Minions, but will continue to appear as long as the Siren is not Staggered. 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
Nope looks back up again, now facing nightmare fuel.  "Oh shi-"  Then the screamnotscream, and Nope winces, along with a wordless  "Ow." 

So Sandy and gang are coming in now and Nope is definitely not hearing boss music. You know what this means! Dealing with existential problems in rapid succession!

So he could try to blip the ghosts, but like, there are apparently ghosts in this world, so maybe this means souls are a thing, which means there might be afterlives, so if he accidentally makes a soul go poof, that's it, that's like  supermurder.  And he doesn't know what happens if he... tries to remove "animating force" or whatever, which  might  work, but is like complete conjecture based on freaking roleplaying games so it might free the soul or it might dismantle the soul or something, or it might do nothing?!

Uh, uhhhh, okay, focusing on the siren! Maybe if that one shuts up, the ghosts will be much less gung-ho about "one of us"-ing the team. Yeah, so, screw you, siren, removing... hit points! Yeah! You're a damn D&amp;D monster, Nope's gonna treat you like one (and hope this will lead to ghost-unconsciousness, not  supermurder) .

The Ring static 'round the siren, here we go!

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing  and  Remove Hit Points 
 Standard  Attack the siren with  Remove Hit Points . Damage 10 (+5/+5, Ranged) Linked Weaken Resistance 10 (+5/+5) Linked Affliction 10 (+5/+5; Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition). Crit 16+ (if applicable).
  (1d20+10)[ 21 ]    Rerolled to 29, possibly crit 
 
Quellian-dyrae
The ghosts all swarming them wasn't much of a surprise.  Fully plausible result of engaging the main one.  A month ago it might have been terrifying, but these days "swarm of ghosts" basically rated in Lily's head as roughly equivalent to "swarm of killer robots" or "swarm of plant monsters" or "swarm of nebulously-superpowered thugs" or "swarm of crazy cultists".  Incorporeality would be mildly annoying, but beyond that?  Fairly solid meh.

She looked to Ariadne.   "Hey, you have, like, a pet ghost or something, right?"   She still wasn't  entirely  clear on the nature of Ariadne's powers but she was pretty sure  Helios had mentioned it  at one point.   "Can it... do  anything here?" 

Regardless, it seemed to her that the straightforward play against undead horrors was to point the team sun mage at them.  She didn't know much about how Helios's magic worked, but he had sun powers and her powers were, at the end of the day, fueled by stored solar energy.  That seemed like something he should be able to work with.  So she stepped up next to Helios, plucked a strand of hair out of her head, and transmuted it first into a normal sunflower, which she then hardened into wood while retaining its shape and coloration, basically making into a wooden wand in the shape of a sunflower, investing it as she created it with a sizable chunk of stored solar energy.

Lily was no mage, but sunlight was sunlight and magical affinity was magical affinity; to Helios's arcane senses, the wand was basically charged up with a store of Life aether he'd be able to tap and use to augment his attacks.  She held it out to him.   "Here, see if this helps." 
 
 Spoiler 
Extra Effort - Power Stunt off of 20 points of Flower Power array, leaving 30 available for normal use.

 Sunflower Wand [Mystical] [Metapower] [Augmentation]:  Enhanced Extra 10 (Damage becomes +10/+0, gains Reaction [Upon Aiding an ally], Quirk 0 [Helios Only], Limited [Team Attacks Only]).

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  20 points to Sunflower Wand, 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Lingering Acid.

Move: Into R26.

Standard: Aid Helios's next attack with Sunflower Wand (+5 from Teamwork) at  (1d20+20)[ 39 ] .   Easy +5 

Reaction: Team Attack for Helios's next Damage attack with Sunflower Wand (+5 for Teamwork) at  (1d20+20)[ 26 ] .  The Team Attack bonus will also apply next round if he attacks the same target again due to Secondary Effect.  However, if he misses, this attack won't do Damage itself, since it's Limited to Team Attacks.   Kinda wish those rolls were reversed but this will either be +2 or More Data, so I'm pretty much cool either way. 

Current Status: Normal, Fatigued as of next turn.
 
Abracadangit
 "I   do   have   a...   friend   to   assist   me.   But   she   is   more   of   an   advisor." 
  "She means well,"   Kal thinks to Ariadne.

  "Hnn, hnn. Do not mistake me for one who is easily offended,"   Ariadne thinks back, reassuringly.   " 'Pet ghost' sounds better than 'leech.' Now get your other needle in your hand, quickly. You will need it."  

Kal's hands are a blur as she weaves, and dazzling quilted arrays of red thread encircle and encase the team.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Not gonna move anywhere. Switching Threadwork array to Dual Needles, and gonna drop another Silken Shields on the crew, this time with Reflect &amp; Redirect as a consequence of the Dual Needle Weaving.
 
Dorni
Helios accepted the sunflower wand and thrust it like a rapier at the Siren. He tried not to think of the image he must strike, staring down a ghost with a flower for a weapon. It sounded like a Summer Camp story alright.

 "Alright, lets see if you can stop this."  He wove the familiar runes for his Sunbeams, but he modified the spell to also draw from the well of solar energy within the wand. A shotgun's worth of searing beams of solar heat and life streaked forth from the end of the wand.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move:
Standard: Cast AoA/PA 5 Sunbeam on Siren. Attacking w/Aid at  (1d20+15)[ 27 ] . On hit, DC 32 + Multi. This is a Perception, Secondary Effect attack.

Status: -5 Defenses, Lifeshelled
 
Zelphas
Nope focuses on removing the "hit points" of the Siren directly, tapping in to his power of Removal to strike at a deeper level than most physical things can reach. The Siren's form wavers for a moment, but she returns to her ghostly form almost immediately, snarling with her too-large mouth. She had already clawed her way out of non-reality to a semblance of existence; she has no desire to return.

Helios and Floral's sun-combining strike has a more noticeable effect. The fireballs stream upward, and the Siren raises a hand as though to slap them aside once more; this time, however, the fire catches upon her upraised arm and burns a pure white, causing her hand and wrist to wisp away into smoke. The Siren gives out another soundless shriek, waving the still-flaming stump of her arm in pain and rage.

The clawed ghosts respond instantly to the Siren's shriek, clouding together and moving in to strike. Eight of the ghosts converge upon Helois, merging into two overlapping ghostly forms of thrashing claws and striking directly towards him with their oversized digits. The final two open their mouths and join in the Siren's shriek, the sound slapping painfully against your ears. The Siren flies swiftly downwards and towards you, stopping in front of Floral. Her mouth gapes open wider, wider, wider, and she simply breathes in, drawing in no air, but seeking to wrest life force from Floral... and transform it into death, the mystical energies already pushing against the burning stump on her arm.

At the sides of the building, four more ghosts float inside, drawn by the will of their mistress.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Ghastlings 
 1, 2, 3, and 4 

Move Action: shift to S25, overlapping.

Standard Action: Gang attack Helios with  Spectral Claws , All-Out Attacking for 3.  (1d20+11)[ 12 ]  vs. DC 15 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Multiattack Damage and Weaken Resistance.  Deflect should be 5 lower. Still Redirected 
 5, 6, 7, and 8 

Move Action: shift to S27, overlapping.

Standard Action: Gang attack Helios with  Spectral Claws , All-Out Attacking for 3.  (1d20+11)[ 30 ]  vs. DC 15 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Multiattack Damage and Weaken Resistance.  Deflect should be 5 lower. Hit; +2 Multiattack 
 9 and 10 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Gang attack the group with  Shriek . On a hit, Defense DC 19 to negate, and then Resistance DC 24 vs. Damage.
Floral:  (1d20+9)[ 12 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 24 ]   Redirected 
Helios:  (1d20+9)[ 28 ]  vs. DC 15 or Deflect:  (1d20+5)[ 7 ]   Hit. 
Ariadne:  (1d20+9)[ 14 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]   Redirected 
Nope:  (1d20+9)[ 24 ]  vs. DC 18 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ]   Deflected 
 11, 12, 13, and 14 

Arrive.

 Siren 

Move Action: Shift to R25.

Free Action: Swap  Drawn to Death Array  to  Life for Death .

Standard Action: Use  Life for Death  on Floral.  (1d20+12)[ 20 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 26 vs. Progressive Impaired/Disabled/Transformed (Ghastling).  Hit.  The Siren heals itself at:  (1d20+14)[ 19 ]   9 RP 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Given that Helios now had a hand occupied with the wand she had given him, Lily went ahead and covered his ears when the ghosts shrieked at them.  Meant her ears weren't covered, of course, but meh.  She basically just straight ignored it.

The Siren's attack couldn't be ignored so easily...or, well, it normally  wouldn't have  been able to be ignored so easily.  In this  particular  case, Lily had been anointed with a charge of pure Life magic, so whatever energy the ghost drained from her was instantly restored as golden energy flared up around her.  She didn't even notice the change.  If anything it even restored some of the power she had spent on investing Helios's wand, since evidently it was sunlight enough for her photosynthetic purposes.  Her skin had turned faintly green in the aftermath.

Removing her hands from Helios's ears she said,  "Thanks for that." 

The wand she created, grown from her hair, was still technically part of her body as far as her powers were concerned; she could manipulate it with her personal phytokinesis.  She unlocked more solar energy to top it off, while spreading some healing nectar on...whoever needed it, if anyone did.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  20 points to Sunflower Wand, 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 20 points to Healing Nectar.

Move: Probably not but if Ariadne's more in need of healing than Helios I'll move into S25 so I'm in Close range of both her and Siren, because lol Insubstantial dudes can't block squares!  Tremble as I take advantage of the niche weaknesses of your special powers!  TREMBLE!  Then I'll Move-by Action back because sharing a square with ghosts is icky.

Standard: Healing Nectar Linked Sunflower Wand/Acidic Nectar using the Damage as an Aid for Helios at  (1d20+20)[ 22 ] .  Regular Healing for either Helios or Ariadne, whoever is more damaged once their Resistance checks are rolled:  (1d20+10)[ 30 ] .  If neither of them need it meh whatever.   +5 because Aid's easy, crit heal for 25 RP if either of you need it 

Reaction: Team Attack for Helios's next Damage effect at  (1d20+20)[ 33 ] .  I'll Power Attack for as much as he does, if he does.   Should be enough for +2 even with full Power Attack 

Current Status: Fatigued, 6/10 RP towards Recover.
 
Ridai
For once, Nope thinks he actually did a reasonable-ish job at trying to do what he wanted to do. And the Siren just shrugs it off, and is possibly even more angry at him now. Of course. He should know by now that sudden confidence is most likely based on nothing.

Wrapped in thread (and only getting a little in his mouth this time) and covering his ears against the  horrible  shrieking, Nope watches the ghosts gang up on the others, this seems... bad. So with his conscience already struggling, he tries to, uh,  ghost KO  the Siren, and even more carefully tries to  somehow,  maybe   just kind of stop the other ghosts. Not dissolve or dispel or exorcise or  ultramurder  or whatever, just... ghost KO. Something. Still covering his ears and fingertips pressed against the back of his skull, he tries to make it so as all sounds briefly drop out and light is inverted before rapidly reasserting themselves (god, this keeps happening).

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Standard  Attack the siren with Remove Hit Points. Damage 10 (+5/+5, Ranged) Linked Weaken Resistance 10 (+5/+5) Linked Affliction 10 (+5/+5; Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition). Crit 16+ (if applicable), AoA -5/+5.
 (1d20+15)[ 19 ] 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Hit Points, Mass 
 EE Standard  Attack all enemies with  Remove Hit Points, Mass . Damage 10 (+5/+5; Shapeable Area 2 [Limited [6"x6"x240' bendable line]], Penetrating [Pierce Immunity], Improved Critical 4, Multiattack [Single-target], Ranged). Crit 16+, AoA -5/+5.
Siren  (1d20+15)[ 28 ] 
Routining against the ghastlings for  25  (if they aren't minions, I'll roll 'em up in the OOC)
 
Abracadangit
Kal watches as the spirits' attacks whistle effortlessly through her silken creations. Luckily, the threads rippling through the air are made of sterner stuff, as they subtly reroute and redirect the spectral assault.

  "Why is it that some thread can affect them, and other thread can't?"   Kal thinks.

  "Because once you have woven a Form, it is no longer merely Thread, it is the Form,"   Ariadne replies, as though that makes total sense.   "But if the Thread stays only Thread, then it can move things more easily, because everything is Thread."  
  "But you just said Forms are no longer Thread,"   Kal says, with a little sass.

  "Hnn, hnn, how clever you must think you are. I said they are no longer MERELY Thread. You can be Thread and something else, but nothing is not Thread. We can discuss this later. Needles up."  
 
 Spoiler 
Gonna Redirect everything against the Siren (so 2 claws plus 1 shriek), and Action: double down on Silken Shields for the whole party.
Claw 1:  (1d20+9)[ 14 ] 
Claw 2:  (1d20+9)[ 19 ] 
Shriek:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
 
Dorni
 "Likewise,"  Helios answered Floral.

He was still fairly confident that his Drain Vitality spell would work if he could only land a clean hit, but he felt a bit better knowing that the Siren wasn't able to bat aside his spellfire so easily. The problem was that the specter was so darn quick. He needed to slow her down.

Instead of the tightly focused beams, this time he focused on conjuring blinding blasts of flame. Even if it didn't blind the ghost, it would hopefully slow it down some.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: No need
Standard: Cast Solar Flare, using Selective to only target Siren's location. Attack Siren with aid and AoA/PA 3 at  (1d20+15)[ 23 ] . On hit, DC 28+TA/23 vs Damage &amp; Affliction [Vulnerable/Defenseless]
 


Damage 10 (Area [Burst], Selective)
Zelphas
Nope once again strikes directly at the "life force" of the Siren, branching out to reach for the other ghosts in the room as well. There is a long, deep sigh, and the more amorphous ghosts simply melt away, their already-indistinct forms fuzzing still further until they are only a light, slightly chilly mist, and then nothing. The Siren gives out a yowling growl, black eyes fixed upon Nope for a long moment, able to see him clearly.

Ariadne picks up the fading claws of the ghosts with her threads and directs them towards the Siren, but they vanish into mist before they can reach her. She bundles up the shriek of the ghosts in magical thread, spinning the painful sound towards the ghostly foe, but the Siren slashes at the mystical bundle with hands that stretch into claws of her own, and it falls apart before it can touch her. Floral and Helios work in tandem to release another blast of burning light, this one geared to blind as well as burn; the Siren turns her clawed hand towards the blast. The claws fuzz away, but the blast is redirected before it can reach her. Deliberately, the Siren raises up the stump of her other hand, the flames of Helios' first strike beginning to burst into a new conflagration, and with one swift slash severs the ghostly skin an inch below the ring of fire. The flames burn out almost immediately... and the stump bulges outwards into a new set of claws.

The Siren throws her head back into another not-quite-scream, calling forth several more of her ghosts to pour in through the walls. Her gaze drops down, and she slashes forward at the mage who has been throwing hated flame her way, her claws ripping through physical and mystical thread as though they were cobwebs to reach her target.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map 
 Siren 

Move Action: Call for more Ghastlings.

Free Action: Swap  Drawn to Death Array  to  Spectral Claws .

Standard Action: Use  Spectral Claws  on Helios.  (1d20+12)[ 16 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 31/26 + Multiattack vs. Damage linked Weaken Resistance. THe Damage and Weaken are Incurable.
Ariadne, take a 😎 (hero point) for your  Shear Forces  Complication, which allows the Siren to ignore your Redirect when using her claws. Helios, take a 😎 as well since this is affecting you directly.  And that's a miss... 
 Ghastlings 

8 arrive on the field.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
With Nope keeping the ghastlings from swarming them too heavily, Ariadne fortifying their defense, and Helios engaging the ghost directly, they were...well, a  little  bit at a stalemate, but given that she hadn't really even needed to bring any healing into play yet and they had caused a bit of damage, Lily was feeling comfortable in their tactical position.

But with little need for curative powers, and with her offense best expressed through continuing to channel stored sunlight to Helios's wand, Lily felt she could afford to redirect some of her attention.  While Lily wasn't one of the team's mages, she had  played  enough of them at Bruno's table that she felt at least reasonably qualified to assess supernatural threats.  Ghosts, in fiction anyway, tended to manifest for a  reason , and that reason was often key to defeating them.

Lily met Siren's gaze and firmly asked,  "What happened here?" 

Of course, Lily didn't...really expect the very-possibly-insane ghost whose whole schtick seemed to be about being  very  silent  very  loudly to respond.  I mean, sure, if she did, great.  Lily would totally take it.  But her query was expressed less by words than by scent, and less at Siren than at the trees and plants throughout and around the forest camp.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  20 points to Sunflower Want, 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Olfactory Clarity, 5 points to Commune with Nature, 5 points to Scent Processing.

Free: Talk, using Comprehend Plants to basically ask the plants around here like...what happened to this camp, where Siren came from, etc.  Per the Feature on Commune with Nature, the plants may draw upon Lily's knowledge for purposes of identification and recognition.

Move: Active Perception at  (1d20+10)[ 15 ] , aiming mainly to "supplement" what information I can get from talking to the plants.  Main factors at play here are Acute Analytical Olfactory senses, Tracking smell, and Acute Analytical Detect Emotions and Biology, although hrm those aren't Tracking so they might not pick up as many "remnants" as I'd have hoped, oh well.  Still we'll see what it gets me.

Standard: Aid Helios's next attack at  (1d20+20)[ 27 ] .   +5 

Reaction: Team Attack with Helios's next Damage effect at  (1d20+20)[ 33 ] , Power Attacking for whatever he does.   +2 I believe, more-or-less regardless of PA. 

Current Status: Fatigued, 6/10 RP towards Recover.
 
Ridai
With the Siren growling at him, but much worse, the ghosts just disappearing rather than... Nope is not sure what he hoped for, but something that doesn't imply final death, Nope looks profoundly unhappy, mouth a pressed, shaking line. More ghosts appear. The Siren seems to have been just entirely immune to everything he has done and he doesn't really want to attack the other ghosts, but if he doesn't, they will crowd the others again. So he tries to wear them down once again while hoping for the best, watching the Siren attack the others, and having to watch for someone wanting to attack him. His head hurts and his body feels wound tight.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Standard  Attack all enemies with  Remove Hit Points, Mass . Damage 10 (+5/+5; Shapeable Area 2 [Limited [6"x6"x240' bendable line]], Penetrating [Pierce Immunity], Improved Critical 4, Multiattack [Single-target], Ranged). Crit 16+, AoA -5/+5.
Siren  (1d20+15)[ 22 ] 
Routining against the ghastlings for  25 
 
Dorni
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move:
Standard: Cast AoA/PA 5 Sunbeam on Siren. Attacking w/Aid at (1d20+15) (1d20+15)[ 16 ] . On hit, DC 30 + TA + Multi. This is a Perception, Secondary Effect attack.

Status: -5 Defenses
 
Abracadangit
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Doubling down on Silken Shields for everyone.
 
Zelphas
The Siren's bottomless eyes meet Floral's gaze, even as she rears back in disappointed fury at her claws just missing Helios. She holds Floral's look for a long moment, and her too-wide, ripped open mouth seems almost to smile.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
The scent response you get from the plants is... odd. In the heat of battle, in the midst of death and decay all around you, it may be filtered oddly, but the plants respond like... it's hard to pin down. The message they send you seems to suggest that the Siren was a sudden appearance, however. The Siren came, and things happened. And then the humans left the Camp, and it fell into disrepair.

There's something else underneath the scents you're getting, though. Interpreting it with your own understanding of the world doesn't quite fix the problem. Some key element connecting the plant's experience and your own experience is missing; they're trying to communicate something, but given your current understanding they lack the 'words' to convey it in a form you would understand... or maybe the situation's currently too chaotic for you to get the full scent down correctly.
 


Another long sigh, and the recently-arrived ghosts dissolve once again.   "..ank y..."   The Siren's near-smile turns into a snarl once more, and she slaps aside Helios' hastily-fired Sunbeam with what seems to be sheer rage--though trails of fire still settle upon her misty, trailing scraps of what might be clothing around her. With one more furious look at Nope, the Siren shrieks for more reinforcements and then sweeps her claws in an arc across the group, the ghostly, razor-sharp appendages slashing through Ariadne's carefully-constructed shields and towards everyone who is standing in her way.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Siren 

Move Action: Yell for more Ghastlings. One might eventually survive... er... life terms are tough for ghosts...

Standard Action: Use  Spectral Claws  to Multiattack everyone (it's actually Ranged), All-Out Attacking for 4. On a hit, Resistance DC 31/26 vs. Damage linked Weaken Resistance.

Floral:  (1d20+12)[ 14 ]   Miss 
Helios:  (1d20+12)[ 25 ]   Hit 
Ariadne:  (1d20+12)[ 17 ]   Miss 
Nope:  (1d20+12)[ 22 ]   Hit 
 Ghastlings 

8 more arrive  to be Noped .

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
Nope mostly dodge-stumbles out of the way of very angry claws, apart from them raking across his side. Clenching his teeth, breathing hard through his nose, and a grunt later, Nope is still covering his ears by virtue of not really committing any brain time to changing the fact, fingers starting to feel sore. One would think one gets used to getting hurt in this line of work, and currently, this is not the case for Nope, who finds hurting very detrimental in regards to erasing things from existence precisely. So hoping this Siren isn't just straight invincible, his brain cycles the same removal process again. At least the repetition makes it somewhat easier, but also brings the risk of stupid auto-piloting with it, and he really has to watch for his brain doing a different kind of stupid and letting in a stray thought it thinks it has some processing time left it should spend since it is just doing the same thing,  and no brain, you should not! 
 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Hey, guess what...

 Standard  Attack all enemies with  Remove Hit Points, Mass . Damage 10 (+5/+5; Shapeable Area 2 [Limited [6"x6"x240' bendable line]], Penetrating [Pierce Immunity], Improved Critical 4, Multiattack [Single-target], Ranged). Crit 16+, AoA -5/+5.
Siren  (1d20+15)[ 31 ] 
Routining against the ghastlings for  25 
 
Abracadangit
Kal watches as the Siren's pale talons make quick work of her defensive latticework of threads, designed to deflect and displace her attacks.

 "My   magic   may   not   be   of   much   use   here,"  she says, with grim resignation.

  "Nonsense,"   Ariadne says, almost offended.   "You pay very close attention, your great grandmother is going to show you a little trick, but you cannot do this all the time. You are not strong enough yet, do you understand?"   Kal thinks back the idea of nodding.   "I told you everything is Thread, hm? This includes the things with Forms -- apples, drinking cups, mountains, minotaurs -- but it also includes the things without Forms. Sounds, thoughts, memories. And light."   An invisible force directed her attention to the few places where light enters the room.

  "You want me to weave light and the thread together?"   Kal asks.   "I don't know that I understand."  
  "This underworld woman, she does not like the light. So yes, we will spin her some special thread with light woven inside. Hold up your needle for me, and I will guide your hand."  

Kal does as she is told.   "How do we begin."  
  "I taught you how to look with your inner eye, perceive the threads as they move through the world. Now you are going to perceive the world as it moves through the thread. Are you ready, engoní?"  

With some mental effort, Kal reopens her threadwork sense, and sees everything as it was before. But instead of focusing on the Siren's threads, she brings her attention to the light in the room, and how it surrounds the thread. The longer she stays fixated on it, the more she almost loses the ability to distinguish between the light and the thread; their forms start to bristle and blur.

  "Very good. Now I take it from here. Watch carefully."  

An outside observer would notice that Kal's hands suddenly move with a sort of wild energy, as though they have woven this particular pattern a million times across a million lives. The threads that appear around the Siren are not Ariadne's usual red, but are made from a shimmering, glowing energy, and the lines start to converge on the Siren in a dazzling web of radiance.

  "I don't think I can control it,"   Kal thinks, as the particle-thin strands of light begin to tangle and snarl.

  "Don't control it, then,"   Ariadne counters.   "Just weave."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free Action: Switching Threadwork Conjurations back to Threadwork Sense, because it makes sense for the fluff. Action: Gonna Extra Effort a Power Stunt to lightweave a Snaring Strands on the Siren, going to max All-Out for a +5.
 Threads of Light [Magic] [Light]:  Damage 10 (Ranged, Affects Insubstantial 2, Homing, Quirk [Short Range Only], Incurable, Perception) Linked Affliction 10 (Vulnerable/Defenseless; Affects Insubstantial 2, Limited Degree)
Siren:  (1d20+15)[ 22 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
There was definitely something that the plants around the camp could tell her...buuuut it was just barely possible that standing in the doorway of a cabin fighting a ghost wasn't the  optimal  time to try and discern it.  Who'd have thought?

So, Plan B: Lay The Ghost To Rest was out.  Fortunately, Plan A: Kick The Ghost's Incorporeal Butt still seemed to be proceeding apace.

And while Lily's nose may have been on the plants, this was not to say that Lily wasn't paying attention to the fight.  Hey  eyes  may not have been quite as acute, but they worked just fine and were still pointed squarely at the ghost, so when Siren raked her claws across the group, she was ready, dodging back.  Her personal phytokinesis lent enough speed to her movements to avoid the attack.

Nope and Helios weren't quite so lucky, and Helios seemed to have taken the worst of it.  Lily gestured, and the wand in his hand waved and collapsed into nectar, releasing the last of its stored energy to soothe his pain and speed his healing.  Of course, that was still solar energy, so he could still redirect a bit of it towards offense as well.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Floral Acid, 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Medicinal Nectar, 10 points to Solar Nectar.

Move: Nah.

Standard: Aid Helios with Floral Acid Linked Healing Nectar at  (1d20+15)[ 24 ] .  Helios receives Persistent, Restorative Healing at  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] .   +5, 15 RP after Persistent 

Current Status: Fatigued, 6/10 RP towards Recover.
 
Dorni
Helios' wards once more flared to life under the Siren's claws. This time they proved insufficient to fully turn aside the spectral strike - and Helios was left with a deep gash along his forearm. Worse than that was the clinging haze of Death energy that clung to the wound, exacerbating it.

Or it would have if Floral's nectar didn't immediately close the wound and the abundance of Life energy therein didn't immediately ground out the clinging death energy. Once again Helios was in Floral's debt. Or were they even now? No matter, now wasn't the time to settle accounts.

Helios' reply was to once more weave his magics and rip at the aetheric essence of the Siren.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move:
Standard: Cast Drain Vitality on Siren with Aid and AoA/PA 5.  (1d20+15)[ 29 ] . On hit, DC 25 vs Cumulative Progressive Affliction [Fatigued &amp; Impaired / Stunned &amp; Disabled / Incap]

Using 10 RP from Floral's Heal to remove 3 points of Weaken Resistance.
End of Turn: Recover 1 Weaken Resistance.

Status: Bruised, -5 AoA
 
Zelphas
Nope once again removes the incoming ghosts, causing them to fade quickly into nothing as soon as they arrive. This time, however, his odd power catches the edge of something  real  within the ethereality of the Siren and eliminates it as well; the Siren's entire form puffs into mist for a moment before re-stabilizing, her cheeks hollow and haggard, her eyes burning black pits within a white face that somehow now looks sickly.

Ariadne produces threads of sudden light, the mystical strands wavering through reality and unreality to strike true in each place. The Siren reacts immediately to this new threat, whipping around the still-burning bits of her tattered form to intersect with the lights in a swift, impossibly-twisted motion. The threads catch Helios' flames and wink out, and the flames burn away within the light of the threads, the two forces clashing and cancelling one another before either can harm the Siren.

Perhaps it is because her attention is diverted by defending herself from the threads, a new and potent danger that she must immediately respond to or be speared by tiny beams of light. Perhaps Nope's strange powers simply eliminated just enough of her defenses, leaving the Siren open to another attack at just the right moment. Perhaps, seeing her prey stand against her without falling to her song, seeing her minions dissipated before they can be of any use, seeing her strikes be healed in mere moments, the Siren has shifted from attacking to escape, and so has let her attention waver from her foes at just the wrong moment. Perhaps all of these things at once. Whatever the reason, when Helios weaves his spell into place, he feels it take hold of the Siren as though it is made to latch onto her.

For an instant, the Siren... alters, as Death is rewritten with Life. Hair flares up from dull, misty silver to deep russet gold; skin flushes pink, then gold, then deep red; eyes flash, becoming brown, then amber, then filling with light. The mouth opens, and opens, and opens, light and sound flying from it in a bright yellow shriek--

With a soundless explosion, the Siren is gone, the Death magic that comprised her form falling to the floor of the cabin and eating a rotten hole through it in seconds before sinking into a stinking pile on the ground. The explosion passes through all of you without touching you and rolls outwards. There is the sound of wind blowing, but not a leaf or a blade of grass moves. Then all is silent. It doesn't take Ariadne's threadwork senses or Helios' Mystic senses to feel that Camp Bubble Brook is now, truly, empty.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
The Battle is over! Everyone take a Hero Point.

Now, I'm pretty sure you're going to be sticking around here for a bit, so this Scene is not yet over. Still, to plan ahead, everyone can take  5 Downtime Actions .
 
Ridai
With the spectacle of magic and magic explosions and the wave of death magic and whatnot, Nope takes his hands off his ears (his fingers and his head hurt), looking at the pile of... something, then quickly glancing about for more ghosts that don't seem to come.

 "You did it...?"  Nope says, mostly guessing.  "Should... should I try to remove that pile?"  A beat.  "Can someone  please  check if the souls of the campers and counselors still exist?!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
For the Lull scene, I'm trying to put something coherent together. Kind of thinking about the Lull coinciding with Nope having bad days, rattled by the things he faced so far, migraine from all the power usage, state of his family weighing on him. Has searched the museum several times now, but is finding nothing about Nora, so he feels like he is stuck, not sure how to go about finding her.
 
Abracadangit
 "It   feels...   hollow   here,   now,"  Kal says, as she casts her threadwork sense over the area.  "Nothing   else   lingers.   I   do   not   miss   our   enemy,   but... " She stares at the pile left behind on the floor.  "I   wish   there   had   been   another   way   to   mend   her   spirit."  She turns to Helios.  "We   shall   gaze   together,   and   see   if   there   is   anything   to   see." 
  "You get used to the spirits, engoni. Like crushing a spider -- you hesitate the first time, because you know you will feel all the little pieces crunch beneath your hand. It stings your heart. After five, fifty, a hundred..."   Ariadne pauses.   "One day, you no longer think about it. Your hand just moves."  

Kal is honestly repulsed; a twinge of nausea winds through her stomach.   "I don't ever want to be like that,"   she thinks back, resolutely.   "I will always look for a better way, a more peaceful way."  
  "Hnn, hnn, hnn,"   Araidne smirks, internally.   "I used to say the same thing. And sometimes, that way will be there. And sometimes it will not. Better you get over what it feels like to crush a spider now."  
  "Can hardly call that 'crushing a spider.' For all of that 'threading the world' talk, it looked like it just bounced off of her."  
  "Lots of your friends' little tricks bounced off of her, too,"   Ariadne points out.   "You forget that you are new, at this. It was a fine job, for the first time, and there will be more spiders to come. For now you are more prepared, and have some new ideas for what you can do, hm?"  
  "Thank you, for saying that. I should try to learn what you did, copy those patterns. But I don't know if my needle's quick enough."  
  "Keep practicing. One day, you no longer think about it. Your hand just moves."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Gonna Threadwork Sense ping the area (even though as exposition pointed out, you don't need this sense to know it's empty, ha ha), and see if it can tell me anything about the weird pile that the Siren left behind.
 
Zelphas
As you begin to move about and adjust to the reality of Camp Bubble Brook without the Siren within it, you begin to hear the sound of something small moving through the air very quickly. This sound resolves itself a moment later, as a bundle of grey feathers plows through the front doors of the Administration Building, managing to arrest its headlong roll mere inches from the new hole in the floor.

  "Wait! Before you go too far! It fits--sort of--but it's too early--well, no, just earlier than I thought--"   Watcher's voice comes out of the clearly agitated pigeon, which works to right itself on the rotten floor.   "Not important--the lack of video is a clue--well, not really, unless something  is  there--which it might be--but anyways, I think... that..."  

The pigeon freezes, its pupils dilating visibly larger and smaller as it processes the room it is in, the hole in the floor, and the scratches on Helios from the recent battle.   "Ah. Well. Never mind, then. I'll just..."   As quickly as the pigeon arrived, it spreads its wings once more, moving to take off back into the sky and away from you all.
Ridai
Nope doesn't really feel better. He remembers something one of the ghosts said, but, well...

And then Watcher pigeon.  "Wha-what? Whole sentences! No pronoun game!" 
Dorni
Helios stared at the stinking pile.

It wasn't really the weight of having killed the siren. Well, not totally. He'd known that standing up to the League and their followers would mean fights, and superpowered fights meant a high degree of danger. He'd known on some level that he might have to kill, even if he tried hard to avoid it. But so far he'd fought undead, and the proxybots at the museum. He didn't think of himself as a killer. And the enemy this time had been an undead spirit. It was debatable whether it had been 'alive' to start with. Was the siren any different than the other undead the cult threw employed? And even if so, what happened to the spirit now? Did some essential part of the spirit pass on to the afterlife? Or, with its spiritual essence dissolved, did it simply cease to exist?

But the technicalities withered under the feeling of ripping out the siren's aether like air rushing from a deflating balloon.

He'd planned to weaken it enough to subdue. Then between him and Ariadne they could try interrogating it. Surely a spirit capable of animating the illusion outside had at least held some memories. But once the spell had taken hold...

He still felt ill, but he forced himself to kneel over the pile and examine it. They'd come to this place in hopes of finding why Manchineel avoided this place, to find a key to defeating her. To stop her and save those they still could.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Helios will examine the siren's remains, looking for clues as to what exactly the siren was or how it came to be, and anything else that might stand out as relevant. Expertise (Magic)  (1d20+20)[ 23 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily was...actually not particularly concerned with Siren vanishing, at least in any sort of killing sense.  She was undead, not alive.  Destroying her was best analogized to dispelling a dangerous magical effect, not killing a living person.  If there was any effect on some actual person's actual soul as various religious or mystical traditions posited them, she expected it would be positive rather than negative - some variant on freeing it, laying it to rest, or so on.  Also something something ectoplasmic bodies; if actual souls actually existed Lily didn't actually expect they would be susceptible to most forms of direct attack, whether manifest as some sort of spiritual undead or not.

Lily was admittedly generalizing from fictional evidence there, but so far fictional evidence had proven at least somewhat correlated with the reality of living in a world that now included magic and superpowers.

Siren vanishing upon defeat  did  mean that they didn't have any opportunity to acquire information or advantage from her, so that was a practical concern.  She was also unsure that Siren was  really  gone - various fictional representations of ghosts could return if defeated by merely physical or magical force.

Lily blinked twice at Watcher's...very on-the-ball and undoubtedly perfectly-timed warning.   "I'm going to see what I can learn about the camp,"  she said, stepping out of the cabin and beginning to walk around the campgrounds, trying again to learn what she could from the plantlife there.

 
 Spoiler 
Back to full Senses, Commune with Nature, and Scent Processing.  Going to basically talk to the plants to see if they can give me some sense of what happened here, now that I'm not, you know, in a cabin fighting a crazy ghost.  😏

Also now that I can Routine the checks.
 
Zelphas
The fluff of feathers stops just sort of the doorway, turning back to look at Nope. Maybe it's a testament to Watcher's design skills, but it's not every day that a pigeon manages to look embarrassed.   "Well... there honestly isn't much, and I didn't--this would be a really early occurrence, if I'm right. In a couple of places in the future I came from, there were a few small bits of crumbling civilization. A small town, a run-down resort, things like that. They were--are--running now, all that I identified. Satellite images and pigeon scans showed nothing there--just broken and abandoned things, like a lot of--anyway. The thing is, if--the people who lived near those places, all had stories. They wouldn't go near those places, even for supplies, and everyone had a story of someone going there and never coming back. I could never verify them, myself, but--I started calling them Null Zones. I assumed--"  

The pigeon's beak snaps shut for a second, as it hops from foot to foot. The feathers all fluff up and then flatten back down.   "Flyovers of the forest in the future I'm from had pockets like that, every once in a long while. I had hoped there might be people, but there was no life. No life that I saw, at least. So, I was thinking, and I thought, maybe--it wasn't much to go on, and I still don't have enough to verify it, and people returned to Camp Bubble Brook before July 1st, so it doesn't quite fit..."   Watcher's voice devolves into muttering for a long moment, beforethe pigeon's head snaps back up.   "But you're fine, and Manchineel hasn't noticed you here yet... I think... so you should be good! That's about it; just a thought, to be careful, and--I'll just--"   The pigeon flies away once more.

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
It is difficult to concentrate dispassionately on what you are trying to do--thoughts of what might have just occurred keep intruding, and being summarily suppressed--but you are able to glean a little bit out of the aftermath in front of you. Usually, your Drain Vitality spell essentially uses Life Energy as a type of sponge, drawing the Life Energy of the target to itself to strip away at the Life Energy of the target. This means that a target is exhausted and then rendered unconscious, normally.

The two different way that the Siren responded to your Drain Vitality spell--first physically knocking it aside, and then having such a dramatic implosion--suggest that, quite possibly, there simply was no Life Energy for your spell to attract in the Siren, but only Death Energy. Faced with its opposite, your spell was first repulsed, and then it... canceled out the Death Energy of the Siren.

The undead you have faced when fighting Nergal (and a few other cult members) have all had at least traces of Life Energy for you to draw on, remnants of previous life; the idea that the Siren had  none  might mean that she was something different from a true undead, something altogether stranger. But still, this is merely a theory; there is still so much about magic that you simply do not know.
 

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
Free from combat and able to focus completely upon what the plants are telling you, you are able to pick up on two main things.

First, the Siren's appearance was a sudden event. There are echoes of something Siren-like before her appearance, but they are so faint that when they began appearing is hard to pin down (even with your boosting, the plants understanding of time can still be slightly obtuse). If you had to guess, signs of the Siren's appearance didn't began at most a few months before her "arrival", and they were subtle enough that someone without the ability to talk to plants (or an ability to sense mystical energy) probably wouldn't have noticed them. The Siren appeared full-fledged the night that half the camp vanished, and she was responsible for their vanishing.

The second thing you are able to pick up takes longer to tease out. There doesn't seem to be a perfect analog between what the plants are trying to tell you and your own experiences, so something keeps getting lost in translation. Finally, as a moment of random thought, a memory surfaces: a tornado warning when you were in elementary school. The plants seize upon that mixture of fear and odd inevitability, and feed it back to you.

To the rest of nature around Camp Bubble Brook, the Siren had been like a tornado. Extreme, certainly. Dangerous, definitely. But not really unexpected, given the way that the wind was blowing at the time.
 
Dorni
 "What in the... hmm... but that would mean... no, that can't... but what if... If I'm right..." 

Helios rose to his feet and floated out the door, muttering to himself as he went. He started rubbernecking around, looking for something. His malaise wasn't entirely gone, but he was moving with purpose.  "Were you able to learn anything?"  he asked Lily when they crossed paths

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Helios will walk outside and look around the camp, walking around as needed to examine the Death that permeates the camp. On the hunch that its thinner at the edges, he'll start there and try to determine where the aura is thickest. Pending what he finds, he'll also use the Ranged Strength 10 on Crossing the Sky to start excavating to see if the Death extends deeply into the soil.
 
Ridai
 "Wha-"  Nope listens with an increasingly alarmed and confused expression until the Watcher pigeon flies away.   "What?"  
 And then Helios begins to mutter in vague sentence fragments!   "Oh no, it's spreading!" 

Completely coincidentally, Nope begins to walk out of the building, just so happening to be headed out of the camp.
Dorni
Helios trip took him to the edge of the camp and back again. He didn't return to the administration building, instead kneel near an otherwise nondescript patch of barren soil a little ways off to side of it where he invoked another spell and began excavating the. He didn't find any buried treasure or ominious devices, but his frown deepened as as the soil piled up.  "Well, I have good news and bad news,"  he at last spoke up, the dirt now flying off the pile and filling in the hole.

 "Good news is I have a pretty solid idea what happened here. That Siren we fought wasn't a Spirit. She was... This whole camp is a natural wellspring of Death energy. The energy welling up here reached a critical point where it coalesced and took the form of the siren. That's why my spell had the effect it did. I- oh. I can explain the mechanics later, but the core is that she wasn't a Spirit in the sense of being a being of corporeal living aether. I think a more appropriate description is that it was a Death Elemental."

"The bad news is that the camp is still a danger. The Death is still welling up from the font. I'd have to study it longer to say for sure, but I'd guess we have maybe 3 months before it reaches a point where another siren - or something else like it - manifests again." 

Helios grimaced.  "And that's not all. You all know the Suneaters practice necromancy. If they found this place it would be a huge power source for them. They could call forth and bind Sirens of their own or just try to take the power for themselves." 
 "We might have a few options for dealing with it though. If I had the time to work I could probably seal it, whether by channeling enough Life into it to critically weaken it or by diffusing the Death energy here into the forest to keep it from reaching critical mass and letting it dissipate naturally. The problem is that I do mean it will take time. Weeks, maybe. I'm not sure we have that kind of time for starters, and there's a risk that the Suneaters might sense the working or one of them might investigate if they get wind that I'm spending a lot of time around the camp."

"There's also another option. A faster, but more far more risky one. This camp is a wellspring of Death. Rapheal was a massive wellspring of Life. Rapheal's energy could almost certainly overwhelm this place and offset the Death here. With a little care, I'm confident I could channel her Life to accelerate cancelling out the Deathwell without harming Rapheal herself. The obvious problem is that we'd have to get Rapheal into the forest here and Manchineel would almost certainly seek her out if she sensed Rapheal's return."

"There's a final, potentially even more risky issue. We know Manchineel and her brood avoid this place. I think we now know why. Manchineel's powers are based around Life. The abundant Death here might be a potent weapon against her. " 
Ridai
 "Do you think I could remove that wellspring?"  Nope says, knowing precisely nothing about how magic actually works. There is not even any fiction stuff he could draw on, because most magic like in D&amp;D operates on a whole lot of BS and the story needing something to happen.

 "I don't think bringing Raphael back here is a good idea..."  he adds, along with  "Using this death magic as a weapon, uh, sounds dangerous? Maybe? Like asking for things to go wrong, salt the earth dangerous? I don't know?" 
Abracadangit
 "I   will   help   this   endeavor   however   I   can,"  Kal says, trying to sound like she would even have any idea of where to start.  "If   I   have   time   to   consult   my   pattern   books,   there   may   be   a   design   that   could   help." 
  "What happened to I'm Not Good Enough, hnn, hnn,"   Ariadne snarks.

  "Still there. But while I might be new at coming up with new designs on the fly, it's different when I have time to sit and experiment. I read pattern books for fun. Like -- a LOT of pattern books."  
Quellian-dyrae
Lily nodded as she listened to Helios's explanation.  The impressions she had gotten from the plantlife in the area had been fairly vague, not enough for her to come to any clear conclusions - which makes sense in retrospect, if it was a magical matter - but it all fit precisely with what Helios was saying.  Although...

 "The Death magic apparently had enough of an interaction with the physical world that its traces left detectable residue."   That was how Lily translated it, anyway.  Someone who regarded their powers with a more mystical slant might have said she talked to the plants in the area and they had been aware of the Death magic building, but that wasn't Lily.  Yes, her internal experience of that method of using her powers to acquire information from plantlife was the experience of a sort of conversation, asking questions and receiving answers.  But that meant little to her.  Her internal experience of vision was an illusion created by her brain to translate a bunch of photons hitting particular cells in her eyes into something that made sense.  For whatever reason, her brain was taking whatever inputs she was receiving from the plants in the area and creating an illusion of a conversation so as to translate it into a form she could understand.  Or something like that, anyway.

 "Which, practically speaking, means I might be able to gauge how close it's coming to creating a new Siren-equivalent, at least given the opportunity to take regular readings and such.
 I do think clearing out a wellspring of Death magic is worth doing on its face, all else being equal.  But all else isn't equal, so I do think it's worth considering what advantage we could gain from it."

"I would actually rate the fact that the Suneaters can use this place as a power source to be a benefit for us, or at least neutral.  It means we  know a place they might go  to try and perform powerful magic.  Watcher can keep a couple birdbots over the area and alert us if they try anything.  Maybe it makes them more dangerous to fight here...or maybe not if we can ambush them while they're busy trying to harness Death magic for a big ritual thing or something.  Or at least, that's usually a good strategy in games and fiction, not sure how it works in real life.  Also opens up possibilities of like, they send people to examine the place, we tail them back to other strongholds or ambush them when they leave."

"Another thought that springs to mind.  Would it be possible and efficient in terms of necessary time, effort, and whatever magical resources may or may not be required to stabilize the wellspring without sealing it entirely?  Dissipate enough of the energy that it doesn't get worse or spawn more undead, while still leaving it usable as something we could use against Manchineel, or as a possible lure for Suneater necromancers?" 
Zelphas
Before you can solidly come to a decision regarding the wellspring of Death Magic in Camp Bubble Brook, the wind stirs the tress around you. Floral can interpret what they are saying; Manchineel has heard about intruders in the Camp. She--and Michael, and Abel--are on their way. A look at the sky suggests that Gabriel may not be far behind them. With Manchineel and her Menagerie converging on the scene, you all beat a hasty retreat. Camp Bubble Brook, silent and withered, lets you go without comment.

-----

Hannah and Andrew come home looking more haggard than usual a few days later, and it doesn't take long for Lily to find out why. A round two dozen Bronze Links have been taken into custody; good news... except for the fact that they were thrown unceremoniously through the doors of the police station by two Silver Links, the coppery chains that Bronze Links wear to mark their position driven into their arms by cruel blows. The resulting investigation is frustrated rather quickly; the Bornze Links have no supernatural powers and are unable to talk about the other members of their gang--physically unable to do so. They also seem extremely weakened, as though life was taken out of them. Hannah managed to track the group to where they must have fought the Silver Links; the warehouse is gutted, a wreck, but there isn't much else there to find.

-----

Two days after the group went to Camp Bubble Brook, Dante appears before Flint and Sara, his robe tattered, one arm bloody, stuffing a wad of black cloth into his pocket. He shrugs off any attempts at help or healing with a grimace.   "It was just a disagreement,"   he says shortly in response to any questions, shaking his head.   " Some  of the cult thought they could take advantage of Manchineel's distraction by Helios and his new  friends  to advance their own interests. We disabused them of that notion. It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with."  

Dante pauses, looking at Flint speculatively.   "...Though it may come to that for both of you, soon enough. Know for now that we do not need to agree on all points to serve; we will still be family, regardless."  

August 20-22nd, 2018.

 Finding Nothing 
 "It's quiet here." 

The soft voice cuts in on Remy's black mood, and his headache. Nora has disappeared, a phantom; he can barely find evidence that she existed, let alone where she went. He had gotten a short text from his father; checking in, he said, wanting to make sure that his son was "in the right place". He hasn't responded. A recent search through Museum Street had brought him nearby some sort of Suneater Cult meeting; he thought he had heard his mother's voice, but he couldn't be sure, and he didn't try to find out. And on top of all of that, the constant stress of making sure he didn't remove a fundamental aspect of reality while still removing his presence, and his movements, and life force, and oh man the Siren wasn't a real living person but what about all those ghosts what were they and what happened to--he has a headache.

That is what finds Remy Rames--not Nope, not right now, just Remy--sitting in a small, intensely-manicured park on the shore of Lake Michigan, staring out at the almost-still water, being interrupted in his dark musings by the very quiet voice. Looking to his left, he would see the woman that had been sitting there before he arrived... though thinking back, he didn't really register that she was there until she spoke. Long black hair in a multitude of thin brads, dark brown skin nearly the same color as her eyes, deep green and brown clothing, almost a uniform, that seems too heavy for the warm weather; the woman has almost as little presence as Remy himself, and she seems to shrink in on herself even more as he looks over. One side of her mouth quirks up for a second in a nervous smile.  "Oh, I-I'm sorry, it's just... with everything going on, it's hard to find somewhere... quiet. I'll just..."  she lapses into an almost-expectant silence.

 Patterns in Patterns 
  Inspiration strikes from within, not without, engoni.  

Kal has gone for a walk. Her room at her grandmother's house is a mess of papers, sketches, and string, none of them quite coming out the way that she wants them to go, and Ariadne's cryptic "help" has been more of an annoyance than a boon in this instance. Unfortunately, one of the great advantages of a walk--the fact that it gets you away from the place and the people that have been bothering you for a time--is partially spoiled by the fact that the person she is looking for a break from is inside her own head, and feels the need to comment on nearly every dress, flag, or banner she walks by.

Maybe that's why her walk took her to the Industrial Block; less for Ariadne to pick apart, since most are in working clothes and there aren't many clothing stores or waving flags. Standing in front of the Garage of the Future, she can take a moment to admire the fanciful lines and curves of an abstract piece of metal art on display, even if the name of the place--and the graffiti only partially-cleaned off of it--intrude on her thoughts with darker matters. Ariadne sniffs.   Iron. Bronze has more life, more  warmth;  those who say iron is tougher and more useful simply lack the will to make what they wish from the superior metal--not that either is superior to thread, of course.  

Before Kal can decide whether to enter the Garage to seek inspiration there, continue on her walk, or do something completely different, she spots a surprisingly familiar face. The Silver Link Wrath, without her regalia of status, in casual clothes, and attempting unsuccessfully not to be noticed, walks up to the Garage's side door and slips quickly inside, glancing about quickly before she goes in. Her eyes slide past Kal without really noticing her.

 Evidence Interrogation 
 "Sorry I couldn't get you your own lab, but you should have an hour,"  Andrew grimaces, settling the ill-fitting police uniform over his shoulders once again. It was the closest thing they had to a good fit for him, but it is tight in the shoulders and chest, and he claims there hasn't been time to re-tailor it.

The amount of general heroic work that Lily and her little group have managed to do, combined with Lily's own stubborn, reasoned conversations with her family, have paid out in a surprising dividend; it took longer than she would like, but Lily is being allowed to come in and look over the evidence recovered from Doctor Proxy's latest attempt at museum theft. Andrew, smiling and waving hellos to the many people he knows in the new Forester's Bay Police Headquarters building, is at Lily's side, escorting her in... while Hannah is conveniently busy interrogating the batch of former Bronze Links to see if anything can come from that arrest. They pass through the somewhat-normal mixture of uniformed officers, plainclothes detectives, and captured perps that occupy the front of a police station. Ntombi Peters, doubtless called in for another "conversation" about her connection to Manchineel (which will doubtless lead nowhere), meets Andrews wave with a small smile, but says nothing.

Soon enough, you are out of the bustle and into the back areas, heading towards the small on-site laboratory containing what evidence the police gathered from the Doctor Proxy crime scene. Perhaps it is Andrew's proximity that hides the scent from you, but neither of you are prepared for when you turn the corner to see Hannah, rumpled and tired and clearly angry, standing in front of the door to the lab with her arms crossed. Andrew sighs, getting ready for a fight.

 "I know she has permission,"  Hannah says before either of you can speak, her tone saying exactly what she thinks of that permission and her glare at Andrew telling what she thinks of his efforts in getting it.  "I'm here to talk to her." 
 Books and Bindings 
  "The Yel--some of our number already searched this place,"   Dante states as you open the door to  Between the Bindings , a tiny used-bookstore at the edge of Pub Alley, near to the Residential District. He stretches his bandaged arm, grimacing; the wounds hadn't entirely healed yet.   "They have very... particular tastes, though, so they may have missed something or deemed it beneath their notice."  

The interior of the store smells like dust and ink, with an odd, unpleasant undertone of burned feathers that seems to be a few days old. An old man with thick, bottle-cap glasses looks up at your entrance, his mouth turning down slightly as though irritated by the interruption of his reading. On the desk next to him is a small parrot stand, and perched on that stand...

If you hadn't run into something similar several times recently, you might believe that the proprietor had decided to decorate with a stuffed pigeon.

Dante is looking at the proprietor and the "pigeon" as well, his eyes narrowing.   "He must've been warned..."   He glances at you, hesitating slightly.   "I need to speak with that man for a moment. Would you mind looking through the books while I do so?"  

As Dante turns towards you, the "stuffed" pigeon's eye twitches towards you ever so slightly, confirming your guess.
Ridai
Remy is feeling so tired. Camp Bubble Brook is still haunting him, not because of the Siren (though that one was hella scary too), but because of the ghosts. Like how his brain likes to go back to every awkward or bad situation he was in when it has nothing better to do, it keeps cycling back to removing the ghosts, as well as speculating on what happened to the people who were at the camp in general, and where they might be now. It was one thing when someone died before all this superhuman business began. You could say stuff like "oh, they are probably in a better place now", but at the end of the day, you could go with "they are dead, that's it". Now  with  all this superhuman business and now even  ghosts,  suddenly an afterlife (or multiple) might actually be a thing, raising the question where people go after they die, and what happens if that is prevented, and chances are he won't get answers to that.

On a more mundane level, he has been in more life-or-death situations than he ever wanted to be, at times face-to-face with nightmare fuel death machines and the like. And his body still hurts from some leftover injuries. He has been healing pretty quick overall, leading to the suspicion that he is removing recovery time subconsciously, which opens up the questions of what else he might be unknowingly removing, or if that removal can screw up. And he really doesn't like to remove things for ultimately minor things, given the risk. He takes out the trash, he doesn't remove it, because that's what a psychopath would do.

Family still in shambles. No goddamn trace of Nora. Not one. It's been  weeks! 

So when someone talks near him as he is more or less slumped on the bench, another awkward memory is added to his vast archive, because he starts at the unexpected sound, visibly flinching. A woman sitting there, who doesn't seem like she wants to attack him. And hopefully isn't a secret cultist. At least she doesn't seem instantly afraid of him, like people have started to be about Nope  (just why has that become a thing?!).   "No no, 't's alright,"  Remy says in response almost automatically, in the tone he has been hoping for years is coming across as generally friendly.   Great, now I made someone feel bad.  
 "Can be nice here. When there's no superbastards around."  Well that is the word his brain chose at the moment, struggling through reviled  small talk,  situations when there isn't any real topic to discuss, but it would be awkward to say nothing. Never learned how that works (well, beyond people just immediately having their attention drift away). At least he had enough presence of mind to say "superbastards", not "turbo [c-word]", which sprang to mind first thinking about the cult. And the robots. And the chain gangers. And whatever you want to call Manchineel's stuff, and would have been  immensely  awkward, and also extremely silly, but would have been a more fitting descriptor in his mind.

Honestly he is still surprised someone would just randomly talk to him.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily walked through the police station beside her brother, giving little smiles and waves to the officers she recognized, which was most of them.  There was a part of her that was wondering if she should ask Ariadne if she could refit Andrew's uniform, next time she saw her.  On the one hand, that seemed to kinda be taking advantage of her superhero team connections?  On the other hand, it seemed like it should be a fairly trivial feat for thread magic.  Lily didn't think she'd mind if one of her teammates asked her to drop by to spruce up their houseplants, or something.

(She'd do it herself, but unfortunately, the police uniforms were not made of 100% cotton fibers.)

Not important!  She'd admit she...kinda wanted to hang around and listen to whatever interview Ntombi Peters was giving, but that probably wouldn't be authorized, and would be suspicious even if it was.  She passed by without giving Ntombi a second glance, since Lily Woods had never met her.

 "All good, I don't think I'll need anything  super  specialized for this,"  Lily said.  Granted, being used to working in a fully stocked scientific laboratory, Lily's views of what counted as "normal expected" lab equipment might have possibly differed from the views of the Forester's Bay Police Department.

...Annnnd Hannah was waiting for them outside the lab.  Her tone of voice, the glare she shot Andrew, and of course, the scent behind it all, were once again enough to bring Lily back to the mindset of their last fight.  Andrew would be close enough beside her to notice her normal perfume-like scent shift immediately to the smell of fresh-baked bread.

Although...there was a part of her that was just quietly sad about that.  She heard Andrew sigh and smelled the feelings on his breath as he braced himself for a fight.  She noticed the change in her own scent, of course.  She didn't... want  this.  She loved her brother and her sister, and she didn't want the first thing they all did upon walking into the same room as each other to be to prepare for a fight.  It had never been like that before.

(Of course, thinking about it just made her  even angrier  at Hannah, for having to be so confrontational all the time, because sometimes family wasn't easy.)

 "What?"  she asked, her voice flat, defensive, her arms crossing unconsciously in front of her.
Abracadangit
  "Is that..."   Kal wonders, not entirely sure if she could trust her combat-addled memories of Wrath, at this point.

  "You have met her before,"   Ariadne chimes in.   "But she was not so nice, hnn, hnn."  
  "I'm going to follow her for a little bit, see if I can learn anything. Nothing too aggressive without the team here, though."  
  "You don't need them for every little thing,"   Ariadne counters, sounding callous and distrustful of help as ever.

  "I know, I know, relax. Not a self-deprecation moment. I know I don't need them for every little thing. But this might turn out to be a big thing."  

Kal looks ways before she enters the Garage, hoping this won't end up being a scene.
Dorni
 Books and Bindings 
 "Exactly. Their 'tastes' are so narrow and anything outside of that might as well not exist to them."  The sudden scent of the bookstore entrance drew a sniff from Flint, but not an unpleasant one. It reminded him of the local library they'd frequented as kids. It had been a weekly ritual for their parents to take the two of them to drop off last weeks stories and spend time choosing new ones - at least until sometime in high school when they'd gotten into video games.

He met the old man's glance with a pleasant smile. The pigeon got a glance as well, but Flint gave a small shrug and turned away. This was an older bookstore. A proprietor with eccentric taste in decorations was to be expected after all.

What was more surprising was Dante's sudden interest.  "Warned?" 
Zelphas
 Finding Nothing 

Surprisingly, the woman laughs in response to Remy's choice of words, a soft, sweet sound swiftly strangled by embarrassment.  "Oh, I don't mean to--it's just... you sound like Ca--a fr--a coworker of mine."  A bit of Texas drawl shows through on her words as she becomes more flustered, stopping and starting what she is saying several times.  "I didn't mean to say--er, I should..."  she trails off into silence.

A long few moments later, she painfully attempts to change the subject.  "It's funny--wait, no, this place, I mean--"  Mortified for reasons perhaps known only to her, she makes herself keep talking.  "People don't--don't usually, I mean--come here much. You can kind of... disappear."  The woman shrinks back from that word, folding in on herself slightly.  "Not something I think I'd... I'm just filling the air, aren't I? I'll stop..." 
 Evidence Interrogation 

Hannah doesn't change her stance as Lily marches up to her; her back is straight, arms crossed as well, still in full detective interrogation mode.  "You're here because you're one of the best--if not the best--biochemist in Forester's Bay, and you might pick something up our techs missed,"  she says flatly, laying out the accolade as a statement of fact.  "Once you find what you can find--if anything new--then your part in this is done. We can take care of the rest."  Behind you, Andrew sighs again, radiating resigned, brotherly disappointment at the tone of the conversation.

 
 Spoiler: Insight (Really Perception for Lily, but still) DC 20 (nested) 
From her scent, it seems like this is something of a  compromise  from Hannah, as though even admitting that you could help in the investigation as Lily is a stretch for you. Within her confrontational tone, she actually thinks she's being generous by letting you through at all.

 
 Spoiler: DC 25 
...If that's the case, though, why is she here to say it, and why did she say it how she did? It's almost like she's  trying  to provoke you into a confrontation--a fight, or at least a screaming match. She'd get in a lot of trouble if she started screaming at a civilian in the middle of the police station, so why is she doing it?

 
 Spoiler: DC 30 
Hannah would get in trouble... but so would you, for yelling at a police officer, especially in the current climate of Forester's Bay. It's not a stretch to think that if you start fighting loudly with your sister here, you could get kicked out of the police station... and then Hannah would have "protected" her little sister, in her own mind at least.
 

 

 

 Patterns in Patterns 

The street is almost entirely deserted; the Industrial Block is not somewhere to be caught out alone, though the daylight (and her own mystical strength) has kept Kal from being accosted by anything or anyone on her trip there.

The Garage of the future smells like motor oil, oil paint, wood shavings, and heated metal; an art studio and a car repair shop, rolled into one. The place is well lit with surprisingly soft lighting given its general shape and presentation as a small warehouse or car garage. The entire building is divided in half by a low wall that doesn't quite reach the ceiling; sounds of sandpaper and an occasional low buzz from a saw can be heard over the wall from the back end. The front area seems to be a gallery of some sort; several pieces of standing sculpture, from meticulous recreations of cityscapes in miniature wood to abstract piles of half-melted metal, dot the space, each with a small placard holding the name of the artist and of the piece. A smaller amount of paintings and engravings hang on the walls. Ariadne has things to say about each and every piece, if Kal wishes to listen.

Near the small door set in the center of the low wall are three people; Wrath, and a man and a woman. Wrath is speaking to them in a low voice that seems charged with some amount of emotion, though there's enough distance and noise in the Garage that Kal can't quite make out what she's saying. The woman, tall with short greying black hair and sharp features, is listening intently, her face hard to read. The man, short with thick, dark brown hair and a bushy beard, sees Kal enter and brightens with professional enthusiasm, half-raising a hand, before a snapped interjection by Wrath turns his attention back to her. Wrath doesn't turn around herself.

 Books and Bindings 

Dante glances back at Flint, irritated at the question, before shrugging and softening his features.   "You are getting closer to that level, I suppose, and it is not one of the larger secrets. How much do you know of the myths of... our associate?"   he begins, changing his verbiage at the last second since he is technically in public.   "Birds of any stripe are not the most welcome in the Main Drag, given the circumstances. Some of our... friends are a little more enthusiastic about the issue than others, so I wanted to make sure the man heard the warning before he came into trouble. I'm surprised he hadn't heard before, is all."  

Over Dante's shoulder, the "pigeon" ruffles its feathers ever so slightly before stilling again. The proprieter doesn't respond.

 
 Spoiler: Expertise (Egyptian Myhtology) DC 20 (can be untrained) or (History) DC 25 
In Egyptian legends, the snake Apophis was thwarted in his attempts to consume the sun by a band of gods who protected Ra and his charge, most notably Ra's grandson Horus. Horus was a hawk-headed god, and had a strong connection to birds.
 
Ridai
Remy would like to think he at least speaks a bit more fluently in social situations, but then again, that usually is only the case when he isn't put on the spot. Damn loading pauses when he's nervous. Regardless, he can sympathize, and feels kind of bad for her, so in an attempt to be at least a bit reassuring, he raises a hand, palm facing down (and moving down), saying  "Okay, calm down, it's fine. Really. Like actually fine, not 'bull**** polite lie' fine. Deep breath." 

Short bit of silence, hands haphazardly back in his lap, staring ahead at nothing.  "Don't really need to come here to disappear. Could do with people getting disappeared reappearing, though."  Mental slap. Great move, Remy, blurting out personal problems to a stranger. At least it was relatively vague.

Remy really hates smalltalk.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily's anger wasn't anything...focused, or specific here.  It was just a kinda automatic reaction to a confrontation with Hannah - her anger from  previous  fights rearing back up.  It was silly and she knew it was silly, but that didn't make her immune to it.  When someone you love so much pisses you off, it hits ten times harder and ten times deeper than if it were a stranger.

Or at least, that was where her anger  at the start of this conversation  had come from.

But when Hannah made her statement, even without her augmented sense of smell, Lily would have caught the core intention behind it.  It was all too obvious.  Hannah considered herself to be  compromising  here, to be  generously allowing  Lily to take the risk of getting involved in her civilian capacity as a scientist.

Or, to put it another way, she wasn't sure Lily could handle even  that .

No surprise, Hannah had said  exactly  the right thing to absolutely infuriate her sister.  Lily had always been proud, particularly of her intellectual and scientific achievements.  For Hannah to doubt her in a heroic capacity stung, sure, but to doubt her here, to think it was her job to  protect  her from doing some  forensic chemistry  in a freaking  police lab ...!

Yeah, without her heightened senses, Lily absolutely would have straight-up exploded here.  Honestly it was a testament to Andrew's bravery that he hadn't taken a few steps back.

...But Lily  did  have her heightened senses, and that meant she wasn't basing her assessment of Hannah's words and intentions on her own natural, intuitive rapport.  It meant she was able to pick up every tiny change in her sister's biochemistry and analyze it.  It meant she recognized exactly what Hannah was trying to do here.  Exactly how she was trying to manipulate her.

Exactly how willing she was to risk career repercussions to protect her helpless baby sister.

Gods blast it, fighting with people you love  sucks !

Lily closed her eyes for a second or two.  Just...processing.  Letting it all flow through her.  She was proud and she was angry, but for one getting a look at the evidence was potentially important and for another she didn't actually want to get her sister in trouble with her boss.  So though it took an effort of will, she did  not  start screaming at Hannah at the top of her lungs.

She redirected that anger to the holdout option available to all younger siblings everywhere.

Sheer, irreverent  cheek .

 "I mean, obviously?  I'm good at what I do, but it's not like Lily Woods, local biochemist extraordinaire, has much else to contribute on the police investigation front,"  she said, with a frankly trollish smile.  It wouldn't take a superhuman sense of smell, or even Lily's natural rapport, to understand the subtext behind that statement: Floral doesn't answer to you, so nyeh.
Abracadangit
Kal does her best impression of someone looking at the art as she draws closer, but not too close. She does genuinely find the art interesting; as a designer herself, she enjoys checking out exhibitions or galleries when she can, if not for inspiration then just to see what people are making, and sometimes a little networking never hurt either.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Routining Insight to get the information discussed in our aside. Gonna move close enough that it's non-threatening, but hopefully close enough to overhear more of what's being said.
 
Dorni
 Books and Bindings 

Flint pressed his lips in a thin line. His anger was complicated. He'd wanted to have just one afternoon where everything didn't circle back to the cult in some way. An out-of-the-way bookshop and the slim possibility of finding something useful to their new talents had seemed fairly safe. Putting aside the cult and getting lost in discussions with Dante about runes and aether was one of the few times that felt like they were their old selves. He'd hoped Dante wouldn't try bringing cult business into this mini-trip.

At the same time, there was no use pretending he could ignore the cult. Dante's warning was honest and potentially useful for avoiding trouble.

 "I'll keep it in mind,"  he answered, a little stiffly.  "Go ahead and warn him then." 
Zelphas
 Finding Nothing 

The woman breathes in slowly, working to calm herself down. Her laugh in response to Remy's small comment has a bitter tinge to it, and... surprises Remy; for the few seconds between turning to talk to the woman and turning away, her presence had almost faded from his mind.

 "Oh, so I was--I mean, I thought you might be..."  The woman obviously struggles with her words and with trying to follow Remy's instructions about calming down.  "You seemed like you... might be someone who had troubles with disappearing... too ." 
 Evidence Interrogation 

Hannah's eyes narrow, her irritation shining through for this moment clearly. Then, she gives Lily a tight smile.  "Right. Looking over these scraps of evidence is  definitely  the best thing you can do with your time. You're  smart  enough to  know  that."  She steps marginally to one side, as though allowing Lily through.

  "So, should I call off the riot squad, or..."   Andrew comments under his breath. He definitely didn't want that to be heard by either of his sisters. No sir.

 Patterns Within Patterns 
  "--privacy won't be interrupted by a security system,"   Wrath is saying as Kal draws closer, her tone intent and tense.   With Proxy grabbing up sheet metal by the truckload  and  going after museums, it's only a matter of time until he pops up here, and can I help you?"   The last four words are somewhat louder, with Wrath turning to face Kal fully, her tone and face belligerent. The tension in the room ratchets up a few more degrees.

 "Ana,"  The woman says after a moment, placing a hand on Wrath's shoulder.  "We appreciate your concern, but we've talked about this. We aren't paying you, so you don't get to be our bodyguard."  Wrath continues to look at Kal suspiciously, her stance growing only marginally less combative.   "I found some interesting metal in the scrapyard yesterday,"  the man comments. Wrath's eyes flick his way for a second.  "Not sure what alloy it is; high melting point, and it didn't give off any toxic fumes that I could find when heated. We set it aside for you."  It takes another moment, but Wrath finally jerks her shoulder out from under the woman's hand, gives Kal another long, suspicious look, and turns away, moving quickly through the doors to the back room with a half-angry glance at the man.

 "Sorry,"  the man says to Kal finally, his face creasing in an easy smile.  "Tense times. Welcome to the Garage of the Future; name hasn't been changed yet."   "Or ever."   "It's an ongoing discussion. Do you have any questions?" 
 Books and Bindings 

The skin around Dante's eyes tighten as he looks at Flint, the ghost of a not-quite-argument rising between the two brothers as it had more and more frequently of late.   "...You find something in Latin that looks interesting, keep it in mind. I might know a translator."   With that, Dante moves away.

 Between the Bindings  is an old used bookstore in every respect; eight-foot-tall bookshelves running most of the length of the store, crammed with dusty volumes of almost any stripe imaginable. Tiny cards at the ends of the bookshelves give general ideas as to genre and organization, but it's still quite the mess of paper and ink.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Give me a Perception Check (with Mystic Sense) if you're looking for magical books, and/or an Investigation check if you're looking for books on magic.
 
Ridai
  Wait a minute  

Remy frowns, looking at the woman from the corner of his eye. Thousand ways to shape words to kind of extract information without giving up something else, but Remy doesn't know them, so instead he says  "Did you get put in a Proxysuit?" 
Quellian-dyrae
Of course, Lily heard the reproach in Hannah's words.  To say she was smart enough to know something that they both knew she didn't know was only a roundabout way to call her stupid.  It was not exactly a mild insult to throw at Lily Woods.  She had always prided herself on her mind.

But she didn't give a heated retort.  Partially because she had already discovered that Hannah was trying to provoke her and she wasn't going to let her win, partially because although the hallway was empty but for the three of them this was still a police station and it was just good sense to be careful with your secret identity while you were in a police station.  But mostly...

Well, mostly because she couldn't really get any words out past the knot in her throat, right then.

Because Hannah and Andrew were also putting themselves in harm's way against the League of the Future.  And they didn't have Lily's powers to protect them.  Neither of them had so much as considered stopping.  And Lily had, during their last shouting match, considered playing that card.  Considered saying she'd stop if they stopped.  And she hadn't, because...

Because if she had, they might have agreed.  And then the city would have been in that much more danger, the forces arrayed against the League that much weaker.  And...well, she had looked up to her big brother and sister her whole life, but she thought she wasn't  totally  biased when she believed they themselves were probably a cut above your average cop.  And the average cops had their duties too.  It didn't work, to say that only the most powerful defender of the city could fight, for it was their job to defend everyone else.  Partially because this would restrict the power they could bring to bear too greatly.  ...Partially because Lily actually considered it fair odds that that decision tree would end with all the responsibility getting dumped onto Nope and oh man the poor guy would have such a freakout if that happened!

But that didn't make Lily any less scared for or protective of her big brother and sister.  It just meant she had to focus her protective efforts into superheroing at the bad guys  so hard  they didn't have any opportunity to hurt them.

None of which she could say at the moment, so she just gave her sister a short nod and started moving to pass her and head into the lab.
Abracadangit
 "Oh, no need to apologize!"  Kal replies.  "Everyone's on edge these days, given, well... everything. I've never actually been here before, so I'm just taking everything in. There's a lot to see!" 

For a brief moment, she ponders on how to ask a question to tangentially get more information about Ana, a.k.a. Wrath.

  "Would be unwise. The angry one is already suspicious of you,"   Ariadne whispers. So Kal decides to change gears.

 "I'm actually something of an artist myself. I was wondering, what's the process like to get a piece displayed here?" 
  "Maybe if I can get in here, or at least friendly with the staff, I can learn more about what Wrath is up to,"   Kal thinks back to Ariadne.

  "Do not spend too much time here,"   Ariadne responds, clearly not enjoying herself.   "You are never safe in the home of your enemy."  
Dorni
 Books and Bindings 

Flint watched Dante turn away and just for a second he wanted to stop him. Maybe accompany him. Dante was, after all, passing along a warning. The warning might help the owner avoid trouble with the cult. Arguably it was the right thing to do, if you ignored that it was a warning from the cult about a threat the cult created in the first place. There was also the chance he might learn something more about the cult's plans that he could use against them. But if Dante was involved that meant Nergal would be there.

Flint hesitated, and the moment was lost.

Flint let out a sigh and started checking the shelves. The warning shouldn't take long - he figured Dante would be along in a minute. A thought struck - was this aversion for birds really about an overzelous interpretation of some Apophis myth, or had someone in the cult figured out that Watcher was using birds to spy on other members of the League?

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Perception w/mystic sense for magical books:  (1d20+15)[ 23 ] 
Investigation for books on magic:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
Perception for overhearing Dante's conversation since its a small bookstore:  (1d20)[ 8 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Finding Nothing 
 "Proxysuit? No, not y--no,"  The woman responds hesitantly, confusion giving way to understanding in her eyes.  "Is that..."  She falls silent for another long moment before speaking again.

 "It was two weeks from my wedding. I was getting ready, and Ted walked in. He didn't... he couldn't..."  The woman closes her eyes, the memory washing over her.  "He... I could only touch him, and he... ran away. I'm sorry,"  she says abruptly, shaking her head.  "You don't need me to--I'm sure there's plenty on you plate, but I... you walk  through  crowds, you know? When they can't see you. I... if you don't want to, I understand, but I thought... you might need to talk to someone. I know I... it seems like it would be nice." 
 Evidence Interrogation 

Hannah tenses as Lily moves past her, her mouth opening. She's stopped by Andrew's hand on her shoulder.  "Time and place, Han,"  he says, deliberately using the nickname Hannah hates the most (she's also disavowed black vests) and gesturing with his eyes for Lily to keep moving. Hannah's ire is diverted to Andrew for the split second needed for Lily to slip completely past, the heavy door closing behind her with a solid thud.

Inside the police lab, a plainclothes officer in a white coat looks at Lily rather sharply before seeing her identification and directing her towards where the eivdence from Doctor Proxy's most recent Proxysuit attack is laid out. The lab is... honestly, more bare-bones than she'd prefer; there are microscopes on each of the eight long desks (three are in use), a chromatograph (currently unused), two fume hoods (both in use), and a machine that seems purpose-built for checking fingerprints, judging by the tech that is currently using it. There is still a lot she can do, but it is sparser than her old job, that's for sure.

As for the evidence: several pieces of the museum's artifacts are here, as well as chunks of pitted Mover, burned scraps of Helpers, and a tiny vial containing a few drops of greyish-black liquid.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Describe your process and what you're trying to find, and make your rolls accordingly. Also, if you think "a police lab should  obviously  have this", Lily can go looking for it; it's probably around.
 

 Patterns Within Patterns 

The man's smile widens a bit, pleased.  "We're always happy to see more artists! Oh, I'm Kyle, by the way, and this is my wife Robin. We tend to work with people we know to display here, so meeting us is a good first step?" 
 "What medium do you use? We have several different varieties, but we tend towards found objects, metals, plastics."  In contrast to her partner, Robin is much more businesslike.  "Do you have a portfolio you can show us? Have you done a showing before? We like to have general approval before we introduce new pieces; the tone of the space is as important as the individual works."   As she peppers Kal with questions, the room slowly fills with the smell of overheated metal, though there are no strong sounds of machinery.

 Books and Bindings 

Books are good at deadening sound; while Flint can hear Dante speaking to the proprietor, it is nearly impossible to make out individual words. At least Dante seems to be speaking calmly, not raising his voice; the proprietor's responses are curt, seemingly monosyllabic, but Dante's temper is holding out for the moment.

Using his Mystic Sense to seek through the store reveals an unsurprising disappointment; there are traces of various types of magic on the shelves in a few places, but they lead to nowhere, and the traces themselves are old and fading. Whoever went through this bookstore before Flint had obviously possessed the ability to sense magic in one way or another and had snapped up all of the magical books themselves. Books  about  magic were more promising. Three old, crumbling volumes in black contained the word "Magicae" on their covers as well as the Roman Numerals I, II, and III; these might be myth and folktale, but also might be useful. A newer book in English declared itself to be  On thee Vyle and Nefariouse Arte of Wytchcrafte ; again, maybe nothing, but then again...

It seemed like this may be the extent of new information until Flint accidentally bumped into a stack of books, nearly sending the whole thing toppling over. He saved it from falling, but the process of the tower shifting revealed a slim volume dressed in dark green without a title or name. Opening it up out of curiosity, Flint saw a strange, web-like design on the front, which looked oddly like one of the shapes Ariadne had drawn while manipulating her threads.

It was about at this time that Flint heard a shout from Dante (surprise, not anger), a rush of wings, and something small and heavy slamming against the front door to open it. The bell above the door jingled.
Ridai
 "Sorry to hear that,"  Remy says. Seems like he guessed wrong.  "Honestly I'm... having trouble understanding you, but, well..." 

He takes out his phone, bringing up a picture of Nora.  "Have you seen her? Vanished without a trace several weeks ago. I've been looking but there's just... nothing. Abnormally nothing." 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily let out a little sigh as she made it into the lab.  Some part of her brain flagged that as a "win", evidently without regard for the fact that there wasn't  actually  anything stopping Hannah from just opening the door and proceeding to yell at her.  But regardless, it was kind of a hollow victory.  What Lily  really  wanted wasn't to circumvent the obstacle that Hannah represented, or even to win an argument with her.  What she wanted was to  not be fighting  with her sister at all.  That was immediately and blatantly obvious to her once she was alone, that what she really needed to do to achieve her  actual  goal in those situations was to somehow address Hannah's fears in a way that put them to rest or at least allowed her to not have to feel personally responsible for Lily's safety.  So why did that seem so hard to keep in mind when Hannah was actually standing there in front of her?

Well.  Problem for later.  For now, she had a limited opportunity to try to learn more about Dr. Proxy's activities and goals, and needed to take advantage of it.  Repairing her crumbling relationship with her sister would have to wait for another day.

First things first.  Lily went to the artifacts that the Proxysuit had been focused on during their encounter in the museum, and began running them through a series of analyses that started with examination under a microscope and scaled up from there.  She was attentive for anything out of the ordinary, but in  particular , she was looking for any evidence that they might have been crafted using tools, techniques, or materials that should have been foreign to their time period.

 
 Spoiler 
I mean I don't know the first thing about actual forensic analysis but fortunately that's what skill ranks are for.  Routine Expertise (Biochemistry) for 35 to examine the artifacts for Clues in general or indications of temporal shenanigans in particular.

For what it's worth my wild hypothesis is that Nora (or someone else, but Nora's the known possibility at the moment) somehow got bodily transported back in time and might have somehow been involved in their creation, potentially using techniques that shouldn't have been known to the time period.  Although like, if memory serves these items were pieces of pottery, and if general knowledge serves pottery is shaped from wet clay and then baked solid, so other types of evidence Lily would be looking for include like...if a fingerprint or strand of hair got caught in the clay before it was fired so it stayed stuck there in the pottery or whatever, that she could potentially run through fingerprint/DNA databases.

Or of course anything else of note that a scientific genius would know to look for that I don't.  😏
 
Dorni
At the sudden ruckus Flint snapped the tome shut and ran to the front of the store, book in hand to see what the commotion was. Had Dante and the proprietor come blows? Had Watcher's bird been discovered?
Abracadangit
 "Wonderful to meet you, Kyle and Robin -- my name is Kal, and I do have a portfolio!"  Kal replies, excitedly.  "Not on me at the moment, but I can upload it to my cloud storage and show it to you guys next time I'm here. It's mostly clothes, honestly, but I've done some work with found materials before, maybe some of it could be a good fit."  She pauses for a moment, pondering how to choose her next words.  "I've had pieces displayed before, in some of the public venues here."  Like the public library and the public craft fair, Kal thinks. She's not sure if those constitute 'showings' or not, but now's not the time for shooting herself in the foot.

As she answers Robin's barrage of questions best as she can, she tries not to be distracted by the burning metallic smell.
Zelphas
 Finding Nothing 

The woman blinks in surprise, looking at Nora's photo. She stares for a long moment, then glances toward Remy, looking almost afraid to meet your eyes.  "O-oh. Um, um, I'm sorry, I-I promise, this wasn't a--I really thought that, I--oh, there isn't any good way to do this..."  Wringing her hands, the woman seems to be struggling to speak, before finally taking in a deep breath.

 "Your circumstances and her disappearance are related, but not connected."  She speaks carefully, looking directly at Remy, her voice taking on the cadence of a recitation.  "Think about your search that way, and you should make more progress."  Standing up, she walks over to Remy, pulling out a strangely ancient-looking scroll and putting it down next to him.  "This isn't for you. You'll know who it's for." 

Looking apologetic and reluctant, the woman begins backing away.  "I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to tell you anything else, I'm just supposed to... go. I really hoped that... I'm sorry."  And just like that, the woman slips away from Remy's perception.

 
 Spoiler: Perception DC 25 
There is a slight shimmer in the air, a place where Remy's eyes refuse to focus, sliding away... but soon enough, even that as gone.
 

 Evidence Interrogation 

At first, the artifacts are not promising. The techniques used to create the artifacts that interested Doctor Proxy were developed in the middle of the assumed period where they were found, or near the end of that period, but they were always within that time period. Any biological matter had degraded with time into unusable minutiae; the machines at the police lab couldn't gather relevant information from them. Even the machinery at her lab would likely struggle, though the possibility that she could have found something with  that  machinery is a further irritation. It seems like she's not going to find much of what she's looking for at all.

Then Lily makes two small, but interesting discoveries.

The first is a bit of genetic matter; still too small to read it as more than "biological material" using what she has available, but what it is isn't important. More important is  when  it attached itself to the artifact, the head of a bronze gardening tool. The machine marks it as unimportant since it was placed on the material within the last ten days, but... none of the four of you were anywhere near this tool, Lily knows. And she's pretty sure the police aren't that sloppy. Maybe it's nothing, but it's still odd, and after truly finding nothing, it's worth a note.

The second discovery has more impact. Out of irritation, Lily begins dating the material in the artifacts themselves as much as she can, and she discovers that each one seems to fall within the early-to-middle periods of their particular era. There is still some overlap between the age of the tool and the assumed date of the development of the techniques to make them, but it's a much narrower window than it first seemed; a few of the artifacts would be among the oldest tools ever discovered that were made with those techniques. Let's be honest, if that was well known, these tools wouldn't be in a small museum in Forester's Bay.

 Books and Bindings 

The ruckus becomes clear quickly; the "pigeon" is at the door, clearly "alive", in the process of desperately pushing its way through the crack in the front door to escape. Dante is pushing himself up from a low table near the front desk which he seems to have tripped on in his surprise at the bird's sudden movements, his furious visage turning from the proprietor (who seems to be gaping at the "pigeon" in unfeigned astonishment) towards the escapee. Dante reaches out a claw, barking out a harsh command, and dark energy flashes towards the escaping bird.

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Given the fact that Watcher's birds are not organic, Dante destroying one may have major complications. You could, if you wish, attempt to divert his cast slightly so that it strikes the doorframe; easy to feign, given the small target and the closeness of the space. You could also attempt to supercharge his attack, destroying the bird entirely. Or you coukd let the situation ride out and deal with whatever aftermath their is. If you choose to do option A or option B, I will need a Team Attack roll (since you're sort-of Team Attacking with Dante regardless), followed by a Deception check to sell what happens.
 

 Patterns Within Patterns 

Robin's interest dims slightly at the mention of clothing as art pieces, and she opens her mouth to respond.  "That sounds wonderful! Here's what I'm thinking, if you're up for it,"  Kyle cuts in before she can respond.  "In about a week, we're having a little dinner here with some prospective new artists. If you're here before that to show me some pieces, great; either way, bring along some physical pieces then, and we'll see if we can fit some of them in the showcase we're putting together about three weeks from now. The theme is 'Reuse in a Bubble', given we're... you know." 

Robin snorts.  "'Dinner'; it'll mostly be whatever Watcher is tossing out at us, so don't bring an appetite. I'm going to go make sure Ana isn't gassing us all again."  As she turns away, Kyle gives Kal a comradely grimace.  "I know you'll want to get your work in here on its merits alone, and I'm sure it's more than good enough,"  he says in a mock-serious voice,  "But if you really want to seal the deal, bringing us  anything  other than paste to eat that night will earn our undying gratitude." 
 
 Spoiler: Everyone 
With that, I think the next post will be the end of the Lull scenes. Everyone take  Two Downtime Actions! 

Nope: Due to Lily's discovery about variations within the historical artifacts, take a +5 bonus to the next three  Nora, Where'd You Go?  Downtime checks you take.

Floral: Due to Ariadne's discovery about the growing discontent with the food supply from Watcher, take a +5 bonus to the next three  Growing a New Future  Downtime checks you take.

Helios: Due to the strange scroll given to Nope by an unknown benefactor(?) take a +5 bonus to the next three  Mystical Research  Downtime checks you take.

Ariadne: Due to a book of patterns discovered by Helios, take a +5 bonus to the next three  Untangling the Mystic Threads Downtime checks you take.
 
Ridai
 "Wha-"  And the woman nopes out of existence. He raises his arms in the universal gesture of WTF ( "Oh for f-" ), looking at the brief shimmer before it disappears too. Yeah well,  hopefully that is just magic crap, not the crap he is doing! Fine! Lovely! 

Remy kind of aggressively slumps against the back of the bench, looking briefly at the scroll.  "What is it always with this *******  mystery bull****?!"   getting louder in the end, along with slamming his fists on his thighs before holding his head in his hands for a short moment. Fuming with frustration, he grabs the damn scroll, briefly thinks about chucking it into the lake, and leaves, muttering about how all super-somethings come with brain damage and cryptic BS.
Dorni
 Books and Bindings 

Flint pulled up, taken aback at the scene. There was no time to think, but it didn't seem like a good idea for Dante to discover that the pigeons all over town were mechanical spies. He threw out a hand of his own, conjuring a blast of air. He tried to keep the power of the spell weak - he didn't want Dante to realize how much he'd been hiding - but for this he didn't need power as much as precision. The air pulse would combine with Dante's spell, hopefully disrupting the trajectory just enough to miss the pigeon and hitting the door instead. With the air pulse having physical force to hit, hopefully it would knock the door open enough for the bird to finish its escape.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard: Team Attack with Ranged Strength from Crossing the Sky, AA 2.  (1d20+17)[ 35 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Books and Bindings 

The blast of air strikes Dante's bolt of dark energy at just the "wrong" moment, causing it to jolt just off-course and slam into the door. The energy spirals up and down the doorway, scoring lines into the wood and cracking the glass in a spiderweb pattern, and the gust of air rocks the door open, sending the "pigeon" out into the street like a cork shot from a bottle. Dante actually takes a step or two to pursue, then stops with a muttered curse, lowering his hand.

The gaze he turns to Flint is surprised... and appraising.   "Perhaps the leader misjudged your talents,"   he says finally, in a soft, measuring voice.   "It seems you've reached the time of decision after all..."  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 27th, 2018.

 Helios 

Normally, cult meetings are quiet things; muffled arguments, debates, chants, and prayers, kept under the cover of darkness to hide from prying eyes or do-gooding acts. This is not one of these times.

The large, abandoned space was once the fourth floor of an office building with an open floor plan; perhaps it still was. All of the desks, chairs, and other furniture had been piled into three separate edifices, with clear tiers where someone could (somewhat precariously) stand. The top tier of each of these edifices had been occupied when you, along with around thirty other red-robed Cultists you didn't know, had been brought here by Dante. After ordering all of you to stand in the center of the room between the three piles, Dante had left you to stand just below the person you had thought of as the "Cult Leader" in the pile to your right. The Cult Leader, a tall, thin man with pale skin, had a thick black blindfold over his eyes tonight; you can see his mouth moving, but you cannot hear his words.

The space is lit by candles placed haphazardly all around. Thick, heavy curtains shroud the windows placed all around the walls.

As time goes on, the cultists around you trickle over to the three piles.  All those who walk over to the rightmost pile are given black blindfolds by the cult leader; they don them and began whispering, until that pile becomes a source of constant, low susurration that carries an occasionally panicked edge to it.

Directly in front of you, at the top of the center pile, is a woman that seems slightly familiar, though you have never met her. She looked over the group, dark eyes glittering over a bandana of woven gold, before dismissing you all, turning away to show clearly that you are beneath her notice. Those who come to that pile bow low to pick up a yellow bandana around the woman's feet, and then take their places, talking and laughing among themselves. You cannot hear their words clearly, though they are loud. Their laughter is cruel, their voices mocking.

To the left, at the top of the final pile, is a person whose gender you cannot determine. They are completely shrouded by their cloak, their hands hidden by bark green gloves. But they are beautiful; this you know. They are constantly beckoning to the group, enticing them closer. Those who join that pile are given green gloves directly from the hand of the person at the top, and they join in their beckoning, calling out for others to join them.

As time has gone on, the circle of undecided cultists has shrunk and shrunk, until only a few are left. The whispering, the laughter, the beckoning has grown louder, stronger, more feverish; an edge of violence is in the air. That would normally concern you, but what may concern you most is one other figure in the room: Sarah. Kept away from all the groups, she has been assigned to watch the stairs, though she keeps looking at both Dante and you as things grow more and more heated.

 
 Spoiler: Mystic Sense 
The group with Dante has the most varied of mystic abilities; all the different types of aptitude are present, though they are still only nascent among all but the cult leader and Dante. Death Magic has a slight edge over all the others.

The group in the center deals mostly with fire and air magic, with a particular twist that you can identify as dealing with mental manipulation and control.

The far left group has life magic predominating, with a slight tendency towards water and earth magic present as well.

 
 Spoiler: Perception DC 30 
It catches upon the edge of your perception like a hiss just out of earshot, like scales on skin. He's here. You can't pinpoint exactly where, but Apophis is here.
 

 

 Nope, Ariadne, and Floral 

The network of people you've met doing general hero work is still small, but it came through this time! Someone (they wanted to stay anonymous, and although let's be real you could almost certainly find them you haven't seen the need to do so yet) saw a bunch of people entering into an office building in the Main Drag just before sunset and called it in as likely Cultist activity, and given what you've started to learn about the Cult this seemed like something to investigate.

Helios didn't answer when you called; maybe he's busy with something else tonight.

Outside of the office building, you aren't exactly sure where to begin, although the black curtains that seem to be shrouding all of the windows on the fourth floor might be a good place to start.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Helios, take a Hero Point for your  Unwilling Cultist  Complication, and another one for your  Relationship  Complications, since they're both kinda-sorta in play.

Here's the  Map .

Dotted lines are windows; feel free to shatter through them, people on the outside, or just appear in the room since Nope.

Every colored partition is 5 feet higher than the one nearest to it; so the outermost colors are 5 feet up, next ones are 10 feet up, the next 15, etc.

Combat hasn't yet begun, so we can start rolling Initiative and the rest then, for now, feel free to make your plans!
 
Ridai
Even through his indistinct appearance of "some person", Nope manages to look like "some tired person". His head is filled to the brim with entry level theories of metaphysics and less entry level ones that he struggles to understand, in hopes of making any sense of the cryptic BS he was given. On the upside, it meant he no longer pays any attention whatsoever to things he hopes to one day be rid of entirely when he leaves the country. So, silver linings. Even if he is still scouring museums over and over. Definition of insanity and all that nonsense, but hope's not remotely dead yet.

 "Hey,"  he greets, hand briefly lifted for the same reason, before returning to hoodie pockets, crookedly standing as he looks up the office building.  "Dead giveaway, huh."  Not that the cult actually needs to hide or anything. That's the sorry state this whole town's been in, after all.

 "Can try to recon first. Or bring us straight in. Might be sacrificing someone again."  There's another sad thought, that this is also a regular occurence.
Abracadangit
Kal, having waited a long time to get back at Apophis, is raring to go. Her usual insecurities and anxieties have been overtaken by her desire to hit back at someone that, as far as she can tell, is utterly villainous.

 "I   can   also   attempt   reconnaissance,"  she offers,  "Though   they   may   have   alarms   set   against   intruding   magic."  She pauses.  "Or   we   can   go   in   and   start   throwing   cultists   into   walls   until   they   talk.   I'm   not   picky   today." 
  "Hnn, hnn, hnn,"   Ariadne snickers.   "Engoní! You are hardly yourself."  
  "He could have hurt the kids in my class,"   Kal thinks back, as her needle appears in her hand, attached to a red thread.   "So you can shoosh."  

For once, Ariadne listens.
Quellian-dyrae
 "Scouting seems wise,"  Lily said.  The tip seemed solid, but it would probably behoove them to make sure this actually was cult activity before they engaged.  If this was an innocent gathering, she didn't want to just go in guns blazing.  Flowers blooming.  Whatever.

Although scouting wasn't exactly her forte.  At least not indoors, where she'd have to get close enough to risk detection to actually discern anything herself.  Her approach to scouting was definitely more along the lines of "LOL sorry I can smell further than you can see."

 "Probably not much I can do to help with that without giving us away, I'm afraid.  ...Unless...  Nope maybe if you could remove the obstruction the windows present to my sense of smell?  Or like...their...ability to block airflow, maybe?
 Or something along those lines, anyway,"  she offered as an innocently helpful idea.  She was getting more and more clear on what Nope's powers could do, but wasn't yet entirely cognizant of their risks.  Probably wouldn't be a problem.
Ridai
Nope looks to Floral with sort of the old meme version of a pokerface, then up to the window, down to the ground with furrowed brow, back up kind of at a loss. Puff cheeks, deflating audibly as Nope tries to think through how to conceptualize something that blocks the window from letting through smell and nothing else. The window letting air through would mean making it porous, and honestly Nope has no idea what that would do to the window. But on the other hand, he has managed to make crazier things possible (and at times happen accidentally). It might still fail if that property of a window is one of those things where reality reasserts itself if he doesn't perpetually change it. But how to go about it...

Furrow brow again, shake out hands. Well then. Time to go abstract and hope for the best. Can see through? Yeah. Hear? Eh, muffled, so partial. Taste? Nah. Feel? ...you know what, let's not think about that, but let's say no. Smell? Let's make that a yes. Only for that window. No punching holes or turning it into the glass equivalent of volcanic rock. No thinking about glass structure! No! Also no thinking about Floral's nose! Or lungs! Or anything like that! Smell. Going through that one window. Smells!  Smell s !  Going through that window. Not all glass or windows. That one.  The property  of  that  window keeping smell s  out without changing its structure is going to get removed-

Flying Spaghetti Monster have mercy.

And Nope does his thing, hands just kind of cramping in concentration, and he nopes the property. Hopefully. Maybe.

Hopefully Floral still has a breathing apparatus.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
So... Nope tries to see if he can actually do what Floral suggested, via Remove Second Guessing powering Remove Placeholder to grant her olfactory senses Penetrate Concealment, but only for that one window.

Please refer to Nope's Complications.
 
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: Floral Smells... 
Warm candle wax. Dust. synthetic cloth-possibly polyester. Iron. Men and women, of several ages and states of health. More than two people related to Helios. Anger. Fear. Hunger sweat blood not much blood only a small cut pride rage contempt lust hunger joy confusion worry fear panic sandscalesdustworrysurpriseangerconfusioneyeunknow  nexpectationworryimpatiencefeARPRIDEHUNGERUNKNOWNU  NKOWNUNKNOW---

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Floral is currently Impaired (DC 23 Resistance to remove). Take a Hero Point for your  The Other Side of Super Senses  Complication; you can roll to remove this condition if/when battle begins in this Scene.

If you so choose, you could instead make Floral Olfactorily Unaware for the remainder of this Scene. If you choose to do this, take an additional Hero Point for your  The Nose Knows  Complication, and expect things to go slightly awry if Floral attempts something especially complex in the coming Scene.
 

 


For a few seconds, no one except for Floral can tell if Nope's actions have had any effect. Then, with a whiplash crack, the window Nope is focusing on breaks. The crack appears in an instant, as per normal glass breaking, but the shape is impossible; a curved, sinuous line that corkscrews up and down the pane of glass from top to bottom. The window remains in its frame, but the echo of the crack echoes up and down the street for a long moment.

 
 Spoiler: Nope 
Take a Hero Point for your  Annihilate Anything  Complication.
 

 Flint 

As you stand, watching cultists choose, listening to whispers, laughter, and beckoning grow in volume and intensity, a loud crack echoes through the air, punctuating the noise. The whispers, the mockery, the beckons soon resume, but the people on the higher tiers look around with a bit of uncertainty. Sarah looks past you to one of the windows behind you, taking a few uncertain steps forward as though to investigate the noise.
Ridai
So Nope did a thing. He looks to Floral, saying  "D-do you smell anyth-" 
  *CRACK*  

Nope visibly startles at the sudden noise, much like with those damn cheap movie jump scares that are nothing but a sudden loud noise and  of course he is going to jump if something blasts his ears with deafening noise ow my ears- 

There is now a very unnatural crack in the window. Alarmed, he asks Floral   "Can you still smell anything?! Can you breathe?!"   And if that is the case, he adds   "So we go in now?"  

Keeps glancing up at the window, back to Floral, back to the window. Nice job, Nope. Great job. Imagine your slow clap.
Dorni
Flint kept his head bowed. Not out of reverence. This place made his skin crawl. The candlelight, the smells that he told himself firmly were incense, the sinister energies that laced the room. It was like a scene from a horror movie. There was nothing to revere here. With his head bowed, he could study the room ensconced in the shadow of his cowl. It was a thin reed, but it was what he had.

From those shadows he once again studied the three piles of furniture and the demented courts upon them. Dante had told him only that he'd "make his decision" tonight. He'd refused to elaborate further, saying only that they'd still be brothers regardless of what he chose. Here, tonight, it made sense. The Suneaters were organized as chaotically as the would-be god they followed, into cults within the cult. Watcher had shared that in his timeline dozens of Suneater cult chapters had sprung up all over, like a many headed hydra. Cut off one head and there were still dozens more, each growing and spreading their poison and making more. The factions fought against each other almost as often as not. Tonight, at least, the Suneaters had come together. Maybe it was the necessity of being confined under the dome, or maybe this was always how new members were inducted. More likely the rules were still being worked out. After all, the cult wasn't even a full season old.

Still, the offer was clear. Power. They were offering power. Their forms were different, but with this many gathered cultists he could sense the signs of the power they wielded.

From the Yellow and their bandanas, he could feel fire and air. He could feel a pull from them. Fire was his own weapon of choice, and he'd constructed his veil from air aether. Joining the Yellow would let him further develop those magics, possibly hone his weapons against the cult to new heights. It was for that reason that Flint rejected it. If Helios began wielding the Yellow's own techniques against them, they would recognize it right away. His own tools would give him away. More than that, Flint had practiced fire magic in secret, away from Dante. As far as his brother knew he could maybe light a candle. It was one more reason Flint couldn't possibly be Helios. If he were to reveal a sudden, impressive aptitude in fire would raise a red flag.

And although fire was his preferred weapon, it wasn't the first he'd learned. He'd chosen to practice with fire because it was the ideal weapon against the cult. Physically, fire burned. Spiritually, fire purified. Whatever undead or spirit or monstrosity the cultists conjured up, fire could almost certainly destroy it. With practice Flint knew he could wield even more elements, but there was just too little time. The cult was here now.

A quiet part of him also had to admit the choice of fire was spite. Fire was the domain of Ra, Apophis' ancient enemy in the myths. He couldn't deny that wielding fire against Apophis' followers gave him a certain satisfaction. A middle finger against the so-called god.

And there was one more reason to reject the Yellow. Although he recognized the fire and air, there was something else. Something subtler. Although he'd never practiced it himself, Flint could identify it. Mental magic. Manipulation and Control. Mastering those might let him protect himself against them, but the path to mastery of anything was practice. Repeated, endless practice. And he couldn't afford to let them practice on him, or sneak glimpses inside his head.

The feeling from the far left was entirely different. Life. Abundant, overwhelming, life magic. Flint could sense water and earth among their practitioners as well, but life was predominant. As strong as the sense of life from the group was though, Flint had felt Rapheal's aura. Next to that, there was no comparison.

Which left the last group. The Black. Dante's group. The sense of the practitioners in that group was a jumbled mess - a haphazard variety of magic. Although Death was the most predominant within the group, it was but one variety among many. That variety was the Black's offering - diversity and knowledge. That... seemed like what he needed. The Suneaters' magic was many and varied. The power the League wielded was even moreso. He couldn't rely on only a single tool. He needed to be able to adapt. He needed knowledge. And he could hide his talents among dipping his toes in a variety of practices.

As much as the offer of knowledge was tempting though, the cult could burn. Dante was of the Black. If he joined the Yellow or the Green, he wouldn't see him. Or at least he'd see him less, have less idea what Dante was involved in. There would be fewer chances to bring Dante back out of this den of vipers. For that alone he'd wear whatever colors he had to.

Even if this place made his skin crawl.

He'd put the choice off as long as he could, but he couldn't put it off forever. He looked over to Sarah, guarding the exit, and took a deep breath. Then took a resolute step towards the Black.

He'd only taken a single step when the crack sounded behind him. Flint stopped, looking back toward the window behind him.
Quellian-dyrae
The scents hit her with unusual intensity, almost overwhelming.  It was as if...had Nope's powers somehow removed some of her ability to filter the scents?  Not intentionally, certainly, but perhaps as a side effect.  The intent was to remove a barrier to her smelling those scents, so maybe a similar "barrier" to them had been removed in her, in some conceptual way?

If so, that meant  that Nope's powers must operate on some manner of a subconscious level that might not always be fully controllable, making them risky to use in ways he hasn't carefully practiced previously  that Nope's powers could remove obstacles to his goals even if he didn't consciously conceive of them!  It was plausible that as long as he knew what he wished to achieve, his powers could operate on a flexible basis of removing whatever stood in the way, on levels both explicit and subtly implicit!  The possibilities were astonishing!   More research was required! 

(We're  not  doomed.  We're almost certainly not doomed.)

But now was not the time.  A few scents in particular stood out as having a much higher likelihood if this was cult activity.  It was more than enough evidence to act on.

 "Window noticed, no time, yes cult,"  Lily said, speaking hastily and shortly, her face crinkled up a bit from the stench.

 "Three dozen.  Four groups." 

And...it didn't matter.  Or it shouldn't matter.  Everybody in there was a person who undoubtedly had friends and family somewhere in this town.  The only difference was that in this case she knew them.  It didn't change the choices they had made, or what their responsibility was now.

But no matter how much she knew it  shouldn't  matter, the truth was...it did.

Did he know?  It seemed plausible.  Most of the news she had heard about Helios before their group had assembled seemed to indicate he was particularly focused on thwarting the cult.  Maybe he was trying to rescue his family from them?

She really hoped he knew.  She didn't want to have to be the one to tell him.  She didn't want to have to  smell his feelings  when he found out.

But Helios wasn't here now, and they didn't have time to discuss it.  They would need to take them down regardless.  Once they had won, she could tell the others and they could figure out what to do with them.

 "Open floor.  Idea.  Teleport fifty feet from far right corner.  Try not to attack anyone in left group until all others down." 

That positioning would put them between the cult and the stairs, to make it harder for them to flee.  Leaving the left group free to attack was risky tactically, but could pay dividends strategically.  The cult's weakness was that it was chaotic and disorganized, and split into factions.  Likely the divisions of groups were by faction in some way.  If they just popped in and attacked them all together, it would only improve their coordination.  One of the most sure-fire ways to get an otherwise divided group to work together was to give them a common enemy to unify against.

But if they attacked only  two  (three?  Their evidence said there were three factions total, but Lily smelled four groups, so maybe their information was incomplete) of the factions - at least, until all their members were down and wouldn't be able to see what happened afterwards - it would look like the third group had set the other two up.  The heroes  just happen  to attack their secret gathering and  just happen  to focus on everyone who  wasn't  part of that one group?  Suuuuuper suspicious.  Instead of uniting them, it might further exacerbate their divisions.

Unfortunately, that whole plan was way too complex for Lily to describe in the several seconds they had before someone spotted them from the cracked window.  So what Nope and Ariadne got was "try not to attack the group on the left".  Hopefully they'd trust her.

(Helios's relatives were in the right and south groups, so if they managed to escape and this plan wound up leading to open fighting between the factions, they would be on the more numerous side and thus relatively safer, hopefully.)

 
 Spoiler 
Lily's sense of smell is Accurate and has Counters Concealment (Overlapping Scents), so I assume she was able to discern the positional data on the map (including the movement towards the window).  Correct me if I'm wrong and I can edit.
 
Ridai
Well Floral can still talk and clearly knows what's up now, so uhhhh okay there's already a plan, let's go?!

Stepping over to Floral and Ariadne, he says  "On zero, you're gonna be in there, looking to that corner,"  point to the left edge of the window front they are looking at.  "with these windows to the left of it, and the 'left' group ahead of you. Ready. Three, two, one, zero-" 

And for Floral and Ariadne, it is like there is an instantaneous transposition, they are just immediately where Nope described without any fanfare or travel period or anything, Nope right with them. For Nope, it is the usual, namely maneuvering them into the building, up the stairs, and turning them to face the right way, and not go back to realtime falling a few centimeters or anything like that. So while in zero time, he gets a good, long look at the hella creepy scene of it all, three dozen cultists present, on their weird altars or whatever you want to call these Chthonic Ikea Disasters. Not that he can examine anything very thoroughly, the concentration necessary to erase their travel time making that rather difficult. But there is always this moment of "the literal next moment all hell is gonna break lose, and you are going to stare that in the face for possibly minutes". Especially since he needs to measure roughly 50 feet from the correct corner.

Is it cowardly to wish that his mom isn't present?

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Well then, Nope brings everyone roughly where Floral described through the advanced technology of pushing everyone into place while time is stopped.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily's brother was a Navy SEAL.  Lily's sister was a SWAT-trained sniper.

Truth was, Lily had never really, like, asked them for stories about their live-fire experience, and such.  She didn't actually want to hear about her siblings fighting for their lives in dangerous situations.  She did not consider such stories entertaining.  Even before they had woken up in a city under siege and lockdown by villainous metahumans of horrific power, the thought of her siblings in battle had always been scary for Lily, always something her brain tried to flinch away from, to not think about.  Much of the time, Lily prided herself on being able to recognize and squash such impulses, to face the truth of what was squarely, without pretense or denial.

Here, Lily made an exception.

But the two of them had talked tactics around the dinner table more than once, and Lily had paid attention.  And there had been a time or two where they had tried to ease her fear by telling her how they kept themselves safe.  And if Lily had learned one thing about real fights in the real world from her siblings, it was this:

Fair fights are for corpses.  In real life, the side that surprises the other is the winning side in almost all cases.

It wasn't just about striking first, of course.  Sure, that helped.  Sure, catching the opponent off-guard helped.  But what made surprise so decisive was the ability to throw the enemy force into chaos, and then to exploit that chaos from the first trigger pull to the last body hitting the ground.

Guns were great for this, of course.  They were loud, flashy, and scary.  Getting lit up by a sudden hail of automatic fire was aces for sowing confusion among the enemy.

But guns had  nothing  on mental manipulation.

There was a part of Lily that was leery about using these powers on other people, playing with the biochemistry of their brains to manipulate their behavior.  It was a more-than-mildly terrifying power, one that would be so easy to misuse.

But even if they were dressed in the very same robes, even if they were by all appearances here of their own will, even if, now that she was in here, she could see that one of them was in fact occupying a place of what appeared to be fairly high honor on one of the altars, in Lily's head, these people, this cult, were hurting her friend's  family .

When she had learned of the threat Manchineel might wield over her, had revealed her identity to her team, Helios had told her he would protect her family, if she was no longer able to.

She could only do the same, with every weapon at her disposal.

And so it was that in the bare instants of their arrival, while the cult's attention was focused on the anomalously cracked window, Lily pointed a hand at each of the nearest altars, while turning her gaze upon the group clustered away from the altars (oh, were they like undecideds or something?  Had they interrupted an initiation?)  The flesh of her palms and the skin of her forehead twisted and extended, deepening to a verdant green, and launching free...in the innocuous form of a single rose thorn at each group.

A quarter of the way there, the rose thorns had broadened and rounded and reddened, becoming strawberries.

Halfway there, the strawberries had grown and rounded further, and become apples.

Three quarters of the way there, the apples had ballooned up and paled to orange, becoming pumpkins.

And when they struck, the pumpkins had grown further, and oblonged, and turned entire gigantic watermelons.

And on impact, the watermelons exploded, spraying juice and seeds all over the three groups of surprised cultists, lest they were alert enough to defend themselves from the fruity freshness of Lily's explosive opener to the battle.

A moment later, the mess of watermelon juice and pulp turned into a powerful contact poison.  It was patterned basically off of marijuana, except with about a hundred times the increase in paranoia - enough paranoia to make you think that the dangerous scary robed people around you were absolutely going to attack you and you had better attack them first!  ...While also making you too high to really put enough effort into it to actually, you know, hurt anyone badly enough to kill them, or something.

(The astute might note that the compulsive effects were centered on those closest to the targets, meaning those affected would mainly fight each other and those near to them, leaving the untargeted group on the far side of the building safe from attack by any cultists who succumbed to the poison.)

(Lily figured she could probably bet on the people at the top of the altars, who were presumably more powerful and might thus be more likely to resist the effects, not being likely to use lethal force on their own compromised people.  She was less sure about it if they got attacked by other groups.)

And if it didn't seem like she got enough of then, well she'd just gesture at the largest remaining chunks of the watermelons, they'd reform back to full size, and with a snap of her fingers she'd detonate them again.

Then she'd glance over in the direction of the far green altar and give them a smile and a cheery wave.  Maybe it was just a hero's mockery to a foe caught unawares...or maybe it was a gesture of appreciation.  She had thrown three watermelon-bombs easily enough, how likely was it that a fourth was actually beyond her capabilities?  (She considered calling, "Thanks for the tip!" but thought it would be too obvious.)

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  20 points to Pheromone Scent, 10 points to Complex Scents, 10 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Floral Vines, using Dynamic Choices to swap Floral Vines to the Burst Area of Floral Bloom and apply it to Affliction per Floral Scent.  Variable Descriptor set to [Physiological] [Drug].

Move: LOL surprise round.

Standard: Use Multiattack for multiple areas, and fire one at the Yellow Altar, one at the Black Altar, and one at the group away from the altars.  Since barring Uncanny Dodge these guys should be Vulnerable from surprise, gonna go ahead and Power Attack for 2, Multiattack for 3, -2 for Impaired.  I'll Routine against the Minions for 13.  Since Floral Thorn is in play the attack is Homing (fluff-wise, I mean, they are now standing in a mess of drugged watermelon, totally possible even if they shielded themselves from the initial blast they step in some next round or something); if the Routine attack misses I'll roll normally on the Homing attacks.  On a hit, Resistance DC 22 vs. Entranced/Compelled/Controlled to fight among their own group, non-lethally and with simple spells only (no magic above rank 5).  As for the big-names:
 Blind Seer:  (1d20+3)[ 10 ] .
Nergal:  (1d20+3)[ 7 ] .
Mouthpiece:  (1d20+3)[ 20 ] .
Satyr:  (1d20+3)[ 10 ] .
Uh, Flint:  (1d20+3)[ 4 ] .  (Sorry!  But in my defense regardless of the actual attack results this gives Flint possible cover to fight the other cultists, albeit presumably at reduced power, since it's unlikely to affect him anyway.) 
If at least half the targeted Minions aren't affect, Lily will spend Extra Effort to do it again.  If this is because the first attack missed, she'll Accurate Attack for 2 to offset the Power Attack.  If the first attack missed because these guys were not in fact Vulnerable, she'll roll the attacks against the Minions at +5, but I won't bother doing that here.  If this does happen (using the +3 for baseline since the rest of that is conditional):
 Blind Seer:  (1d20+3)[ 4 ] .
Nergal:  (1d20+3)[ 4 ] .
Mouthpiece:  (1d20+3)[ 6 ] .
Satyr:  (1d20+3)[ 6 ] .
Flint:  (1d20+3)[ 16 ] . 
And last but not least - Initiative:  (1d20+8)[ 19 ] .
 
Ridai
Nope is currently far too fueled by adrenaline, so he  just  tries to KO as many cultists as possible (that aren't visibly affected by... uh... psychotropic watermelons) without deleting them or any organs or limbs  (you know, as one does)  at the start of a brawl with said three dozen human sacrificing black magic cultists and multiple sub-cult leaders, one of the latter being his mom, while also trying not to give away that said sub-cult leader is his mom. The part that isn't drowned in stress and adrenaline just wants to cry because of just the general state of his family.

Pushing off the ground and floating to the ceiling where he only kind of vertically "lands" on his feet, space is torn into impossible directions yet nowhere, at least around the cultist groups that aren't green.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing  and  Remove Hit Points, Mass 
 EE Move  Fly to the ceiling via  Remove Acceleration 
 Standard  Attack basically every cultist that isn't green or SG with  Remove Hit Points, Mass . Resistance DC 25 Damage, Ranged, 240' bendable line, Penetrating (Pierce Resistance), Multiattack (Multi-target, 2 lines, -2 penalty). Crit 16, AoA -2/+2.
Routining against all SC that aren't visibly affected by Floral's mind whammy watermelons for  20 .
Attack vs DR  (1d20+10)[ 14 ] 
Attack vs Nergal  (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 
Attack vs BS  (1d20+10)[ 14 ] 
Attack vs Helios  (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 
 
Abracadangit
Usually, Nope's odd brand of teleportation makes Kal mildly dizzy, or at least disoriented, but her rage boils brightly enough to keep the vertigo at bay. She recalls Floral's instruction to leave the one group alone, at least for now -- she could do that much.

With a flick of her wrist, she puts another needle in her hand and immediately begins to weave. A whirling cloud of thread appears from nowhere, a great crimson cyclone, and descends on the nearest cultists with the soft cacophony of a million rustling strings.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Gonna max AoA (+5) a Snaring Strands on our friends, Nergal and the Blind Seer. Good band name.
Blind Seer: (1d20+15)[ 22 ] 
Nergal: (1d20+15)[ 24 ] 
 
Zelphas
Now, usually, when you appear out of nowhere and begin lobbing ensorcelled thread, psychedelic watermelons, and the raw power of universal negation at foes, those foes tend to react  slowly , with some sort of  surprise . Not so the members of the Suneater Cult gathered in this office building on this warm Michigan night; they leap into defense with ward and knife as though they expected just such a thing to happen. Perhaps they had.

That is not to say that the three Heroes' attacks had no effect. Floral's spray of watermelons are dodged by the rank-and-file Cultists with quick footwork and the occasional spark or gust of wind, but the secondary explosion catches some of them by surprise. One of those doused by the watermelon juice shakes off the psychotropic effects and gives Floral a haughty glare, but the other five begin eyeing their surrounding Cultists with wide, panicked eyes and gripping their knives. As for the bigger players, well... the Satyr, the robed figure atop the Green dais, smiles widely as an errant fruit wanders their way and then--eats it. Whole. Without chewing. The mind balks at explaining how. Donna Rames, Mouthpiece, atop her Yellow dais, burns away all vegetation near her with contemptuous flickers of fire, holding one hand up to shield her nose almost daintily. Nergal snarls and spits out a few words as the watermelons fly near him, withering them away into nothing in moments. As for the Seer behind him, on the Black dais... he isn't moving with any sort of haste, it seems, but he is simply not where the watermelons can touch him by the time they land.

The air sings sideways for a split second, and then (nearly) every rank-and-file Cultist not under Floral's spell drops like puppets with their strings cut, leaving only the Green dais untouched. Atop the mound, the robed, beckoning figure lets out a laugh of almost childlike delight. Nergal grunts, his shoulders sagging under the sudden lose of vitality, but behind him the Seer seems to have once again simply avoided the strike of negation without hurrying. Perhaps it is the reminder of who she is--or was, but Nope fails to strike at his mother with any amount of weight, leaving her untouched.

Nergal blasts at the snaring threads of Ariadne with gouts of sickly grey flame, withering them away, but a sneaker trail wraps around his legs and begins binding him before he can remove them. Once again, however, the Seer is simply not where the threads that seek for him expect him to be. He does not look towards the three figures to his right, but in the shocked silence after the first blow, his murmur is clearly audible.   "Remarkable."  
  "Who dares--"   The Mouthpiece shrieks, looking wildly around at the fallen Cultists, the sudden Heroes, the chaos of the place, before her burning gaze fixes on the Satyr, still giggling.   "You--"  

Beside the heroes, the red-robed Cultist--Sarah--begins scrambling away, desperate to put some room between herself and the Heroes' sudden arrival.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Initiative 

Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 15 ] 
Nope:  (1d20)[ 15 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 16 ] 

Satyr:  (1d20+20)[ 37 ] 

Nergal:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 

Mouthpiece, Blind Seer, and Sarah:  (1d20)[ 20 ] 

Controlled Cultists:  (1d20)[ 3 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Round One 
  "Oh, it's just so  fun  to see the little ones misbehaving,"   The Satyr says through giggles, their voice light and high.   Of course, they must still be punished for their high spirits, hmm? Let me help you, dear."   the figure waves one green-gloved hand at the paranoid Cultist standing at the foot of the Yellow dais, who suddenly clutches their head, screaming and screaming before collapsing to the floor in a heap.

 
 Spoiler: Perception DC 20 
It's faint, but you could see shifting, mirage-like shapes shoot across from the Satyr's hand to the Cultist, surrounding their eyes and ears before they began to fall.

Helios can sense that the power used was a mixture of Water and Life magic.
 


Blackened bones erupt from the back of Nergal's robes, constructing themselves via bits of twisted sinew into the mockery of wings. Nergal himself looks around at Sarah and Flint before turning to the Heroes, his hands moving even as he kicks at the threads holding his feet. Phantasmal weapons--spears, swords, axes, pistols, rifles, even an RPG or two--appear around him before flying forward or releasing their payload at the three Heroes; ghostly weapons with real force.

  "You--you  traitor  must know your place! I command you:  KNEEL!  "  Mouthpiece's voice rolls over the group, forcing all of the remaining rank-and-file cultists to their knees... and then to the floor in quivering heaps. The sound seems to move past Sarah, Flint, Nergal, and the Blind Seer without touching them, but its concussive force strikes at the Heroes and the Satyr alike... though the satyr covers their ears with another high laugh.

The Blind Seer clicks his tongue with a soft  tsk , still looking at no one.   Your petty squabbling is counterproductive. We have real foes to fight.   Floating up slowly on a platform of Air, the Seer turns to finally face the three Heroes, tilting his blindfold down towards them. Within its folds is--pain. And knowledge. But the knowledge is hidden; the pain is what pours out at them.

Sarah Garrett, in the midst of the chaos and battle, makes a dash for the Black dais, diving underneath to hide out of sight.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Satyr 

Move Action: Laugh.

Standard Action: Use  Weird  on the cultist at AE8. Rolled OOC; the Cultist is INCAPACITATED.

 Nergal 

Move Action: Immobile.

Standard Action: Use  Mass Conflict  in a Burst Area on the Heroes. On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Secondary Effect Incurable Damage.

Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 18 ]   Miss. 
Nope:  (1d20+8)[ 28 ]   Crit: DC becomes 32. 
Ariadne:  (1d20+8)[ 24 ]   Hit. 

End of Turn 1: Regenerates 1 Bruise.

End of Turn 2: Resistance to throw off the Affliction (DC 20):  (1d20+10)[ 17 ]   Nope. 
 Mouthpiece 

Move Action: Rage.

Standard Action: Use  KNEEL!  On everyone except Flint, Nergal, Blind Seer, and Sarah. On a hit, Defense DC 20 to negate (Perception Hearing), then Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Damage Linked Entranced/Compelled (Limited: only to grovel in awe).

Cultists: Rolled in OOC; all INCAPACITATED.

Satyr:  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]  Defense (DC 20):  (1d20+13)[ 19 ]  Resistance (DC 29/24):  (1d20+9)[ 24 ]   Miss. 

Floral:  [roll]1d20+10/[/roll]  Rolled  Crit!  in the OOC; DC becomes  34/29 
Nope:  (1d20+10)[ 16 ]   Just Miss 
Ariadne:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ]   Hit. 
 Blind Seer 

Move Action: Shift to AR5.

Standard Action: Use  See Beyond  on the Heroes. On a hit, Defense DC 22 to negate (Perception Sight), then Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Damage linked Dazed/Stunned.

Floral:  (1d20+12)[ 13 ]   Miss 
Nope:  (1d20+12)[ 15 ]   Miss 
Ariadne:  (1d20+12)[ 24 ]   Hit 
 Sarah 

Move Action: Shift to AP18.

Standard Action: Hide in Plain Sight. Stealth:  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
 All PCs are On Turn. 
 
Ridai
As Nope winces through the pain of just having been shot at by every category of human-carried firearms known to man (why are there so damn many guns, here and in general), he is then greeted by his mother basically wiping out the remaining small-time cultists (except, like, two), which makes the pushed-back part of him just more sad than it was already. Nope is reeling, hitting his head on the ceiling to boot, before haphazardly getting a hold of the bullet-hole-riddled surface. Black magic horror is shown to him by the boss of the blacker than black faction of the black magic cultists, and since the plan is to not let cultists make a run for it if they can help it, that needs to be done. Even with a storm of hell bullets being fired at him. Today is a horrible day.

Nope just tries to get as clear an idea of KO-ing  (temporarily!)  the Seer, doing his darndest to not let stray thoughts of Nergal (wrong target), Donna (wrong target!), or the pain in his body (wrong target!! Also possibly carving things out of himself again!!!) mess things up. It really doesn't help someone is just constantly laughing in this situation. Okay things are getting way too busy in his head. Head empty. Target. KO. Gogogogogo-

Man, guns were already scary, but whatever these ghost bullets are is  really  vile.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Hit Points 
 Move  Dazed, with a side of spinning on the ceiling

 Standard  Attack Black Seer with  Remove Hit Points . Resistance DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged) Linked Weaken Resistance Linked Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated). Crit 16+, AoA -5/+5
Attack vs Black Seer  (1d20+15)[ 22 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily gave a slender smirk as her watermelons didn't just take seven cultists out of the fight, but added them to her side.  It had taken a non-trivial amount of energy, performing that elaborate a transmutation three times, and then repeating the effects.  Still, not a bad opener, even by superheroic-

Nope did something finnicky with reality and just about every other mook cultist on the field, save those she had requested her teammates not target, just straight-up collapsed unconscious.  No muss, no fuss.

And then Ariadne went ahead and bound one of the  actual  threats in threadworks.  Perhaps not a complete hogtie, but certainly a hindrance.  Lily hadn't managed to so much as annoy any of them.

Between the Yellow Wizard and the Green Wizard, pretty much every lesser cultist still standing - whether drugged or not - joined their companions on the floor.  Almost as if these weren't talented magi who even a superhero might have to spend effort to take out in modest numbers, but a bunch of chumps with single-digit spells per day who would drop the moment anyone with  actual  superpower looked at them funny.

Lily gritted her teeth.  It was fine.  Raw power wasn't everything.  Her hastily thrown-together plan had worked better - or at least more immediately - than expected (although she'd be honest, at least half credit for that probably had to go to the Green Wizard, who she was now quite confident was  very  crazy, even taking into account the  generous  curve she would otherwise be grading Suneater sanity on).

And as the wizards fired back, Lily recognized the insidious power of Mouthpiece's command and plugged her ears before she could hear it.  The Blind Seer's revelation had no effect on her, for she had been hungrily consuming whatever knowledge had been put in front of her since she was a young child, and she consumed it as harmlessly as the Green Wizard had her errant piece of watermelon.  And when Nergal assailed them with ghostly weaponry, though she was no wizard capable of manipulating the forces of the spirit, still she imagined herself girded in shining armor, and though it was invisible to sight either natural or mystical - for there was nothing magical about it - her imagination was bright enough and her willpower strong enough that when Nergal's power struck her, it bounced off harmlessly.  She weathered the assault of the three mages completely unharmed.

Whatever the limits of her powers, Lily's mind was and remained the most dangerous weapon she would ever need.  It was just frustrating to think of how much more she could have achieved, if she had more raw power to put behind it.

So, the mooks were all out...except the one who was related to Helios.  That was noteworthy, but not necessarily anomalous, and Lily's current top possible explanations were:

A) One of his more powerful relatives had placed some manner of protective magic upon him, giving him a more potent defense than the other mooks could manage.  Call this one roughly 60%.

B) Somehow, there was some sort of genetic component that influenced magical power.  Since Helios was superhero-level, the dude on the black altar seemed pretty high up there himself, and the woman who had been guarding the stairs was at least good enough to be selected for guard duty, even if this guy was the weakest in their family, they were probably genetically gifted enough to make him a cut above your average cultist.  This one she'd call 20% or so.

C) As the relative of one of the heroes he had some measure of plot armor.  Why was this her life?  Something like 10%.

(I'm not saying that the idea that he was in fact Helios in his civilian identity and simply feigning reduced power, perhaps as a ploy to infiltrate the cult, outright  didn't  occur to her.  She was clever enough to generate the possibility.  But his biology had smelled sufficiently different from Helios's own that she had a strong prior against it, while still recognizing it certainly wouldn't be  impossible  for magic to hide such tells.  It was one of many possible speculations that collectively filled in the last 10% or so of her probability estimation.  Had she been inclined to consciously consider every wild speculation her brain was able to generate on short notice, it would have been down around possibility K.)

Even so, her team was taking pretty heavy fire.  She held her hands out before her, and a flower bloomed in each of her palms, their petals curling up and overlapping, hardening, as they filled with nectar.  She took one "cup" for herself, and handed a second to Ariadne.  Vines trailed between the two flowers, connecting them, and extending up to where Nope was floating above them, a third cup blooming in front of him.   "Healing potion delivery!"  she said cheerily, raising her cup in a sort of toasting gesture and drinking the nectar down.  She hadn't been harmed by the mages, but her head was still kinda reeling from the unfiltered scents of the place, so hopefully some medicinal nectar would help with that.

(She also made it a point to avert her gaze from the Blind Seer and grow some cotton swabs in her ears, not quite thick enough to entirely block her hearing, but enough to muffle it some, plus she could transform it into something more soundproof quickly if need be.)

 
 Spoiler 
Perception to keep track of Sarah:  (1d20+10)[ 19 ] .

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Medicinal Nectar, 10 points to Solar Nectar, 10 points to Floral Vines, Dynamic Choices to apply Floral Vines to Healing.

Move: I guess I'll go ahead and make another Perception check in case the first one fails:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] .   Strategy &gt; Luck 

Standard: Healing Nectar on her team.  Restorative Persistent Healing.
 Lily:  (1d20+8)[ 28 ] .   Crit success.  18 RP +5 for crit +5 for Persistent.  Will spend 10 to negate the Affliction, devote 9 towards my Recover action so it's easy to trigger later if I need it, and the rest is wasted.  Really kinda wish this roll had been for Ariadne. 
Ariadne:  (1d20+8)[ 18 ] .   8 RP, freaking Impaired. 
Nope:  (1d20+8)[ 18 ] .   Also 8 RP, also freaking Impaired.  
Free: Avert visual and auditory senses from the bad guys.  Not fully rendering them Unaware, just the "take -2 to hit if using them to target for +10 on the check to negate Sense-dependent stuff" bit.

End of Turn: Homing attacks trigger.  Irrelevant for the mook cultists, but pretty sure I missed all the serious threats both times and Flint the first time.  Not much better odds this time, but hey Nergal's Vulnerable now so whatever let's go for the glory.  First one is Resistance DC 22 vs. Entranced/Compelled/Controlled, second one is DC 20.
 Blind Seer:  (1d20+3)[ 9 ] .
Nergal:  (1d20+3)[ 8 ] .
Mouthpiece:  (1d20+3)[ 7 ] .
Flint:  (1d20+3)[ 14 ] .
--
Blind Seer:  (1d20+5)[ 13 ] .
Nergal:  (1d20+5)[ 15 ] .   A solid maybe with Vulnerable! 
Mouthpiece:  (1d20+5)[ 11 ] . 
Also end of turn: Resistance to remove the "Affliction" if my Healing doesn't cut it (DC 23, -2 for Impaired):  (1d20+8)[ 27 ] .   ...Also would have loved to swap this for Ariadne's Healing roll. 

Current Status: Fatigued (9/10 RP towards Recover).
 
Abracadangit
Kal knows that her anger at the cult is throwing off her concentration.   "Calm, engoni. Calm is the..."  
  "I know. IknowIknowIknow. Let it go for a second,"   she thinks back, more and more aggravated as one attack after the other lands on her. She almost feels compelled to listen to the Mouthpiece's creepy command, until another attack knocks sense back into her.

 "Enough   is   enough,"  Kal hisses, as she begins to weave shields around the team.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
No Move Action, Dazed unless I'm mistaken.
Free Action: Switch Threadwork Conjurations to Threadwork Sense.
Action: Silken Shields, surrounding the whole group where we are right now. Putting the Created shields around us in each direction, so for the map's sake it looks like a little 2x2 grid covering all of us.
 
Dorni
Flint was frozen in shock. What were they doing here? How did they find out about the gathering? And were those mind-control watermelon bombs?

Fortunately, the rest of the cult was pretty surprised as well, so he blended right in.

Flint did manage to kick himself into gear and take stock. Sarah had wasted no time fleeing the heros and hiding under the furniture, which was probably the safest place she could be right now. Which left him trapped with his hero friends and the cult leaders. And Lily had turned some of the cult against each other by deliberately sparing the greens.

 "Traitor!" 

So calling, Flint wove aether in a blast of hardened air that he launched at the Satyr. The blast wasn't at his full strength - it would raise too many questions if he started blasting away with  spells and power identical to one of the cult's biggest enemies - so he invoked the spell at a level more appropriate to the strength of the initiate he was supposed to be. He wasn't so full of himself to believe it was enough to punch through the Satyr's defenses in a contest of strength.

So he didn't. Just before the wind blast would have struck home it abruptly arced downward and smashed into the dais she stood upon. The dais that was in fact nothing more than a misshapen pile of chairs and furniture - which was in no way OSHA compliant. The topmost level buckled, and with luck would throw the Satyr off-balance in a prime opportunity for any of the big hitters.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: To AF28
Standard: Cast the Ranged Strength portion of Crossing the Sky to Aid the next attack against Satyr at  (1d20+11)[ 29 ] .  +5 Aid 
 
Zelphas
 Round Two 
 
 Spoiler: Ariadne's Threadwork Sense 
With Ariadne's spirit guiding your eyes, the threads become clearer. The Blind Seer, nearest to you, is surrounded by a seething whorl of threads that warp and twist, forming knots of incredible intricacy and terrifying depth, which blink like eyes and unravel as soon as they form, almost tracking your gaze when you look them over.

Nergal, still caught in your own threads, is surrounded by threadwork scenes of death. Battlefields laid waste, towns ravaged by plague, poisoned wells and banquets, and death wrenched from its slumber to walk and work once more. At the moment, the scenes are outlines only, constellations of thread, but they threaten to fill with color and power over time.

The hiding cultist has threads all around her, but they are oddly snarled, as though she has been tangling them to keep them from taking form and shape. Even as you watch, a thread like an outstretched wing curls in on itself and becomes a hopeless tangle near her.

The cultist in the center is a similar thing; a few threads, most tangled, only a few giving clear indications--curls of air and cloud, mostly, hard to translate.

The Mouthpiece twists the threads into cruel smiles around her, laughing forms that turn to screams and are eaten by other, stronger smiles before they, too, decay. The interplay of threads around her is darkly hypnotic, suggesting majesty and power, and you have to pull your eyes away.

At the Green dais, the Satyr is surrounded by trees of thread that are not truly trees. The trees walk, shifting and shaping, bowing to one another, striking and consuming each other, and splitting apart into children of each other in a mad display. The Satyr seems to look on at this display almost as if they can see it; you can practically feel their adoration.

 
 Spoiler: Perception DC 20 
A single thread twists through them all, eating an eyeball around the Seer, luxuriating in the depictions of death, twisting deftly around the tangles, laughing with the smiles, draping itself in the not-trees. It looks at you, and bares its fangs in a smile.

He's here, somewhere.
 

 


The Blind Seer is simply not where Nope attempts to strike him, avoiding the negator's odd power by dint of seemingly simple movement. He nods, almost seeming to approve of Floral and Ariadne's efforts to heal and support the hero group.   "Delaying the inevitable. Commendable, if futile."  

Flint's gust of air destabilizes the Green dais, and the Satyr tumbles from their perch, hurtling towards the ground. An instant later, and they are standing next to Flint, one hand reaching up to cradle the faux cultist's face.   "Now, now, none of that,"   they croon. The edge of their hood lifts up, slightly, allowing Flint to see a beautiful, androgynous, inhuman face and one gleaming golden eye with a square pupil.   "What was it our dear Mouthpiece said? Oh, yes."   Rather than the commanding shout of the Mouthpiece, its voice is a purr, for Flint's ears alone.   " Kneel ."  
  "Don't--touch--him!"   Nergal roars, hooking one clawed hand towards the Satyr. Weaponry of all sorts appear in ghostly form around him once more, this time striking only at the Satyr and inflicting steady wounds... which heal as the Satyr laughs and laughs. Even as he does so, the wounds inflicted by his earlier barrage burn deeper into Nope and Ariadne. Nergal continues to rip at the threads around him, his grisly wings flexing in their urge to close in combat.

Mouthpiece nods in haughty approval of Nergal's strike, turning her hot, angry gaze towards the three Heroes.   "Your flower crafting is amusing,"   she calls out over the melee, sighting Floral directly.   "I want a flower Crown. Make me one. Now!"   The words strike at Floral with more than physical force.

The Blind Seer turns to the group... then tilts his head, as though something caught his eye just behind the three Heroes.   "I'm sure we will meet once more; There is no purpose in my defeating you or being defeated here. As a parting gift."   The man gestures to the ground, speaking a trio of harsh words... and with a hiss of blowing sand, two grisly mummies rise up out of his shadow, taking on flesh and form. The Blind Seer himself turns in midair and drifts quickly down the stairs, quickly passing out of sight.

A few small, muffled sounds come from the Black dais, suggesting that Sarah is on the move there.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Satyr 

Move Action: Shift to AE28.

Standard Action: Use  Induce to Worship  on Flint.  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]  This is a Perception attack. Flint, give me a Resistance DC 22 vs. Entranced/Compelled (gaze in awe at the wonder of the Satyr) and Weaken Resistance, modified by Perception.  +10 to your Resistance roll. 
 Nergal 

Move Action: Immobile.

Standard Action: Use  Conflict  on the Satyr, using Flint's Aid.  (1d20+13)[ 19 ]  vs. 23. This is a Perception Ranged attack. Satyr Resistance:  (1d20+9)[ 29 ]  vs. DC 27 + Multiattack Damage, modified by Perception.  Crit Resists. 

End of Turn 1: Resistance to remove the Affliction (DC 20):  (1d20+10)[ 23 ]   Removed. 

End of Turn 2: Secondary Effect Triggers. Nope, Resistance DC 32 vs. Damage. Ariadne, Resistance DC 27 vs. Damage.

 Mouthpiece 

Move Action: Too haughty.

Standard Action: Use  Dance for My Master  on Floral.  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] . This is a Perception Ranged attack. Floral, give me a Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Damage and Dazed &amp; Impaired/Compelled (make a flower crown), modified by Perception.  Crit; DCs become 34/29. 
 Blind Seer 

Standard Action: Use  Death Shall Die  to Summon two Reanimated. Reanimated Initiative (for next turn):  (1d20+12)[ 13 ]   After PCs 

Move Action: Distance Rank 10 down the stairs, out the door, and away.

 Sarah 

Move Action: Shift to AJ18.

Standard Action: Subtle 2.

 All PCs are On Turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily frowned as the Black Wizard went zipping right on past them and out (after summoning up some mummies, as one does).  Huh.  Standing in front of the stairs was...was really not that much of an obstacle when dealing with superhuman movement modes.  Okay then.  Fair enough.

She considered giving chase, but truth was the Black Wizard was a secondary priority.  Rescuing Helios's relatives was still most important.

And so yeah, Lily's heart  kinda  jumped into her throat when the one she had identified as the weakest of them took a shot at the Green Wizard...and the Green Wizard struck back.  Her wings weren't charged and she was too far away to intervene and she needed him down anyway but if anything happened to him because of her half-baked plan she would-!

...Annnnnd he was totally fine apparently.  Okay.  It  couldn't  be plot armor.  Nobody would  believe  it.  He had to have been warded by one of his more powerful relatives.  Either that or the Green Wizard just sucked.  Lily kinda wished she hadn't chosen the greens as their "allies".  Perfect opportunity to taunt the bad guy, wasted.

And the necromancery dude who Lily had identified as the most powerful of Helios's relatives (Black Wizard Junior?), naturally shot back at them.  Because they had attacked his...brother or cousin or whoever they were to each other, naturally.  Green Wizard's craziness was just the gift that kept on giving.  Lily honestly was kinda wondering if they had actually called in someone to interfere with the gathering and just thought the heroes were them.  Or maybe Green Wizard had tipped off their source who had then tipped them off?  That would have been...well, either a comedy or a farce, anyway.  She honestly wasn't sure which at this point.

Mouthpiece unleashed a power word on Lily, and the sonic force of the attack blew through Ariadne's barrier to hit her.  It rattled her some, but she ignored the command entirely, her will refusing to falter in the face of even supernatural power.

Lily refilled the flower cups with some more healing nectar, took another swig herself, and then turned her attention onto Yellow Wizard.  She wasn't particularly worried about the mummies right now, due mainly to the fact that she kinda expected them to spontaneously stop existing presently.  Black Wizard Junior was a priority, but he seemed like he could handle himself, so as long as he was content to fight Green Wizard she'd leave them to it for the moment at least.  As for Yellow Wizard...  "One floral crown, coming up!" 

Lily took her flower cup, and transformed it into a beautiful crown of colorful flowers, all pinks and whites and purples around the circle, with like intertwining spirals of vines growing out of it, studded with tiny little yellow blooms, a deep red rose at the top of each one.  And then she basically frizbee'd it at Yellow Wizard's head, with a bit of tactile phytokinesis to help try and land it right.  Of course, the pretty exterior completely hid the face that the inside was all thorny brambles that were dripping with some sort of undoubtedly creatively debilitating cocktail of plant-based poisons, but if you weren't expecting a crown of thorns setup from freaking Floral, of all people, then you deserved exactly what you got.

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Dazed, so sadly I can't actually try to Trick Mouthpiece into thinking that Lily was affected by the compulsion and the crown of flowers is exactly what she asked for and completely harmless.  Alas.

Standard: More Persistent Restorative Healing for her team, using last round's setup.
 Lily:  (1d20+8)[ 17 ] .   7 RP.  1 goes to filling out the Recover to remove my Fatigue.  Triggers Persistent for +5.  Spend 10 to remove Impaired because that was my plan before I saw the natural 20 and so it remains.  Last point goes to the Bruise. 
Ariadne:  (1d20+8)[ 22 ] .   12 RP, +8 from previous is 20, +5 since Persistent triggers.  Ariadne can remove two conditions and has 5/10 RP towards a third. 
Nope:  (1d20+8)[ 27 ] .   17 RP, +8 for previous is 25, +5 since Persistent triggers is 30.  Nope can remove up to three conditions if he likes.  
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Drugged Nectar, 10 points to Incrementing Stupor.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: Attack Mouthpiece with Crown of Thorns at  (1d20+8)[ 21 ]  (+2 if she's able to remove Impaired with Healing above).  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Effect and Resistance.  The Weaken is Progressive, but it doesn't stack; the new penalty overwrites the old one if worse, or is overwritten if not as bad.  If it misses, it will try again next round with Homing.   Impaired was removed so make that a 23 

End of Turn: If still Impaired, Resistance to throw it off (DC 29, -2 for Impaired):  (1d20+8)[ 28 ] .   Kinda wasted this but you know what I'm not even mad.  Me and the dice are  totally  chill. 

Current Status: 1 Bruise (1/10 RP), (Dazed Ends), Fatigued as of next turn.  Recover used.
 
Ridai
Between wondering whether he actually ever really knew his parents, searing infernal pain, the Black Seer making a run for it, and undead appearing, it's been a day. Once more he tries to angle himself so he can actually drink the juice he doesn't want to think about too much without having it go in his lungs on accident. And as he does so, he watches Donna get a crown of thorns, and the green dude being up to some BS. It's been a day.

Start at Nergal. KO. Down to the undead. Remove tether on soul. Up to Mouthpiece. KO. Go.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Fully recover due to Floral's healing.

 Free  Switch back to  Remove Hit Points, Mass 
 Standard  Attack Nergal, the undead, and Mouthpiece with Remove Hit Points, Mass. Resistance DC 25 Damage, shapeable line, Penetrating (pierce immunity), Multiattack (single-target), Ranged. Crit 16+, AoA -5/+5
Attack vs Nergal  (1d20+15)[ 30 ] 
Attack vs Undead 1  (1d20+15)[ 31 ]   Crit? 
Attack vs Undead 2  (1d20+15)[ 18 ] 
Attack vs Mouthpiece  (1d20+15)[ 34 ]   Crit? 
 
Abracadangit
Kal marvels at how the thread displays and patterns itself around the various cultists, depicting the hearts of their respective magics. As she does so, she can't help but wonder if Apophis is watching this all from some vantage point, enjoying himself.

  "Do you think he's paying attention,"    Kal thinks, over to Ariadne.   "Enjoying himself, as others suffer. Thatstupidgoodfornothing..."  

She suddenly feels an odd tug in one of the threads, as she weaves another shield about the team. Did it get caught on something? Kal wonders.

  "It certainly has,"   Ariadne thinks back, meeting Kal's incandescent rage with a sort of weary calm.   "Threads in the world catch on pointed things, jagged things. Edges that are not smooth. Threads from your soul catch on pointed thoughts, jagged thoughts. Emotions that burn too bright."  
  "But he might be WATCHING..."  
  "Yes, I know. I heard you before. This is the way of gods, they are always 'watching,' being terrible. It changes nothing."  
  "So let me guess, I just need to think happy thoughts, is that it. Then the thread listens better."  
  "I did not say that,"   Ariadne replies, a little miffed that her tutelage is being dismissed as stereotypical.   "You do not have to think happy thoughts, or sad thoughts, or any thoughts at all. All such things are a waste. You just need to focus on what needs to be done, and then let the thread help you do it. You can be happy or sad if you like, in the meantime -- the thread cares none."  

Kal goes quiet for a moment, as she renews more of the shield patterns encasing the team, making sure to reinforce areas that need it.

  "...you're right, thank you,"   Kal thinks back, finally.   "I needed that."  
  "Hnn, hnn. Focus now, engoní. On what needs to be done."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Gonna maintain Silken Shields around the team for another round.
 
Dorni
  "Kneel."  

The Satyr's command was an enticing, silky smooth purr. Flint could feel the power embedded in the words, in the tempting glow of that piercing golden eye. He could feel the pull. Flint leaned forward... and slapped the Satyr.

It wasn't a gentle slap either. It wasn't a magic-infused strike, or some kind of martial art. He knew it wouldn't put the cultist down, but it was an eloquent rebuttal. He reflected that the Satyr's siren act was a lot less effective when he could feel the aether that imbued her words like a slime.

He used the stunned moment that bought him to thicken the air around himself soar away from her and-

 "Nergul!"  Nope's attack hammered his brother.

Flint rushed to his brother's side and was relieved to see that his brother was still moving.  "You heard the Seer. We should go,"  he implored, casting about for Sarah. His friends already had a smashing victory over the cult. One of their senior members was down and adherents littered the floor. He just needed to keep his family from becoming part of those statistics.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: To AQ21
Standard: Use the Ranged Strength of Crossing the Sky to smash the window at AT22. Finishing attack  (1d20+6)[ 7 ] . On hit, DC 26 vs Damage
 
Zelphas
Mouthpiece's... mouth... is hidden beneath her yellow scarf, but her triumphant grin is all-too evident as the flower crown spins towards her. Equally evident is the scream of anger and pain once Floral's weapon lands atop her head, the brambles and poison working their way into her system with astonishing speed. She fell to her knees, clutching at the crown to wrest it away from her head--

--sunlight danced in the night air for a moment of incongruent impossibility, and Mouthpiece fell fully to the ground atop her dais, soundless. One of the mummies shuddered and collapsed slowly inwards, holding itself upright by magic and will alone; the other snarled, but remained fully fighting fit. The air trembled for a second longer around Nergal before collapsing inwards, causing his wings to list crazily around him even as he tore himself finally free from Ariadne's ropes.

The Satyr's laugh turns into a howl of strangely-mingled glee and rage at Flint's strike, but even as they turn to retaliate the other "cultist" is already gone, flying to his brother. Flint gathered his power to strike at the cracked window, urging his family to flee the field...


 
 Originally Posted by Dorni 
  "You heard the Seer. We should go,"  
 

  "Aww, and just as things might've gotten interesting!"  

The voice that came from behind Flint's shoulder is not that of his brother. It is a voice recognized the world over at this point; Watcher may be the most likely out of all the League to give great speeches, but there is one other member who absolutely loves to hear himself talk.

Dante's cloak flutters to the ground, revealing a man of completely different build, height, and weight than the person standing there just moments before. The man takes a moment to straighten the immaculately-pressed, violently yellow shirtsleeves under his crisp magenta blazer, drinking in the attention that his presence brings to the room. His sandy yellow hair, cut short, sways slightly as he looks back and forth, the candlelight glinting off of his thick, rounded spectacles. He smiles, showing yellow-white teeth that are unnaturally sharp in this moment of excitement. The eyes... bright scarlet, with slitted snake's pupils, held open wide in a posture of sheer childlike glee, rest for just a moment upon Flint, giving him a wink.

Apophis, the Lord of Chaos, fifth member of the League of the Future, bounces on the heels of his shiny green dress shoes and takes in a deep, preparatory breath.

  I admit, though, it does seem like the fun's almost over here and now."   A hiss of scales is the only sign, and the prone figure of Mouthpiece stands, shedding its cloak  and revealing Apophis, holding a bouquet of flowers eerily similar to those on the crown Floral threw just moments before. He plucks one and takes an experimental sniff, allowing the crushed blue-green flower to grow fangs and bite down deeply into his cheek. With an abrupt motion, he flings the flower-snake away; it soars into darkness.

  The heroes have won, the villains fallen; how noble, how glorious, how... dreadfully dull."   The Satyr leaps from its bowing, supplicated position which it took the moment Apophis appeared, Apophis cartwheeling out of the Satyr's robes and flipping into a perfect gymnastics-style landing, arms outstretched. He spins, his hand moving in an exaggerated slapping motion, and Flint is lifted and thrown bodily out of the cracked window, shattering it with his form as he goes.

  "Still, I suppose you deserve some sort of reward,"   Sarah's cry of shock and fear is cut off when Apophis takes her place, looking over the Heroes with an exaggerated frown. After a moment, his face clears as if struck by inspiration, and he snaps his fingers. Behind the Heroes, something grounds and collapses into sand. Apophis grimaces.   "Too damaged... Ah well. I know! I'll show you a surprise I have cooking for October. No spoiling, now!"  

Apophis unhinges his jaw, and a golden-red snake bursts forth, growing larger and larger and larger. It reaches up, up, up, beyond the reach of the office floor the Heroes are standing in, before getting its jaws around a large, round, glowing orb in the impossible sky.

Apophis swallows the sun.

A moment later and the room is unchanged... but the people and places are different. Floral finds herself standing at the top of the Green Dais, looking at a grotesque sight. A bright pink tutu flounces out, connected to a white, tightly-stretched leotard covering a rotting corpse. The Ballet Zombie spins swiftly, dancing down with unbelievable grace until it is right in front of Floral. With a deceptively delicate step, the zombie drives its heel repeatedly at the biochemist plant's face.

Ariadne is atop the Yellow Dias, facing a zombie dressed in smooth, satiny black coattails; the full tuxedo, complete with cummerbund, bow tie, decorative pins for buttons, and top hat placed just far enough back to reveal the gaping, missing eyehole and openmouthed, vacant stare. The Classical Zombie steps forward immediately, its hands reaching to grab Ariadne's and place one hand on its shoulder, setting the stage for their dance... a dance that Ariadne feels oddly compelled to join.

Nope is at the Black Dais, and his zombie is possibly the most concerning of the group. Sneakers barely peek out under baggy, thick canvas pants, and an oversized tank-top emblazoned with the word "SWOOD" in graffiti-style letters still allows for far too much of the zombie's rotting flesh to be seen. The Hip-hop Zombie immediately spins itself into a complicated tangle on the floor of the dais, elbows and feet swinging Nope's way in wild abandon without ever opening itself up too clearly for attack.

 Helios 

The phantasmal slap, the crash through the window, should have hurt, but it doesn't; you could swear you hear hissing laughter in your ear just before you are deposited roughly in the empty street outside the office building. A few seconds later, your phone vibrates with several new messages.

 
 Spoiler: Family Texts 
  Dante: What happened? All ok? Found myself somewhere in Main Drag 
 Sarah: Flint? Answer! Did Apophis hurt you? 
 Dante: Sarah, not on phone! If SE arrived, not our business anymore. Meet at hotel. 
 Sarah: Shut up Dante! Flint, answer! I'm coming back. 
  Dante is typing...   
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map , to remember the Chaos.

All the Zombies have Mobility of 20, so all have higher Initiative than you.

 Ballet Zombie 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Pirouette  on Floral.  (1d20+14)[ 34 ]  vs. DC 20 or  (1d20+10)[ 20 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25 vs. Multiattack, Secondary Effect Damage. The Ballet Zombie is Deflected at 1d20+14.  Crit; DC becomes 30. 
 Classical Zombie 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Shall We?  on Ariadne.  (1d20+10)[ 27 ]  vs. DC 20 or  (1d20+10)[ 15 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 24 vs. Entranced/Compelled (Only to dance with the zombie) and Progressive Weaken Defense.  Hit. 
 Hip-Hop Zombie 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Turtle  on Nope.  (1d20+12)[ 24 ]  vs. DC 13 or  (1d20+3)[ 12 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 22 + Multiattack vs. Impaired &amp; Vulnerable/Disabled &amp; Defenseless. The Hip-Hop Zombie is Deflected at 1d20+12.  Hit, full Multiattack; DC becomes 27. 
 All PCs are on turn. Helios is 1 Move Action from the battlefield. 
 
Ridai
The ever-gnawing uncertainty over what might have happened to the people he attacked, things were going kind of well. And then Apophis happened, and drives home they are lucky he just decided to toy with them. So now that "oh gods what happened to Donna?!" to the long list of worries, Nope is being aggressively breakdanced at, with the little insult of being put on the Black Dais, which admittedly may not be too far-fetched in terms of thematics (okay actually it's very app- nevermind).

It's been a day.

So to momentarily escape being slapped around any more by a rotting B-Boy on an Ikea disaster, Nope blips to midair, trying to attack the tutu-clad steppy zombie violently kicking Floral in the face. Just... just unmake it.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Personal Relative Distance, Remove Hit Points 
 Move  to N9, same height as standing on a dais

 Standard  Attack BZ with  Remove Hit Points . DC 25/20 Damage (Ranged) Linked Weaken Resistance 10. AoA -5/+5
Attack vs BZ (+5 from AoA, -2 from Impaired)  (1d20+13)[ 33 ]   Nat 20 Crit? 
 EE Standard   Do it again! 
Attack vs BZ (+5 from AoA, -2 from Impaired)  (1d20+13)[ 18 ] 
 End of Turn  Try to get rid of the Affliction DC 27  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]   Wow. Removed Affliction 
 
Abracadangit
Kal is a whirlwind of emotions -- hatred at the appearance of Apophis, confusion at the sudden change in location, and then also... oddly compelled to dance with the zombie? As much as she often considers herself a terrible dancer, she has difficulty shaking this bizarre intrusion into her mind, telling her that it wouldn't be so terrible to just relax for a moment, let her cares fade away, and enjoy th--

  "No,"   says Ariadne, ringing through her mind like a bell.   "I do not like being told what to do."  

Torn between the strange mental control and Ariadne's flat refusal, Kal stands awkwardly in place.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
New Resistance DC 24 save to shrug off the effects of the Entranced/Progressive Weaken:  (1d20+10)[ 13 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
It was interesting.

Nobody could deny that Apophis had put on a display of real power there.  Whisking the cult leaders elsewhere (presumably to safety, but it was Apophis so who even knew?), summoning three powerful and unique zombies, and rearranging the battlefield to his tastes, all basically simultaneously and with little opportunity afforded to resist or respond.  Some might have found that terrifying, but...

Lily had an odd sense here, not that she was watching a god work his will, but more like she was watching the well-prepared stagecraft of a professional magician.  It was the showiness that did it, replacing the cult leaders, the display of swallowing the sun, the...sheer weirdness of the zombies.  There was illusion involved here.  The actual magical kind, granted, but more than that.  This whole thing was a pure sensory overload.  "Look at how powerful and chaotic and unpredictable I am!"  Like a magician flamboyantly waving one hand to draw attention away from the other.

Lily didn't adjust her assessment of Apophis's threat level  downward , of course.  You still needed enough real power to accomplish the physical effects.  But she didn't adjust it upward either.  Her analysis could be mistaken, but if she was right, this display had provided evidence of the  limits  of Apophis's power.  What he couldn't do trivially.

And if that estimate was correct, it suggested...well, it suggested the Apophis did have some investment in his cult, or at least its leaders.  It mattered enough for him to have been watching this event, by magical scrying perhaps or whatever means, maybe even lurking invisibly in the room.  And it mattered enough for him to step in personally when the leaders were in danger, even though one had already escaped.  And it mattered enough for him to expend actual effort to protect them.

...Maybe.  Or maybe the entire thing had been staged by Apophis to give him a chance to show off his "true power", before the leaders of his cult and the city's new superhero team alike.  If that were the case, it suggested a potential psychological weakness to exploit.

In either case, it meant Apophis was not the creature of whim he had sought to appear as.  He had specific motivations and goals he was working towards.   If  Lily's entire chain of logic was an accurate assessment of the evidence, and not just her own sense of personal pride trying to cut down a display of raw personal power far beyond anything her dinky little plant control could ever hope to accomplish.  But what were the odds of that?

All those thoughts and considerations and assessments and evaluations...would occur to Lily Woods  later .  Right now she was too busy being violently spun around by a zombie in a tutu to really be devoting much brainpower to such large-scale strategic concerns.  Sometimes you just have to live in the moment.

Fortunately while Lily appeared human, her physiology was anything but, and that helped her deal with the worst of the vertigo.  With the Classical Zombie having leaped over to the green altar to protect the Ballet Zombie, standing there in reach of both of them probably wasn't a super-great plan.  But since Lily was currently having some difficulty telling left from floor, she just went ahead and lunged at the Classical Zombie with both hands dripping acidic nectar.  There was more than one way to not be standing in melee with two dangerous opponents.

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Dazed.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Drugged Nectar, 10 points to Lingering Acid, 10 points to Potent Acid.  Variable Descriptor the whole thing to [Energy] [Acid].

Standard: Attack the Classical Zombie with Flower Power, Accurate Attacking for 2, at  (1d20+12)[ 23 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 23+Penetrating/18 vs. Secondary Effect Damage Linked Weaken Effect and Resistance.

Current Status: 2 Bruises (1/10 RP), (Dazed ends), Fatigued, SE (Damage 35@+5).  Recover used.
 
Dorni
Flint was seeing stars.

Surprisingly for him, it wasn't because of pain. Oh no, he'd just been slapped by a god and sent sailing out a fourth-floor window to crash into the street below. He hadn't had his wards fully powered at the time. His bones should be broken in a dozen places if not just reduced to dust. He could have died. Maybe should have. Had discovering magic made him callous to dangers?

No, he felt fine. Mostly. The stars he was seeing came from looking up at the sky from flat on his back. He had an odd moment of tranquility in which he was aware of two facts. One, that Apophis' spell must have been protecting him to some degree. That implied that Apophis wasn't entirely callous towards the Suneaters. Why else would he bother to help a lowly acolyte who hadn't yet chosen a color to escape? Two, his phone was buzzing. He felt the moment of zen passing

 
 Spoiler: Texts 
  Don't come back. I'm alive. No injuries.

He must have cushioned my fall.

Where are you? Are you ok?  
 


Flint put his phone away and scrambled to his feet. After his brush with surprise skydiving a part of him wanted to agree with Dante and race back to the hotel while he could. He wasn't a soldier, after all. He'd never trained to fight. And he was out of the fight now. He could sneak back to the hotel and no one would be the wiser. He shook off that line of thought. He didn't work in the hospital's wards, but everyday he'd seen the battles to save lives, sometimes working themselves to exhaustion. Here under the dome, the League had to be stopped. There was no one else who could do it besides he and his new friends. And right now those friends were in danger.

Flint found that he'd ducked into an alleyway, glancing back and forth to make sure that he was alone. Then he wove the familiar spell to take on the shape of the sun god. It had been surprisingly simple once he'd set his mind to it. In summoning the undead, when a physical body wasn't available it was possible to create one from aether. Flint had simply taken the inspiration and adapted it - forming an aetherial vessel around himself. It wasn't that he was piloting it or wearing it. It was an extension of himself. When he opened his eyes again, he was a good 6 inches taller, muscular, and wearing that deep red and gold-trim armor and cape.

Helios flew out of the alley, keeping low and circling to the west side of the building. Then he shot into the sky and smashed through the glass and into the battlefield. Helios did smile at that. He was used to office battles.

 "Looks like I'm late to the party! Hope you didn't have too much fun without me!" 

He snapped his fingers and one of the zombies burst into flames.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: To alley
Free: Helios transformation, activate Flight
Move: Lots, end up in J4
Standard: Cast Combust on Classical Zombie.  (1d20+10)[ 14 ] , on hit DC 25+/20+ vs Penetrating Damage &amp; Penetrating Weaken [Resistance] &amp; Affliction [Impaired/Disabled]
 
Zelphas
Nope's burst of unmaking strikes down... on the Classical Zombie, who is suddenly missing his tailcoat and several pounds of weight. The top hat remains inexplicably in place, however, even after its high speed quickstep across the room to block Nope's line of sight. The Ballet Zombie continues twirling slowly atop its dais, unconcerned. Floral strikes at the Classical Zombie.. just in time for it to catch her hands, the sizzling acidic nectar ignored. It bows, Helios' burst of flame appearing just above its head without singing even the rim of its top hat. The Classical Zombie's hands slowly begin crushing down at Floral as it starts to turn her in a slow, steady spin, stepping carefully in place to a rhythm only it (and possibly Ariadne) can hear.

The Ballet Zombie, twirling steadily, skips down and forwards, leaping towards Ariadne, frozen on her dais. With a graceful bound, it jumps forward, one outstretched foot pointed directly at the frozen thread-weaver's stomach, set to bowl Ariadne over and out of the map.

With exaggerated running motions, the Hip-Hop Zombie darts across the distance to where Nope and Helios are standing. It throws itself into a whirling, dancing dervish on the floor as soon as it arrives, feet, knees, elbows, and hands striking with unnatural force to both damage and knock Nope and Helios back out into the night.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Classical Zombie 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Waltz  on Floral.  (1d20+12)[ 22 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22/22 vs. Multiattack Damage linked Strength (grab only) Linked Dazed &amp; Vulnerable/Stunned &amp; Defenseless. The Affliction is Physiological.  Hit, no Multiattack. 

End of Turn: regenerates 1 point of Weaken Resistance.

 Ballet Zombie 

Move Action: Shift to W9.

Standard Action: Use  Grand Jete  on Ariadne.  (1d20+14)[ 21 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20/20 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Strength (to Launch Ariadne out of the window behind her) Linked Progressive Weaken Defense (...again. huh.).  Hit, full Multiattack; DC is 30/20/20. 
 Hip-Hop Zombie 

Move Action: Shift to K7.

Standard Action: Use  Coffee Grinder , Burst Area 1, on Helios and Nope. On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Strength (Launching Helios out the window he came in, and Nope towards the lower window from Y to AB).

Helios:  (1d20+12)[ 17 ]   Miss 
Nope:  (1d20+12)[ 19 ]   Hit, +2 Multiattack due to AoA; DC is 29/22. 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
The Classical Zombie grabbed Lily's arms with crushing force.  Fortunately, her body was closer to wood than flesh in terms of physical resilience, so instead of snapping both of her arms like, well, twigs, it only bruised her some.  As for the grab itself, well...Lily had never really expected to have to deal with much in the way of physical violence in her previous life.  But Hannah had insisted she learn at least a  few  self-defense techniques.  Hannah's protectiveness towards her baby sister hadn't  started  with her development of superpowers.  Of course, back then, Lily had been much more appreciative and much less resentful of it.

Lily was pretty much exactly as strong as she looked, so techniques involving overpowering her opponent had been right out.  But there were techniques that preyed on the weaknesses and limitations of the human body, and they could serve remarkably well even if you had a tremendous disadvantage of strength.  And while zombies may not have felt pain, may not have been using their internal organs any more, and may have had supernatural strength behind them, they  were  still physically made up of all the same stuff as a normal human body.  They still had muscles, and tendons, and joints, and ignoring all functions of  physiology , those were and remained  physical  mechanisms that responded predictably to specific applications of physical forces.

The zombie was vastly stronger than Lily was.  It would have been based on the size and musculature of its body alone, without any supernatural help.  But this wasn't about strength.  It was about technique, leverage, and mechanics.  When Lily suddenly swept her arms out in just the right circular motion, exerting just the right force on the zombie's wrists in just the right place, its hands came open and she was freed.

...Now if only she could have told her big sister how she had used the maneuver she had taught her to break the hold of a superpowered zombie without it starting a screaming match about how she never should have been close enough to a superpowered zombie to get grabbed in the first place.

Right.  Not productive.  Lily shunted her family drama to the back of her mind and-

...And Helios was here now.  Helios was here and his three family members weren't.  And maybe in the face of Apophis's direct intervention there hadn't been anything Lily could have done about that, but she still felt guilty.

Still not productive.  She shunted  his  family drama to the back of her mind too.

 "I mean, it's kinda a suck party, to be honest,"  Floral quipped back.   "No food, ugly decorations, the guests of honor all left early, and worst of all-"  she said with a disapproving gesture at the dancing zombies.   "-we had specifically requested  live  entertainers!" 

Sure, that probably wasn't productive either, but it made her feel better.

Speaking of making people feel better, the hits were starting to rack up for her team.  Lily sent another vine across the way, flower cups filled with more healing nectar blooming along either side of it.

 
 Spoiler 
Delaying until after Helios.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Medicinal Nectar, 10 points to Solar Nectar, 10 points to Floral Vines.

Move: Meh.

Standard: Healing Nectar on Lily, Ariadne, and...I mean she isn't actually aware he could use it but I believe Helios is ending his turn in shapeable area range so sure him too if that's correct.  Restorative Persistent Healing.
 Lily:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] .   20 RP after Persistent.  Clears the last Bruise, but the other ten are wasted. 
Ariadne:  (1d20+10)[ 11 ] .   GROWING A NEW FUTURE!  Downtime-fueled Healing reroll!   Ends up  being 15 RP after Persistent 
Helios:  (1d20+10)[ 13 ] .   3 RP, for what it's worth.  
Current Status (counting Helios's Healing from OOC): Fatigued, SE (Healing +6).  Recover used.
 
Dorni
 "I see. Well this should  liven  things up."  Helios flicked a hand in an arcane gesture. Warm, golden light gathered around Helios' companions, renewing their vigor while knitting their wounds together.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: To K11
Standard: Cast Heal on the party, shaping the area as a 120'x6"x6" line. Rolled  OOC .

Status: Bruised, 5 RP, SE Healing 6
 
Abracadangit
From having her mind tampered with mere moments ago, to this sudden torrent of healing from her teammates, Ariadne feels a little disoriented. With a quick burst of renewed anger, she refocuses on the Ballet Zombie who had so recently tried to eject her from the proceedings.

She floats into the air, suspended by red threads, just as a swirl of the very same threads descends on her undead foe.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free Action: Switching Threadwork Conjurations Array to Flight. Gonna fly straight up far enough so Ballet Zombie can't melee me anymore, then taking a swing with Snaring Strands.

Ballet Zombie:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
 
Ridai
Helios' arrival is met with a  "Hey, good you're here"  that comes out a lot more shaky than Nope may have hoped.

A lot of healing is distributed (it would be nice to be able to heal people without fear and sweating everytime), so he should probably get on shutting down the zomb-

Hip-Hop Zombie comes wide corkscrewing into the air and spin-kicking Nope in the face.   "Stop thaaat!"   he reflexively says, not feeling any harm, but he can't concentrate with rotting feet in his face. He tries to slap the legs away, until he cancels all momentum, the zombie stops, and just falls to the ground. Where it just is back to breakdancing.

It has been a day.

Classical Zombie, go away. Modem sounds. A hole in space.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing 
 Move  Flail against the Hip-Hop Zombie

 Standard  Attack Classical Zombie with  Remove Hit Points . DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged) Linked Weaken Resistance Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated). Crit 16+, AoA -5/+5
Attack vs Classical Zombie  (1d20+15)[ 28 ] 
 
Zelphas
Cheap, distorted canned laughter, reminiscent of what one would hear from a late-nineties sitcom, warbles out from the empty air in response to Floral's pronouncements, redoubling in time with Helios' response. The laughter gives way to a series of groans and boos when Nope fails to continue the bit, cutting out with an oddly-sharp record scratch as the void dials up wifi and the Classical Zombie loses a few more pounds of muscle that it could ill afford to lose.

The Ballet Zombie spins and whirls over the threads flung its way by Ariadne, somehow snagging the spectral thread with one of its outstretched limbs and diverting it towards Floral (though the threads fly wide of the flora-mancer). Just below the edge of her hearing, Ariadne can almost hear the hint of a tune, something light and classical and oddly dreamlike; the vestiges of the Classical Zombie's initial strike, which haunts her just enough to slow her reaction to a series of fast spinning kicks from the garishly-attired Ballet Zombie before her.

The Classical Zombie tilts its head slowly at Floral, one rotting hand moving up to hold its top hat carefully in place. It seems almost... confused for a moment, before a slow thought percolates into its mind. The dance. The dance was simply the wrong style! It steps forward strongly, aiming to bring Floral into a quicker, more robust dance style, its hands still crushing downwards, the jarring motion of the dance threatening to chip away at Floral's defenses.

Spinning slowly on the floor, the Hip-Hop Zombie at last ends its rotation facing Helios, the newcomer. A sudden surprise guest couldn't be ignored, especially one with the moves to dodge its style. Leaping up with astonishing swiftness for its rotted state, the Hip-Hop Zombie performs an elaborate series of dynamic shifts and movements, ending in a strong pose with one finger jabbing towards Helios' chest... and Helios (if he does not avoid the finger) would almost be able to hear an old-fashioned boombox click suddenly on, driving him to show off his skillz (yes, even with the z) to the gesticulating corpse in front of him.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Ballet Zombie 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Pirouette  on Ariadne.  (1d20+14)[ 17 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25 vs. Multiattack, Secondary Effect Damage. The Ballet Zombie is Deflected at 1d20+14.  Hit, only +2 Multiattack. Resistance DC becomes 27. 
 Classical Zombie 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Tango  on Floral.  (1d20+14)[ 32 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 vs. Multiattack, Secondary Effect Damage and Progressive Weaken Resistance. The Weaken is Physiological.  Hit, full Multiattack; DCs are 30/20. 

End of turn: Regenerates 1 point of Resistance.

 Hip-Hop Zombie 

Move Action: Shift to J10.

Standard Action: Use  Show Your Stuff  on Helios.  (1d20+12)[ 24 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 22/22 vs. Affliction (Entranced/Compelled/Controlled; Limited (Only to dance with the zombie)) and Progressive Weaken Effect.  Hit. 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Wow.  Apophis actually set up a laugh track to respond to their quips.  That was...actually the most effective response to heroic quippage she had ever seen in real life or comic book.  Apophis was truly evil.

The Classical Zombie's dance attack pulled and twisted at Lily's joints.  Human though she looked, internally she lacked many of the weaknesses of a flesh-and-blood person, but that didn't keep it from  hurting .   "I don't want to dance with you!  Nobody wants to dance with you!  Nobody  likes  you!  You  smell bad! "  she growled at it.  Yeah it was kinda mean, but also it was kinda true.

As if to drive her distaste home, she spat in the zombie's face.  Well, she spat a glob of  acidic nectar  at the zombie's face.  I might have buried the lede here.  Her skin took on a faintly golden sheen as more nectar started sweating from her pores, but the same liquid that would dissolve the zombie's flesh soothed and restored her own.

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Staggered.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Solar Nectar.  Variable Descriptor to [Energy] [Acid].

Standard: Ready an action.  After Helios's Secondary Effect triggers (I'mma just roll it here so I can get it all resolved at once:  (1d20+6)[ 15 ] ), attack the Classical Zombie with Flower Power, Power Attacking for 2, at  (1d20+8)[ 16 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Resistance.  Lily receives Persistent Healing at  (1d20+10)[ 27 ] .   5 RP from the SE, 17 from my heal, +5 for Persistent.  Removes the Bruise, downgrades Staggered to Woozy, 7/10 RP towards removing Woozy. 

Current Status: Woozy (7/10 RP), Fatigued.  Recover used.
 
Ridai
 "What the-"  And now he is being heckled for some reason? He is already sweating a lot from all the concentration seriously hurting his brain, defending himself from black magic and rotting feet and all that. He needs to figure out some sort of cardio for... whatever helps with whatever he is doing. Maybe it's like a muscle that needs to be exercised. That's a common trope at least. He's really done with the situation at hand though. And he is not sure how long he can maintain ideal(...ish) focus, so he needs to get more economical with what he has left.

So Nope decides to focus fire via venting, along with unreasonably inflammatory nonsense just to piss Apophis off, because screw him.

 "Yo! Theater's for failed C-list TV actors, playing for cheap red wine drinkers who just want direct-to-DVD Disney with the serial numbers filed off!"  Nope akimbo-flips the bird to the thin air, followed by pointing to the Classical Zombie.  "Also screw you and your top hat in particular!"  White noise. Classical soprano interpretation of the Goofy scream. Away with the gentlememe. Use the moment of irritated focus to fire off just wholesale erasure. They're zombies. Don't need to be careful about what happens to their bodies.

Nope's head hurts and he is uncomfortably sweaty everywhere. At least he got a small break from the brain-wracking perma-focus. It's been a day.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Move  Try to conserve NP (Nope Points).

 Standard  We are attacking the Classical Zombie once again with full force  Remove Hit Points . DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged) Linked Weaken Resistance Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated). Crit 16+, AoA -5/+5
Attack vs Classical Zombie  (1d20+15)[ 19 ] 
 
Abracadangit
Kal manages to weave a series of tiny shields to deflect the Ballet Zombie's kicks as they come in, one at a time. She notices the rest of the team focusing on the finely dressed zombie.

 "Never   cared   much   for   classical   music,"  Kal admits, as her needles become a blur.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Snarling Strands at the Classical Zombie, hopefully gum him up and expedite the pummeling process.

Snarling Strands against Classical Zombie:  (1d20+10)[ 13 ] 
 
Dorni
Helios looked a the hip-hop zombie's outstretched hand. Back to the zombie. Back to the hand. Back to the zombie.  "Sorry. Hip-hop was at its best when it was underground." 

The sun god flicked a hand in a gesture that was half arcane and half 'shoo'. At the same time a mass of solid air shaped like a giant hand enfolded zombie's outstretched hand - and the entire zombie - in its grip.  "Here, let me reintroduce you." 

And it chucked the zombie out the 4th story window.

 "Whoops,"  Helios deadpanned while the zombie sailed through the sky.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Nah.
Standard: Launch Hip-Hop Zombie with Ranged Strength.  (1d20+10)[ 23 ] . Helios will launch the zombie at Str 10 out the nearby open window at as high an angle as possible, because might as well add as much height to that 4 story fall as possible.

End of Turn: Healing SE:  (1d20+6)[ 11 ]   +1 HP 

Status: Bruised, 6RP
 
Zelphas
The background voices let out theatrical "oohs" at Floral's diatribe of insults... which fade into gasps, and then shocked silence, as she continues. The Classical Zombie tilts its head quizzically to one side, the glob of acidic nectar flying past its face without quite brushing the top hat. The heckling voices return for Ariadne's quiet statement, mixed in with cheers that she spoke her mind in the moment and joined in. The Classical Zombie twirls its top hat through the trailing red threads, considering the ribbon-like effect they have on the article for a moment before seemingly deciding against it and freeing the clothing article from the threads with a deft twist of its hand.

Nope makes his statements. The lights flicker. A low buzz, like microphone feedback. Lacking the lithe, dancelike movements, the three Zombies turn slowly, as one, to stare at the indistinct man floating in the air.

Helios' quip and subsequent launching of the Hip-Hop Zombie breaks the eerie moment, as the laugh track ramps back up with whistles of appreciation and a cartoonish record scratch that fades into the distance with the Zombie's disappearing form. The Classical Zombie and the Ballet Zombie do not move immediately, however; their dead eyes are focused upon Nope. And then, they act as one.

The Classical Zombie leaps ahead first, gripping forward to seize Nope in movements similar to what was done to Floral moments before. This time, the movements are harsher, more savage, brutally going after the nothing-manipulator to tear him apart. The Ballet Zombie leaps forward an instant later, aiming with a series of heavy kicks to batter at Nope and knock apart his balance.

Apophis is a great lover of theatre.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Classical Zombie 

Move Action: Shift to M10.

Standard Action: Use  Tango  on Nope, All-Out Power Attacking for 5.  (1d20+14)[ 31 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 30/25 vs. Multiattack, Secondary Effect Damage and Progressive Weaken Resistance.  Hit, Full Multiattack; DC are 35/25. 

End of Turn 1: Regenerates 1 Toughness.

End of Turn 2: SE triggers on Floral; Resistance DC 30 vs. Damage.

 Ballet Zombie 

Move Action: Shift to O9.

Standard Action: Use  Pirouette  on Nope, All-Out Power Attacking for 5.  (1d20+14)[ 27 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 30 vs. Multiattack, Secondary Effect Damage. The Ballet Zombie is Deflected at 1d20+9.  Hit, Full Multiattack; DC is 35. 

End of Turn: SE triggers on Ariadne; Resistance DC 27 vs. Damage.

 Hip-Hop Zombie 

Move Action: Too Far Away.

Standard Action: Too Far Away.

 All PCs are On Turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily was starting to get  worried  angry.  These were just a bunch of freaking zombies.  They weren't even normal brain-eating zombies.  They were stupid nonsense dance zombies.  Who ever heard of a dancing zombie!?  And yet, they just hadn't been able to take one down yet.  They had disabled freaking Raphael in a matter of  seconds , and a few shambling corpses that Apophis had probably whipped up as a joke were giving them this much trouble!

And then Helios just...threw one out the window.  No solar fire, no focused beams of pure sunlight.  He conjured up a magical hand and defenestrated one of them, and it worked.  What even the fli-

And then it struck her.

 "No..."  she said quietly.  It...it  couldn't  be.  Could it?

There was...a certain sort of precedent, to be fair.  Something of a trope.  The one thing you can't defend against is yourself, and all.  But...

The two zombies still in the room went hard at Nope.  Lily just sighed.  There was nothing to do for it.

She was still a scientist.  Now she had a theory.

She was going to have to test it.

Never in her life had she more wanted to be wrong.

Lily raised her hands and pointed them at the Classical Zombie, her thumbs and forefingers extended to make finger guns.

And then they transformed.

 Into these. 

Because if utter nonsense was what it took to beat these freaking zombies, she would give them utter nonsense.

 "EAT THIS PEA-BRAIN!"  she yelled, because if she was going down this rabbit hole then she was going  all the way down , by thunder!

And then she fired off her pea shooters, straight for the back of the Classical Zombie's head.

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Dazed.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Floral Thorns, 10 points to Potent Acid, 20 points to Healing Nectar.

Standard: Attack CZ with Pea Shooters.  Power Attacking for 5, because having played this game on this forum with this RNG for so long...God help me, I expect to hit anyway.  Maybe even to crit.   (1d20+5)[ 21 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 30+Penetrating vs. Damage.  On a miss, Homing 1.   That oughtta do it 

Either way, Lily receives Healing at  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] .   15 RP, fully healed after adding to the previous 7. 

Current Status: Fatigued.  Recover used.
 
Ridai
Seeing his attack do absolutely nothing, Nope observes  "You know what, venting really sucks  YEEEEOOOOWCH"    And just to drive the point home, he is being very aggressively danced at, Nope soon seeing stars and feeling close to collapsing after feeling relatively fine, if kind of tired, kind of haphazardly drifting in the air now.

  "A'right, doing this the right way,"   he wheezes, followed by gurgling sounds and coughing. Okay. Let's try this  again!  Proper like. Classical Zombie. Go. Away. Just poof, gone. Not like he will be conscious for long, so caution thrown even more to the wind, then... crossing his mental fingers things will work out. Which is a terrible thing to do. But he made his bed, now he has to sleep in it. So for a moment, all sound drops out in the area. Then, the lowest possible drone. The infinite, all-consuming vastness of the void.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Move  Regrets.

 Standard  Attack Classical Zombie with  Remove Hit Points ,  again.  DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged) and Weaken Resistance and Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated). Crit 16+, AoA -5/+5
Attack vs Classical Zombie  (1d20+15)[ 16 ] 
 EE Standard   Do it again!  (Please redirect this attack to Ballet Zombie if, against all odds, the Classical Zombie actually goes down)
Attack vs Classical (or Ballet) Zombie  (1d20+15)[ 21 ] 
 End of turn  Roll against Progressive Weaken Resistance  (1d20+11)[ 27 ]   Resist 
 
Dorni
Helios cast about when the laugh track responded to him. So. Apophis was still hanging around. That seemed unlikely. Why leave the crowd noises if there was no audience to appreciate them? No, Helios was pretty sure that Apophis was watching. He refocused, studying the room and reaching out with his supernatural sense to search for signs of the false god. Or if not that the magic he'd wrought and left behind.

That didn't mean he ignored his struggling friends. He wove the runes again, conjuring another focused pulse of Life energy to restore them.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Active Perception for Apophis. Assuming mystic sense applies.  (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
Standard: Cast Heal. Shaping as 120' line affecting all allies. This Healing is Restorative and carries SE 6. If possible, on Floral set the effect to Trigger the next time she is struck.

Helios:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ]   +2 RP. He will not be healed. 
Nope:  (1d20+10)[ 19 ]   +9 RP 
Ariadne:  (1d20+10)[ 27 ]   +17 RP 
 
Zelphas
Floral's transformation and outburst sends the loudspeaker "audience" into full-on cheers; whooping, screaming  "We love you, Flower Girl!" , the works. The giant pea slams into the back of the Classical Zombie's head in a puff of grisly dust, knocking the undead creature for a loop and, almost miraculously, knocking the top hat off of its head. It manages to ignore a bit of Nope's follow-up strike, but eventually it is overcome by the tide of nothingness and loses even more of its being, beginning to resemble mere skin and bones in a once-fine suit. It bends ponderously down to pick up its top hat, almost literally creaking as it lifts the clothing item up, dusts it off, and carefully sets it back atop its head. Turning back to Nope, it reaches forward once more, attempting to spin the indistinct Hero into a deep dip... which incidentally will slam Nope's head into the floor, but I'm sure that's just an accident.

The Ballet Zombie spins quietly around Nope and the Classical Zombie before darting forwards towards Helios, one outstretched leg leaping forward to strike the god-named Hero and possibly toss him from the room. Even as it does so, it keeps its careful spin, protecting itself from most dangers.

The Hip-Hop Zombie... well, it... it...

The Hip-Hop Zombie isn't coming back, is it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Classical Zombie 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Waltz  on Nope.  (1d20+12)[ 24 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22/22 vs. Multiattack Damage linked Strength (grab only) Linked Dazed &amp; Vulnerable/Stunned &amp; Defenseless.  Hit, full Multiattack; DCs are 32/22/22. 
 Ballet Zombie 

Move Action: Shift to L10.

Standard Action: Use  Grand Jete  on Helios.  (1d20+14)[ 26 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20/20 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Strength (to Launch Helios out of the windowat F11-14) Linked Progressive Weaken Defense.  Hit, +2 Multiattack; DCs are 27/20/20. 
 Hip-Hop Zombie 

In the city.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
As Nope's head hits the ground, compounding hurt just as he gets healed somewhat, he is just so done. Combat is really damn fatiguing, and he feels like he got a bundle deal on concussions. Nope is too tired to really think about much anymore. Just this slow grind as he keeps getting pummeled, needing to hold on a while longer. Coherent thought is getting rather difficult, which is bad because you kind of need that when you are firing a thought-guided invisible miniature nuclear railgun of erasing reality. So he tries for a psychosomatic aid. Since the Classical Zombie is so damn touchy, and Nope really doesn't like when people just randomly touch him out of the blue, Nope pokes the zombie.

Remove what I am poking.

It may even not take off the tip of his finger in the process.

 
 Spoiler: Action 
 Move  Uuuugh.

 Standard  Remove Hit Points on CZ with AoA -5/+5. The same as always.
  (1d20+13)[ 19 ]    27 actually 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily had wanted to be wrong.  And she was.

She hadn't thought that desire all the way through, hadn't realized that being wrong would mean she not only now felt silly, but didn't even have a destroyed zombie to show for it.

Oh, and also, the freaking Live Studio Audience or whatever they were was  laughing at her  (okay, they were cheering for her, but they were calling her Flower Girl so it got rewritten to laughing at her in her head).

Man Apophis was just...freaking infuriating, is what he was.

But those concerns had to all be forced back to the back of her mind.  The Hip-Hop Zombie hadn't returned to rejoin the battle.  That meant it was out there in the city, causing who-knew-what manner of chaos and destruction.  Or possibly getting into a rap battle with some teenagers.  But probably the chaos and destruction thing.

They needed to get out there and stop it, but it was taking everything they had just to deal with the two zombies in here.  Lily didn't know if they could spare a fighter, and wasn't sure any of them could actually go one on one with one of these zombies for long.

(And if it was out there long enough, the police might engage it.  If Hannah and Andrew came up against one of these things, it would tear through them like tissue paper.)

They needed to drop the Classical Zombie.  Then two of them could move to engage Hip-Hop, and the other two could deal with Ballet.  Two to one odds would be sufficient.  They had to be.

But first they had to drop the Classical Zombie.

Lily drew deep on the reserves of sunlight within her.  She only had so much to spare, and this would use up much of what remained.  But it didn't matter.  The Classical Zombie had to fall, now, or people were going to die.  Her skin visibly got just a bit thinner, dryer, more brittle.  Her pale blond hair started to turn brown at the edges, like a flower just beginning to wilt.

And she fired a pair of oranges, one from each hand, down into the thick of the melee.  They struck together, fusing and extending, into a twisting tangle of vines from which sprouted something like half a dozen nightmarish flowers, like some sort of unholy cross between venus fly traps, Super Mario pirhanna plants, and  anger , with jaws composed of four wildly snapping petals, teeth of wicked curved thorns dripping with sizzling acid.

They spat their nectar everywhere, spraying her fellow heroes with more healing, while slathering the Classical Zombie with enough acid to melt a full-grown horse down to a few pitted bones and a puddle of red-orange goop.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Lingering Acid, 10 points to Healing Nectar (5 ranks), 5 points to Medicinal Nectar, 5 points to Floral Vines (using Dynamic Choices to swap it to Healing).

Move: Attempt to Feint CZ at [roll]1d20+5z[/roll].

Standard: Attack CZ with Acidic Nectar, All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 5, at  (1d20+10)[ 27 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 30 vs. Secondary Effect Damage.  On a miss, Homing.  Regardless, Helios, Nope, and Ariadne receive Restorative Healing.
 Helios:  (1d20+5)[ 11 ] .   1 RP.  Helios literally just can't be healed. 
Nope:  (1d20+5)[ 25 ] .   CRIT!  20 RP. 
Ariadne:  (1d20+5)[ 21 ] .   11 RP  
Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: DO IT AGAIN!  If CZ is down target BZ instead and Accurate Attack for 2 to partially-offset the Power Attack.   (1d20+10)[ 16 ] .
 Helios:  (1d20+5)[ 6 ] .   Screw it, using my second Growing a Better Future reroll.  HEAL DARN YOU! 
Nope:  (1d20+5)[ 11 ] .   +1 RP, 21 total 
Ariadne:  (1d20+5)[ 12 ] .   +2 RP, 12 total  
Current Status: Fatigued, Exhausted as of next turn, AoA -5.  Recover used.
 
Dorni
Helios raised an eyebrow at the sight of Lily's pea shooters. Sure, it wasn't unlike anything she'd done before, but to just outright reshape your hands into organic guns? That was both impressive and unsettling. But then, his other ally just removed things from existence and he was a wizard, and they were fighting a magic death cult. Strange was the order of the day.

Which was right about the time the Ballet Zombie leaped at him. Helios prepared another air curtain, ready to bat the zombie away. He wasn't worried. He'd dealt with undead before. He met the zombie's kick - and had a fraction of a second to realize those other undead had been conjured by noobs.

The zombie's kick shattered his half-formed air curtain and caught him in the ribs with bone-crunching force, which if not for his protective wards would have been literal. Helios flew backwards out the window into the night sky, tumbling head-over-heels.

Helios willed power to his flight enchantment and abruptly halted his momentum, floating upside down over the main drag. Helios took a moment to right himself and repair his damaged wards.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Standard: Recover
Move: Staggered

End-of-turn: Recover 1 Weaken, SE Healing  (1d20+6)[ 25 ] .  Finally a good roll. Healing 1 bruise and 3 points of Weaken. 1 PR remains. 

Status: +2 Defenses, Recover Used, Fine, -3 Defenses, 1 RP
 
Abracadangit
Kal has what some might call an interesting series of moments. She definitely remembers getting hit by a zombie -- and maybe blacking out for a second -- but with the combined healing powers of her teammates and a bit of a magical jolt from Ariadne, she manages to somehow keep her footing, albeit dizzily.

  "Did I...?"   Kal begins to question.

  "Not important. I grow weary of Apophis' foolishness, and his dancing corpses. Go, help your friends."  

Kal doesn't need much more prodding than that, as her needles hum with mystical energy.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: To N11.
Array Switch: Dual Needle Weaving.
Action: Silken Shields, should have enough to cover Nope and I. With Dual Needle Weaving, add Reflect and Redirect. I know the Deflect won't be as effective, but just in case.
 
Zelphas
Nope pokes at the Classical Zombie, a frisson of concentrated nothing pouring from his digit. The Classical Zombie...  danced  with oblivion, spinning it gently around, lifting it high in the air, and bowing in a courtly way before turning away, allowing the nothingness to fade back into what is real and true. While it was battered with the attacks it had taken already, the dance with nothing had left it untouched.

The same could not be said of the explosion of rage and plant life that flew out from Floral. Snapping flowers and flying nectar ripped into the Classical Zombie, taking away chunks of flesh and even bone from its form. Had it been living, it would be dead. And yet, somehow, throughout it all, nothing touched the top hat on the Classical Zombie's head.

At least, not yet.

Helios, floating over the city and catching his breath, would at least be able to tell that there was no panicked screaming, no shouts of "Zombie!" or "Terrible 90s stereotype!" filling the air. There are police sirens, but they seem to be heading towards their position, since broken windows in the Main Drag are still noticed.

Ariadne's netting of threads is slightly too uniform and spaced to be as effective as normal, warped by the siren song of the Zombies which is only now beginning to fade from her head; the physical cables are still real enough, though, and they spring quickly into place.  The Classical Zombie, beset by plants on all sides, melting, breaking ,and yet still on its feet, reaches towards Nope, crushing through threads to get at the nonbeing-manipulator and bring him into one more deadly dance.

The Ballet Zombie spins away from the threads, leaping gracefully to Floral--and attempting to summarily eject her out of a window as well with a lunging kick.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Classical Zombie 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Tango  on Nope.  (1d20+14)[ 22 ]  vs. DC 13 or  (1d20+1)[ 14 ]  On a hit, first Resistance of Ariadne's wall:  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]  vs. DC 25 Damage; if Breached or worse, then I need a Resistance DC 25 from Nope vs. Damage linked Weaken Resistance.  Hit, but Ariadne's threads hold him back. 

End of Turn: To save people waiting, I'll roll the SE now (DC 30):  (1d20+8)[ 22 ]   1 Bruise &amp; Dazed. 

And the Homing:  (1d20+10)[ 17 ]  if a hit, Resistance (DC 30):  (1d20+8)[ 10 ]   ...Miss. 
 Ballet Zombie 

Move Action: Shift to I18.

Standard Action: Use  Grande Jete  on Floral.  (1d20+14)[ 29 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20/20 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Strength (to Launch Floral out of the window at I-L 33) Linked Progressive Weaken Defense.  Hit, Full Multiattack; DC is 30/20/20. 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily crossed her arms to take the Ballet Zombie's kick, her feet growing into roots to steady herself.  It still hurt, but at this point?  Lily's hands were still in the shape of the weird peashooters, her feet were roots, her hair was wilting, her skin dry.  She no longer had the energy to keep shifting back to her fully human appearance; as she transformed herself more and more, she just left the changes as they were.

The kick hurt, but less than half a dozen other pains she had inflicted upon herself.

No time to worry about that.  She had scultped her body back to humanoid form two pounds at a time; it would take far more pain than this to stop Lily Woods.  She doggedly hurled herself into the fray, her wings beating to launch her bodily at her enemy.

She wasn't powerful enough.  She knew it.  It was too obvious now.  For all her tricks and tactics, she didn't have the output to bring down even one of Apophis's zombies.  The prideful part of her wanted to scream with the frustration of it, of having thrown everything she had at the monster and it not being enough.

Lily Woods didn't scream, she didn't falter, and she didn't stop.  No acid this time, she just tried to full-on slam the Classical Zombie towards Nope, hoping to throw it off-balance and give the remover an opening to finish the thing off.  Her right hand transformed from peashooter into a long vine that phytokinetically extended to her friends, golden grapes growing from it and then exploding into splashes of more curative nectar.  And then the vine dropped limply to the ground, just trailing forgotten from the end of her wrist.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  5 points to Acidic Nectar (foregoing the ranks with Effect Bonus), 5 points to Petal Wings, 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Medicinal Nectar, 10 points to Floral Vines, Dynamic Choices to move the Shapeable Area to Healing.

Move: Dazed.

Standard: Charge Classical Zombie and Aid Nope, Defensive Attacking for 5, -2 for Exhausted, -2 for Charge, +5 for Teamwork, at  (1d20+6)[ 16 ] .  Lily, Nope, and Ariadne receive Restorative Healing.   +2 
 Lily:  (1d20+8)[ 20 ] .   Heals the Bruise 
Ariadne:  (1d20+8)[ 9 ] .   Since I didn't get to use it on Helios, I'll use that second reroll here. 
Nope:  (1d20+8)[ 25 ] .   15 RP  
Current Status: (Dazed ends), Exhausted, DA +5.  Recover used.
 
Abracadangit
We're running out of time, Kal thinks to herself. The team is starting to show signs of wear, and she's not sure how much more thread she can muster.

As she summons up some dwindling reserves of energy, Kal realizes that the time for ensnaring and entrapping is over.

The red thread takes on a cold gleam in the light as it snaps and lashes in wide circles around Kal, like steel wire.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Action: Dropping a Thread Lash Cloud, centered on CZ's square, M10. Selective means we don't have to worry about it hitting any pals.

Thread Lash Cloud against CZ:  (1d0+10)[ 11 ] 
 
Ridai
And again, very little of substance happens. And the removal is somehow danced away with. Nope just peers out from tiredly squinting eyes, a sigh-groan coming out of him. Jus' gotta. Jus' gotta keep poking 'n' get hit in the head, I guess.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
The procedure as every turn. Remove Hit Points with Remove Second Guessing, full AoA, the works
 (1d20+13)[ 24 ] 
 
Dorni
Helios grunted in satisfaction. His wards weren't back to 100% after his repair job, but they were close enough. With another effort of will he flew back the way he'd come, zipping through the crisp night air. It would have been invigorating if not for the imminent threat of zombies.

He arrived to find his friends still alive and fighting (for which he was thankful) as well as both zombies (for which he was less thankful). This time instead of weaving a healing magic, he reached for Fire. Blazing runes spun in front of him, releasing a torrent of blazing beams to pierce and burn the zombie.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Fly back to I4
Standard: Cast Sunbeam on Classic Zombie at  (1d20+10)[ 16 ] . This is a Perception attack. On hit, DC 25+ vs SE Multiattack Damage.
EE: If CZ isn't down from that, cast Sunbeam again at  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] 

End of turn: Recover 1 Weaken.
Status: 1RP, -2 Defenses, fatigued next turn
 
Zelphas
The silence from the heroes is met by  near  silence from the speakers. Every once in a while, a squeak from a shifting chair can be heard, a cough, an indistinct muttered grumble, as though the audience is waiting for more to react to.

The Classical Zombie has ceased to resemble anything human at this point. Much of its flesh and bone has simply been deleted by continued bursts of Nope's power, or melted by Floral's acidic nectar, or sliced to ribbons by Ariadne's threads. Now, two knew holes are burned into its chest, still smoldering and smoking with Helios' runic spells anchoring the fire in place. And yet, through it all, there is that hat. Shiny silk, deep velvety black, with a ribbon of daring red from Ariadne's threading forming the band and trim around the crown. It sits untouached atop the ruinous, barely-holding together mass that is the Classical Zombie, mocking in its pristine condition. Even as the Classical Zombie turns ponderously to face Floral, it raises one no-longer-complete hand to steady the top hat in place before it strikes, its movements even more of a grotesque parody of true dance than they already were.

The Ballet Zombie, bizarre in its pristine movements, turns and twists through the air, aiming at Ariadne's heavy threading and the thread-weaver itself with one of its trademark kicks, heedless of the lashing threads already in the air as it closes to strike.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Classical Zombie 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Waltz  on Floral.  (1d20+12)[ 24 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22/22 vs. Multiattack Damage linked Strength (grab only) Linked Dazed &amp; Vulnerable/Stunned &amp; Defenseless. The Affliction is Physiological.  Hit, no Multiattack. 

End of Turn: 3 things. first, Thread Lash tries to hit him in Cloud Area:  (1d20+10)[ 22 ]  on a hit, Resistance (DC 25 + Multiattack Penetrating):  (1d20+6)[ 21 ]   Hit, no Multiattack. 1 Bruise. 

Then, Helios' SE triggers. Resistance (DC 25, +5 for Perception):  (1d20+10)[ 21 ]   -1 from above. 1 Bruise. 

And finally, Helios' SE triggers. Resistance (DC 25, +5 for Perception):  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]   -2 from above. 1 Bruise. 
 Ballet Zombie 

Move Action: Shift to N12.

Standard Action: Grande Jete on Ariadne.  (1d20+14)[ 17 ]  On a hit, first Resistance (DC 25) for the wall of thread:  (1d20+10)[ 15 ]  If that is at least breached, Resistance DC 25/20/20 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Strength (to Launch Ariadne towards Nope) Linked Progressive Weaken Defense. If Launched, Threadwork Wall Resistance around Nope (DC 25):  (1d20+10)[ 11 ] ; if that is Breached, Nope Resistance vs. DC 25.  Breached; if Ariadne is Launched, the wall by Nope is Destroyed. 

End of Turn: Thread Lash Cloud activates.  (1d20+10)[ 22 ]  On a hit, Resistance (DC 25 + Multiattack Penetrating):  (1d20+9)[ 21 ]   Miss. 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Dorni
Helios darn near rolled his eyes. His sunbeams burned right through the zombies - and they just kept on fighting, new holes and all. He should have expected it. They were zombies, their bodies were just constructs. They didn't have any essential biology. That being said, any zombie conjured by the cult would have fallen apart under this beating long before now. Apophis was darn good, but his appreciation for the mad "god's" craft didn't curb his annoyance.  "Sometimes the show can go on too long you know." 

Then a curtain of flame rolled across the battle.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Nah
Standard: Cast Firestorm, hitting both zombies. On hit, DC 25/20 vs Damage and [Vulnerable/Defenseless] Affliction.

CZ:  (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 
BZ:  (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 

End of turn: SE triggers, recover 1 Weaken
Status: 1RP, -1 Defenses, fatigued
 
Ridai
Why are we here. Just to suffer.

Nope is hit in the head  again,  this time with Ariadne. He is really, really tired at this point, barely keeping his eyes open, and slurring his speech.

 "Oh fr fsh sk yer ha's dum."  And Nope just awkwardly flails his hand at the top hat to just kind of remove whatever.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
You know the drill

 (1d20+13)[ 29 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily watched blankly as the Classical Zombie, having taken over a dozen superpowered body blows, been reduced practically to a skeleton and kept on trucking, collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut when Nope, very possibly entirely on accident, removed its hat from existence.

She wanted to be incredulous about that, but she was so tiiiireeeed...

Okay.  Whatever.  One down.  One to go.  Two.  Still have to deal with the one presumably running amok in the city (or maybe not but Lily doesn't know that!)  Two to go.  They've got this.

Wait!  Threads!  She gets it!  Need to make...what could she...right, obviously.  Wow she actually had to think to figure that out.

So.  Freaking.  Tired.

Lily's stepped up to where the Ballet Zombie was facing Ariadne, and hair would suddenly start writhing, and then extending towards them, manipulated by her personal phytokinesis.  That wasn't super precise, and under her own control her hair just kinda extended in in two pliable tendrils.

But Ariadne would notice, even though there was no apparent visible change, the moment it ceased to be  hair  and became  cotton threads .

(The tendril that extended towards Ariadne, meanwhile, just kinda wrapped around her and melted into healing nectar.)

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Acidic Nectar, 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Medicinal Nectar, 10 points to Solar Nectar.

Move: Into M11.

Standard: Acidic Nectar Linked Healing Nectar.  Use the attack part to Aid Ariadne's next attack, Defensive Attacking for 5, +5 for Teamwork, -2 for Exhausted, at  (1d20+8)[ 9 ] .  Ariadne receives Persistent Restorative Healing at  (1d20+8)[ 25 ] .   LOL no Aid bonus, but 15+5 for Persistent = 20 RP, enough to knock off 6 of her Weaken (or her Bruise plus three Weaken, whichever). 

Current Status: Exhausted, DA +5.  Recover used.
 
Abracadangit
Not missing a beat, Kal reinforces her cloud of whipping, whirling threads. So close to victory!

 "Let   us   end   this   swiftly,"  she says, as she continues to weave.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Moving to M10.
Action: Re-upping Selective Thread Lash Cloud, centered on BZ (N12).
Thread Lash Cloud: (1d20+10)[ 27 ] 
 
Zelphas
Helios' curtain of rolling fire cuts swiftly across the battlefield--and yet, somehow, despite all odds, the Classical Zombie is swifter. It places itself between the flames and the Ballet Zombie, a ghostly hint of its former unnatural grace appearing. The flames burn and batter its beaten form, charring more of its ragged finery into ash, but it--and its top hat, remain standing. The Classical Zombie unfolds its arms and stands a little bit taller, the eldritch flames burning in its single remaining, half-rotted eye.

And then Nope swipes at its top hat from behind, the silken creation vanishing with a pop like a soap bubble being struck.

The bones of the Classical Zombie do not even strike the floor. They are sand, red sand, mixed with ashes before the once-resilient creature finishes collapsing. The red ribbon of Ariadne's thread flutters down over the diminishing pile, twisting oddly. For a moment, Ariadne could swear that it took the form of a snake. For a moment, Nope sees a bloodred eye wink at him within the remains.

  "In that, you and I agree,"   a voice says at Helios' left ear, carrying with it a breath of hot desert wind.

The Ballet Zombie is not quite quick enough to avoid Ariadne's threads, cutting strips from itself as the scarlet lines strike. It begins to move away, snarling itself in the threading even as it goes... and then freezes, stock still. It sags as the force that animated it simply shuts off, becoming a corpse in all aspects once more. And even as Ariadne within Kal's mind seizes the chance to tear her foe apart, the Ballet Zombie bursts with a sound like a poorly-played kazoo, erupting into streamers of red that form into sand and then simply vanish.

The sound of enthusiastic applause from a single pair of hands cuts through the air. Around the corner, beaming from ear to ear, walks Apophis, his hair and suit unruffled, his eyes red and gleaming.   "A moment, please,"   the mad chaos being states, holding his hands far apart, his expression one of exaggerated seriousness.   "We will certainly meet in battle, the way things are going. I might even lose, if it's entertaining enough. I have no intention of fighting you directly  tonight,  however, so before you get on with your heroics let me ask you this: do all of  you..."  His gaze takes in the half-transformed Floral, Nope reeling and spinning, Ariadne still holding herself back slightly from a phantom urge to dance, and Helios' healing cuts and bruises from his flight out the window,   "want to fight with  me...  now ?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Battle is over! For the moment, at least. Everyone take a  Hero Point! 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily was physically utterly exhausted.  But as Apophis walked in, she forced her  mind  to set aside the frailties of her body.  At this moment, she simply couldn't afford to be too tired to think.

Fighting with Apophis right now was out of the question.  They still didn't know anything close to enough about his capabilities and weaknesses for it to be a winning move even had they been fresh.  And while none of them were actually injured, that was mostly because of all the healing they had been doing.  Lily didn't have enough left in her to maintain that volume of healing through another long battle, and Nope wasn't looking in much better shape than she was.  (Well, okay, he was technically in better  shape , given that her current  shape  could be best described as  "mostly-wilted half-human-half-plant-monster", but he didn't look much less tired than she felt, anyway.)

But it probably wasn't a good idea to show any weakness or submission either.  Even if you could take a guy who styled himself as a god of chaos at his word (protip: you can't) just because he didn't have any intention to fight them now didn't mean those intentions couldn't change.

Acting deliberately to provoke him seemed unwise.  And he almost certainly understood the advantage he held in this moment.  A display of bravado would only come off as pathetic.

The palatable options, as she saw it, were to either play along in hopes that an extended conversation might give them the opportunity to acquire information, or offer the minimum response that was unlikely to provoke him, in hopes that he'd get bored quickly and go away.

There was no reason to expect that Apophis would reveal  much  about himself, but that didn't mean there was nothing to learn here.  Apophis presented as mad, but Lily's guess was that his actions were more deliberate than he let on.  Just seeing how he acted and reacted in conversation would help them piece together some information about his personality, and that could be big game on the longer term.  Even just seeing how cautiously he approached the conversation, how freely he spoke, could potentially reveal something about what sort of approaches they might be able to use against him in the future.

Come to think of it...the question, she supposed, really was just how cautiously he was approaching this conversation.

Lily had a guess.  It wasn't based on any specific observation, any decisive evidence.  She thought it was plausible, but not necessarily probable.  But sometimes it paid off to acting with a certainty you didn't feel.

So in response to Apophis's question, Lily held her hands (well, her hand, since the other one was still just kinda dragging along the ground behind her as a limp vine) out in a non-threatening gesture, walked calmly up to Apophis and unless he (or someone else) did anything to stop her...waved her hand at his body.

If it passed through it, she would just raise an eyebrow at him.

If it didn't (or something stopped her) she would nod, walk back to where she had been standing before, and say, politely,  "Not right this second, I don't think." 
 
 Spoiler 
LOL turn on ALL OF THE SENSES!

Olfactory Perception as Insight to Evaluate with Detect Emotions.   (1d20+13)[ 29 ] .
 
Ridai
Nope is just floating hunched slowly rotating, headache of the century and parts getting numb, covered in dirt and nectar and zombie things and sand and streamers, creating a visually noisy mess with his indistinct appearance. As the fight seems to have stopped, he just groans, briefly stretching back, hearing a pop from his sternum, before hunching back over.

Then that douchebag Apophis shows up and honestly Nope misses half of it but something something challenge, to which Nope responds with a long, partially gurgling groan.

 "Donezowhaacemherfr. Yapla'sdum. Peaceou."  Showing a haphazard sideways (relative to him) backwards peace sign and refusing to slurredly elaborate, Nope just pops out of existence, taking the others with him. If they want to go that is. Nope may very well appear only by himself, only then notice, groan again, press out something incoherent and go back for another attempt until it works.
Abracadangit
As Kal struggles to think of something suitably intimidating to fire back with, she can almost hear Ariadne shaking her head, as though shaking one's head was a sound to be heard.

  "Tch, no. How can you weave the thread when you can barely stand up. Another time, another place."  

Kal hates to agree with her, but she can't deny that part of the reason she's still on her feet is because a a thin matrix of thread is supporting her.

 "If   a   god   waits   for   his   enemies   to   tire   before   challenging   them,   then   he   is   a   god   of   cowards,"  Kal hisses.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Switching array to Threadwork Sense, see if there's any info to be gained there.
 
Dorni
Helios floated opposite Apophis, stance wide with fire dancing over his palms, ready to be shaped into something hostile. But he made no move to form a spell.

His attention was locked on the false god. Truth be told, he wasn't so sure about that title anymore. Flint had been, well, confident in his own magical prowess. Sure, a month ago magic had been a fantasy and sure, he knew he had so much more to learn yet, but in the short time he'd had he was already working magic on a level comparable with the best the Suneaters had to offer. His magic came easily, each test and practice session revealing new elements and insights into their weaving. He'd come to think of himself as, well, pretty good with his magic.

One brush with his mystic senses revealed that if he was a bright student of magic beginning to learn the forms, Apophis had a graduate-level thesis. One written by a complete madman, but the line between madness and brilliance was often a venn diagram. The aether surrounding Apophis contained  every  magical element he'd identified so far and multiple that he had not, all mingled so tightly that he wasn't immediately sure how it even worked.

On some level, Flint had always assumed Frank Smith's claim of being the avatar of a lost god was nothing more than a convenient cover story for a magician drunk on his power. Now he had to question that assumption. Flint had expected that Apophis' command of his magics would exceed his own; even if he and Frank had the same aptitude for the craft, Frank had had more time to hone his. He'd made his debut as Apophis the day before the dome had gone up. Apophis was far beyond anything he'd expected, the difference wider than just a few extra weeks of practice. What exactly had Frank found out in that desert?

Wary though he was, Helios was still in fighting shape, but he could tell his companions were exhausted. Picking a fight right now was a bad idea. He didn't trust Apophis one bit - everything about him screamed that he was a snake - but he also hadn't simply attacked them from the shadows. He might be willing to talk.  "Speak your pie-" 

He winked out.
Zelphas
Apophis watches Floral's approach with the rapt attention of a relative watching a child's first steps, making no move to avoid or evade her. When she reaches out to him, her hand... passes straight through, without any true resistance. He responds to her raised eyebrow with one of his own, eyes growing wider behind Frank Smith's thick spectacles.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
While your hand passes through Apophis without any resistance, saying it passed through as though it was through thin air wouldn't be quite right. Above and below your hand as you wave it at Apophis is the sensation of something dry and slightly rounded, with many overlapping edges; or perhaps several somethings, all of them tiny and twisting in constant, slight motion. A few flickers of something slightly wet flit against your hand as it moves as well, tiny... forked... tongues tasting the intrusion as it goes by.
 

  "Smart of you. Then--"   In a blink, Apophis is alone in the room, with only the passed-out bodies of some of the Suneater Cult for company. He sighs, adjusting his spectacles and flicking an imaginary speck of dust off of his cuffs.   "Should've seen that coming, I guess. How unfun of them."  
 
 Spoiler: Nope 
It really shouldn't bother you, of course; the nowhere time is your own, and so far you've never run into anything before. Even Apophis can't break through this time; he's frozen in place, staring up at some corner in the ceiling for some reason, and he hasn't moved. Still, you can't help sneaking glances at him repeatedly as you move the others, paranoia breaking through even your current exhaustion to make sure the self-proclaimed "mad god" isn't doing anything underhanded as you slip away. With the last of your team out of the high-rise, you stop for a moment, floating near the ceiling, and sweep the room one last time...

And meet Apophis' eyes. He was looking at right where you are in the relative time you would call "now", during the entire frozen bit of time when you were several other places.

It's probably a coincidence. He still doesn't  do  anything, after all, even as you leave.
 

 Elsewhere in the Main Drag 

The police sirens are audible now, as you appear on a deserted street in the Main Drag, as far as Nope can bring you from Apophis and his machinations... for tonight, at least. The office building you were in is visible to anyone even without good night-sight simply by the  several  broken windows on the fourth floor, which let candlelight out into the warm, dark August night. Surprisingly, there are no other sounds of danger--screams, or crashing noises, or impromptu dance battles with music that was written more than twenty years ago (which is always a bit of a surprise when you think about it). At the moment, the crisis seems to be over.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
With that, I think this Scene is over. Everyone take  Three Downtime Actions! 

Since you've pretty handily disrupted the lower levels of the Suneater Cult and gotten at least parts of the faces of several higher-up members, take a +5 to any  Shadowing the Suneater Cult  checks you make during this Downtime round.
 
Ridai
Returning from zero time, Nope stumbles and falls unceremoniously. Knees evidently not feeling like dealing with real-time gravity. So he slowly picks himself back up, until he is on his feet, if hunched over. Head's just a mess, hands shaking, legs still wobbly. Equilibrium's messy right now.

 "Predb... he preb..."  Big breath, speech hard.  "pophis pred'cted whre i was wh'n i brough' you out. couldn' or didn' do an'thin' tho."  Pause.  "m' mom donna's th' yellow sca'ves lead'r."  Pause.  "hea' hurt. gon loo' f'r tellypor' cult'sts. wan' kno' if thos' still live."  He seems generally miserable.
Quellian-dyrae
And they were gone.  Lily sagged, partly with relief, partly with sheer exhaustion as the adrenaline that had carried her through the battle began rapidly fading away.  She wanted nothing more than to just collapse into bed right then.  She felt like she could sleep for a week.

Nope's words were hard to decipher, but Lily got the gist.  Apophis predicting their destination she kinda wrote off as...not  irrelevant  quite, but not really something they could do anything about at the moment.  That Nope's mother was among the cultists - one of the leaders in fact, and the very one that Lily had hit with her Crown of Thorns at that - was the more important information.   "I..."  Lily didn't...really know what to say to that, but the look of aggrieved sympathy she cast him kinda communicated her thoughts on the matter well enough.  The others might notice a whiff of cinnamon pass through the room.  Poor Remy...

She reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder, realized the arm she was reaching with was still kinda a vine, and aborted that effort.  (Her other hand was the one she had waved through Apophis, she wasn't going to touch anyone with it without washing it off first.)

And he wasn't the only one.  Lily was in something of an odd position now.  She hadn't had the time to mention Helios's relatives to Nope and Ariadne earlier, because they had to make their move quickly.  Her intent had been to tell them once they had defeated the cultists, so they could figure out how to approach the matter together.  Apophis's interference had pretty much wrecked that plan.  Helios was here now, and he deserved to know.  But also, he had not revealed his identity to the group, and she didn't know him well enough to know whether he would want that fact to be known.  Lily didn't like the idea of keeping the matter secret from Remy and Ariadne, but she also didn't like the idea of revealing it unilaterally without knowledge of Helios's wishes.

Lily felt the flinch in her brain, the impulse to push both the uncomfortable decision  and  the even-more-uncomfortable discussion off until later, to just go home and rest now, think it through fresh.  She squashed it hard.

At the end of the day, she decided it was Helios's secret to tell or keep.  With all three of the cultists in the wind, there wasn't a strong enough reason to tell the others immediately to override whatever Helios's wishes might be on the subject.  She would advise him to tell the others, but she wouldn't force the issue.

 "Um,"  she said, with a just unutterably weary sigh.   "Helios, there's something I need to talk with you about.  Um, I think it might be kinda personal though, so maybe alone?" 
Zelphas
 Retribution 

September 1, 2018. The Dome has been over Forester's Bay for two months.

 Helios, Ariadne, and Nope 

The text message hits each of your phones just as the last of the light leaves the sky on this warm late summer evening. It is from Floral.

 
 Spoiler: The Message 
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!!!!!!!!!!
 


It is accompanied by a GPS pin, pointing to a small public park in the Residential Quarter. Those of you who followed up on what Lily told you about her name and location would know that it is only a few blocks from Lily's house.

 Floral 

Still shaking off the first  sting, with the message safely sent, you face off against your attackers in the fading light. As the sun fades, the insectile eyes in front of you seem to glow brighter, igniting the darkness with their green-yellow glow. All of their eyes are on you, and the buzzing sound slowly begins to increase; the first attack did nothing, but they lack either the intelligence or the emotion to care. Their target, their purpose, is still before them.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 

Ariadne, Nope, and Helios: you will arrive either between Floral's turn and the Vespers' turn (if Floral is faster) or at the end of the round (if the Vespers are faster). If Nope uses  Remove Travel Time  and Helios uses  Crossing the Sky , you can both take a Standard Action after your arrival; otherwise, it takes a double Move Action to arrive here.

 Initiative  (Nope, Helios, and Ariadne for after Round 1)

Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 14 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 11 ] 
Nope:  (1d20)[ 4 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 4 ] 

Vespers:  (1d20+22)[ 38 ] 
 Vespers go first. 
 
Zelphas
 Round 1, Vespers 

The first of the strange mix of bee, beehive, and woman brings back its claw-like hand, readying for another strike. As it prepares to act again, the bussing noises intensify from the hive to Lily's right. Suddenly, small, fat, fuzzy forms are rushing all over her. Instead of striking, however, they dig into her hair and around her skin, bearing off bits of pollen and whatever loose parts of bark-skin they can find.

To her left, the other beehive-creature sends out swarms as well, but as these bees land, they refuse to leave. More and more land on Floral, and she feels the temperature around her start to rise and the air begin to grow thick due to the press of so many bee bodies all over her.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Vesper 1 

Actions already taken.

 Vesper 2 

Move Action: Nah.

Standard Action: Use  Gather  on Floral.  (1d20+14)[ 23 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 20/20 vs. Cumulative Impaired &amp; Vulnerable/Disabled &amp; Stunned (with Secondary Effect) Linked Weaken Resistance.  Hit 
 Vesper 3 

Move Action: Nope.

Standard Action: Use  Overheat  on Floral.  (1d20+10)[ 12 ]  Hit or miss, Perception Penetrating Damage DC 29. The attack is Physiological, but the Penetrating is going to Pierce Immunity.  +10 to Resistance, no Pierce Immunity. 
 Floral (and other PCs) are on turn. 
 
Ridai
What could Nope possibly be doing on a Saturday eve- yeah okay he is stalking cultists, and searching museums.  Again.  The upside is that it seems the cultists (and Donna) that got disappeared in the fight were just relocated. At least he found traces of one or two. So that means his mom is still alive, which is... good? Worse, each cult faction has its own Doomsday Clock going. There is still no trace of Nora, two months after this whole mess started. Parents still evil. At least Uncle Bruno is still okay.

So as he is taking a break from combing through the same museums yet again, sitting on a bench, eating fried noodles takeout, minding his own business (his stomach's really rumbling right now), there's a ping. He is informed of an urgent case of bees. Aw heck. Jury still out whether this is an Egyptian plague or Manchineel shenanigans.

And thus, zero time is engaged, briskly floating towards the destination. Eating fried noodles on the go really isn't easy, especially in zero time where things like this become even trickier, and eventually he has to realize dinner has to wait, his belly's protestations ignored.

Appearing on scene, he is greeted by a fresh hell.  "What the hell bees  ugh! "  the now indistinct figure says, putting down his folded closed takeaway. It's the good but gross part of RE7 all over again. Also definitely Manchineel.

Okay focus, focus. Remove the bees. Here. Also those on Floral. But not Floral. Just the bees!  Just the bees! 
 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Nope does indeed arrive with  Remove Travel Time , so I am assuming he switched array slots this turn, and set  Remove Hit Points, Mass  on his bigger array.

 Move  Arrive in AL16, put folded closed takeaway in AL15.

 Free  Get gross out by bee-ladies and bees.

 Standard  Use  Remove Hit Points, Mass  on all three Vespers. DC 25 Damage (Shapeable Area 2 [Limited [6"x6"x240' bendable line]], Penetrating [Pierce Resistance])
Attack vs V1  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]   Crit? 
Attack vs V2  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] 
Attack vs V3  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily's head was an odd place to be, right at the moment.

On the one hand, bees.  Lily was freaking  terrified  of bees and also deathly allergic to them.  These two facts were not even slightly unrelated.  And if the bees weren't giving her enough to panic about, the circumstances of their attack were more than sufficient.  Let's review.

1. These weren't just ordinary bees, these were a Punishment designed by Manchineel.  The only thing Lily was more afraid of than bees was Manchineel.
2. They were targeting Lily specifically.  Manchineel was after her  personally .
3. She was alone.  There were three of the bee monsters.  Each one was probably individually more powerful than she was.
4. ****.
5. They had attacked her as the sun went down.  They did not give off a scent.  Manchineel had a good enough sense of what she was capable of to prey on her weaknesses and exploit the limitations of her powers.
6. Manchineel had no reasonable way of knowing about her phobia, but probably had super-senses at least matching Lily's own, and so probably had been aware of her allergy from the moment they met.  Any biological strengths or weaknesses that Lily possessed must be presumed known to Manchineel.
7. All of Lily's powers were fundamentally biological in nature.
8. ****!
9. They had been lying in wait near her home.
10. They had attacked her in civilian garb.  She couldn't fight back without risking her secret identity.
11. No, screw that,  they had been lying in wait near her home and had attacked her in civilian garb .  Her secret identity was known to Manchineel and worthless as a defense.  Manchineel could target her whenever she darn well pleased.
12. ****ing ****!

So, having received all that  delightful  data and all those  wonderful  updates over the course of the past approximately four seconds, it should come as no surprise that the Flower Girl in Lily's head was making a very high-pitched sound and basically blubbering that oh God oh God she didn't want to die.

...On the other hand, the bee-monster's ambush attack had accomplished precisely nothing.  And the bees swarming her proved to cause little in the way of harm.  They didn't exactly help with her  panic  any - she had to fight the urge to freeze entirely and just hope they would go away, which was her usual approach to a bee getting close to her - but from a  superheroic  standpoint, they hadn't actually accomplished all that much.

 Floral  was telling her to squash them like the bugs they were.

...Yeah, turned out, there was still a rather large difference between Lily Woods and the vision of Floral living in her head.  The thought of fighting these things filled her with terror.

But then Nope arrived.  Her friends had gotten her text!  They could destroy these monsters!  And she could...could...

Okay yeah if she were honest what she  really  wanted to do right now was run and hide behind Nope.  But Lily was no mere Flower Girl either, and refused to succumb to helplessness.  Let instinct guide reason.  She wasn't wrong to seek safety.  These things were dangerous.

They were also after  her personally .  She would be their primary target.

Lily didn't have to win this battle.  She just had to  survive  it!

Nectar began seeping from her pores.  She spat at the nearest bee-monster, more as a distraction than anything else - though of course, any creature intended to defeat Floral would have to know to avoid contact with anything that came from her body - and then flew past it, past Nope, and straight into the little pond, hoping that would help get the swarming bees off of her.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  5 points to Floral Acid (foregoing the effect boosting ranks), 5 points to Petal Wings, 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Medicinal Nectar, 10 points to Solar Nectar.

Standard: Aid let's say Helios's next attack on V1, Defensive Attacking for 5, -2 for Impaired, +5 for Teamwork, at  (1d20+8)[ 20 ] .  Lily gets Restorative Persistent Healing at  (1d20+8)[ 23 ] .  Priority is Vulnerable then Weaken then Impaired.   +5 Aid, 13 RP +5 for Persistent is 18, removes Vulnerable. 

Move: Into AD16, diving underwater, in case its worth a circumstance bonus on the recovery check or Resistance to the SE since, you know, being underwater isn't exactly helpful for swarming bees.

End of Turn: Resistance to remove Impaired+Vulnerable (-2 for Impaired, -3 for Weaken):  (1d20+5)[ 23 ] .  Recover a point of Resistance.   Recovers, shoulda prioritized the Weaken!  😁 

Current Status: -2 Resistance (8/10 RP), +5 Defense this turn.
 
Dorni
 Pick a Color 

Helios released a tense breath and let the flames he held wink out. They were gone. Nope had carried them away. While he did have a certain curiosity about what Apophis could possibly want to discuss, he wasn't in a rush to tangle with him. Especially not now with half his allies barely on their feet yet. The tactical retreat was for the best.

He looked down at Floral when she approached him. And his stomach dropped when she asked to speak to him. He could guess what it was about. Between Floral's nose and Ariadne's strange semi-mystic sense he'd expected this conversation sooner or later, although his hope had been for later. Preferably after his family had left the cult.  "Ok. We'll talk." 
 Retribution 

Helios cut the flow of aether into the fire rune he'd been forming and watched one by one as the entire formation winked out. He'd been in the middle of another research session when his phone went off. Not at the hotel - Dante's mystic sense was nearly as sensitive has his own; he'd sense if Flint were working with so much of his power in the room next door. But one side benefit of everyone being trapped under the dome with supervillains on the loose is that there were plenty of abandoned spaces if you went looking for them. He glanced at the message expecting Dante or Sarah trying to get ahold of him.

One double-take later, Flint had transformed into the armored form of Helios and then wrapped that form in a veil to let him travel undetected. And then he flying through the sky towards a park.

It came into view in no time, and with it the bee monsters swarming Floral. The whole set-up seemed odd, but he could ask Floral about it in a second. For now, they needed to be contained. And for that, he wove a working of air to smash the nearest to the ground.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: set spells to Crossing the Sky
Move: To AJ20
Standard: Use Ranged Strength from Crossing the Sky to Grab V3.  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] 
 
Zelphas
Nope's arrival is announced by a white daylight brightness as the last light fled the sky--no, wait, that was just all the colors in the park inverting for a split second. As reality resolves, the bees in the air vanish... only to be immediately replaced by more bees, pouring out of the bee-like humanoids without a pause. The creature closest to where Floral was is also missing a large, irregular chunk of papery, curling skin, revealing more hexagonal columns of holes weeping thick, syrupy honey down one side of its featureless face. It doesn't seem to notice the attack much, other than that.

The creature twitches its head unnaturally to one side, causing Floral's acidic spit to pass through the new hole in its visage and splatter, sizzling, to the ground behind it. It raises a clawed hand, and bees pour out from it, filling the space just as Floral flies quickly away. The bees pursue Floral across the park at a slower pace, punching through Ariadne's quick weaving to strike at Floral.

With a silent whisper of wings, the Vesper drifts around Helios' burst of smashing air, keeping itself aloft with barely a wobble. Dozens of bees are smashed to the ground by the air blast, but it had many more. For a moment, the three bee-like creatures are still, glancing one to another with quick judders of their glowing eyes. Then the two unharmed Vespers begin moving. One simply raises its arms, a swarm flowing out of them to rush at Nope in a cloud of angry buzzing and tiny stingers glinting in the fading twilight. The second flies directly towards Ariadne, its left claw-hand extended in an oddly gentle gesture, as though it meant only to touch the thread-weaver's shoulder.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map .

 Vesper 1 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Swarm  on Floral.  (1d20+12)[ 32 ]  On a hit, first Damage DC 27 +Multiattack on Ariadne's threads:  (1d20+10)[ 19 ]   DC becomes 37; destroyed. If that punctures, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Progressive Impaired/Stunned. Floral has a -2 on the Resistance check if it hits.  Crit; DCs are 34/27. 
 Vesper 2 

Move Action: Shift to AE13.

Standard Action: Use  Swarm  on Nope.  (1d20+12)[ 14 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Progressive Impaired/Stunned.  Miss 
 Vesper 3 

Move Action: Shift to AI22.

Standard Action: Use  Touching Sting  on Ariadne.  (1d20+10)[ 19 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Penetrating Damage Linked Progressive Impaired/Stunned/Paralyzed.  Miss 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
The swarm of bees blasted through Ariadne's shield and started stinging her all over.  Lily froze up almost completely.  She thought for sure she was going to die.

But no.  Her body wasn't fully human anymore.  The countless stings didn't run with blood, but with more faintly-golden nectar.  The sun was down, but the past few days had given her time to recover from her battle against Apophis's zombies, and she had plenty of energy still stored up in her nectar.

She kept her mouth firmly closed.  Not moving wasn't actually helping, but it didn't matter.  She beat her wings to try to clear the bees out from around her a bit.  Anything to get a bit of breathing room.

She raised a hand, peering blearily through the haze of bees and pain and water in her eyes that she would insist was from dunking herself into the water and definitely nothing else, and fired a thorn at one of the monsters.  It wasn't well aimed, had little chance of presenting much threat, but it might at least provide a distraction.

The bulk of her efforts were on purging herself of the venom, healing the countless stings, and trying to drive the bees away.

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Dazed.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  Basically the same as before but 5 ranks Floral Thorn instead of 5 ranks Floral Wings.

Standard: Aid Nope's next attack, Defensive Attacking for 5, +5 for Teamwork, -2 for Impaired, at  (1d20+8)[ 10 ] .  Floral gains Restorative Persistent Healing at  (1d20+8)[ 20 ] .  First two points will go to clearing out the Weaken, then priority is Impaired, then Bruise.  If I roll below a natural 6 I'll use one of my two bonus Healing rerolls at  (1d20+8)[ 21 ] .   +2 to Nope.  10 RP to Floral.  2 finishes healing the Weaken and triggers Persistent for +5.  10 heals the Impaired.  3/10 to the Bruise. 
 If the Impaired isn't gone, Extra Effort to do it again, this time Aiding Ariadne:  (1d20+8)[ 19 ]  Aid,  (1d20+8)[ 19 ]  Healing.

End of turn: If the Impaired  still  isn't gone, long shot recovery chance (DC 27):  (1d20+8)[ 18 ]  since unless I'm rolling really far on the left side of the U-curve the Weaken will almost certainly be gone by now.  (On the off chance it's not gone recover a point of Resistance I guess). 

Current Status: 1 Bruise (3/10 RP), (Dazed ends), +5 Defense this turn.
 
Ridai
The momentary inversion of colors very briefly gave Nope pause, reflexively checking if the colors return to normal everywhere. Daily reminder of working with powers he barely understands.

An angry swarm of bees coming at him with menacing buzzing and glinting  also  gave him pause. Luckily, he was able to make those bees go away before they could perforate his everything, but these reflexive Removals are still damn scary. It is like the muscle memory version of approximate knowledge, hooked up to a reality eraser.

 "Will you stop it!?"  Nope calls over to the horrid bee-person-thing that sent even more bees at Floral (and is busy dodging Floral thorns, though honestly Nope misses that fact on account of Too Much Bee On Scene) and tries to shut that one down, since the other two at least momentarily seem more interested at sending horrors at the rest of the team. Less bee! Nope already had too much bee in his life to last him the whole year.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing  and  Remove Hit Points 
 Move  Happen to walk-stumble a little to the side in the chaos of bees, moving from AL16 to AK17

 Standard  Attack Vesper 1 with  Remove Hit Points . DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged), Linked Weaken Resistance, Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated). Crit 16+
Attack vs Vesper 1 (with +2 Aid from Floral)  (1d20+12)[ 15 ] 
 
Dorni
Having had a moment to evaluate the situation, Helios frowned. His wind blast had swatted and crushed hundreds of bees yet hardly made a dent in the swarms. More just kept pouring out of the... beehive monsters? That raised a potentially interesting question - were they simply a beehive with a ton of bees living within, or were they somehow generating the bees?

Helios put that question aside for a more pressing one. They had to have been made by Manchineel, and they'd attacked Lily. Was this pure chance, or were they here to target Lily? And if so, did that mean Manchineel was aware of Lily? Creating a distraction and attacking somewhere else didn't seem like Manchineel to him, but it was still best to deal with them quickly.

Helios switched his working. Blazing red runes formed around him and he sent the whole area up in flames.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: to AH8
Standard: Cast Solar Flare, catching V2 and V3. On hit, DC 25/20 vs Damage &amp; Affliction[Vulnerable / Defenseless]
V2:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
V3:  (1d20+10)[ 14 ] 
 
Abracadangit
Kal's a little peeved that the odd bee creatures didn't even seem slowed by her shield around Floral, but she quickly shrugs it off and keeps spinning thread where she can.

One of them veers close, reaching for Kal with an eerie gentleness that makes her skin crawl. Kal holds up her index finger with a needle tied to it, looking almost like a glinting talon, and waggles it disapprovingly, in a chiding sort of way. Her movements cause lines of red thread to appear from nowhere and lunge at the creature, forcefully shoving its claw off to the side.

 "Nice   try,"  Kal says, enjoying herself a little.  "Now,   it   is   my   turn." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free Action: Switch Threadworks array to Dual Needle Weaving.
Action: Dropping a Thread Lash Selective Cloud centered on Ariadne, with Homing, Multiattack, and SE.
V3:  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] 
 
Zelphas
Floral's spiking thorn intersected with {REDACTED} in midair before flying straight and true, striking right in between the beehive-creature's eyes... and passing through its head without leaving a single mark, disappearing into the darkness mere moments later with the Vesper remaining completely untouched by either Floral's strike or Nope's power.

The burst of flames from Helios had a much more noticeable effect. The Vesper closest to him instantly catches fire, one arm going up in a massive plume of heat and light. Moving instantly, the Vesper reaches across with its other arm and severs its own limb; the burning limb falls towards the fountain, but is reduced to scraps of ash before it can even touch the water. The farther Vesper drifts jerkily to one side to avoid the flames, losing several strips of its hide to Ariadne's razor-sharp threading in the process.

The first Vesper, seeing the threads of Ariadne's weaving fall once more, is across the park in moments, one claw reaching up to grasp at Floral's cheek. The other two Vespers--one missing an arm, one with red threads winding around it--look between each other once more, then turn as one towards Helios and send a flood of bees his way, stinging, swarming, and plucking at his hair and clothes as if to tear away bits of skin and spirit them away to their living hives.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Vesper 1 

Move Action: Shift to AE16.

Standard Action: Use  Touching Sting  on Floral.  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Penetrating Damage Linked Progressive Impaired/Stunned/Paralyzed. Floral has a -2 on the Resistance save if it hits.  Hit, no Penetrating. 
 Vesper 2 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Swarm  on Helios.  (1d20+12)[ 29 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Progressive Impaired/Stunned.  Hit, +2 Multiattack; DCs become 29/22. 
 Vesper 3 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Gather  on Helios.  (1d20+14)[ 15 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 20/20 vs. Cumulative Impaired &amp; Vulnerable/Disabled &amp; Stunned (with Secondary Effect) Linked Weaken Resistance.  Miss. 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
These things just get increasingly disgusting. Nope's not here for it. Too many body horror beeople. And they mostly just shrug off what he is doing, which doesn't help, which also leads to them ignoring him. So he stands there, awkwardly, trying to focus harder to make these things go away, dang it.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Standard  Attack Vesper 1 with  Remove Hit Points . DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged), Linked Weaken Resistance, Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated). AoA -5/+5, Crit 16+
Attack vs Vesper 1  (1d20+15)[ 21 ] 
 
Abracadangit
Emboldened by her effective little combination of offense and defense, Kal pirouettes in midair, buoyed by her threads, and lands some distance away, out of the bee creature's reach.

By changing up her stitching, she looses a new cloud of thread around the enemies harrying Floral, this cloud encircling and restraining like a net, while the razor-sharp threads from before continue to whirl and lash at their prey.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Getting out of V3's grab range, moving to AM18.
Action: Selective Snaring Strands Cloud, centered on AE14, targeting both V1 and V2.

Snaring Strands on V1:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
Snaring Strands on V2:  (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 
Thread Lash Cloud on V3:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
 
Dorni
So. These things didn't care for fire. Most things didn't like fire. It was one of the reasons he'd chosen to focus on studying fire out of all the possible elements. There just wasn't time to master everything, and fire was a highly effective weapon. It burned the physical and purified the spiritual. The ideal weapon against the cult. But most enemies didn't burst into flame and have to rip off their own arms to keep the fire from consuming the rest of them.

Helios wove more fire. Sheet after sheet of flame scoured the area, rolling over the bee creatures - and harmlessly around Floral.  "What's the situation here?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: nah.
Standard: Cast Solar Flare at AE19 with PA 2 / AoA 5, catching all of the Vespers.  On hit, DC 27/22 vs Damage &amp; Affliction[Vulnerable / Defenseless] before Weakness.
V1:  (1d20+13)[ 28 ] 
V2:  (1d20+13)[ 20 ] 
V3:  (1d20+13)[ 28 ] 

Extra Effort: Do it again because why not.
V1:  (1d20+13)[ 31 ]   Crit 
V2:  (1d20+13)[ 19 ] 
V3:  (1d20+13)[ 30 ]   Crit 

Fatigued next round
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily had the  best  team.

Later, her strong-but-fragile pride would gnaw at her with its inverse.  She'd feel embarrassed at needing to be rescued, guilty at having put her friends in danger, humiliated that they saw her in such a state of terror, so scared she could barely manage to make any offensive contribution to the battle at all.  But that was a matter for later.  Right now, she was only grateful to have such powerful allies, and gleeful to watch one of the monsters get savagely injured and another burned crispy.

...And terrified, of course.  Because of the bees, you see.

Helios asked what the situation was.  Lily didn't have a  superhuman  speed of thought, but she was capable of thinking pretty much as fast as an unenhanced human could.  In her brain, the answer that conveyed the key details without taking too much time to say quickly came to her.  "Manchineel's minions, they have to be targeting me specifically.  Know my weaknesses.  Keep frying them, I've got my heal-tank game going."

What actually came out of her mouth was instead a wild, panicked,  "THE BEES ARE AFTER ME!" 

It...it didn't convey  negative  informational value, anyway.

(Seriously she was going to feel so embarrassed when this was over like oh my lord...)

Her frantic efforts to defend herself continued to avail her little against the bee-monsters.  The monster's sting didn't have much in terms of an immediately detrimental effect upon her, but she didn't just shrug it off effortlessly the way she could have most normal poisons - she was reflexively burning stored solar energy to heal the effects as quickly as they happened.  Her body had been changed on a cellular level, but not a  genetic  one, and the information encoded into her genes that made her cells more susceptible to bee venom were still doing so whether those cells were wood and sap or flesh and blood.

It wasn't something she could keep up for long.  But, the voice of Floral sternly told her, she absolutely  could  keep it up for  long enough .

Floral backed out of the water, further away from the bee monsters, firing on the move a thorn tipped with a poison of her own at the injured Vesper, hoping to weaken it enough that Ariadne's continually-lashing thread clouds could finish it off more easily, while continuing to seem healing nectar to cure her wounds.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Solar Nectar, 10 points to Floral Thorn.

Move: Into Z20.

Standard: Attack Vesper 3 with Poisonous Nectar, Defensive Attacking for 5, Accurate Attacking for 2, at  (1d20+7)[ 16 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 18 vs. Weaken Resistance.  On a miss, Homing 1.  Lily receives Persistent Healing at  (1d20+10)[ 21 ] .   11 RP + 5 for Persistent.  7 spent to finish healing the Bruise, 9 towards the next Bruise. 

Current Status: 1 Bruise (9/10 RP), DA +5.
 
Zelphas
Nope's focus, distracted by all the concerning bits of body horror and beehive-people around him, gets a little bit muddled; instead of removing the Vesper, he (temporarily) removes the sense of horror from around the Vesper. For just a moment, the Vesper that he focuses his attention on, the beehive-person directly in front of Floral, is replaced by a brightly-colored, full size plush version of itself, complete with incongruous tag with washing instructions and upturned, 'smiley' eyes. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), this change seems to have been only in Nope's perceptions; a moment later the Vesper has returned to full, horrible life.

Ariadne's threads slice toward the Vesper that seems laser-focused on Floral, but they are intercepted by a cloud of bees, which die en masse but foul up the threading for along enough that any strands which touch the Vesper are bereft of cutting strength. Another Vesper, caught in the clouds, is quick to skip away from the attack, immediately dodging its effects. Over the battlefield, thereis a horrible cracking noise; the final Vesper, unable to extricate itself from Ariadne's earlier burst of threads in time, has been nearly bisected by the razor-sharp wires; it holds itself together by living ropes of bees, still somehow keeping itself aloft.

Helios flings flame once more over the battlefield. One Vesper, alert to the attack, sees it coming and moves swiftly out of the way, but the other two are not so swift. The heavily wounded Vesper encloses itself in yet more bees, forming a living shield that burns away and leaves it with heavy scorch marks, but allows it to still be functional.

The final Vesper, the first Vesper that Floral saw, which has been after her the whole time, never stops reaching for her face. Even as Helios' fire catches its form and burns strongly, almost too well, it never stops trying to grasp at Floral with its claw-like hand. The body burns away, the bees crisp and smolder, the face with the glowing eyes blacken and turn to ash... only then does the claw-hand drop, burning into a greasy, ashy film before it ever touches the water of the fountain.

Immediately after the first Vesper burns away, a change comes over the other two Vespers. They had been communicating to one another in some way, sending some unspoken message one to another; in an instant, this stops, as the least injured Vesper stiffens and turns its green-gold gaze on Floral. The beehive creature floats silently around the pool and towards the plant-controlling plant person, reaching out with one clawed hand...

Meanwhile, the final Vesper hunches down, collapsing slightly in on itself. Even as you watch, the living rope of bees keeping it together spins new wax into place, repairing the worst of the damage; it is still battered, but functional, and it does not seem able to flee.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Vesper 2 

Move Action: Shift to Y20.

Standard Action: Use  Touching Sting  on Floral.  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Penetrating Damage Linked Impaired/Stunned/Paralyzed. Floral has a -2 on the Affliction.  Miss 
 Vesper 3 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Recover from Staggered.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
Floral's screamed proclamation is met with a startled  "Oh crap hit bees-  what the flip?!"   one stray thought tumbling out of Nope's mouth is immediately interrupted by seeing whatever the hell the Removal is somehow showing him, making Nope physically jump. But the combo continues, as one Vesper is cut apart, but still "living" (with  beeeees!) , also making him feel increasingly sick and look vaguely green in the face.

  "Oach"   presses forth from the figure as he tries, once again, to make the Vesper focused on Floral go away, but man, his concentration is so shot right now. But somehow all the queasy feelings result in getting a very clear mental bridge to targeting a Vesper, a veritable Nope Elemental (no affiliation). Nope doesn't even know anymore what he is doing right or wrong.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Same procedure as last turn. DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged), Linked Weaken Resistance, Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated). AoA -5/+5, Crit 16+
Attack vs Vesper 2  (1d20+15)[ 35 ] 
 
Dorni
Helios was more surprised by Lily's wail than he should have been. In retrospect, he probably shouldn't have been. Objectively, bees were much less scary than any of the other... a month ago he would have said 'nonsense' that they'd battled. Compared to mummies, magic death cultists, a spirit of condensed death energy, and some killbots, bees were had to be on the low end of the scale.

On the other hand... bees. Frank wondered how much composure he'd have had if it were him that had been ambushed by swarms of bees. That were also monsters.

Whatever. Helios did what he could to end it and kept up the attack. The Vespers were spreading out and making sheets of flame less viable, but no matter. Instead he flew new Floral's side and wove fire aether into Sunbeams. He had a distasteful moment to recognize the parallels to a kid incinerating bugs with a magnifying glass, but it didn't stop him or his fiery beams.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: To X18
Standard: Cast Sunbeam, AoA/PA 5 using multi-attack to target V2 and V3. On hit, DC 30 (before Weakness) vs Perception SE Damage.
 (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
 (1d20+8)[ 13 ] 

Fatigued, -5 defenses
 
Abracadangit
  "Pests, aren't they,"   Ariadne says wryly, echoing in Kal's mind.

  "Nothing I can't handle,"   Kal thinks back.   "I'm trying to get more comfortable with threads over large areas at once."  
  "Very impressive,"   Ariadne comments.   "Don't let me get in your way, hnn, hnn."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Action: Dropping another Snarling Strands Cloud, centered on V3, and I believe Thread Lash Cloud now flips to SE, since the old cloud should be subsiding.
Snarling Strands Cloud vs. V3:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] 
Thread Lash Cloud SE vs. V3:  (1d20+10)[ 27 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
One of the monsters - the one that had been most focused on her - blessedly went down under the lethal combo of Ariadne's threads and Helios's flames.  The battle was shifting into their favor.  The monsters were racking up injuries, one of them some severe ones.

This was the time.  She had been playing defense all battle, barely contributing.  But this fight would soon be over.  Now was the time to shift gears, take the offensive, and annihilate what remained of her attackers.

Unless...unless that was just what they were waiting for.  For her to leave an opening.  They could have more monsters waiting to pounce, or be waiting to summon even larger swarms for when they knew they would carry the greatest impact.  No, it wasn't wise.  The battle would be won if they just kept grinding the enemy down.  There was no need to take risks.

It was true.  It was also a lie.  Lily was too smart and too self-aware not to realize that.

It still didn't change her decision.

On the other hand, her healing had done its work splendidly, her own wounds almost entirely closed.  She spat in the face of the latest Vesper to attack her - her spit transmuting to deadly acid in the air - and fell back from it before its swarms could begin stinging her again.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 10 points to Lingering Acid, 10 points to Lingering Scents.  Variable Descriptor the lot of it to [Energy] [Acid].

Standard: Attack V2 with Acidic Nectar, Defensive Attacking for 5, Accurate Attacking for 2, at  (1d20+7)[ 20 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 23/18 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Resistance Linked Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless.  The Damage and Affliction carry a Secondary Effect.

Move: Into Z26.

End of Turn: Homing attack on V3 at  (1d20+7)[ 15 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 18 vs. Weaken Resistance.

Current Status: 1 Bruise (9/10 RP), DA +5.
 
Zelphas
Nope's continued rejection of the Vesper before him finally has a tangible effect; a long chunk of the bark-like skin at the Vesper's shoulder simply vanishes, leakign honey and bees in its empty wake. The Vesper barely seems to notice, but then again, they haven't been acting like they have a concept of pain for this entire battle so far in any case.

The Vespers both have a faster reaction to Helios as he moves, taking evasive action even before the spell finishes its weaving. The more heavily-burned Vesper loses the rest of its arm and shoulder despite its actions, thick clouds of bees swarming around it as it nearly shakes itself apart in an effort to keep itself together. The other Vesper fares far better; the sunbeam catches a still-glossy section of its newly-formed middle and refracts, doing no visible harm to the Vesper... for the moment, at least.

A moment later, however, and that Vesper loses one part of its wing as Ariadne's threading neatly snips it apart. It avoids the entangling threads Ariadne tosses towards it in the moment, but it is unable ot escape the cloud before the threads turn back towards it.

A swarm of bees intercept Floral's spit and vanish in a hiss of acid, leaving the Vector untouched by the offending liquid. On the farther side of the park, the other Vesper twitches to one side just in time to avoid the persistent flight of Floral's poison-tipped thorn. The burned Vesper, unwilling or unable to focus itself away from Floral, simply spreads wide its remaining arm, sending a flood of bees directly towards its target with no heed to its own protection.  The other Vesper, torso still re-solidifying from its hasty repair work, seems to do something similar towards Helios at first. AS more, and more, and more bees land on and around the student of magic, however, it becomes clear that they aren't hear to sting him, but to crush him under weight and heat.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Vesper 2 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Swarm  on Floral, All-Out Attacking for 5.  (1d20+17)[ 37 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Progressive Impaired/Stunned. Floral has a -2 on the Resistance check against the Affliction if that hits.  ...Crit. DCs become 37/27. 
 Vesper 3 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Overheat  on Helios, All-Out Attacking for 5.  (1d20+15)[ 17 ]  hit or miss, Resistance DC 29 vs. Perception Penetrating Damage, the Penetrating going to Pierce Resistance.  Hits due to AoA; no Penetrating bonus. 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
All the sunlight that Lily had stored up had been keeping her in good stead, allowing her to heal her injuries nearly as quickly as the monsters could damage her.

 Nearly. 

But as the Vesper filled the air around her with another swarm of bees, Lily found that her strategy of keeping her distance and ready to react really didn't  do  much against hundreds of bees stinging you from every direction.  Heart pounding, she began sweating from fear - and turned that sweat into acid, dissolving dozens of bees as they struck her, but unfortunately, there were scores more where they came from.

Their stingers couldn't do more than prick Lily's wood-strong skin, but that was all they needed to release their venom.  In terms of sheer magnitude of damage, the stored sunlight within her should have been more than enough to wipe it all away trivially, but Lily's phobia, while perhaps irrational, had never been  unreasonable .

The simple fact was, that Lily was and remained deathly allergic to bees.  Their venom caused far more damage to her, and her experiments into exacerbating her own weaknesses in hopes of developing a means to quickly neutralize her if Manchineel was able to control her only multiplied it further.

The bee swarm was relentless, sting after sting only building up the venom already in her system from the previous attacks, draining more and more energy.

And for all the power that the light of the sun allowed her to gather and wield, Lily's energy wasn't limitless.  Even her superpowered cells could only store so much sunlight.

The bees ran her out.  Up until then, between her body's physical durability and her instantaneous healing, the stings hadn't really  hurt .  But as she expended the last of her stored energy, that changed quickly.  Lily gave a scared, pained little cry...and collapsed as the bee venom was finally able to take full effect.
Ridai
And somehow, what he thought was a really good go didn't really do much of anything.

And the beeople still ignore him.

And then Floral collapses.

Having accomplished mostly nothing in a life-or-death situation, something dangerous given the nature of Nope's powers creeps in, and that is just immense frustration with the situation, his powers, and the nearby world in general. And if he tried to help Floral recover now, in this state, chances are he would kill her even faster than the bees, because that is just his grasp of his powers.

 "I ******* hate these powers,  come on!"   Nope shouts at no one but himself, whole body just shaking with frustration, fists balled and knuckles white.  ERASE THE GODDAMN BEES! **** FORESTER's BAY'S BEE POPULATION! ANNIHILATE EVERYTHING BEE! 
 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Standard  Remove hit points on V3 with AoA -5/+5 and PA -2/+2. DC 27/22/22, Crit 16+
Attack vs V3   (1d20+13)[ 17 ]    Rerolled to 26 
 EE Standard  Do it again
Attack vs V3 (switch to V2 if V3 for some reason dies)  (1d20+13)[ 28 ] 
 
Zelphas
Once again, a change comes over the Vespers, the moment that Floral collapses into the water. Both of the grotesque, vaguely human-shaped bee creatures turn fully to face their fallen target, wings speeding up into audible, whining sound as they prepared to take whatever action needed to grab Floral and bring her back to their mistress. The burning, one-armed Vesper even seems to be tearing itself apart in its eagerness to finish its duty, bees spilling out all around it in dense clouds as it prepares to move--

 
 Spoiler: Nope 
You don't activate your powers, you suppress them. What seem like 'active' powers for you are more like controlled releases from a valve holding back the nothing you are able to unleash at any moment. Usually, you move this valve one, maybe two 'notches' to release your power before throttling it back again.

This time, just for a moment, the valve spun all the way open. You closed it again, but the  nothing  that came out was too much. It hit far more than you anticipated.

Something noticed.
 

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
Within you, Ariadne lets out a choked gasp of mingled pain and surprise. She refuses to elaborate why, but by stretching your senses you can get something of a picture of what just occurred.

Life is a tapestry, filled with grand, bright weavings, interlocking workaday threads, and the invisible, tiny, innumerable weavings that hold the bigger pieces together. Moments ago, a large number of those tiny, invisible threads... vanished. As if they never were. The 'tapestry' is not falling apart from their loss; someone who isn't as attuned as you are might not even notice that anything has changed. but there are... loose ends, which shouldn't be.

All of this is so far off of the purview of what you can normally sense that you get the feeling something much bigger than you can notice just happened. You're only getting a muddy, unclear view of it.
 

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Nope's powers aren't magic. You were able to figure this out within moments of meeting him. Whatever he is accessing to do... whatever he does, it goes by a different pathway than the magic you know.

And yet, in the moment that Nope just acted, you sense the ambient magic in the air... lessen. Not catastrophically, but noticeably. You intuit two things from this: first, that no matter where you go in the Dome at this moment, this lessening will feel the same. It had wide-reaching effects, whatever it is.

And second, the lessening of ambient magic is a  side effect  of whatever Nope actually just did, not the main impact of the effect.
 


The Vespers are gone. The bees are gone. The scraps of burned Vesper in the fountain are gone. The beestings on Floral, the heat on Helios, are gone. The air in the park is still and silent. The night is dark.

No chirp of crickets. No whine of mosquitos. No disturbance of air from a moth's silken wings. No bottle-bright flash of a firefly. The air is still, and silent.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Battle over! Everyone take a Hero Point.

Also, since you've been battling for some time now and grown into your powers, take  5 PP  as well!
 

 Later... 

Watcher appeared on an emergency broadcast early in the morning of September 2nd, 2018. He apologized to those who relied upon his food stores, but explained that "for the sake of the future", he would not be able to provide the nourishing, tasteless gruel for the next three days. He asked for patience from the people of Forester's Bay once again, and then abruptly ended the transmission. A few hopeful people still gathered where the food was usually delivered that morning. They were quickly driven away by the cloud of insects--insects of all sorts, in large numbers--that was released from the fabricator in their stead.

It is unclear who began the rumor, or how they knew. Even more unclear is why it was believed. But soon, everyone in Forester's Bay knew that the bugs, the lack of food, all of it could be laid at the feet of one of their so-called "Heroes". The one who hid his face and form behind a cloud of uncertainty, who called himself "Nope", as if this whole thing was a joke to him. The rumors would die down, the people would calm, but for now... for now, they knew.

 
 Spoiler: Nope 
Nope cannot contribute successes to the  Hero Work  Downtime for the next Downtime round. For the next two Scenes, civilians and police officers who are not connected to the PCs will be automatically Hostile to Nope. Nope, take a Hero Point for your  Annihilate Everything  Complication.
 
Ridai
Nope stumbles for a moment, blinking, shaking his head. A little unsteadily at first, he heads over to Floral to help pull her out of the water.  "H-hey, talk to m-me,"  he tries to engage Floral, maybe hoping she is still conscious, since there are no bee stings or anything.  "are you-" 

Freeze. No bee stings. Nope's brow furrows. Checks a different spot. Nothing. More hastily, another. Nothing.   But I didn't-  

Freeze again, having let go of Floral, hands just splayed out and held, eyes first looking like they are searching, but increasingly so in places where nothing could actually be, listening with increasing intent. Nope rises slowly, a shiver crawling down his spin as a sinking feeling spreads. By the time he is standing upright, his eyes are wide, slowly looking around, breathing as shallow as possible, moving as little as possible, as to not make a sound. The silence expands, becoming a vast empty space. Feeling of vertigo on solid ground. Falling, but not falling. Horizon further than the mind, space not fitting consciousness. Mouth moving near soundlessly, butchering repeating questions because of the shaking, half-drowned by unsteady breaths. Everything repeats, wide eyes burning, watering and overflowing, as the abyss stares.

---------------

 Later... 

On the second day of no food, Nope appears exactly at midnight where people normally pass to get their food, prostrated on the ground. He remains like this for 24 hours. Prompted, he says he is sorry, that he messed up. If attacked by the citizens, he does not fight back. If he returns home at midnight bleeding and broken, then that is what it is. He deserves it.
Quellian-dyrae
Just as Nope reached her, Lily's eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright.  The bee venom was just...gone, apparently.  Every trace of it purged from her system.

Nope was standing over her.  He must have used his powers to heal her, to remove the stings and the venom.

Yes, that must have been it.

She didn't, for the moment, notice the utter lack of any insectoid scents in the air.  Her brain was not currently focusing on processing scent data to that degree.

She stood slowly, unsteadily.  Although her injuries were removed, she was still low on energy.   "I..."  she began hesitantly, sighed, and then said,  "Thank you, all, so much.  I don't know...there's no way I could have defeated them alone."   To say they had saved her life didn't cover it.  The monsters had been using a venom specifically formulated to incapacitate rather than kill her.  Their intent had been capture, not killing.  Given everything she knew about Manchineel, her friends had saved her from a fate likely far worse than death.

In that moment, her gratitude and relief were foremost.  The shame and guilt would catch up to her later.

As she started regathering her wits and her focus from her brief loss of consciousness, she noticed Nope's demeanor.  She reached out to set a hand on his shoulder, concern visible on her still unveiled face.   "Nope?  Are you okay?  Did they hurt you?" 
Ridai
Nope immediately wince and pulls away as his shoulder is touched, less pushing Floral away, more in the way of someone not liking to be touched. The very next moment, Nope stands up very straight, not shaking anymore, but his eyes still wide open (that is somehow very clear through his veil of uncertainty), streams of tears unbroken as he looks at the group yet nowhere.

 "Huh n-no I'm fine,"  he says automatically to the question, sounding harried. A beat.  "I-I got fr- fffr- frustrated a-and did someth-thing very bad."  A beat.  "F-feeling thinnn-gs is bad. Intrusive th-thoughts maKe bad things h-happ'n."  A beat.  "I d-did a... a ve- very bad thing. And and somethhhing  knowsss! "  He raises a hand to his head, white knuckled fingers just digging through his hair, shaking again.  "S-somethinnng stared back b'cause I-I did a bad- did a very bad... thing." 
Abracadangit
 "We   are   simply   glad   that   you   are   unharmed,"  Kal says, as she descends from the air and lands close by Floral and Nope.  "Do   you   have   any   idea   why   they   would   target   you,   specifically?" 
 
 Spoiler: Kal &amp; Ariadne 
In the back of her mind, Ariadne stirs in an unpleasant way.   "Your friend, the one who... unravels things,"   she says, her voice oddly distorted, as though Kal's inner ear for hearing her is somehow mistuned.   "He has undone more than he intended, I fear."  
  "Not so bad, that's happened before,"   Kal thinks back, realizing this must have been the source of the strange sensation, before.   "Air rushes into the vacuum, or whatever. It's never been an issue."  
  "This time is different,"   Ariadne replies, ominously.   "He didn't merely cut out a patch, he unmade the patch, and the piece of the table that the patch was resting on, and the color of the table, and the hour of the day when the table was standing there, and an infinite number of connected threads."  
  "What?"   Kal asks.   "You're not making sense."  
  "Powers of this nature seldom do. Be wary in the coming days, engoní. The world does not take kindly to being ripped, with such violence."   She pauses.

  "When you tear out a part of the world, it tends to tear back."  
 
Dorni
Helios struggled to reinforce his wards under the weight of the flaming bees. He'd designed them to be as solid as possible, to withstand and deflect a wide spectrum of forces. Sustained, crushing forces hadn't been at the forefront of his mind when he'd designed them. They weren't ineffective, but the pile of bees was definitely causing them to strain. Parts of the rune-structure were cracking even has he directed energies to mend them as quickly as possible, but he was losing the race.

And then everything vanished.

He turned to Nope to congratulate him, but then he realized it. The bees hadn't just vanished. So had the damage to his wards. And the constant background buzz from his mystic sense was a little bit dimmer.

 "Nope, what did you do?"  The words came out choked.  "What do you mean something stared back? What did you do?!" 
Ridai
Nope is looking smaller as Helios asks him.  "I-I... I did... a... hrng..."  Thoughts are still a mess.  "I-I wanted the bees t-to go away. An...gry thhhought happened s-same time. Con... control slipped. I don't hear any... insects anymore."  Part of him hopes those noises will come back.

 "Sssomething from the... from the uh... collective unconscious... I think. Or someone like, like me.  Noticed. "  Nope visibly winces as he mentions the collective unconscious, and the possibility of someone like him.
Quellian-dyrae
 
 Originally Posted by Abracadangit 
  "Do   you   have   any   idea   why   they   would   target   you,   specifically?"  
 

 "Wouldn't be the first time,"  Lily answered with quiet bitterness.

Then she sighed.   "Sorry.  I mean, Manchineel's tried to 'punish' me for my work before.  That's how I ended up like this in the first place.
 I don't...really understand her actual reasoning, but presumably she figured out who I am and wanted to finish the job.  Or it's reciprocation for us taking Gabriel off the gameboard.  Or she's trying to kidnap and enslave me.  Or she's an insane dryad and asking why she does anything is like asking why a tornado does anything.  One of those for sure."   Okay yeah the bitterness might have still been there.

Lily blinked twice when Nope explained what he had done.  There were...a lot of feelings that went through her mind, hearing that.  Guilt, for being the reason Nope had had to fight the monsters in the first place (which her brain flagged as irrational but which she couldn't help but feel anyway).  Shame, for not having been strong enough to help defeat the monsters before it got to that point.  A deepening sense of inferiority.  Her powers had been barely strong enough just to hold off the monsters long enough for her friends to dispatch them.  Nope could apparently eradicate every insect in a who-even-knew how large area  on accident .  His powers only ever actually failed to instantly eradicate his opponents because he was deliberately holding back...how much of them?  Ninety?  Ninety-nine?  More?

And yes, beneath all that, a tiny but insistent note of utter terror at the realization of just how destructive Nope's powers really were.

(Part of her brain was also running the numbers on the environmental impact of the loss of that many insects, but it was kinda all going on in the back of her head.  The whatever-it-was staring back got fairly little attention compared to the rest of it, because it got filed away under "weird stuff".  It was kinda like, yeah, sure, whatever, if it becomes a problem they'll superhero at it until it ceases its shenanigans.)

Lily just stared silently at Nope in the aftermath of his explanation.  She...didn't really know what she could say.  She couldn't quite wrap her brain around Nope's problems well enough to even properly empathize with them, let alone offer useful support.  Floral and Nope contributed on the same team, yes, but only because she was pushing her powers so far beyond the limits of what they should have been able to do, and he was restricting his powers to such a tiny fraction of their possible output, that they kinda met in the middle.

At the end of the day, how could a flower hope to empathize with a god?
Zelphas
September 7th, 2018.

You have to give them this; the "Chainbreakers" were at least trying to be smart. The meeting is still in the Industrial Block, but the chosen area is well-placed; near the Manitou Forest (which means that there's a constant Bronze Link presence of some sort in case Manchineel tries something, giving the would-be escapees an excuse), but fairly far away from both the Residential District and the Main Drag (meaning that Silver Links have no real reason to be there, dealing with other projects). Even the timing is decent; mid-day, with an overcast sky, encouraging people to be indoors and about other projects without looking for people skulking around. So, at the very least, they tried to be smart.

The fact that your burgeoning information team discovered their ad-hoc name, plans, and the location and time of their first meeting despite no member of the Chainbreakers actually reaching out to them should let you know about how well that went, though.

The warehouse has another major issue for clandestine meetings when you arrive at it; only one entrance or exit. Any hope that the "Chainbreakers" may still be hidden is almost immediately dashed as you approach; a mellifluous voice is rolling out from the (smashed) open doors, punctuated by the occasional crunch of fists hitting flesh and pained groan.   "--May have only owed Mr. Harriot  one  vow, but from your pitifully uniform palette of powers--a bit of strength here, a bit of speed there--I can assume that what you offered him was your  loyalty . However you interpret that, this is a breach, and therefore--"  

The voice cuts off as the group enters, the polished marble form of Marius Amato (Silver Link codename: Pride) straightening up from his lecture-slash-beating and dropping the unfortunate recipient unceremoniously to the floor. He takes a moment to straighten the beautiful, tailored silver suit he is wearing, a black vest with silver chain pinstripes poking out beneath, reaching up with one hand covered in a silver-chain glove to adjust his deep scarlet tie, the only pop of color on his form. Eyes of cold white marble seemingly carved to look lifelike take you in, stone lips forming an easy politician's smile.   "Well then,"   the deep, pleasant voice says after a moment, looking at you over the groaning forms of those who were planning to find a way out of Lockdown's grip,   "The guests of honor have arrived."  
  "She was right,"   another voice interjects, this one heavy with smoke and sun. The speaker tosses away her cigarette and coughs, once, shaking her grey-touched black hair while fixing the four of you with a critical eye. In contrast to the sharply-dressed pride, this tall, broad-shouldered woman wears muted, workmanlike clothes; even with her height, there's a chance she could vanish into the crowd of the Industrial Block easily, though a sparkle of silver around her neck matches the silver glove of Pride. Sun-weathered red skin crinkles with a smirk that somehow seems more jolly than snide as she glances over at another of the people apparently waiting near the door for the four of you.   "How much do you owe her, then?"  
  "Too much,"   grumps the third person, a short, mostly nondescript man that seems vaguely familiar to all of you (and heartbreakingly familiar to Nope). Despite his plain looks, the man is dressed richly; his clothing seems to be at least as expensive as Pride's, though the colors are all loud, garish, and demanding you to notice their obvious expense. Even the silver chains around his neck and rings on his fingers clash, somehow. In contrast to his tone, the man's eyes light up with a sort of delighted hunger upon seeing the four heroes, his fingers twitching unconsciously.   "Frankly, this whole thing costs too much. Are these guys really worth all of us."  
  "They're worth it,"   Wrath snaps shortly. She's the only one who's given herself some room, away from the doors and the fallen would-be Chainbreakers.   "Trust me. Can we get on with it?"  
  "As the only one who has lost to them, you would be the expert,"   Pride states with poisonous grace, inclining his head slightly to Wrath.   "I look forward to making my own acquaintance... and judgment."  

The tall woman holds up a hand.   "Can't read him at all,"   she says, pointing to Nope. The finger moves to Floral.   "About where you were when you started, Wrath."   Helios is next.   "Same thing; guy's balanced all the way through, maybe an all-rounder."   Finally, the finger rests on Ariadne.   "Same thing; balance, balance, balance. But..."   The woman tilts her head, a slow, cold smile appearing there for a moment.   "Wrath... she should be your fight."  

With that, the hand drops, and the four Silver Links in front of you prepare to battle!

 
 Spoiler: Nope 
In case it isn't clear, the short, unobtrusive man with the tacky clothes is your father.
 

 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 10 (Emotions) (Nested) 
The emotions of the group are fairly easy to understand; Pride is haughty and eager to show himself off, Greed is weirdly hungry and excited as well as being worried and stressed, Gluttony is world-weary and amused by this whole strange situation, and Wrath is... angry.

 
 Spoiler: DC 22 
Wrath is always angry, it seems; that's how she's hiding it.

Fear. Self-disgust and horror of what she just helped do. And... envy? For the Chainbreakers?
 

 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Initiative 

Nope:  (1d20)[ 1 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 10 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 6 ] 
Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 

Gluttony, Greed, and Pride:  (1d20)[ 6 ] 
Wrath (will delay her turn unless she is going first):  (1d20+20)[ 26 ] 
 Wrath Goes First. 
 
Zelphas
 Round 1, Wrath 
  "If you say so!"   Wrath responds immediately, reaching her hand back as though looking for something on a shelf behind her. The air in the chilly warehouse immediately ratchets up several degrees as she brings her palm forward, pitching a baseball-sized chunk of white-hot fire directly at Ariadne... though the ball sheds flames all over the warehouse as it goes. Pride sniffs disdainfully, and Greed takes a moment to look over his flashy coat for scorch marks.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
Due to your successes in the "Cleaning up the City" Downtime, you know about Wrath's  Control Your Temper (Accident/Reputation)  Complication. Wrath... tends to start fires whether or not she wants to do so, and the other Links know it (and are not fans of it).
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Wrath 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Burn  on Ariadne.  (1d20+11)[ 17 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 26/21 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Weaken Resistance.  Miss 

If this attack hits Ariadne, the  Create  portion of Ariadne's  Silken Shields  will be disabled next turn, due to her threads currently being... on fire. Ariadne, take a Hero Point for your  Flammable  Complication.

 All PCs except for Nope are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
When Lily got home after the Vesper attack, she had basically just gone straight to her room, curled up in her bed, and cried herself to a nightmare-filled sleep.

The next morning, she woke up, assessed the situation, updated on all the new data, and got to freaking  work .

Step one was calling her family, informing them that Manchineel remained both aware of and hostile of her, and warning them to take particular care - that evidence suggested Manchineel at least knew where she lived and might know about them, somehow.

So, you know,  that  was fun.

Once that was over, she sat down and started thinking about her powers.  This was nothing she hadn't done several times already, but her focus was different this time.  Always before, her efforts had been about coming up with creative ideas for  using  them.  Making lemonade out of lemons, pretty much.  This time was different.  This time, her focus was not on how she could SCIENCE her powers beyond all reason, but rather on truly accepting and internalizing what these powers actually were and meant.

First.  She was not a human being anymore.

She knew that, of course, intellectually.  But she had never really faced it, never really pounded home into her own mind what it meant.  She had said okay, yeah, I'm not technically human anymore, and then gone on trying to act as human as she could.

Lily still had no particular intent to take on a plant-monster appearance externally, but there was no point in having dislocatable joints rather than segmented bones, no point in having a heart to pump blood when it was all just nectar, no point in using lungs to breathe when no other plant did.  Other plants didn't have a brain, but that didn't mean it needed to be all cooped up and vulnerable in her head, when its neurons could be spread efficiently through her body.  It worked fine for octopuses.

(Performing a full-body transmutation two pounds at a time wasn't any less painful the second time around.)

Second.  She was not a powerhouse of massive damage.  She would never match Nope or Helios or Ariadne in terms of raw destructive potential.  Her powers weren't as weak as she had  first  thought them to be, but that didn't mean the raw power output she had achieved was  sufficient .  She needed to play more to her strengths - hamper her foes, play smart, exploit their weaknesses and openings, and open the way for her more powerful allies to land the decisive blow.  She needed, in short, to  swallow her pride  and start fighting smarter rather than harder.

Third.  The Vespers had targeted her as the sun went down, to strike her at her weakest.  And what Lily had come to realize is that despite lacking the ability to gather solar energy even as she used it, she hadn't actually...lost much?  Mainly just passive regeneration.  This struck her as stupid for two reasons.  First, there was no reason she shouldn't be able to passively regenerate with stored energy.  Second, there was no reason she should be restricting her usage of having a constant flow of power to passive regeneration alone.  Energy was fungible, and storage was not perfectly efficient; there was more she  could do  while in direct sunlight, so she should use it to its fullest.

That said, she couldn't rely on it.  It had to be a boost that was helpful when it was available, but not critical if she lost it.  So while she was altering her body, she modified her cells to optimize them for energy  storage .  As for energy  acquisition ...

--

When Floral met her teammates for the day's mission, she was carrying a staff made of green wood, small flowers sprouting from it all over in a variety of colors, a huge white lily blossoming at the top.

She also wasn't wearing her flower-veiled hat.  Her secret identity was shot to all heck thanks to the Vespers' attack and useless anyway, so there was no longer any need for it.  (Conveniently, this also meant she didn't have to worry much about carrying her new staff in civvies, not that it would take all that long to transform it, come down to it).

Unfortunately the overcast sky meant the staff would see little use today, but that was fine.  It was supplemental.

 "Woowww...you guys brought  Wrath  along?  I mean seriously, what's the reasoning there?  We trounced her back before we had even the slightest semblance of organization, so it's not like she's going to be any use against  us .  Honestly I kinda think she's more likely to set one of you on fire than one of us." 

She kinda turned her head exaggeratedly to watch as Wrath's fireball went sailing harmlessly past Ariadne, before looking back to the Silver Links.   "Soo...yeah.  Good luck with that one." 

Then Lily gestured with her staff, and three vines shot out from it, lashing towards Pride, Greed, and Gluttony, each tipped with a wickedly sharp thorn dripping a debilitating poison.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Drugged Nectar, 10 points to Floral Vines (Affliction+Weaken), 10 points to Floral Blood.  Descriptor for both effects set to [Physiological] [Poison]

Move: Charge Floral Vines.

Standard: Attack Pride, Greed, and Gluttony with Poisonous Nectar.  On a hit, Resistance DC 20 vs. Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Linked Weaken Effect and Resistance.
 Pride:  (1d20+10)[ 13 ] .
Greed:  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] .
Gluttony:  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] . 
Current Status: Normal, Floral Blood (Defense 5, Resistance 15).
 
Abracadangit
Kal twirls out of the way of Wrath's searing flames, buoyed by her own threads.

  "Careful now,"   Ariadne warns.   "All it takes is a little touch, and..."  
  "And the threads won't spin the same way, I know,"   Kal interrupts.   "I want to try one of our new patterns, just like we practiced."  
  "Hnn, hnn, very good,"   Ariadne purrs, contentedly.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free Action: Switch Threadwork array to Dual Needle Weaving.
Action: Silken Shields, centered on AE31, should get everybody in the Cloud, now with Secondary Effect (Deflect) and Increased Duration (Continuous) on the Create.
 
Ridai
Nope never had that much of a presence before, in addition to his mantle of uncertainty and pseudo anonymity, but when he showed up to the Chainbreakers' "hideout", he blended even more with the environment. He looks more withdrawn than usual, and tired to boot, yet forcing himself to be as alert as he can be. While the others advanced their powers, Nope didn't want to use any of his if he could help it, even somewhat regressing in his ability to maintain offensive focus. When you have mostly unremembered nightmares of the collective unconscious, and of removing friends and family, followed by going to check if he erased them in his sleep (while trying not to cry and not to wake them up), every night, one's desire to remove anything from existence is severely diminished (not that it was high before).

With people simultaneously filled with justified anger and fear directed at Nope, he just wants to stay out of their way. The fact that the League's minions now also avoid him, including the damned robots (but decidedly not the bigger ones, as he had to escape from at least half a dozen AKumas in one week), doesn't really make him feel better. The cult is even worse, worshipping (?!) him to some degree, those creepy freaks.

And so, Nope's grand improvements boil down to hopefully getting noticed a little less. And the incident increasingly filling his head with cryptic thought, diving into depth psychology, more metaphysics, magic, sociology, trying to make sense of it all. He wouldn't call his current state as understanding anything, though. More like dangerous approximate knowledge partially enabled by god knows what. He is not sure if he wants to dive any deeper into any of that. Diving into anything has rather lost its appeal.

But at least he can make some good comfort food now (well, with what little they have)? Over the past two months, Remy found his weight had plummeted. If you wanted to be nice about it, you could say it was all the exercise from fighting villains and saving people (but mostly fighting villains, let's be honest). More likely, stress, harrowing experiences, constant worry, and maybe even his own powers (such as accelerated wound recovery, or unknown worse things) were the cause. So Uncle Bruno has been encouraging his nephew to eat together. He noticed Remy getting increasingly nervous about being touched by anyone, apologizing a lot, having trouble making eye contact.

--------------------------

So already nervous about him simply being there possibly making things worse when the Chainbreakers would see him, they walk into a trap for them by four Silver Links. And just to make things worse, one of them is his dad. Recent nightmares intrude right back into his thoughts, and are immediately repressed again to not accidentally make them a reality. Nope looks deflated, the struggle for an enforced workable mental environment making it difficult to respond to the threats at hand.
Dorni
 
 Originally Posted by Zelphas 
   "Wrath... she should be your fight."   
 

 "Which is exactly why your opponent will be me."  Helios glided towards towards Wrath. That alone was a tip off that he wasn't the same as the first time they'd clashed. Flint had always been a quick study where magic was concerned, but several weeks of hero work had sharpened his skill, and getting an up close and personal look at Apophis had given him both a stark lesson in how far he had to go and ample motivation to get there.

So this time when he flew towards Wrath, it was smooth. The windstreams that carried him were far more tightly controlled, with barely a whisper or errant gust. He made a beckoning motion towards Wrath where in the past his arm would have been shrouded in green runes. While the display was visually impressive, to a practitioner's eye it was a waste of magic caused by aether that overflowed the spell's structure. Either too much aether was being forced through the runic structure or the runic structure itself was poorly constructed and was leaking the aether.

This time, the gesture appeared entirely mundane - except for Wrath feeling a sudden rush of exhaustion as the spell sucked at his vitality.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells array to Affliction [Fatigued &amp; Impaired / Stunned &amp; Disabled / Incap] (Cumulative, Progressive)
Move: To R31
Standard: Cast Drain Vitality on Wrath, AoA/PA 2.  (1d20+10)[ 28 ]   Crit . On hit, DC 22 vs above Affliction
 
Zelphas
Pride smirks at Floral's statement, stepping quickly to one side to avoid her vines. He flicks a bit of poison from his shoulder with a sniff. The tall woman--Gluttony-- shifts to avoid the vine lash with the ease of long experience, her movements controlled and careful. Greed was already moving before the vines appeared and was even faster than he looked... and he still just barely avoided Floral's vine lash, actually shrugging out of his loud blazer just before the barb punctures it.   "Do you have any idea how much that costs?"   he snarls at the plant-controller, sounding more aggrieved than angry.

  "Your fault for wearing it to a fight,"   Gluttony comments neutrally before folding in on herself, disappearing with an odd crunching noise. An instant later, she is between Helios and Wrath, attracting the hero's magic blast to herself apparently without adverse affect.   "Like a cultist, huh?"   she comments, wiping one side of her mouth.   "Stronger than most, though. Probably isn't that useful for this fight, but ah well."  
 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Your mystic senses suddenly pick up an uptick of Life magic coming from Gluttony moments after your spell lands, as though she developed an aptitude for it in the last few seconds.
 

  "First things first: let's bring down those spells."   So speaking, Gluttony reaches  past  Helios, seeming to aim for somethign around and within him rather than at the hero himself.

  "Now, Gluttony, the first blow should go to the most skilled of us; like  so !"   Pride is behind Helios in moments, throwing a series of savage blows at the most painful parts of the human body that he can reach with his impressive height and arm length.

Meanwhile, Greed re-focuses on Floral, his eyes calculating.   "Not a big fan of plant powers, if I'm honest; their worth is astronomical on the market, but relatively limited for combat..."   he muses, tapping the side of his mouth with one finger in thought.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Gluttony 

Reaction: Subtle 2 in response to Helios. (Mystic Senses lets you know something happened, but still no outward signs.)

Move Action: None; already in place from the Interpose.

Standard Action: Use  Consume Potency  on Helios.  (1d20+12)[ 26 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 11 ] . On a hit, Resistance DC 22/22 vs. Progressive Impaired &amp; Vulnerable/Disabled &amp; Defenseless Linked Weaken ??? (Insidious).  Hit 
 Pride 

Move Action: Shift to S31.

Free Action 1: Set  Force Array  to  Strike  and  Cripple .

Free Action 2: Set  Improving Perfection Array  to  Overwhelming  and  Sadistic .

Standard Action: Use  Overwhelming Sadistic Cripple Strike  on Helios.  (1d20+9)[ 11 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 29 ] . On a hit, Resistance DC 28/23 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Multiattack Impaired &amp; Vulnerable/Disabled &amp; Defenseless.  Miss... oh Pride... 
 Greed 

Move Action: Costs too much.

 Standard Action: Subtle 2, but oh well. Use  Health Tax  on Floral.  (1d20+12)[ 21 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 21 ] . Hit or miss, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Perception Multiattack Damage Linked Weaken Resistance.  Hit, no Multiattack, no bonus.  

Standard Action: Defend, because he can't do anything to the Create and you guys aren't going to leave the walls if you don't have to.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily bristled at Greed's disdain for her powers, especially immediately after shooting at three of the enemies and hitting precisely zero enemies.  Oh, he thought her plant powers weren't effective in combat, did he?  Well, she'd show him!

  Don't be stupid.  Just shoot him through the threads, they part for us,   the tactical part of her mind said.

  He's talking about taking powers; he must have some sort of mimicry ability,   answered her pride.    My powers  are  weak, in the hands of someone who isn't a world-class biochemist.  Better that he focuses on me than goes after one of the others.  

Lily wasn't perfect; in the heat of the moment, with moments to think, that was a  good enough  argument to convince her to do what she wanted.  Besides, she was Floral, she could take one of these fools solo!

Supplementing her speed with autophytokinesis, Lily darted out of the protective barrier of threads and sprang at Greed, coming at him with a quick thrust of her staff, which transformed on the strike into a sharp spear.  The myriad flowers on her spear wove and danced, trailing from suddenly-growing vines, any of them a potential threat in the form of dangerous poisons and acids, before springing back to make sure Ariadne's barrier was solidly between her and the other Silver Links.   "You're an idiot.  Limited value in combat?  You do at least know what poisonous  means , right?"   To be fair, stepping outside the protection of the threads  did  make a fairly credible statement that she felt her powers could hold their own in battle...

The attack wasn't meant to cause any damage.  But it would give her a better sense of Greed's reaction time and defenses, and hopefully distract him from her follow-up attack.

Inside her body, solar energy glowed in the nectar flowing through what were no longer quite veins, preparing for whatever return attack Greed might throw at her.

 
 Spoiler 
I feel a little bad for Greed, so I'm kinda self-compelling off Floral's  The Name Is  Floral   Complication to justify her foregoing the barrier to go after him.  Besides, I have New Mechanics to test!  😁  (Also now that I thought about it I'm kinda curious what will happen if Greed takes Floral's powers given her descriptor issues).

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  5 points to Acidic Nectar (foregoing the Effect ranks), 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Medicinal Nectar, 5 points to Utility Nectar (Limited SE only), 10 points to Floral Blood.

Move: Into AJ29.

Standard: Use the Feature on her staff to Aid her own next attack, Defensive Attacking for 5, +5 for Teamwork:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] .  Lily also receives Restorative Healing, which would be irrelevant since she's undamaged, except for the part where it carries a Secondary Effect.   +5 

Move-by Action: Into AJ30, just to make sure the wall gives her Total Cover from the other three.

Current Status: Normal, DA +5, Aid +5, SE Restorative Healing, Floral Blood (base Defense 5, Resistance 15).
 
Ridai
Dear reader,

we shall now take a look at the thought process of Nope, now that he is in a fight after the last scene. Given the nature of text in a forum format, we have excluded the various intrusive thoughts and rampant dread and sadness for your convenience:

   REMOVEHITPOINTSNONLETHALOFINORDERWRATHGLUTTONYPRID  EGREEDANDONLYTHATYOUSTUPIDIDIOTREMOVEHITPOINTSNONL  ETHALOFINORDERWRATHGLUTTONYPRIDEGREEDANDONLYTHATYO  USTUPIDIDIOTREMOVEHITPOINTSNONLETHALOFINORDERWRATH  GLUTTONYPRIDEGREEDANDONLYTHATYOUSTUPIDIDIOTREMOVEH  ITPOINTSNONLETHALOFINORDERWRATHGLUTTONYPRIDEGREEDA  NDONLYTHATYOUSTUPIDIDIOTREMOVEHITPOINTSNONLETHALOF  INORDERWRATHGLUTTONYPRIDEGREEDANDONLYTHATYOUSTUPID  IDIOTREMOVEHITPOINTSNONLETHALOFINORDERWRATHGLUTTON  YPRIDEGREEDANDONLYTHATYOUSTUPIDIDIOTREMOVEHITPOINT  SNONLETHALOFINORDERWRATHGLUTTONYPRIDEGREEDANDONLYT  HATYOUSTUPIDIDIOTREMOVEHITPOINTSNONLETHALOFINORDER  WRATHGLUTTONYPRIDEGREEDANDONLYTHATYOUSTUPIDIDIOTRE  MOVEHITPOINTSNONLETHALOFINORDERWRATHGLUTTONYPRIDEG  REEDANDONLYTHATYOUSTUPIDIDIOT   

This concludes our look at Nope's current attack thought process. Thank you for reading.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing, Remove Hit Points Mass 
 Move  Nothing, too busy trying not to mess up.

 Standard  Attack all enemies with  Remove Hit Points, Mass . DC 25 Damage (Shapeable Area 2 [Limited [6"x6"x240' bendable line]], Penetrating [the one ignoring immunities], Multiattack [the more DC on better hits one], Improved Crit 4, Ranged)
Attack vs Wrath  (1d20+10)[ 19 ] 
Attack vs Gluttony  (1d20+10)[ 19 ] 
Attack vs Pride  (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 
Attack vs Greed  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] 
 
Abracadangit
By twisting and curling a number of the threads into a small red pentagram, wrapped around the fingers of her left hand, Kal keeps the shields up while having one hand free for further weaving.

 "I   could   get   used   to   this,"  she says to herself, enjoying her newfound versatility. But there was no time for self-congratulation, as a number of the villains surrounded Helios at once.

 "Us   sorcerers   need   to   look   out   for   each   other,"  she calls out, as her free hand gets to weaving.

A swirling cloud of biting threads forms around Helios, cleanly avoiding him as they lash and tear at everything else.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Staying put.
Action: Dropping a Selective Thread Lash Cloud (with Homing, Multiattack, and Secondary Effect) on Gluttony's square, Q31.
Wrath:  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] 
Gluttony:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
Pride:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
 
Dorni
So Gluttony was some kind of mimic. It wasn't a hard deduction - if her partially absorbing his spell didn't give it away the sudden aura of a life magic practitioner that sprang up around her would have. What was more interesting was how long she retained the skills she copied. Certainly there was a limit on it or she wouldn't still be a silver link, but he doubted it was short enough to be a tactical consideration.

Of more interest to him was how well her power as a mimic fit Gluttony's name, much as Wrath could throw fire. It raised the question of whether the rest of the Links' abilities tied to their name rather than just being a 7 Deadly Sins gimmick. To be fair though, each of the heros' chosen names also alluded to their abilities. Made him wonder if there was ever someone like a skinny telepath who picked a name like 'The Hulk' just to throw people off.

Either way, there was no reason to feed Gluttony more than he needed to. Helios flew up out of the gaggle of Links surrounding him and wove another spell of Life energy, this time a wide net that would rip at the Link's vitality.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells array to Damage (Area[Burst]) {20}, Affliction [Impaired &amp; Vulnerable / Disabled &amp; Defenseless] (Area [burst]) {30}
Move: To Y28 (or AC31 if the thread wall parts for him to enter)
Standard: Cast at Wrath, Gluttony, and Pride. On hit, DC 25/20 vs Damage &amp; Affliction [Impaired &amp; Vulnerable / Disabled &amp; Defenseless]
Wrath:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
Gluttony:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ]   Crit 
Pride:  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
 
Zelphas
Nope's carefully, extremely controlled reaching out of his power did not have catastrophic effects. At first, it seems like it has no effect at all. And then, in the same moment, all four of the Silver Links on the field sneeze, a simultaneous explosion of air. So... results! ?

Ariadne's threading and Helios' burst of vitality-reduction have far more obvious results. Pride steps aside from the slashing threads to preserve his suit, though a few rare threads still wind around the edges of his limbs, ready for another cutting strike. A patina of rust-like coloration steals over one cheek from Helios' vitality strike, though the pompous super does not seem to notice the damage. Gluttony takes a few cuts from the red string with an impassive grunt, seeming to consider something; the attack from Helios produces another grunt and a decision of some sort in her head, though no other (visible) reactions.

Wrath gets it the worst, however; unable to quickly move from the slashing threads, she is quickly entangled, leaving her open to have much of her vitality ripped from her in a single thrust.   "You--all--just--FINE!"   A burst of heat ripples around her, coalescing into flame in her arms which courses into bright pinpoints of light in her hands.   "I'm only good to set things on fire? Fine then. Burn."   Heedless of her own safety, she casts both fireballs directly towards Ariadne in a rush of simple anger.


 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 

Due to Wrath's interaction with Ariadne's powers, I'm going to have her go first, then have the other three Links respond to what she does.

 Wrath 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Burn  on Ariadne, All-Out Attacking for 5.  (1d20+11)[ 18 ]  First things first, the Deflect on the Created threads:  (1d20+10)[ 13 ]  On a miss, the Deflect is burned away from the Created threads, but nothing else happens.  Miss; Deflect is gone on Created wall. 
 On a hit, the Deflect is burned away, and the Created wall rolls Resistance (DC 26 + Multiattack):  (1d20+10)[ 19 ]  Starting at AC29-30, two squares of the Created wall are burned away for each point of failure on the Resistance check. If it Resists, only the Create wall at AC30 is burned away. 

Extra Effort: Do it again.  (1d20+11)[ 16 ]  vs. the wall (if still in play). Wall Resistance DC 26 + Multiattack:  (1d20+10)[ 29 ] Starting at AC29-30, two squares of the Created wall are burned away for each point of failure on the Resistance check. If it Resists, only the Create wall at AC30 is burned away.  Resists; AC30 wall is gone. 
 If the Created wall was destroyed from the last attack or fails its Resistance above, vs. Ariadne. Above Accuracy roll vs. 20 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 15 ]  On a miss, Ariadne loses her Deflect, but nothing else happens. On a hit, Resistance DC 26/21 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Weaken Resistance, and any part of the Created wall still around Ariadne is burned away. 
 Greed, Gluttony, and Pride turn coming after results are seen. 
 
Zelphas
Wrath's flames burn away across the shifting wall of threads, but Helios' well-timed blast of fire knocks the second blast off course... setting fire to the warehouse behind and around the group.  "Something, at least,"   Gluttony comments, receiving nothing but a snarl from Wrath. A moment later, and the large woman folds into herself with another heavy crunch.   "Don't like having only one option, but here we are,"   her voice comes from behind and above Floral, before Something snaps at her life force and tries to tear away a chunk for itself.

Greed, meanwhile, is somewhat unimpressed by Floral's statement.   "Floral, one of my bosses is a dragon, and he's by far the  least  scary,"   he says, an oddly earnest tone to his voice.   "I said  relatively  limited for a reason; none of them can make a houseplant grow. Of course, all of that is discounting combat healing--worth its metaphorical weight in gold, of course--but I don't need that from you. Well, sort of."   Another force, this one more like a greedy, grasping hand, reaches at Floral's life rather than her physical form.

Pride sighs to himself, dusting off his shoulders. The patina on his cheek slowly disappears.   "I am not one for such  common  work, but  someone  should behave professionally here,"   he states with a venomously superior look at Wrath, before rushing to the tower of threads, his fists slamming into the threaded walls in a massive, lightning-fast cacophony of blasts before looping up to the center of the room, making sure that the newly-made firelight catches his gleaming silver buttons and his all-white eyes.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map , again.

 Gluttony 

Move Action: Teleport to GL31.

Standard Action: Use  Consume Lifeforce  on Floral.  (1d20+10)[ 24 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29 vs. Multiattack Damage.  Hit, no Multiattack. 
Insidious Roll:  (1d20+14)[ 17 ] 
 Greed 

Move Action: Not worth it yet.

Standard Action: Use  Health Tax  on Floral.  (1d20+12)[ 15 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+5)[ 24 ]  Hit or miss, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Perception Multiattack Damage Linked Weaken Resistance.  Hit, no Multiattack; +10 on Resistance. 
 Pride 

Move Action: Shift to AB 32.

Free Action: Set  Improving Perfection Array  to  Overwhelming  and  Perfect .

Standard Action: Use  Overwhelming Perfect Strike  on the thread wall, using Multiattack and Move-by Action to "walk" his attacks up to AC29 and over to AH29. Routining his attacks to strike objects, he hits with 10.

AC32 Resistance (DC 28):  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]   Resists 
AC31 Resistance (DC 28):  (1d20+10)[ 12 ]   DESTROYED! 
AC30 Resistance (DC 28):  (1d20+10)[ 13 ]   DESTROYED! 
AC29 Resistance (DC 28):  (1d20+10)[ 27 ]   Bruised 
AD29 Resistance (DC 28):  (1d20+10)[ 15 ]   DESTROYED! 
AE29 Resistance (DC 28):  (1d20+10)[ 20 ]   Breached 
AF29 Resistance (DC 28):  (1d20+10)[ 19 ]   Breached 
AG29 Resistance (DC 28):  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]   Resists 
AH29 Resistance (DC 28):  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]   DESTROYED! 

Move-By Action: Shift up to AD20.

End of Turn: Regeneration heals 1 Bruise.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
The two strongest members of the Silver Link team both came at Lily with a direct assault on her life force.

And you know, it was kinda weird.  Lily  had  faced spiritual attacks since she began her heroing, but they had been more "spectral" in nature; the Siren's ghostly claws, or Nergal's spiritual weaponry.  That had given the attacks a patina of normality.  As a result, despite literally working with two mages (one of whom had a spiritual mentor), things like spirits and life force and such still didn't feel entirely  real  to Lily.

Now, she was no arbitrary skeptic; her world had become a world of magic and superpowers, and so she didn't arbitrarily doubt the existence of such things.  It was more a matter of her personal intuitions.  She logically recognized that they were real things with real effects, but deep down she didn't  really  take their existence seriously.  You would not be entirely wrong to say that she kinda didn't think she actually had such a thing as a "life force" or "soul".

Until it came under attack by Gluttony and Greed.  Not through the intermediary of ghostly weaponry natural or otherwise that could fit it into an existing, physically-understandable pattern.  With little more than a look in her direction, she  felt  it, something utterly and entirely foreign to any of her previous experience of threat or harm.  Grasping coldness at something deep within her, a gnawing, tugging threat to tear away something bright and precious that until that very moment she hadn't even really believed she had.

And it  infuriated  her!

It was not a mental action, that much Lily knew.  She couldn't verbalize  what  she had done, exactly.  There was something to it that was in synch with her emotional reaction, but that wasn't quite tied to either her physiological or mental sense of her own feelings.  It wasn't thought, it wasn't will.  But it was strength.  And it was warmth.  And it was Light.

Lily's spirit blazed up within her, and the ephemeral forces that Greed and Gluttony had assailed her with burned away like cobwebs under a flamethrower.

 "You know Greed, maybe you're right, maybe my offensive powers are  relatively  limited,"  she said.

And then she sprang at him with a quick darting thrust of her spear, not a strike aimed to impale, to seriously injure; all she needed was a scratch for the weapon to inject a potent concoction of debilitating poisons.   "But yours just plain  suck !"   Before darting back behind Ariadne's thread wall.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Drugged Nectar, 10 points to Potent Scents, 10 points to Potent Poisons.  Descriptor to [Physiological] [Poison].

Move: Into Close range of Greed.

Standard: Attack Greed with Potent Poisons, Accurate Attacking for 2, +5 for Aid, at  (1d20+17)[ 24 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 18+Penetrating vs. Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Linked Weaken Effect and Resistance.

EDIT: Move-by Action: Into AH32.

End of Turn: Secondary Effect triggers, for what it's worth (it is worth nothing).

Current Status: Normal.
 
Ridai
Nope tries to keep it together as the fight rages around him and  dad  Greed attacks Floral and Floral attacks back with a poison spear and Pride is assaulting the thread barrier right in front of Nope and so on. Fire was also set to the building. Someone has to put that out, but he also has to fight. Nope has a means to do that, but he doesn't feel remotely good about improvising this type of mental gymnastics, but someone has to do it.

So in addition to his ever-repeating mantra, he tries to zero in on that particular fire and remove it. Just that fire. Not all fire. That one. And remove the temperature from the actually burning things so they don't just immediately catch fire again. But just the ones that are here, burning. Those ones. Not everything else. Not even in this building. And remove hit points. Without doing big harm.

Nope's head hurts, held by shaking hands.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Placeholder 
 Free  Configure Variable 6 to Nullify 10 (Fire) Linked to Damage 10 (Shapeable Area 2 [Limited to bendable line])

 Move  Too afraid to also try and walk around while using the most unstable form of Removal.

 Standard  Use the newly improvised and highly nerve-wracking Removal to Nullify the fire, and attack all enemies with Damage DC 25.
Attack vs fire  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] 
Nullify check  (1d20+10)[ 23 ] 

Attack vs Gluttony  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] 
Attack vs  dad  Greed  (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 
Attack vs Pride  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
Attack vs Wrath  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
 
Abracadangit
Kal watches as some of her threads smolder and sizzle away into nothingness, like dynamite fuses.

 "No   matter,"  Kal says, her fingers weaving like mad.  "There   is   always   more   thread   to   be   spun,"  she chides, as more red tapestries stretch out across the air, buoyed on invisible lines. As her magic grows in skill, she has a hard time telling if Ariadne is merely lending her more power, or if their twin consciousnesses are... overlapping, somewhat. If the latter was true, then it hasn't been problematic as of yet, Kal thinks, but it still seemed like a potential problem moving forward.

She recalls that some of her previous threads had stuck to her foes -- with a flick of her wrist and her needle, she draws those threads taut.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Moving to AF31, too out in the open for Ariadne's liking.
Action: Re-upping Silken Shields, centered on Ariadne at AF31. That oughta get everyone.
Also, Thread Lash's SE procs.
 
Dorni
Helios favored Wrath with the most magnificent smile. He had just seized the  fire  in one of her blasts and directed it harmlessly aside. Her tantrum had singed a few threads, but utterly failed to inflict much in the way of damage on the wall itself.

 "Good try, but wrong weapon. Later."  That was all the warning Wrath got before Helios' next spell once again started draining her energy in a flood of dizziness and exhaustion.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells array to Damage 10 (Penetrating, Secondary Effect), Weaken [Resistance], Affliction [Impaired / Disabled] (Limited Degree)
Move: nah
Standard: Cast Drain Vitality on Wrath at AoA 2  (1d20+12)[ 15 ] . On hit, DC 25/20 Damage (SE, Pen) &amp; Weaken [Resistance] &amp;  Affliction [Impaired / Disabled] (Limited Degree)

-2 Defenses this turn
 
Zelphas
In a flash, Gluttony is between Floral and Greed, catching Floral's spear with one heavy hand and deflecting it aside before it can do more than graze her--and therefore before it can inject any more than a trace of toxin into her system, which the large woman hardly seems to notice. Unfortunately for her, the movement allows Ariadne's still-trailing threads to wind tightly around her wrist and cut deeply, wringing out a grimace and another, deeper grunt of pain. In the same moment, Wrath cries out in mingled pain and anger as a thread slashes along her side, and Pride's blank eyes flash with menace when an errant thread carves a scratch into one of his cheeks. Nope concentrates on the fire, and it winks away immediately, completely; at the same time, Pride and Gluttony suddenly look... clean, their clothes freshly pressed, a shine of extra cleanliness appearing even over Pride's immaculate wardrobe. Wrath gasps and coughs, legs wobbling; some effect, at least!

  "Ghk... closer..."   Wrath gasps out, throwing off Helios' spell with the heat of her rage and glaring at Pride. After a long moment, Pride looks over at her, the scratch on his cheek already fading into marble shine.   "I do apologize. Are you  speaking ?"  
  "Get... me... closer!"  
  There seem to be several words missing from that statement. I'll give you a hint for the first one: it starts with 'P'..."  
  "Do it,"   Gluttony cuts in, her right hand clasped around her left wrist until the bleeding slows to a stop.   "Battle's shot already, but might still get some licks in."  
  "I don't know what you mean;  I  am having no difficulties,"   Pride sniffs, but complies. In a flash, he rushes over to Wrath, picking her up bodily and depositing her (rather roughly) right next to the wall.

Barely pulling herself together and keeping her balance, Wrath's burning eyes seek out Helios among the shifting threads.   "I... said...  BURN !"   Flame pours out of her body in a concussive blast, utterly covering her, the wall of threads, everyone within the wall, and a good chunk of the warehouse and the street outside, but warping its way around to just barely avoid Pride, Greed, and Gluttony.

 
 Spoiler: Perception (Sight) DC 15 
Despite obviously being barely controlled, Wrath also held the fire up about two feet from the floor, making sure that all of the unconscious Bronze Links were also completely untouched by the flames.
 

  "What do you think?"   Greed comments to no one in particular, watching the display.   "Is that worth about the same as an incendiary grenade, or more? How much do those go for in the military anyway..."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Gluttony 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Recover from Staggered.

 Pride 

Move Action: Shift to Wrath.

Free Action: Configure  Force Array  to  Throw .

Standard Action: Using the Strength from  Throw , carry Wrath to AB29.

Move-by Action: Return to AD20.

End of Turn: Regenerate 1 Bruise.

 Wrath 

Move Action: Staggered, Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Explode , All-Out Attacking for 5. Everything in a 60-foot radius (aside from Pride, Gluttony, and Greed) is targeted.

Thread Wall:  (1d20+15)[ 19 ]  vs. Deflect  (1d20+10)[ 24 ]  on a miss, Deflect is gone. On a hit, Resistance (DC 27):  (1d20+10)[ 20 ]   Deflected; Wall is still up, but Deflect is gone. 
Helios:  (1d20+15)[ 33 ]  vs. DC 18 or Deflect  (1d20+8)[ 27 ] . On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Incurable Damage.  Delfect should be 2 higher; still hits. 
Nope:  (1d20+15)[ 19 ]  vs. DC 18 or Deflect  (1d20+10)[ 19 ] . On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Incurable Damage.  Deflect should be 2 lower; hits. 
Ariadne:  (1d20+15)[ 25 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] . On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Incurable Damage.  Deflected; Ariadne's deflect is gone. 
Floral:  (1d20+15)[ 18 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] . On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Incurable Damage.  Deflected; Floral's Deflect is gone. 

Front wall Resistance (DC 27):  (1d20+9)[ 14 ]   Destroyed! 3 large fires. 
Pillar 1 Resistance (DC 27):  (1d20+8)[ 26 ]   Bruised 
Pillar 2 Resistance (DC 27):  (1d20+8)[ 12 ]   Destroyed! pillar of fire. 
 Greed 

Move Action: Still banking it.

 Standard Action  if  the Wall is cleared and he can target someone: Use  Health Tax  on Floral.  (1d20+12)[ 21 ]  Hit or miss, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Perception Multiattack Damage Linked Weaken Resistance. 

Standard Action  if  the Wall is still in place: Defend.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
Suddenly, fire is everywhere. There is no real time to think as Nope, still clutching his aching head, sees the fire explode from Wrath. He can't stop it, but in a mental loop, he tries to remove the fire, over and over, until all sounds in the area drops out for a brief moment and the fire is gone from one instant to the next. And perhaps the Chainbreakers as well.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Configure Variable to Nullify fire 10 with the usual 240ft bendable line, worth 20pp

 Free  Switch from  Remove Second Guessing  to  Remove Travel Time 
 Standard  Nullify the fire in the area

 Move  If possible, evacuate all Chainbreakers before returning to the same position Nope was in.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Greed seemed to be...more-or-less completely stymied by Ariadne's walls.  Huh.  Well, that made sense, it wasn't like thread had any life energy for him to absorb.

Although it kinda made her question if her original logic that his commentary on the value of her powers was indicative of mimicry.  He certainly hadn't mimicked anything from her, and one would think if he could he'd have just mimicked Wrath, whose flames seemed to at least be...well, they were also getting pretty stymied because Ariadne's a boss, but at least some of the threads were burning up.  Maybe if the bad guys had two fire-throwers on their team they'd have been able to punch through.

This suggested that her original conclusion about minicry was inaccurate.  However, if it was accurate, there had to be a reason he hadn't mimicked Wrath.  That reason could have been because his mimicry was harmful to the subject in some way.  Like Rogue's in X-Men.  He might have flinched away from the idea of using it on his allies.  Or maybe just been hesitant to attack a hothead like Wrath.

And if that entire train of deduction was reasonable...well, it was probably best to take Wrath down before he got over his reticence.

Granted, "now's a good time to take Wrath down" was a conclusion that could have been reached purely on the merits of the observation that Wrath was both injured and exposed, but eh, whatever.

Lily aimed her staff at Wrath and fired a poisoned thorn at her.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Floral Poison, 10 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Potent Poison, 10 points to Tactical Powers, 10 points to Floral Blood.

Move: Ready Reaction.

Standard: Aid my next attack on Wrath at  (1d20+15)[ 27 ] .

Reaction: Attack Wrath with Tactical Poison, Power Attacking for equal value to the Aid result, at  (1d20+10)[ 11 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 20+Aid+Penetrating vs. Weaken Resistance.  On a miss, Homing 1.   ...Wouldn't have minded reversing those. 

Current Status: Normal, Floral Blood (Defense 5, Resistance 15).
 
Abracadangit
Kal watches Wrath initiate her fiery explosion from behind her gold mask, with its stare as cold and impassive as ever. Sure, this will burn away some thread. A lot of it, in fact. But what Kal has begun to realize is that even against things that can dampen or destroy her magic, the thread can be quite resourceful if guided by her creativity and her hand, as opposed to her watching and grumbling.

As the swirling flames rush towards her, Kal quickly spots where Wrath has exempted from the fire. Spinning strands of red push Kal to the floor and envelop her in a sort of defensive cocoon, as the inferno rages above her for an instant. Unsurprisingly, the majority of her defensive thread scorches and sizzles away into nothing, but they managed to keep her safe from harm, so mission accomplished. As soon as the strings burn to ash, even more threads buoy Kal back up from the ground to a standing position; as soon as she is upright once more, the buoying threads dissipate into the air.

 "Hnn,   hnn,   hnn,"  Kal chuckles, alongside Ariadne.  "Such   a   valiant   effort,   but   the   thread   cares   not." 
 "Again,"  she says, and weaves her defensive patterns anew.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Staying put. Recasting Silken Shields on location at AF31, replenishing the burned out Deflects.
 
Dorni
Helios' wards kept the fiery burst at bay, but Helios could sense the energy the ward had expended doing it. Wrath needed to be put down lest she continue both her assault and burning away Ariadne's efforts. Fire was his own most destructive element and likely to put her down, but it seemed a bad idea to give Gluttony the chance to copy that as well and become another such hazard.

So when he unleashed his next spell, it wasn't spectacular at all - just a vaguely brown-green wave of life-aspected mist that shrouded the area, albeit careful to part around his friends. Instead of restoring the gangsters' bodies however, the miasma commanded different aspects of life - namely, causing them to rot and decay.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spell array to Damage, Area, Selective, Secondary Effect, Penetrating
Move: Nah
Standard: Cast  Rotwave  centered at AE26. Selective Burst Area catches all enemies, using Selective to ignore allies, the threads, and the building. On hit, DC 25+ vs Pen SE Damage.
Greed:  (1d20+10)[ 27 ]   Crit 
Gluttony:  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]   Crit 
Pride:  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]   Crit 
Wrath:  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]   Crit 
 
Zelphas
For a moment just a bit too long to be imagined, the roaring fires burn electric blue-black, pouring out cold instead of heat; then they are gone, and the Chainbreakers scattered around the floor as well. Nope flickers back into view a few moments later, with the fallen members safely out of the way. Even exhausted and extended as she is, Wrath is able to twist her body to avoid Floral's poison-tipped thorn, though she seems unaware of the fact that the barb is curving back towards her from behind. Greed gives out an annoyed sigh as the threads re-thread themselves over everything once more, with Pride giving out a little sniff; Gluttony is too professional and Wrath too beaten up to show much of a reaction.

Greed reacts with preternatural swiftness the moment miasma begins to form, getting away from the deeper clusters before it can do him any harm or leave anything more than a slight bit of tarnish on his rings and chains. (   "And there's another couple thousand to the bill..."   ) Pride smiles, leaping instantly to Wrath's side and taking in the worst of the miasma without a single scratch or mark.   "Me? Rot? Oh no. You all may fade away and decay, but  I  will remain."   Gluttony's normal method of defense works against her in this instance. By taking in and attempting to absorb the mist, she only does more and heavier damage to herself, though she is still standing at the end of it.

Greed and Gluttony exchange looks, Gluttony breaking the eye contact by spasmodically coughing out a thick patch of blood.   "Back out, Pride,"   Greed calls out across the battlefield, sweeping his gaze over the four heroes before turning back to the marble man.   "We're stalemated at best. The Chainbreakers are done in the Gang no matter what. We'll settle the debt later."   His eyes linger for a second on Floral and Helios before turning to his partner.

  "Seven,"   Gluttony says to him, thickly and opaquely, grimacing from the pain of the mist. She nods in a professional sort of way to Ariadne and Floral before folding in on herself, disappearing with a crunching noise and failing to reappear anywhere within the warehouse. A moment later, Greed rockets out the door and away, seeming to walk in midair at incredible speeds before disappearing from sight.

  "You heard them,"   Wrath says after a moment in a subdued voice.   "I won't be conscious for much longer anyways. You should get out now."  
 
 Spoiler: Deception or Insight DC 22 
Wrath desperately wants to talk to the four of you, and is trying to seize the chance that Greed and Gluttony just accidentally gave her without beign obvious about it.
 


Pride looks over at his fellow Silver Link, blank white eyes narrowed slightly.   "I see no reason to flee as of yet,"   he responds slowly, still looking at Wrath.   "And what sort of  comrade  would I be if I left you to face these four all alone?"  

Wrath's shoulders slump.   "...Fine."   She gathers herself once again, flames bursting out all over her skin.   "Let's... Let's just finish this."   She explodes once more into flame, Pride leaping in afterwards to capitalize on the attack.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Gluttony 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Accurate Teleport away.

Out-of-Direct-Combat: Secondary Effect triggers. Resistance DC 32, +2 for Mundane Life Immunity:  (1d20+12)[ 28 ]   Bruised. 
 Greed 

Move Action: Fly away.

Standard Action: Double move.

 Wrath 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use Explode, All-Out Attacking for 5. Everything in a 60-foot radius (aside from Pride) is targeted.

Thread Wall:  (1d20+15)[ 34 ]  vs. Deflect  (1d20+10)[ 20 ]  on a miss, Deflect is gone. On a hit, Resistance (DC 27):  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]   Hit; 3 wall sections closest to Wrath burned down. 
Helios:  (1d20+15)[ 23 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect  (1d20+10)[ 13 ] . On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Incurable Damage.  Hit; Helios' Deflect is gone. 
Nope:  (1d20+15)[ 30 ]  vs. DC 18 or Deflect  (1d20+8)[ 23 ] . On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Incurable Damage.  Hit; Nope's Deflect is gone. 
Ariadne:  (1d20+15)[ 24 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect  (1d20+10)[ 17 ] . On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Incurable Damage.  Hit; Ariadne's Deflect is gone, and Ariadne cannot use Silken Shields next round. 
Floral:  (1d20+15)[ 26 ]  vs. DC 20 or Deflect  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] . On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Incurable Damage.  Deflected; Floral's Deflect is gone. 

Pillar 1 Resistance (DC 27):  (1d20+7)[ 14 ] 
 Pride 
 If the Thread Wall is gone 

Move Action: Shift to AC31.

Free Action: Swap  Force Array  to  Strike  and  Cripple .

Free Action 2: Swap  Improving Perfection Array  to  Overwhelming  and  Sadistic .

Standard Action: Use  Overwhelming Sadistic Crippling Strike  on Helios, All-Out Attacking for 5, Power Attacking for 3.  (1d20+10)[ 27 ]  Possible Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 17 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 31/26 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Multiattack Impaired &amp; Vulnerable/Disabled &amp; Defenseless.  Hit, +2 Multiattack; DCs become 33/28. 
  If the Thread Wall is not gone 

Move Action: Mock Wrath.

Standard Action: Defend. 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
Nope winces as the fire burns him. It is not the first time he got burned, but it is not an experience he wished to repeat, and it does not exactly get easier to deal with. Greed escapes, but concentration is flagging dangerously and Pride is still going. Too risky to try and give chase, and the team is still fighting here. Everything bad.

So Nope tries to collect what focus hasn't been obliterated by the  sensation of his own burning flesh  to make slow down Pride a little. Not that Nope helped much this fight to begin with.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing, Remove Hit Points 
 Move  Dazed

 Standard  Attack Pride with  Remove Hit Points . DC 25/20/20 Damage (Improved Critical 4, Ranged) Linked Weaken Resistance Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated)
Attack vs Pride  (1d20+10)[ 21 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Two villains out, if not down.  Two still in play.  Lily eyed the pair of them as Wrath suggested Pride flee as well, and he refused.  Her eyes might have lingered on Wrath for just a moment.

Interesting.

Wrath unloaded her blast of flames, and Lily didn't shrink back from them.  Quite the contrary; she  charged  to get between Wrath and Ariadne, stretching her arms out to the side to catch the flames with her own body.  Ariadne's thread magic was tremendously powerful, had almost entirely stymied the Silver Links during this battle, but her threads were still threads, and were susceptible to fire.

You'd think a humanoid flower would also be susceptible to fire, but to be fair, most flowers don't have enough solar energy flowing through them to rapidly regenerate from damage.

Or, for that matter, to  instantaneously  regenerate from damage.  Wrath's flames crashed down on her, and while there was a clear scent of woodsmoke in the air, when the flames faded and the smoke cleared Lily Woods stood unharmed, whatever damage the flames had managed to inflict healed instantly by the potent solar energy shining within the nectar that was her blood.

Evidently deeming the pyrokinetic to not even be worth her time, Lily thrust her spear at Pride, not at his chest or stomach or even his throat.  No, while he was distracted with trying to beat on Helios, she took the opportunity to thrust her spear straight at his nose.

And then commenced to smell good at him.   REALLY HARD! 
 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  5 points to Overpowering Scent, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 5 points due to base price to Tactical Scents, 10 points to Tactical Poison, 10 points to Concentrated Poison, 10 points to Concentrated Scents.  Descriptor is [Sensory] [Olfactory] for both.

Move: Ready Reaction.

Standard: Charge into AD30 and Aid my own attack against Pride at  (1d20+13)[ 17 ] .   +2 

Reaction: Attack Pride with Tactical Scents at  (1d20+5)[ 17 ] , Power Attacking for the Aid result.  He is subject to both Reaction effects because he is currently taking both a Defense penalty (AoA) and an Attack penalty (PA).  On a hit, Resistance DC 25+Aid vs. Impaired Linked Weaken Resistance (max -5 penalty).  On a miss, the DC is 25 - 5 per degree it misses by; the Aid bonus is lost due to Perception bonus stacking on miss limits.   Pretty sure that should hit between his Resistance shift and AoA penalty. 

Current Status: Normal.
 
Abracadangit
Kal looked on as Wrath's flames swirled towards her, only for them to be absorbed by... Floral? Seeing as how Floral's abilities were botanical in nature, Kal assumed she would have been just as flammable as her own threads, but she supposes that biologically enhanced plant life must operate under different rules.

 "Thank   you,"  she says to Floral as the smoke clears.  "My   thread   is   not   as   fireproof   as   you."  With a flick of her needles, she eyes the final two foes and begins to weave.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Action: Dropping a Selective Thread Lash Cloud on AB30, with Multiattack, Homing, and SE.
Wrath:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
Pride:  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] 
 
Dorni
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells to Healing (Restorative, SE 6), Damage, Concealment (All Visual, Auditory)
Move: Staggered
Free: Activate Concealment
Standard: Cast at Pride while Healing self.
Attack Pride at  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] . On hit, DC 25 vs Damage
Heal at  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]   +19 RP; Spend 10 RP + Recover action to fully remove Staggered. 9 RP leftover. 

End of turn: If needed, Recover from Affliction DC 28:  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] 

Status: 3 Bruises, Impaired &amp; Vulnerable, 9 RP, SE Healing 6, Concealed from visual and auditory senses
 
Zelphas
Nope manages to focus in on the pain and get a solid hold on Pride's "hit points". The world has cotton candy, and an instant later everything is back to normal... though Pride is looking suddenly a little wilder around the eyes than moments before, his cheekbones standing out even more prominently. By the time Floral strikes at him, however, he seems to have regained most of his composure; He dodges the thrust at his nose, sniffing appreciatively at the scents coming out of Floral's staff.   "I don't suppose you have an interest in manufacturing men's cologne?"   He remarks in a supercilious tone to Floral, even as Wrath incinerates Floral's dart of poison mere moments before it would've broken her skin.   "With the backing of the Chain Gang and your compatriot's skill in... needlework, you could have quite the lucrative haberdashe--"  

Said "needlework" collapses into a thick cloud of razor-sharp red threads, tearing at Pride's demeanor--and designer suit!--and knocking Wrath unceremoniously to the ground, unconscious even before her flames can flare up to combat the newest threat. Before Pride can recover himself once more, Helios capitalizes on Ariadne's strike with an uncomplicated hammer of life-draining energy, taking from Pride's life force to heal himself. A network of fine cracks appear all along Pride's skin, and his marble eyes roll back into his head, dropping him unconscious to the floor. The room goes still.

The cracks on Pride's body grow just a little bit thinner...

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
For all intents and purposes, the battle is over! Everyone will have  4 Downtime Actions  between this and the next Scene.

You all have plans to talk to Wrath, which is good; I want to note that Pride has Regeneration 11, however, and it isn't Sustained. So:

 End of Pride's Turn:  Regenerates 1 Bruise. 3 Bruises Remaining.
 
Ridai
Nope is feeling jittery as Pride and Wrath hit the floor, needing a moment to make sure they are still alive and still whole. The burned skin stings and there is the thought of accelerating his natural healing process, but he quickly decides against it, instead tearing off the smoldering remains of his hoodie (and also pulling it out of the burn wound). A few stomps to completely put any remaining embers, then stuffs the remains in a pocket. Doesn't particularly want to leave behind something pointing to him. Sound methodical, but is mostly something to occupy his mind. Nope glances out of the door, in the direction Greed disappeared in, and there is just this awful feeling spreading inside.

 "W-wrath seemed like she wanted t-to talk..."  Oh this is no good, his voice cracked.  "I'll g-go look for Watcher bird."  And immediately, Nope walks out of the building, somewhere he can discreetly flag down one of Watcher's drones, maybe direct it inside. Eyes are burning, throat feels tight as he tries to suppress everything.
Quellian-dyrae
Wrath went down, followed swiftly by Pride.  Lily let out just a little sigh through her nose.  The battle was won and handily, and yet...the villains had seemed to shrug off her attacks handily.  Now, someone being completely objective might point out she had totally done the same to them, so maybe fair was fair.  And some part of her did recognize that.

But Lily continued to struggle with her fears that her powers weren't enough, simply weren't strong enough, no matter how hard she SCIENCE!d at them, no matter what tricks and tactics she used.  One thing that fight had made abundantly clear was just how much Helios and Ariadne had developed their skill with magic since they had first met.  Lily was no mage, but she was a long-time gamer and she had been doing some research and paying attention now that she was working with two wizards (or was Ariadne more a sorcerer?  Or maybe a warlock?)  She had developed at least some  academic  understanding of magical theory.  Even without arcane senses, it seemed clear enough to her that Helios had been casting his spells more easily and fluidly, and that Ariadne's magic had become more focused and powerful.

Would she be able to keep up?  Or were her powers just...  relatively limited for combat...  ?

Well, at least her self-healing was getting better.  Worse come to worse she could always be the meat shield.  ...No, wait, scratch that, not made of meat.

  God damn it, flower powers...  

Nope's mention of Wrath wanting to talk shook her out of her self-recriminations.   "Yeah, I thought so too.  I guess we can wake h-"  she began to say, before noticing that Pride was regenerating.  She gave his unconscious body a little glare.   "her up.  We should probably also do something to stop Pride from waking himself up, though."   She looked to Helios and Ariadne.   "If one of you want to handle that, I'll wake Wrath."   Was Lily worried that her powers would prove unable to neutralize a threat that was already unconscious and helpless?  Of course not!  No way no how!  And I am definitely not protesting too much!

Anyway.  Unless anyone had any objections, she'd go over to Wrath and see about waking her up.

 
 Spoiler 
If I can just like shake her awake or something I will.  I do notice that the way the house rules change healing Damage if I actually have to heal her conscious I have to mostly full heal her, which is an interesting wrinkle.  If I have to do that, I'll first spam enough Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Linked Weaken Resistance and Effect attacks on her that she'll be pretty well useless if she tries anything, and  then  heal her.
 
Dorni
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Just going to make it official that Helios will AoA/PA 5 Finishing Attack Pride with Cumulative Progressive Affliction [Impaired &amp; Fatigued / Disabled &amp; Stunned / Incap]. Will repeat as necessary until Pride is Incapped via Affliction. Attack at  (1d20+10)[ 21 ] . DC 35 on hit.

Also going to drop the Concealment
 
Zelphas
It has been six days since Watcher was... unexpectedly busy, and he still seems to be getting back into his regular swing of things. It takes Nope a good minute or so of standing outside and obviously waiting for one of Watcher's pigeons to fly down and ask what he needs.   "Wait, you want me to lock up Pride? Right now?"   The pigeon hops from foot to foot, slightly agitated.   "I mean, I see the sense in it, but if the most prominent public face of the Chain Gang just vanishes, Lockdown will definitely notice and change what he's doing. I'm not sure what he'll pivot to do in response, but... well, if that's what you all want, that's what I promised, so I'll start setting up a place."   The pigeon continues looking at Nope for a moment, pausing in the moment of opening its wings.   "You all have done good already, you know?  You've  done good. And you'll keep doing good, I know it. You're heroes."  

Inside the warehouse, Helios' spell latches onto Pride, sucking away his vitality even as his new powers continually try to remove the damage he's sustained. It takes a little bit of fine-tuning, but soon enough Helios has the balance equalized so that the marble man remains unconscious without being in any further danger.

Floral's actions are much more straightforward; she simply walks up to Wrath and pours in healing energy, eventually bringing Wrath back to consciousness. Unfortunately, Wrath was knocked unconscious in the middle of a battle  against  all of you, no matter what her hidden intentions may have been. The first indication Floral gets that Wrath has woken up from her healing power is when a hand wreathed in blue-white flames slaps up at her face, missing her by a hairsbreadth. Wrath is up and across the room in a blast of fire, spinning to face all of you before her eyes catch that Pride is unconscious and no one else is in the room.

Still, her eyes remain filled with suspicion and a readiness to fight.   "What do you want? Why wake me up? Too easy this time again?"  
Ridai
 "I don... I don't..."  Nope just decides to abort his attempt at talking when Watcher asks whether they are sure about locking up Pride. Being told they are heroes is met with silence, expression not denying or brushing off Watcher's words, but it is anyone's guess whether he includes himself in that particular group.  "When that... that insect thing happened. Something noticed. No idea what. Something noticed." 

When back inside, Nope sits on the ground, cross-legged, elbows on legs. To Nope's credit, when he is down, he still does whatever needs doing. 'Cause it needs doing. Can't wait for someone else to do it.  "No, just..."  He sighs. This is why he doesn't like trash talk.  "looked like you wanted to talk."  Hands folded and fidgeting, half waiting for being told to eat excrement.
Abracadangit
 "My   esteemed   colleagues   were   under   the   impression   there   was   something   you   wished   to   discuss   with   us,"  Kal explains, as she wastes no time in producing a needle in her hand.  "But   if   they   were   mistaken,   please,   feel   free   to   correct   us."  Kal feels Ariadne's wry brand of indignation rising from within, like a geyser beginning to rumble beneath her thoughts.

Red threads appear around Kal, twisting and spiraling defensively.  "I   would   love   nothing   more." 
Zelphas
The Watcher pigeon freezes completely as Nope makes his announcement, for the first time appearing completely, obviously non-living.   "...I should check something,"   it says finally, before flying away at speeds faster than a pigeon can normally fly.

Wrath snorts at Ariadne's words, seeming not to notice the flames that curl out of her nostrils and vanish into smoke with the action.   "One-on-one, ribbon girl, any time you like."   Some of her bravado seems to come back with her words, but it vanishes as quickly as it appears. She glances at Pride again, still unconscious under the power of Helios' spell, and then shakes her head, her whole body drooping.   "I thought, maybe... but it's too late for me now. Pride's a complete idiot, but he knows people; I've been under the radar before, but I meesedu up this time. It's over with for me.   Her voice is bitter, defeated.   "I can't even run; nowhere to go in this stupid snow-globe, anyways. Nope, all of this--"   her hands come up, indicating apparently the whole of the burned-out warehouse, the broken walls and pillars, her own injuries and Pride's, and all of you,   "Is my future now. This and whatever box he'll put me in until this happens again.

"I do want to say thanks,"   she says tiredly, turning to Nope.   "The Bronze Links won't start fights when you're around. It makes--it helps me out. I know you didn't do it for me. But thanks."  
Ridai
Watcher's reaction just confirms that yes, Nope did actually do a very bad thing.

Listening to Wrath, Nope ends up feeling sympathy for her. Then his mind adds a layer of feeling stupid since he doesn't really know Wrath or what she did so far, and she's a Silver Link, and the others would probably think he's either naive, stupid, or naive and stupid. But then there is also the fact that you don't consciously decide what to feel. Wrath is stuck in a situation she hates, forced to do things she doesn't want to do. Nope can relate to some extent.

 "Noticed people are scared of me. Didn't do it on purpose, but can't blame them."  Any possible interpretation of this being some weird bragging or general edgelordness of somehow being proud of being scary is thoroughly dismantled by the tone of his voice and the long exhale.  "Hate harming people."  And that includes the "bad guys".

 "You didn't burn the Chainbreakers. Looking out for Bronze Links. Didn't get that sense from the other Silvers."  Another sting.  Dad  Greed probably only cares if it is profitable for him now. At some point one has to wonder if he ever really knew his parents or just an outer mask.  "Hope there's a way out of the Chain Gang. I know, doesn't mean much with the dome in place, but still." 
Abracadangit
Kal listens to Wrath speak, as her agitation subsides to make way for cautious sympathy. She can feel Ariadne obstinately disagreeing in her mind -- the old sorceress doesn't forgive easily -- but she pushes through Ariadne's wave of scorn.

 "I   didn't   know   you   were   so...   trapped,"  Kal admits, as she prompts the threads around her to relax, with a flick of her needle.  "But   we   are   fighting   to   make   this    better,    instead   of   abetting   those   who   seek   to   profit   from   it.   Why   not   join   us,   if   this   troubles   you   so?" 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily crossed her arms as Wrath talked.  The Silver Link's words suggested she might not be fully behind Lockdown, but she clearly wasn't able to make the jump to outright defying him on her own initiative.  But perhaps she could be coaxed.  That in mind, though, Lily cast a kinda confused glance at Nope when he said he hoped there was a way out.   "Um.  To be clear, from this point forward, you  are  out of the Chain Gang for all practical purposes.  Which is to say, we aren't  actually  going to let you just go back to working for Lockdown like nothing happened."

"So, if an out is what you're looking for, congratulations, you've got it.  But Ariadne's right; if you regret the things you've done for them, if you don't agree with what they're doing, you have an opportunity here.  And I don't mean fighting them directly.  You're a Silver Link, you must know things, right?"

"We're not going to let you return to Lockdown's service, or let him harm you.  That's not conditional; it remains true whether you choose to help us or not.  I'm not saying you have to give us information or we're going to leave you to fend for yourself."

"I'm just saying, if you're interested in the opportunity to  strike back ...well, congratulations again, because you've got that  too ." 
 
 Spoiler 
Turning on the various skills and senses things.

Insight to Evaluate with Detect Emotions (+5 for Scent Intensification since this is a face-to-face interaction):  (1d20+15)[ 32 ] .

Persuasion to try to get Wrath to give us information:  (1d20+10)[ 30 ] , +5 for Scent Intensification if Wrath would be subject to her Attractive advantage in principle, additional +5 if it actually applies (not sure if this quite falls under "improve reactions").   CRIT!  Effective 35 without extra bonuses.  Nicely done Lily. 
 
Zelphas
Wrath stays silent at Nope's words, an ironic twist in her mouth the vaguest mockery of a smile with his comments about hating to hurt people. She doesn't respond except to turn her gaze to Ariadne as she speaks as well, the bare ghost of a bitter smile fading away as she simply shakes her head. Floral speaks up as well, and she simply watches again...

 
 Spoiler: Floral Emotion Sense 
Nope's comment about "hate harming people" gets the biggest emotional reaction from Wrath: self loathing, brutally suppressed as soon as it's felt into self-mockery instead.

Ariadne's comment is responded to by exhaustion, and a resigned refusal, as though the answer was already decided long before the question was asked.

Your first statement almost prompts out a bout of hysterical laughter from Wrath, which has nothing to do with actual mirth. The feeling behind it only steadily grows over the course of your speech. It's fear, but that's not quite right. No, it's  dread , dread of a future she can see closing in around her, that your words are reminding her more and more about. In fact, you would've sworn that your last statement was exactly the wrong thing to say--until the dread is crushed under a sort of hopeless pragmatism, and it turns out you said exactly the right thing after all.
 

  "None of you know how the Chain Gang actually works, do you?"   she says almost tonelessly, her head hanging down and facing the floor.   "Makes sense, I guess; you've been dealing with Bronze Links. F*** it."   She lifts her head to look at all of you, and it doesn't take a finely-honed sense of smell to see the despair in her eyes.   "The Bronze Links all sign a contract to start their service; in return, they get generic power, with a few exceptions. I don't know the specifics, but apparently since it's the same contract for everyone, the power is almost always the same--just weak, basic stuff, strength and speed, durability. It's also why when those Chainbreakers wake up, they'll all be normal humans again, and not a one of them will be able to say anything about the Chain Gang. Part of the contract."  

Wrath smiles, a simple movement of her face with no real emotion behind it.   "But not me; no, I'm a Silver Link. Lockdown saw more power in me, something he could use. It meant I got a special deal; for a double handful of power, I made two promises."   She holds up her pointer finger on her left hand.   "One: I can never act against Lockdown directly. Forget about joining you, or striking back; if I thought what I was telling you would help you against him, I wouldn't be able to say it. He's untouchable, to me."  

She takes in a breath, and raises up her middle finger on her left hand.   "Two. In the event that beings that could be referred to as 'super-powered' show up, I will always join any super-powered battle... fighting for Lockdown."   She looks at Nope, her eyes burning.   "I like hurting people, see; hurting people means I   win."  Her hand and head drop at the same moment, her entire body sagging.

  "Every time."   Her voice is much softer, and she doesn't look up.   "Every time one of you decided to crack down on a Bronze Link squad running a job, I knew. I  felt  it. I couldn't ignore it. The only time it didn't show up is if I was already in a fight. Luckily for me, the Bronze Links can't stand against you, so the battles always ended too fast for me to get there."   Her hands move reflexively up towards her head before dropping again.   "The feeling doesn't stop. It doesn't stop. Go ahead. Take me away. Put me in a box. The next time you come after Lockdown, or a Gold Link, or a group of the Silvers, I'll break out. I'll have to. And I'll fight you again. And I'll lose, again. That's all I am, now."  

She's silent for a long moment.   "Can I... can I have some metal, wherever you put me? Just scrap is fine. I just... I won't hurt anyone with it, I promise. Maybe it'll work, distract me."  
Ridai
There is a perpetually growing sinking feeling as Wrath speaks, and after she is finished, Nope rests his forehead on his palms, fingers kneading his scalp, before he buries his face in his hands. The muffled exhalation comes out uneven. All options are just messed up. No matter what he does, he is inflicting terrible violence on someone, be it the Silver Links or the population. Even if not all Silver Links care about the Bronze Links, even if some of them might be just bastards through and through, that doesn't matter. They're people. No matter what messed up "ethics" stories, the cesspit that is social media, and the government are trying to push.

Locking up Wrath keeps hurting Wrath.
Locking up Pride keeps hurting Pride.
Locking up  dad  Greed keeps hurting  dad  Greed.

Letting them go means letting them lose on the population again and having to try beat them down again and again, and each time he has to point his awful abilities at them, not knowing what exactly will happen to them.

His mind conjures uninvited unspeakable images, intrusive thoughts haunting him even when he isn't using his awful abilities.

Nope manages to nod in response to Wrath asking for metal while in captivity, just automatically, despite not even knowing whether to lock her up or let her go, hands shaking, before rising.

 "I-I'm sorry, I need a- I can't-"  He decides to shut up and walks out of the building, just desperately trying to keep it together and failing.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily might have smirked.

She didn't, because the truth was that the compulsion Wrath was under  was  rather horrifying, and Lily was sympathetic.  Not too long ago, that only would have mattered so much.  There would have been a non-trivial part of her that felt that Wrath didn't deserve her sympathy, at least not enough for it to be a factor when there were other matters to deal with.  She said outright that she liked hurting people, and after all, she  had  signed Lockdown's contract.  Even if she had come to regret it, she had made the choice.  Lily wouldn't have endorsed that position on reflection, or anything, but in the moment, that might have been where she landed.

But Lily didn't know the circumstances that had led to Wrath making that choice, and she had learned, not too long ago, that it was entirely possible for decent people to get caught up with the League of the Future through no fault of their own.  Who knew but that Wrath had had just as little choice as Helios and his family had?

So no, Lily didn't smirk.  There was even a wince around her eyes as Wrath explained the compulsion she was under.  But sympathetic or not...Lily was who she was.  Her brain didn't even pause before it started dissecting the Silver Link's words like a puzzle, rooting through them for weapons she could use (while simultaneously, another part of it was already workshopping ideas for neutralizing the compulsion effect, but that was going on primarily subconsciously for the time being).  That Wrath believed what she said couldn't hurt Lockdown was only a statement about Wrath's beliefs.

An important statement, though.  Making the contract belief-based had its advantages and disadvantages.  The obvious way to circumvent a prohibition against revealing particular information was a binary search.  Ask yes or no questions of a person who was otherwise willing to answer; any question they did not refute but could not confirm was strongly likely to be true.  By making the prohibition not about revealing particular pieces of sensitive information, but instead about general belief that the action would hurt Lockdown, this option's utility was greatly reduced; once Wrath knew what they were doing, the contract would prohibit her answering  any  of their questions, because even harmless answers could be used to determine harmful ones.

... Maybe .  Wrath had said the contract only prohibited acting  directly  against Lockdown.  Once again Lily was forced to rely on fictional evidence to guide her hypotheses, but in fiction, exact wording tended to be important to this kind of stuff.  Especially anywhere an actual contract was involved.

So baseline, they could get information out of Wrath as long as they deceived her into believing it would not hurt Lockdown, which seemed entirely doable.  Potentially they could take things even further, but that would depend on some of the specifics of the contract.  She could try asking Wrath about those specifics, but that might be risky, as it could potentially alter Wrath's beliefs about their ability to use information she gave them to hurt Lockdown.  Although Wrath's level of hopelessness did suggest that she had a strong prior against their being able to meaningfully interfere with Lockdown at all...

Lily gave a little sigh as Nope walked out.  She wasn't sure how to make him feel better, but right now there was a problem that needed solving, so she let him have his space.  In this particular moment, to maximize information gain while minimizing influence to Wrath's beliefs and simultaneously probe the limitations imposed by the contract, the correct question to ask was,  "I see.  So what else can you tell us about Lockdown, the Chain Gang, or your contract, without violating the restrictions of your contract?" 
Abracadangit
Kal is taken aback by the horrifying implications of Wrath's deal with Lockdown. He didn't just own her loyalty, it sounded like he owned most of her will. To be leashed to Lockdown almost like a real-life minion, with no ability to go against his wishes or leave. And all for what -- power?

  "You know not why she needed that power,"   Ariadne reminds Kal.   "People seldom enter such agreements because they wish to. When you are drowning, you have little time to consider the arm that pulls you out."  
  "They're all cowards, aren't they,"   Kal replies.   "It's like every single one of them can't just be awful, they all... hide, behind something. Lockdown behind his crooked deals, Proxy behind his machines, Apophis behind his cult, and Manchineel..."   She pauses.   "...well, Manchineel's pretty honest about everything, I'll give her that. But the rest of them are pathetic."   Ariadne remains silent, almost as if to say "No argument here."

Kal makes a mental note to speak with Nope later -- he needs to know not everything's his fault -- and listens to Floral's question with interest, before asking her own.  "Are   there   none   who   have   escaped   his   chains?   Surely,   there   must   be   a   way   to   undo   that   which   is   done.   And   if   not,   perhaps   we   might   devise   a   way.   We   are   a   team   of   many   talents,"  she concludes, gesturing towards Helios, Floral, and the path where Nope had left.
Dorni
Conflict creeped its way into Helios' expression.

The cult had served his family with "join or die", but that wasn't what had happened here. Wrath had taken the deal voluntarily. She'd wanted power, and she took the deal because she  liked hurting people. . And since then she'd come to regret it. It had been a mistake. Not that she'd come to regret causing pain. Her words had been 'I like', not 'I liked'. He strongly suspected that the woman's anguish came from having traded her freedom away, of being reduced to a disposable attack dog. She didn't deserve sympathy or forgiveness.

But she did deserve some empathy. She realized she'd made a mistake and wanted out. Credit her for that. He could only hope that Dante did the same before it was too late.

Try as he might though, he couldn't sense anything about the pact binding her. Apparently Lockdown's powers worked on principles that his mystic sense couldn't detect. He looked to Nope; Nope's powers were all about negation. It didn't seem impossible that he could negate the pact that bound Wrath, but Nope had been much more cautious about his own abilities ever since the incident. It seemed impossible to Helios that Nope hadn't considered the possibility, but if he wasn't speaking up then he was probably uncomfortable making the attempt.

Which meant the most they could do was gather information. Lily's question was a great start, but...  "This sense of when a super-powered person shows up. Does it include sensing conflicts that don't include members of the Chain Gang? Do the Gold Links have this sense as well?" 
Zelphas
Wrath shakes her head.   "I fight on Lockdown's side, and he doesn't care when his Gang's left out of it,"   she answers, partly to Helios and partly to Floral.   "That's  basically the extent of my contract. If I had to guess, just going off of how the Bronze Links and I work, I'd say that all of the Silver Links have two 'locks' on them to buy their power. The Gold Links... I don't know. More than two promises, probably, though how many more I can't say for sure. Oh, if you're going to lock him up,""   she says, indicating the fallen form of Pride,   "You might have some trouble. I think he has to keep trying to recruit. I... don't know if he sleeps, but I've seen him go days at a time just to find someone he can pros--whatever, he can talk their ear off about joining the Chain Gang."  

She rouses herself up enough to sneer a bit at Ariadne's question, though it's a weak effort at best.   "If someone made it, I'd be asking them how, not talking to all of you. Most still like the work; the rest stay quiet, or..."   she looks around, indicating the burned-out warehouse around you all.   "Lockdown rules chains; they don't break."  

She slumps again, then seems to think of something.   "May as well. Do yourselves a favor. If Greed and Gluttony ever call in their boss, or if you ever meet someone wearing full medieval-style silver armor, just run. They were a death sentence even before they joined the Chain Gang and got Gold Link status."  

Outside, Nope's... moment was perhaps interrupted by a fluttering noise and a slight embarrassed cough.   "This would be a bad time to say 'thank you' again, right? Right, bad timing,"   Watcher's voice comes from a pigeon picking at one of its wings, studiously avoiding looking directly at Nope.   "I think I have places ready for Pride and Wrath, though Lockdown's power definitely poses it's complications! The sheer strangeness of purely conceptual-style powers, coupled with their simple, internal logic, is just so--er, I mean... wrong time again. I'll just... be a bird, over here."  
Ridai
It would be wrong to say the squatting Nope vents or breaks down outside or something like that. He is more attempting to release some of the pressure in his head without making a scene and completely losing it, and it is difficult and it hurts (physically even), but he doesn't really get to do that as Watcher is there again. So he has to bite everything back again and it causes him very real pain in his head, chest, and back, fingers applying white-knuckle pressure on his scalp. Pressed breaths, there's no time, there's no opportunity, screw your emotions, screw your problems, get crap together again, break down sometime later when nobody wants anything but you should be doing something productive instead anyway, screw your problems-

There is a building test screen noise getting louder, until it suddenly cuts off, followed by a pause, screentearing on his head area and static sound burst. Nope stands up and wipes through his face. There's some fluid, but also some blood. Actually kind of a lot of blood dripping from his upper lip.  "Oh, that's probably bad,"  Nope notes without much of anything in terms of expression in his voice.  "I'll fix it later,"  said with about as much concern as discovering a little bit of water having dripped on a counter top.  "So where are we bringing them." 

Once he has the answer, Nope just walks back into the building. His face is kind of a mess and the nosebleed is making one of indistinct clothes, but that's not the point.  "Okay, I'll transport people now, 3, 2, 1-"  And the long walk through zero-time begins. The nosebleed will stop at some point on the way, it's fine. Little side effect of the accidental removal or something. Everything should come back later or so, probably.

Once there, he goes  "I'm going now. Am on clock before everything comes back, hard to go through zero-time then. Bye."  And he disappears. Everything does come back, but it does in his room. It's a big mess, all in all, with a side of wondering/dreading whether he just accidentally lobotomized himself. Sadly, Uncle Bruno noticed, and there being a lot of blood makes this more alarming than it needs to be, so  that  moment goes right back into curbing things back down again. Real difficult though. "I maybe lobotomized my emotions away for a moment on accident, but I'm getting better" doesn't rank highly on the scale of things to say to de-escalate a situation.
Zelphas
Concerning emotional-slash-non-emotional reactions notwithstanding, Watcher soon enough organizes transport for Pride and Wrath to secure holding areas within the Obelisk. I'm certain that now that he's been divested with two of his most public, obvious Silver Links, Lockdown will act in a rational and reasonable manner.

(If you have any further questions for Wrath that you could see your character coming up with before Watcher takes her away, feel free to post them in the Side Scenes thread.)

 Dihydrogen Monoxide 

September 12th, 2018.

One thing can be said about the League of the Future; they are all, to a greater or lesser degree, creatures of habit.

Take Manchineel, for example. She had claimed all of the forests as her own, first driving people out of the woods with attacks and mutated creatures and then slowly removing all traces of human habitation from the wooded areas within the Dome. It se4ems like she had planned to take over Forester Park in the same way; for nearly a month, the amount of missing persons and strange occurrences in the area had been steadily rising, and dedicated trackers finally discovered the source; a mutated mustelid, probably a weasel originally, that had grown to enormous size and been able to ride the wind in some unknown way to move at supersonic speeds, striking without warning. This thing had been working in tandem with a fish creature that might've been anything at first, but was now a monstrosity of teeth and mud-brown scales that blended completely into the bottom of the ponds in the park and could travel between them at horrendous speeds itself. The two had been making the park uninhabitable to humans, but in the end they turned out to be just animals; the police (tipped off by the burgeoning Hero Support Group that has sprung up around town) were able to use careful observation, a lure, and heavy doses of tranquilizer to defeat the two beasts themselves with only minor casualties. Nigel Clarke, the town mayor, gave one of his brief talks to warn of the danger in the parks and urge citizens to be vigilant when crossing them, and Dean Falkenrath used the moment to decry Clarke's "poor leadership" and lobby for himself in the upcoming election that, yes, is still happening. Business as usual in the controlled chaos that is Forester's Bay.

All this is here to say that when several Proxybots are seen setting up something that suspiciously looks like it's going to siphon water out of Lake Michigan instead of smashing up another museum, it's strange enough for our heroes to take notice.

Whatever purpose this desolate little area once served, it serves it no longer; the entire area looks like it was abandoned long before the Waste came, and even the overcrowding of the city hasn't quite touched these dark buildings and this lonely bit of land jutting out into the middle of Lake Michigan. The entire dock and much of the area around it is covered in a thick purplish fog, the tell-tale sign of a Waste taking up residence. The Waste itself is situated above the dock, roughly halfway along the concrete surface's length. A perfectly spherical bit of polished chrome, the Waste is roughly four feet in diameter, with several holes places regularly across its entire surface; most of these holes are currently spewing a concentrated form of this thick purplish miasma that fills the air. Through the haze, you can make out the etched numbers  18782  on the surface of the Waste; Doctor Proxy's arcane numbering conventions, once again.

The device is surrounded by three Movers. It is essentially a squat black box, seeming to be too small when surrounded by the huge robots, with a flexible white tube coming out of one end and dropping into Lake Michigan while two cylinders sit on the dock at the other end. The cylinder on the left, attached to the device by a red hose, is vibrating more violently than the one on the right, which has a blue hose between it and the device. The two Movers hovering over Lake Michigan are stacked high with cylinders that look identical to the ones attached to the machine, while the Mover on the dock has only about ten or so cylinders on its flat surface. There is a constant, low sucking noise, and the water near the white hose is swirling ever so slightly.

Two AKuma stand on either end of the dock where it touches the rest of the ground; for all of their movement, they may as well be statues. And yet, as Nope appears on the scene, the Waste flashes with grey light, which echoes in the eyes of the two AKuma. The two-toned, grinning bears make no other movement, however. The air is still ,smelling slightly sour. The only sounds are the hum of machinery, the whoosh of gas being expelled from the Waste, and the low sucking noise of the strange machine. Another sound intrudes; a quiet  ping , like a microwave timer. The Mover on the dock begins to stretch one mechanical arm forward towards the cylinder on the right of the machine, while the Mover on that side of the machine out on Lake Michigan fires up its jets, and begins to move forwards as well.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map  here. The purple is the Waste's cloud of poison; light purple is concrete, and dark purple is water. This is a Cloud Area effect. The Waste will refresh this effect every "round" out of combat unless interrupted.

The Proxybots are not currently hostile. They are also not stopping whatever it is they are doing.  Destroying all of the Proxybots  will halt their actions, but reinforcements will be called;  destroying the machine  will cause the remaining bots to scatter, but will also... well, destroy the machine, making it somewhat harder to discover what it was for (though not impossible).

 All PCs are up; no battle is currently happening. 
 
Ridai
Nope's lips are pressed into a line, with the customary sigh through the nose, as the bots seems to specifically react to him. But at least it is just bots, as dangerous as they may be. Somewhat lower stress apart from trying to stay alive.

Standing there with his hands in his hoodie pockets, given the bots don't attack immediately, Nope glances to the others.  "Unless you folks have a plan, I'll just start things."  He doesn't sound very enthusiastic, but it is what it is. At least he isn't freaking out, just a little gloomy.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily looked over the dock that would shortly be a battlefield.  They had battled AKumas and Movers before; two AKumas and three Movers were a non-trivial concentration of fighting power even before counting the Waste.  Nothing they couldn't handle, but it would be good to have something of a plan.

The obvious move seemed to be focus-firing the Waste down from range.  She hadn't faced one before herself, but from what she'd gathered they weren't all that tough, and getting rid of its cloud could only make things easier.  The AKumas were weaker than the Movers, so if they could double-team them they should go down pretty fast.  That would just leave the three Movers, which was strictly less fighting power than the team had faced at the museum that time, so shouldn't be that big of a problem.

The two main issues were potential reinforcements, and direct interference by the Movers to protect the more fragile robots.  Any reinforcements that arrived fast enough to matter would be moving at superhuman speeds, so even Lily's nose likely wouldn't offer much warning.  If the Movers were quick enough to interfere, it'd probably be more efficient to just burn them down first, but they might need to do some maneuvering to avoid the Waste's cloud while they did.  Possibly sectioning them off with one of Ariadne's barriers would buy them some time...

Except the Movers seemed to be going for the machine now.  So evidently they didn't have any time to either prioritize the lesser robots or coordinate on a plan.  So Lily just answered Nope with a shrug and pointed her staff at the machine, launching a pinecone across the field, lobbing it clear over the machine...where it promptly split into three vines, one lancing at each of the Movers.  The vines were tipped with thorns that drizzled acid, and were aiming straight for the Movers' engines, aimed to disable.

 
 Spoiler 
I went back over our previous fights; if I'm reading right, it looks like the AKuma was PL 10 with a two-point Defense shift, and the Movers were PL 12 with a two-point Resistance shift.  The Minions of the League suggests the Wastes at the very least have sub-PL 10 defenses, so at a guess it might be PL 8ish.  I wouldn't be super surprised if it's higher PL but below-caps on defense, or it may just be below our PL and mainly intended to curtail more mundane interference.

If the Movers have Interpose, which I put pretty high probability on, then as long as they can use it attacking the AKumas would be equivalent to attacking against PL 13 (Defense 12 to hit, Mover Interposes for Resistance 14).  If the Waste's Defense is 10 or less, though, attacking it would be at least no worse than attacking a Mover directly.  Either way, if we can keep the Movers from Interposing for a round or so, that might be big game, and since they're further back, a Created wall to block their line of sight might do it.  Or it might not, I'm not sure what senses they have.

Mechanics to come in OOC since editing.
 
Ridai
 "Okay,"  Nope says as Floral attacks the bots. Another sigh, this one puffing his cheeks, and his face scrunches up in concentration, leaving only one eye open. Tag the six bots, hope for the best. Week of migraines and attempts to fix things haven't made things easy, but you gotta do what you gotta do. So when he is reasonably okay with his focus, Nope looks to each targeted bot and gives it a go, sounds flaring up and dropping out as the light smells like chocolate. He gets a rub of the forehead in for good measure. Could float up, but honestly, not feeling doing that as well. And better he gets attacked than anyone else.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  The classic  Remove Second Guessing &amp; Hit Points, Mass 
 Move  Migraine avoidance.

 Standard  Attack all bots. DC 25 Damage (240ft bendable line, Multiattack [single target], Penetrating [Pierce Immunity], Ranged, Improved Critical 4)
Attack vs AKuma 1  [/roll]1d20+10[/roll]   18 
Attack vs AKuma 2  [/roll]1d20+10[/roll]   25 
Attack vs Waste  [/roll]1d20+10[/roll]   21 
Attack vs Mover 1  [/roll]1d20+10[/roll]   16 
Attack vs Mover 2  [/roll]1d20+10[/roll]   18 
Attack vs Mover 3  [/roll]1d20+10[/roll]   12 
 Link to the actual rolls 
 
Abracadangit
Kal flicks a pair of needles into her hands and gets to work, hovering just above the ground on a web of ghostly threads.

Red patterns crisscross and spiral through the air around Kal as she weaves, encasing her in a translucent cocoon of thread from which she can plan and coordinate her assault.

  "Don't forget,"   Ariadne says.   "The thread will purify air tainted with poison, when worn over your mouth."  
  "I did forget that, thank you,"   Kal replies, honestly.   "Was toxic gas such a problem, in times of old? Seems awfully modern."  
  "A great many malefactors made use of windborne miasma -- King Minos of Crete pumped it into an entire subsection of his wretched labyrinth. Villains may change, over the eons,"   Ariadne remarks, dryly.   "Their tactics, however, do not. Hnn, hnn, hnn."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Move: D15.
Threadwork: Set to Dual Needle Weaving.
Action: Dual Needle Silken Shields, centered on Ariadne, but should cover Floral as well.
 
Dorni
Helios regarded Proxy's strange machine with some degree of curiosity. Sure, it didn't look all that intimidating just sitting at the end of the concreate dock like that, but it was still a Proxy device. It seemed their impromptu informants were right -there was one hose sucking up water from the lake, and Helios didn't see an exhaust anywhere. So what exactly was it doing with the water? With no fewer than 3 of the massive Mover bots around his first guess was it was just collecting water for them to haul away, but this was a Dr Proxy creation. Besides, they'd be able to confirm it once they got a better look.

The miasma surrounding the machine didn't help with that. It wasn't a big deal though. The poison mist would certainly be effective for keeping away any random passerby or perhaps even Manchineel's minions, but Helios was confident he could disperse it with a good wind spell. As long as the Waste was there to keep pumping out the mist it would come back right away, but the mist wasn't thick enough to hide the machines within.

So Helios skimmed over the grass to join his allies, meanwhile gathering energies and unleashing them on the already damaged Mover, which promptly burst into flames.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells array to Damage (Penetrating, Perception, Secondary Effect)
Move: To E14
Standard: Attack Mover 2 with PA 5 at  [roll]1d20+10z[/roll]  Rolled OOC.   10  . On hit, DC 30 vs Penetrating Perception SE Damage. So technical miss, but DC 25 with Perception.
 
Zelphas
The two Movers already in motion are able to maneuver quickly, slipping to one side with a speed and grace that belies their large, blocky frames to avoid Floral's burst of clinging vines. The Mover that had only been hovering, however, is not as quick, and the vines quickly entangle its engines and bind around it. There is a metallic cough, and the engines that hold it up suddenly die.  The vines only manage to gain greater purchase after the air becomes a lemon cake of chocolate for a moment, taking the outer plating of that mover with it as the strange sensation goes. For a final indignity, flames appear over the Mover's surface, causing some electrical sparking before the entire vined, burning mass drops unceremoniously into Lake Michigan with a soft splash and a hiss of steam, vanishing from sight in moments.

The Mover that had been traveling from the lake accelerates swiftly, Blocking Nope's line of sight to the Waste an instant before he strikes. Several hairline cracks appear all over the heavy plating of the machine. One arm selects a cylinder from its load and reaches backwards, handing the cylinder off to the Mover closer to the machine; the other arms run over the cracks on its surface as it tries to orient to the new threat nearby. The Mover closest to the strange machine, accepting the cylinder from the other Mover, reaches to the machine again and exchanges the cylinder on the machine for the one it was just given, placing the machine's cylinder upon its back. The machine stops beeping. The untouched Mover rotates on its axis and then blasts away, moving north at an angle away from Lake Michigan and the fight.

Next to one of the AKumas is a pile of half-melted... something; judging by the way that AKuma is smoking, it used to be inside it, and was somewhat vital. That AKuma's eyes flash grey once more, and it turns towards Nope, its mouth opening in slow jerks. a spear, seeming to be made of swirls of light and dark chrome and roguhly three times the length of the AKuma itself, leaps out of its mouth, aiming to transfix Nope from across the field. The second AKuma races forward, its ball-shaped fists firing out like pistons as it leaps towards Nope as well.

The Waste drifts forward to the end of the dock, trailing its heavy cloud of mist. It simply continues to fill the air, bringing it forward until it the air around our heroes is filled with purple, too-sour air.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Mover 2 

Move Action: Staggered, Immobilized; fall into Lake Michigan.

Standard Action: Defend.

End of Turn: Resistance to Remove Immobilized &amp; Vulnerable (DC 25):  (1d20+9)[ 18 ]   Haha, no. 
 Mover 3 

Move Action: Dazed.

Free Action: Hand a cylinder to Mover 1.

Standard Action: Defend.

 Mover 1 

Free Action: Take the cylinder from Mover 3.

Move Action: switch cylinders.

Standard Action: Move Distance Rank 10 away, roughly north-northwest.

 AKuma 1 

Move Action: Shift to F43.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Punch  on Nope.  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 + Multiattack vs. Damage Linked Dazed &amp; Vulnerable/Stunned &amp; Prone.  That's a miss. 
 AKuma 2 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Spear  on Nope.  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 + Multiattack vs. Damage Linked Immobilized/Stunned.  Hit, full Multiattack; DCs become 30/25. 
 Waste 

Move Action: Shift to 028.

Standard Action: Use  Toxic Cloud . This hits everyone but Nope.

Floral:  (1d20+12)[ 13 ]  vs. 20 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 17 ]   Miss straight out 
Ariadne:  (1d20+12)[ 25 ]  vs. 20 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 27 ]  (not that it matters because of your immunity, but still)  Deflected, too 
Helios:  (1d20+12)[ 13 ]  vs. 20  Miss 
 Nope:  (1d20+12)[ 18 ]  vs. 18  Just barely hits.  

On a hit, Resistance DC 18 vs. Cumulative Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed. This is a [Physiological] [Poison] effect. The area that is currently under the toxic cloud is marked on the map.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
Well, he  did  think it was better to be attacked than anyone else getting attacked, so that is a good thing? And given he was neither mauled (scrambled out of the way of that one) or impaled (just a bit dented) by the AKumas definitely is a good thing. Same with the ominous noxious cloud losing just enough concentration where he is standing to mostly make his nose itchy and his eyes watery. This is an awful lot of luck in one moment.

One of the Movers dashes off with a cylinder filled with... stuff. But there's still too many bots here. So since the AKuma are already gunning for him, well... he stands there and tries to take out the creepy machines he can see of the even more creepy Proxy. Hopefully, this will let the others do whatever it is they want to do, without getting harassed by two angry mechamurder bears.

Concentration it is, one target after another, made easier by fewer targets (in range) being visible, but harder by half of his view being filled with bear.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Same procedure as last turn.

 Standard  Attacking the AKumas, the Waste, and Mover 3 with  Remove Hit Points, Mass . DC 25 Damage (240ft bendable line, Multiattack [single target], Penetrating [Pierce Immunity], Ranged, Improved Critical 4)
Attack vs AKuma 1  (1d20+10)[ 23 ] 
Attack vs AKuma 2  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]   Crit? 
Attack vs Waste  (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 
Attack vs Mover 3  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
The Waste's poison gas probably would have been deadly to a normal human.  Lily Woods was neither.  She didn't even cough.

The Movers exchanged cannisters with the machine and one of them fled with the full ones.   Interesting .  That meant Proxy was collecting samples from Lake Michigan for...some reason.  In principle, that  might  have been all they needed to know.  If there was something notable about or in the water, Lily could take her own samples, run some chemical analyses, and maybe deduce it.

Possibly Proxy's machine was also treating the water in some manner, but the machine was still there, with new cannisters attached and collecting water, so they could still examine that.  There wasn't all that much reason to assume those particular cannisters would be  especially  important.  Even so, when acting in opposition to an intelligent adversary, it was generally a good idea to prevent them from accomplishing their goals.  The Mover was trying to retrieve those cannisters for Proxy.  It was in their interests not to allow that.

 "I've got the runner!"  she called to her team, squashing the little voice of the Flower Girl in her head that chimed in with doubt about taking on a Mover solo.  She could deal with one uppity robot.

A beat of her petal wings and Lily shot after the fleeing robot.  She was about as fast as it was, but further north and further west, the directions it was traveling.  That gave her the opportunity to close the gap.  She rushed it spear leading, acid dripping from its tip, once again aiming less to cause massive structural damage, more to damage the thing's engines.

Although I mean, to be fair, it was a pretty potent acid.  Structural damage wasn't outside the range of possibilities here.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10 for Direct Sunlight).  10 points to Petal Wings, 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 5 points to Heady Scent as Extra Condition, 10 points to Concentrated Scents, 10 points to Potent Scents, 10 points to Floral Blood.  Descriptors to [Energy] [Acid]

Move: Fly after Mover 1 at Speed 10.  Since it's moving north northwest it's heading further in my direction rather than away from it, so I imagine I should be able to get into Close range.

Standard: Attack Mover 1 with Acidic Nectar, All Out Attacking for 5, at  (1d20+15)[ 22 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 25 vs. Damage.  This attack roll at five points lower also delivers a DC 25+Penetrating-Perception Immobilized+Vulnerable/-/- Affliction.

Might EE if it is neither Immobilized nor Dazed.  EDIT: See  here .

Current Status: Normal, Fatigued as of next turn, Floral Blood +5, AoA -5 (Defense 0, Resistance 15).  Triggered Healing.
 
Dorni
Helios watched Floral fly off after the fleeing robot and weighed going after her. The toxin based portion of her powers would have little effect on the giant robot, and things could get bad fast if Manchineel's minions caught her alone while the team was still fighting. Maybe... no. He'd trust her to handle it. She was part of the team and he ought to trust her to know her own limits. Besides, Proxy's machine was still here.

 "Watch yourself!"  he called, then turned his attention back to weaving energies into another fiery blast while flying out of the poison.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells array to Damage (Area[Burst]) Affliction [Vulnerable/Defenseless] (Cumulative)
Standard: Cast at S29 to catch Waste, Mover 3, and Akuma 2. AoA/PA 2. On hit, DC 27/22 vs Damage &amp; Cumulative Affliction [Vulnerable/Defenseless]
Move: To F8, 60ft up

Waste:  (1d20+10)[ 14 ] 
Mover:  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]   Crit 
Akuma:  (1d20+10)[ 15 ] 
 
Abracadangit
 "Time   to   strike,"  Kal says ominously, as she spirals away from the poisonous cloud and aims a cloud of razor threads at one of the Movers, who appears to have taken a beating.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Move to C14.
Action: Thread Lash Cloud on V28.
Mover 3:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
 
Zelphas
Both of the AKumas and the Mover still visible on the scene lose noticeable chunks of their outer casings as the sky considers its existence thoughtfully for a moment... which was most likely the way the human mind decided to interpret Nope's powers at work at that current time. None of the machines drop, however, until a tandem burst of Helios' fire and Ariadne's weaving lashes rip the Mover to its component pieces and scatter them across the poisonous-fog-shrouded dock. Throughout all of this, the Waste continues to float calmly and steadily, somehow still untouched by the chaos around it, and the machine in the back keeps on drawing up water and humming softly.

Sparking and obviously breaking down, the eyes of both of the AKuma begin to glow red... before the red glow is displaced by grey and they turn resolutely back to the attack, going through the same motions as before in attacking Nope with simple, robotic efficiency.  The Waste floats forward another several feet, covering all of the Heroes remaining at the dock with its poisonous exhalations. A few bubbles appear in Lake Michigan, released by something within the Mover's inner workings, though the robot itself does not surface.

With far too little noise for their metallic frames, a pair of AKuma appear from the south, racing into the battle side by side.

Meanwhile, approximately four miles or so away from the dock, there are a few screams as those few people who still have some work to occupy them in the Industrial Block dive away from the Mover and Floral's sudden appearance. Floral's first stab with her spear manages to dig under a plate of the Mover's armor, exposing wires and circuitry; unfortunately for her, the second stab is deflected by a swinging arm, doing little more than gouging a thin scrape along the Mover's chrome plating. The Mover doesn't even give Floral the living dignity of reacting to her attack, simply changing course without even a pause and rocketing away as fast as it can go.

 
 Spoiler: Expertise (Biochemistry DC 36) 
It's a split-second glimpse in the middle of combat, but the active wiring of the Mover under that metal plate looked an awful lot like a living creature's  circulatory  system, not its nervous system as you might expect from a possible advanced robotic creation. Maybe nothing, but definitely odd.
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Mover 2 

Move Action: Staggered; hit the bottom of Lake Michigan where it is.

Standard Action: Defend.

End of Turn: Recovers 1 Resistance, Resistance to Remove Immobilized &amp; Vulnerable (DC 25):  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]   It is a denizen of the waters now. They have claimed it. 
 AKuma 1 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Punch  on Nope.  (1d20+10)[ 12 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 + Multiattack vs. Damage Linked Dazed &amp; Vulnerable/Stunned &amp; Prone.  Miss 
 AKuma 2 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Spear  on Nope.  (1d20+10)[ 27 ]  on a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 + Multiattack vs. Damage Linked Immobilized/Stunned.  Hit, +2 Multiattack; DCs are 27/22. 
 AKuma 3 and 4 

Full-Round Action: arrive on the scene, at D50 and G50.

 Waste 

Move Action: Shift to J28.

Standard Action:  Use  Toxic Cloud . This hits everyone but Floral.

Ariadne:  (1d20+10)[ 16 ]  vs. 20 or Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 19 ]   Miss 
Helios:  (1d20+10)[ 27 ] vs. 20  Hit 
Nope:  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]  vs. 18  Hit 

On a hit, Resistance DC 18 vs. Cumulative Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed. This is a [Physiological] [Poison] effect. The area that is currently under the toxic cloud is marked on the map.

 Mover 1 

Move Action: Shift Distance Rank 10 away, roughly southwest-west.

Standard Action: Move Distance Rank 10 again, in another direction.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
The AKuma still focus entirely on Nope, which is alright with him at the moment. The Waste is coming closer and closer as well, so Nope walks pushes off the ground to move a little back, out of the fog, but sticking to the AKuma. Probably pushing his luck a lot, but, well, better him than anyone else. Moments later, he gets back to removing, leaving the odd trail through the fog. Not that it changes much, as air rushes back in to fill the space, causing turbulences.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Move  Use  Remove Acceleration  to move from F44 to B51

 Standard  Same as last round, attack all visible enemies. DC 25 Damage (240ft bendable line, Multiattack [single target], Penetrating [Pierce Immunity], Ranged, Improved Critical 4)
Attack vs AKuma 1  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]   Nat 20 Crit? 
Attack vs AKuma 2  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
Attack vs AKuma 3  (1d20+10)[ 14 ] 
Attack vs AKuma 4  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] 
Attack vs Waste  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]   Crit? 
 
Quellian-dyrae
The Mover kept, well, moving, which was something of a problem.  If Lily continued giving chase, it would draw her even further away from the fight.  The value of retrieving the cannisters it was carrying remained somewhat uncertain.  Her team might not be able to afford her not being present for too long.

...LOL yeah sure they wouldn't.

Besides, Lily had  way  too much stubborn pride to let the Mover get away.  She didn't even slow down to think about it.  The Mover kept moving and she kept moving right along with it, matching its speed.  It took effort, but not so much that she couldn't keep stabbing it with her acid-branded spear, albeit with somewhat less accuracy on the move.

It would either have to reach its destination (thereby revealing it to Lily), stand and fight, or just allow Lily to keep making free stabs at its back until she melted away enough of its armor to lock it down.

 
 Spoiler 
I'm operating on the assumption that since in-game we don't  actually  patiently wait six seconds for our enemies to act and then they patiently give us six seconds to do our thing, I can basically just chase the Mover since I'm moving just as fast as it is.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

Free: I guess let's go a bit more offensive to incentivizing fighting rather than running.  Reconfigure Flower Power.  Basically the same as before but swap Floral Blood for Lingering Scents.

Hero Point: Buy off Fatigue.

Move: Chase the Mover.

Standard: Charge the Mover and attack with Acidic Nectar, All Out Attacking for 5, -2 for Charge, at  (1d20+13)[ 32 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 25 vs. Damage.  This attack roll at five points lower also delivers a DC 25+Penetrating-Perception Immobilized+Vulnerable/-/- Affliction, which carries a Secondary Effect.

Current Status: Normal, AoA -5, Stubborn.
 
Abracadangit
Kal watches the goings-on, trying to follow everything at once.

As the poison gas washes over and through her silken barriers, she wonders how much longer they can keep her safe. With a quick needle swipe this way and that, a surgical-mask-shaped web of red thread appears over her nose and mouth.

She spies an AKuma some distance away, and estimates it shouldn't be able to take too much more of a thrashing.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Changing array to Defensive Thread, toggling on that poison gas immunity.
Standard: Thread Lash on AK2.
Thread Lash vs. AK2:  (1d20+10)[ 15 ] 
 
Dorni
Helios sent a burst of wind forward to blow back the encroaching mist and floated backward before the poison could rush forward and fill in the space again. From on high the fight seemed to be going pretty well. The team was in good shape and the robots were steadily dropping. Speaking of which, Helios wove Fire once more, gathering it around the beat-up robot hiding in the mist until it erupted in flames.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells array to Damage (Penetrating, Secondary Effect) Linked Weaken [Resistance] (Penetrating)
Move: Float to E7
Standard: Cast Combust on Akuma 2 at AoA 5  (1d20+15)[ 27 ] . On hit, DC 25/20 vs Pen SE Damage and Pen Weaken [Resistance]

-5 Defenses
 
Zelphas
The air plays an impressive bass note in your nose for a moment, and when reality returns the Waste and one of the AKumas are a barely-recognizable pile of chrome-colored scrap, falling together in a place roughly equidistant to where the two were before they were Noped. The thick, sour-smelling purplish fog still hangs in the air, but it is rapidly diminishing; it may be unhealthy to breathe it still, but that should change fairly soon. The other damaged AKuma manages to avoid Ariadne's seeking threads, the movement saving it from the worst of Helios' fiery blast moments later as well. The magical fire still settles on the mechanical bear, though, ready to sear further into it. The damaged AKuma's eyes glow red.

In the Industrial Block (much closer to the Residential Quarter, at this point), the Mover reverses its direction seconds before Floral arrives, taking the spear head-on and barreling through it to slam its not-inconsiderable weight against the plant superhero. It then just keeps accelerating, continuing too run in a seemingly-erratic pattern through Forester's Bay.

At the dock, the other two AKuma spin instantly as the damaged one glows, one of them turning to fire a spear at Nope from its gaping maw before moving quickly down the wharf several hundred feet. The other simply turns and runs, vanishing roughly westward into the city. The red glow in the damaged AKuma's eyes spreads downwards, coming out through its mouth, and an instant later it disappears in a fireball explosion  that strikes everything around it... including the machine at the end of the dock.

Seconds after the Mover strikes at Flooral and keeps running, an AKuma zips onto the scene. It hardly stops to orient itself before firing a chrome-colored spear directly at Floral's center of mass.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Mover 1 

Standard Action: Use  Ram  on Floral.  (1d20+10)[ 13 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24/22 vs. Penetrating Damage linked Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled Linked Strength to throw Floral east.  Miss 

Move Action: Shift Distance Rank 10 due west., approaching the western edge of the city proper.

 Mover 2 

Move Action: Staggered, Immobilized.

Standard Action:  Become the lake coral  Defend.

End of Turn: Resistance to remove Immobilized (DC 25):  (1d20+11)[ 15 ]   No. 
 AKuma 4 

Move Action: shift 300 feet south down the dock.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Spear  on Nope.  (1d20+10)[ 22 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 + Multiattack vs. Damage Linked Cumulative Immobilized/Stunned.  Hit, no Multiattack. 
 AKuma 3 

Move Action: Shift to Floral (speed 12 lets it make the distance).

Standard Action: Use  Bear Spear  on Floral.  rolled 11 in OOC  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 + Multiattack vs. Damage Linked Cumulative Immobilized/Stunned.  Miss 
 AKuma 2 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Bomb . This hits everyone in a 250 foot radius, which is everyone but Floral, Mover 1, and the other two AKumas... but  includes  Mover 2!

Ariadne's Created structure:  (1d20+8)[ 27 ]  Resistance (DC 32 + Multiattack after auto-crit):  (1d20+10)[ 12 ]   Destroyed! 
Ariadne:  (1d20+8)[ 18 ]   Miss 
Helios:  (1d20+8)[ 12 ]   Miss 
Nope:  (1d20+8)[ 15 ]   Miss 
Mover 2:  (1d20+8)[ 26 ]  Resistance (DC 27+ Multiattack):  (1d20+11)[ 23 ]   Hit, full Multiattack; roll should be 2 lower due to Bruises, so Staggered x2 = INCAPACITATED. 
The Machine:  (1d20+8)[ 16 ]  Resistance (DC 32 + Multiattack after auto-crit):  (1d20+12)[ 21 ]   Hit, no Multiattack; Breached (Heavily damaged, but salvageable). 

On a hit, Resistance DC 27 + Multiattack vs. Damage.

The AKuma also rolls Resistance against this damage as a Side Effect (DC 32):  (1d20+5)[ 7 ]   Utterly Gone. 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
Nope would be lying if he wasn't a bit put off by the results of the proxybots getting Noped. Maybe he had hoped they'd just fall apart into mechanical bits, but either these bots just aren't built that way (he doesn't know, he is no robotics expert, or super scientist!), or the Removal does some messed up things to them.

What really snaps him out of his passive behavior of just enduring with some counterattacking is the fact that an AKuma just blew itself up, and apparently was willing to take the machine with it. That's really bad! He wasn't fast enough to try and get to it, already cursing himself, only for Helios to save the day by shielding the device.

Yeah, better start not letting the party down, right about now. Floral already flew after the escaped Mover to get that cylinder, Ariadne has been busy protecting the group and taking bots out.

Attacking once more as a parting shot, Nope disappears from one moment to the next, and so does the machine + cylinders. As he slowly pushes the whole thing through zero time, which takes some doing because it is not only large and heavy, but also very rounded (🫤), Nope has plenty of time to consider where to put it. He thinks about stashing it on a roof somewhere, but there's water and unknown substances involved, that might not be okay. And if an AKuma finds it and blows itself up again just because, that's also no good. So putting it in a public park or something is also not good. ...maybe Camp Bubble Broo- no, no, not good.

In the end, he dumps it in a pavillon on what he assumes to be a private pier not currently used because brrr weather. And dividers just so happen to have been put around the sides to not allow one to look into said pavillon. No one will ever notice the hoses in the water. Perfect disguise.

...Yeah it's not the best, but hopefully it will buy a few minutes.

And with that done, he blinks back into existence at the pier where the fight is happening, near Ariadne and Helios, and saying  "We probably should get going immediately after the fight." 
 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Attacking all  present  AKuma, the same way as last round. DC 25 Damage (240ft bendable line, Multiattack [single target], Penetrating [Pierce Immunity], Ranged, Improved Critical 4)
Attack vs AKuma 3  (1d20+10)[ 29 ] 
Attack vs AKuma 4  (1d20+10)[ 14 ] 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Travel Time, Remove Hit Points 
 Move  Teleport, move the machine and cylinders to a Totally Inconspicuous Location Just By The Water Proxy Will Never Ever Look At™. Then move back to C7.
 
Dorni
Helios regarded the remaining robots with self-assured detachment. The majority of the Proxybots had already gone down without too much of a fight. Sweeping up the remaining bots was just a matter of time and he was itching to get a better look at this machine Proxy had gone to the trouble to set up. Even the bots seemed to project that the fight was hopeless. One of them was fleeing, and the burning one started glowing red almost li-

 "Watch out! Its gonna blow!"  Helios plummeted from the sky, diving down towards Proxy's machine. The Akuma was trying to destroy the evidence. He spun in the air just above the machine, weaving a defensive barrier around him and it just as the bot exploded. The ward instantly quaked under the hit, threating to buckle in a dozen places. Helios pulled aether from his healing ward, redirecting the potent aether to reinforce the defensive shield.

It held.

Helios exhaled.

That had been a close one. Whether by calculation or by spite, the Akuma had almost cost them their prize.  "You guys ok?"  he called out while the smoke cleared. He eyed the fleeing Akuma but didn't persue, not wanting to abandon Proxy's device. He wove Air to trap the bot instead.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Interposed last turn, moved to AI28.
Free: Set Spells to Ranged Strength, Affliction [Impaired &amp; Fatigued / Disabled &amp; Stunned / Incap].
Move: Keep on puppy-guarding
Standard: Cast at Akuma 3, AoA 4 at  (1d20+14)[ 19 ] . On hit, DC 20 vs Grab &amp; Affliction [Impaired &amp; Fatigued / Disabled &amp; Stunned / Incap]
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily cursed as once again the Mover was able to interpose its heavy armor against her spear, preventing her from landing a decisive hit to its engine.  It struck back at her, but even as committed as she was to her attack it wasn't hard to just skip a beat of her wings and drop beneath it, and by sheer luck the next hard beat to regain her previous altitude carried her above the sudden strike from the newly arrived AKuma.

That changed the game.  It definitely meant Lily couldn't afford to take risks here; a Mover and an AKuma together were a serious threat even to her.  However, while she might not have been one of the offensive powerhouses on her team, she had fairly tremendous capacity for self-healing.  These two weren't a trivial threat, but she didn't think they were insurmountable either.

So she flew on, keeping up with the Mover and firing a short-range spray of acid at it from her spear.  That reduced the chance that she'd deal much in the way of structural damage, but some of the spray might yet hit its engine to disable it, or it might weaken its armor sufficiently that the acid still clinging to it could eat its way there.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Heady Scent, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Potent Poison, 10 points to Potent Scents, 10 points to Lingering Poison, 10 points to Concentrated Scents.  We are still all acid all the time.

Move: Give chase!

Standard: Attack Mover 1 with Flower Power at  (1d20+5)[ 14 ] .  Resistance DC 25+Penetrating-Perception/25-Perception vs. Impaired+Immobilized/-/- Affliction Linked Weaken Resistance (capped at one degree).  The Weaken carries a Secondary Effect (but note is not Penetrating).

End of Turn: Secondary Effect triggers.  Mover 1 gets Resistance DC 27 vs. Vulnerable+Immobilized Affliction.

Current Status: Normal.
 
Abracadangit
Kal watches where Nope takes the machine, and decides the gizmo could use an extra measure of protection.

 "I   will   shield   the   device,"  Kal says, as her flickering needles build their barrier.  "And   perhaps   my   magic   can   block   out   prying   eyes." 
  "Do not count on this,"   Ariadne thinks, cautiously pessimistic.   "Magics and strange science do not often speak with one another. And when they do, they do not have much to say."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: C8, getting out of that miasma.
Free: Switching Threadworks array back to Dual Needle Weaving.
Action: Silken Shields, centered on wherever Nope dropped the machine. Assuming that Ariadne knows where that is, but let me know if that's problematic for some reason.
 
Zelphas
The tube coming out of the end of the machine is much longer than it looked from above the water; much of Nope's travel time is spent grabbing more of the seemingly-endless rubbery tubing and coiling it around the main body of the machine in an ever-higher spiral. Even in Nope-time, he doesn't have the means to make an accurate measurement, but it seems like there's miles of the stuff; its a good thing that the entire tube is able to fold into itself, and indeed it begins compressing together on its own moments after it is taken out of the lake.

The final AKuma still at the docks is already in motion as Nope returns from suspended time, its bear-shaped head turned unerringly towards the location of the machine in its new gazebo... but Nope's last strike had taken effect, and had apparently removed something integral to the AKuma's physical integrity. Starting from its feet, the AKuma... unspools, becoming a shining string of black and white chrome plastered across the docks of Forester's Bay by its own momentum in mere seconds. Ariadne flies off to the machine's new location while Helios catches his breath; both he and Nope see the now-familiar blur of a new AKuma running right past them from the north. Ariadne has barely gotten her shielding up before the bear robot arrives; without even pausing, the AKuma summarily explodes. It seems that Doctor Proxy may have given up on reclaiming the machine intact.

Meanwhile, Floral catches up to the fleeing Mover just as it shakes off the last of her clinging acid into some shrubbery in the midst of Forester Park (the shrubbery almost immediately wilts). It "sees" the plant hero coming (no one's exactly sure where the sensors are on these things) and grinds itself edge-first into the ground, flipping itself up to take Floral's acid spray on the heavily-armored bottom of its chassis without noticeable effect. With a creaking groan, the Mover rights itself, trying to simply land atop Floral before rocketing away once again. Most of the cylinders atop the Mover somehow remain in place, despite the acrobatics and the lack of any visible securing apparatus, but one of them falls from the top of the machine and rolls away into the park.

A frenetic slamming of metal feet announces the arrival of the AKuma, which pauses for a split second to fire a chrome spear at Floral before pouncing after the fallen cylinder.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 AKuma 5 

Move Action: Arrive at the machine.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Bomb ; Ariadne and the machine are the only things close enough to get hit.

Ariadne:  (1d20+8)[ 23 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+10)[ 17 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27 + Multiattack vs. Damage.  Hit, no Multiattack 
Created Structure:  (1d20+8)[ 19 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]  On a hit, Resistance (DC 27 + Multiattack):  (1d20+10)[ 18 ]   Deflected 
Machine:  (1d20+8)[ 23 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]  On a hit, Resistance (DC 27 + Multiattack):  (1d20+12)[ 25 ]   Deflected 

Gazebo:  (1d20+8)[ 20 ]  Resistance (DC 32 + Multiattack after auto-crit):  (1d20+6)[ 21 ]   Gazebo DESTROYED! 

The AKuma rolls Resistance vs. DC 32:  (1d20+8)[ 27 ]   1 Bruise. 
 Mover 1 

Standard Action: Use  Ram  on Floral.  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24/22 vs. Penetrating Damage linked Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled Linked Strength to throw Floral south.  Hit 

Move Action: Shift Distance Rank 10 due north.

 AKuma 4 

Move Action: Shift to Floral.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Spear  on Floral.  (1d20+10)[ 28 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 + Multiattack vs. Damage Linked Cumulative Immobilized/Stunned.  Hit, +2 Multiattack; DCs are 27/22 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
There is just no end to the damn hoses. Why does Proxy need this much hose. There's a damn lot of water in the lake, how deep do you need to not get the surface gunk (and instead only get the ground gunk)?! He even attempts simple knots to have the giant bundle of funny-colored hoses under control and in an easier to grasp area to continue all the zero time shenanigans, until 2/3 of the way to the destination, it comes loose (slapping Nope in the face no less), followed by shaking his arms to the sky and making angry closed-mouth noises. From then on, he just pushes the machine as is, with the hoses dragging through the water, which is slower going, but he is not winding all that nonsense up again.

Back in real-time, the AKuma clearly just move at the speed of Don't Bother, which is about as concerning as Nope wondering if he just black hole spaghettized a robot. Also the AKuma immediately tracking the machine. Also a distant location looking suspiciously like the place where he "hid" the machine experiencing a sudden explosion, along with the leftovers of a gazebo engaging their best attempt at a space program. But there's a lot of red thread! Ariadne with the save!

So Nope jogs right back to where he just came from. No idea how many more AKuma will come, so he should probably get on somehow disabling whatever is allowing them to track the machine. And trying to keep the freshly exploded bearbot from paradoxically exploding again.

Proxy's just scary, man.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Move  back to the machine

 Free  Reconfigure  Rote Removal  to  Remove Second Guessing 
 Standard  Use  Remove Hit Points  on the AKuma present. DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged, Improved Crit 4), Linked Weaken Resistance, Linked Affliction 10 (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated)
Attack vs AKuma 5  (1d20+10)[ 15 ] 
 Free  Reconfigure  Focus Removal  to  Remove Crux 
 EE Standard  Use  Remove Crux  on the machine to hopefully nullify whatever allows it to be tracked. Broad Technological Nullify, Concentration. Technically he can use more extras right now, but he needs to switch off of Remove Second Guessing to maybe hide the machine away again next round, so that feels kind of like a no-go.
Nullify check  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] 
 
Dorni
 "Ok,"  Helios called back to Ariadne.  "I'll handle the runner." 

He wove a veil of Air, vanishing from sight and suppressing the sound of his passing, and took off after the fleeing Akuma. The the robot had a head start, with his wind magics strengthened he rapidly gained ground. Helios started to gather his magics for a surprise attack when movement ahead caught his eye - Floral and the Mover.

So, the Akuma hadn't been trying to escape at all. It had gone to help the fleeing Mover. How it had managed to find the Mover so easily confirmed the robots were able to communicate - not surprising since they were robots - but good to know. Wait, that meant that any other proxybot in town had also probably been alerted to their attack at the docks. With how fast these things could move any number of them could be on the way. He had to warn Ariadne and Nope to get out of there. No, the Mover with its cargo was right there. He couldn't abandon this chance to reclaim whatever it was they'd taken, and Floral looked like she could use the assist.

He grit his teeth and started weaving his magic. Nope and Ariadne were capable. He'd just have to trust that they could handle it. Under his veil he finished his spell, providing almost no warning as the air around the Mover's canisters congealed and yanked at them while a hammerblow of air smashed down on the Mover to smash it away.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells to Damage, Strength 10, Concealment 5 [All Visual, Auditory], Enhanced Flight 8
Free: activate Concealment
Retcon last turn action: Chase the Akuma that fled, shift over to Floral

Move: Continue chasing the Akuma
Standard: Cast Hardened Air, attacking Mover 1 with AoA 2 / PA 4 Damage at  (1d20+8)[ 24 ]   Crit  and using Strength to attempt to take the canisters. On hit, DC 29/24 vs Damage &amp; Disarm. Attack does not take into account surprise.

If Disarm is successful and Lily is freed of the Immobile affliction, Helios will use move-by-action to return to the dock. If not he'll move a bit to disguise his position but still be near.

Note: SE Healing already went off. Effect was lost as there were no conditions to heal.
 
Quellian-dyrae
No sooner had Lily thought about the advantage of durability provided by her self healing than the universe had laughed at her for daring to believe her dinky little flower powers could possibly matter when it counted.  She managed to mostly dodge the Mover's attempt to land on her, taking only a glancing blow that Helios's invested healing cured basically before she could even feel it...and then took an electrified spear straight through her delicate wings.

When Lily had first transformed herself from the anthropomorphic flower that Manchineel had originally turned her into back into a human form, she hadn't left those four flower petals growing from her back because she had thought they would provide utility as wings.  That had been before she had understood what she could do with her new powers.  She had left them there because even for someone who had been able to endure the reshaping of her body two pounds at a time, reshaping those petals  hurt too much .

So when the AKuma's spear tore through them, Lily crashed to the ground with a scream, barely able to move from the pain.  The Mover she had been chasing went flying off.  Her brain was currently too occupied by agony to process the scents to let her know that an invisible Helios was flying after it.  It was hard to say whether that information would have made her feel better or worse.

But the Mover had dropped one of the containers.  The AKuma was going for it.  She couldn't move.  Even if she could, the AKuma was faster than her.  She had one chance to stop it.

Wavering shakily on her feet, breathing raggedly, leaning heavily on her staff for support, Lily lifted her trembling hands towards the AKuma.

Took all the pain, both the physical pain of her injury and the mental pain of her failure, and fed it as fuel for anger.

And cut loose.  Literally, as both of her hands exploded off of her wrists, twisting and warping as they flew through the air into enormous braided thorns trailing streams of acidic nectar, and shot straight at the AKuma in a last-ditch effort to destroy it before it could flee with the fallen cannister.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Heady Scent, 10 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Potent Poison, 10 points to Miasmic Scent.  We remain acid-exclusive.

Move: Dazed.  Also Immobilized.

Standard: Attack AKuma 4 with Acidic Nectar, All Out Attacking for 5, at  (1d20+15)[ 30 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20+Penetrating/20 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Resistance Linked Cumulative Immobilized/Stunned/Incapacitated Affliction.  On a miss, Homing 1.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: DO IT AGAIN!   (1d20+15)[ 32 ] .

End of Turn: Resistance to remove Immobilized+Vulnerable (DC 22):  (1d20+10)[ 14 ] .   Nope 

End of...I guess the next enemy turn?  Secondary Effect triggers for Healing at  (1d20+6)[ 25 ] .   Looks like Helios's Healing is Restorative, so 10 points to remove Immobilized, 5/10 points towards Vulnerable 

Current Status: 1 Bruise, (Dazed ends), Vulnerable (DC 22; 5/10 RP), Fatigued as of next turn, AoA -5.
 
Abracadangit
The concussion from the AKuma's explosion hits Kal like a truck -- some quick weaving protects her from being knocked completely unconscious, but she doesn't feel good.

 "I   am...   not   well,"  Kal stammers, as she lurches around dizzily in the air via her threads, her sense of direction completely jarred. But is the machine intact...? It appears as though her barriers did the job.

 "Once   more,   I   shall   protect   it,"  Kal explains.  "But   if   you   should   move   it   again,   Nope,   perhaps   it   is   best   I   stop   drawing   attention   to   it." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Move: Dazed, via Stagger.
Action: Re-applying Silken Shields on machine. Is there a way I can get in there, too? I'll confess, I don't know from a map standpoint where the machine is, since Nope moved it, but I probably missed something.

Status: 1x stack of Stagger, Dazed, Hindered
 
Zelphas
 Roughly 10-15 Seconds Ago 

Series 889 Unit 37564 was operating well above capacity. It's retreat with the acquired material had mostly been a symbolic gesture, upon reflection, an attempt to show control and forethought when the operation had already become functionally unsalvageable, as unimportant as it was. And yet... the 889 Unit was operating well. Perhaps well enough to warrant another change in the schedule, in order to study the intact specimen for anomalies.

Within one second, the risk was presented, assessed, weighed, and decided upon. The remaining few seconds as deployment completed only reaffirmed the risk as worth taking.

 Present, Helios 

Goaded by processors that identify the wind as a potential threat, the Mover immediately wraps its massive limbs around its cargo without slowing its rush. It loses a few more thin panels and gains a few dents on its arms from the jostling cylinders, but otherwise remains unharmed. An instant after the wind strikes, it turns abruptly eastward, plunging into an alleyway between two buildings that is barely large enough for it at the edge of the main drag. Before  Helios can follow it, a figure of dull black metal materializes out of the shadows and fills the alley in front of him.

The body is thinner than a Mover, but much longer, coiling and looping over itself in a constant, spinning array of overlapping curved panels and thin, impossibly sharp blades that cut through the walls near it like water without a pause or even a sound. Six wings, dull black and yet oddly, uncomfortably too soft-looking to be any metal Helios can imagine are spaced regularly over the body, keeping the entire thing aloft with silent wingbeats. At the front of the thing, facing Helios, is a matte black panel in the shape of a triangle, the point facing downwards. Etched into this panel is a single, faint mark; at first, it is nearly impossible to make out against the blackness, but then a dull red glow ignites the number   4  , casting faint, bloody shadows over the scene.

This thing is made to kill, plain and simple, and while it does not move to strike, Helios can feel its readiness to attack him if he moves closer to it.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Mover 1 

Move Action: Distance Rank 10 east.

Standard Action: Distance Rank 10 east and slightly south, most likely.

 4 

Move Action: Stop using Stealth.

Standard Action: Use  Death's Head  on Helios.  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]  Resistance DC 26/26 vs. Perception Progressive Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled Linked Weaken Attack Bonus (Against anything other than the 4).
 

 Floral 

Floral's hands rapidly expand and mutate into acidic nectar, wrapping around the AKuma, tearing apart its paneling and dumping acid into its system. It sparks, it smokes, one eye melts into slag, and yet it still remains mostly functional. One leg dragging from the melted nectar, the robotic bear twists towards the cylinder, and then, seeing it out of reach, turns back towards Floral. It's eyes and the inside of its mouth flash red.

Eight vines, thin and brownish green, covered in thorns and dripping with acid, fly out of the undergrowth of Forester Park. There is a moment of strain, and a screech of tortured metal. Eight irregular pieces of AKuma are strewn across the ground, sparking slightly, without any motion of their own to move them. Eight sets of three pairs of eyes--one blue, one brown, and one grey each--regard Floral from eight green, teardrop-shaped, familiar figures.

Eight Saplings that were not there before are not there anymore a second later, fading into and through the underbrush by their strange method of teleportation.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Saplings rolled to hit in the OOC; the AKuma's massively lowered Resistance meant that even a 20 didn't save it.
 

 Ariadne and Nope 

The exploded AKuma managed to hold itself together well after its blast, but so did nearly everything else. It avoids Nope's line of sight by running behind the machine, head swiveling and arms spinning, but a moment later it is overridden and forced to explode once more, looking to strike at everything nearby.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 AKuma 5 

Move Action: Nothing important.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Bomb  again. On a hit, Resistance DC 27 + Multiattack vs. Damage.

Ariadne:  (1d20+8)[ 17 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]   Miss 
Nope:  (1d20+8)[ 9 ]  vs. 18  Miss 
Created Structure:  (1d20+8)[ 10 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+10)[ 27 ]  On a hit,  Resistance (DC 27 + Multiattack):  (1d20+10)[ 17 ]   Miss 
Machine:  (1d20+8)[ 18 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+10)[ 13 ]  On a hit,  Resistance (DC 27 + Multiattack):  (1d20+12)[ 21 ]   Miss 

AKuma Resistance (DC 37):  (1d20+7)[ 23 ]   1 Bruise &amp; Staggered, Somehow. 
 All PCs are on turn, if there's any enemies left you want to pursue/fight. 
 
Ridai
As soon as Nope has made his attempt at stopping the machine from being tracked (one way or another, but hopefully without making it useless, finger's crossed), the machine, Ariadne, and Nope disappear from view.

Another "benefit" of the travel time that is removed for everyone except (but only technically so) Nope: he gets a long, long look at anyone he is taking with him. Putting aside all the effort that is put into attempting to transport anyone with as much dignity as possible (the alternative feels really not okay, regardless of whether or not those compunctions cause unnecessary difficulties), from time to time, he spends subjective minutes (or at worst, hours) watching friends locked in a moment of pain. He has yet to get used to that. And it makes the whole requirement of constant mental focus not any easier.

Thus he perches Ariadne on top of the machine and starts looking for a suitable location. Slow-going, but he'd rather not attempt to walk away and hope his focus keeps everything in zero time. He can't have the location too close to any people, in case more AKuma show up at some point and blow themselves up repeatedly. The industrial block would be so, so much more accomodating than the lake shore, but that is quite far away. Museum street and the main drag are the opposite of sparsely populated. The forest is a no-go. So in the end, he opts for mindgames. Surely,  surely  Dr. Proxy would assume that crafty annoyances like Nope wouldn't try to hide something near the lake twice. And thus he picks the closest thing to a big enough storage shed or warehouse or anything like that he can find. Near the lake. At least far enough away to not get people or their homes exploded by self-immolating robears.

When time flows again, Ariadne is standing on the ground (he got a lot of practice in properly placing people so they don't lose their balance by now, though he feels a little weird about having to touch people's legs and feet a lot to get the angle and height right), next to the machine, in whatever hideout Nope found. As difficult as it is to pick out any particulars about Nope as Nope, he does seem kind of tired. Subjective time does nothing to help Nope regain whatever stamina he already spent, since he himself technically is also stopped.

 "I think I got the tracker deactivated. I hope. Maybe the machine too. I'm not good with this sort of tech. Can't fight like this though, need to keep my focus on the machine. Can still move things around. First hideout I found. Sorry I wasn't faster."  He places a hand on his forehead, trying to get at least a tiny little bit of rest in. As much as he can while trying to keep that Crux Removal locked in his head.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Switch to Remove Travel Time, then teleport Ariadne and the machine away.

Nope continues to concentrate on Remove Crux to keep the machine from being tracked.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily had put everything she had into that attack.  And while it hadn't failed utterly...the AKuma was still standing.  The regenerative sunlight stored in her blood had healed the damage to her wings, but she was still wracked by pain and in a bad position to defend herself from a return attack, and at the moment much less confident in her vaunted durability to allow her to weather it.  But the part that really sucked was that that was all in context  good news .  If the AKuma attacked her, she at least might be able to withstand it and strike back.  If it just grabbed the cannister and took off, there was no way she'd be able to keep up.

And then the AKuma was torn apart by Sudden Sapling Ambush.

Lily blinked.  Manchineel's forces had...stepped in to help her?  That was surprising and confusing and right then, with her pride already kinda a punching bag right now, not actually the matter at the top of her mind.  She needed freaking  saplings  to save her.  That was really just the cherry on top of the whole Patheticness Sundae she had been chowing down on for this entire battle.

The Saplings vanished as quickly as they had come, so with a sigh, Lily regenerated her hands and bent down to pick up the fallen cannister.  Now, super-strength wasn't exactly part of the "humanoid flower" powerset; Lily Woods, at five feet and a breath and slimly built, was pretty much  exactly  as strong as she looked.  But a cubic foot of water weighed about sixty-four pounds and this container was about a foot in its  largest  dimension, so it should be substantially less than that and well within even her capacity to-

...Annnnd nope it had to be about a hundred pounds.  Lily could barely lift the top half of it a few inches off the ground.

She didn't actually cry, but there was a big part of her that wanted to.  She had never felt so useless.

(Part of her brain flagged that as meaning it must contain more than just water, which was a clue, but she wasn't really paying much attention to that part of her brain at the moment.)

With nothing else to do, she took out her cell phone and texted the real heroes to solve the apparently-intractable problem of actually collecting the MacGuffin.  It was not lost on her that this was a task that required no superpowers and was in fact achievable by pretty much any ordinary civilian.

  Secured one of the containers, need someone with actual upper-body strength to move it.  [GPS pin]  
 
 Spoiler 
Since the Mover dropped the container while attacking me I'm assuming I'm in Close range of it, so:

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  10 points to Petal Wings, 10 points to Photosynthetic Regeneration, 10 points to Enhanced Regeneration, 10 points to Floral Blood, 10 points to Olfactory Clarity, 5 points to Scent Processing, 5 points to Scent Intensification.

Move: Try to pick up the cannister, but carrying capacity is 50 pounds so lol.

Standard: Equip phone and send a text.

End of Turn: Regenerate a Bruise.  Resistance to remove Vulnerable (DC 22, +5 for Floral Blood):  (1d20+15)[ 25 ] .   Recovers 

Current Status: Fatigued, Floral Blood.
 
Abracadangit
 "Do   not   concern   yourself   with   the   fight   -- you   have   done   well,"  Kal says, marveling at the precision of Nope's abilities.

She inspects the machine, looking for cracks or apertures in the machine, as an idea begins to form in her head.
Ridai
 "You kept the thing from being blown up.  Twice.  I'll be honest, I'm not sure what I  actually  managed to remove. Worst case, a bear is coming in here in a few seconds, and I broke the machine." 

Phone's buzzing. Quick check. Floral calling for assistance. Managed to catch the Mover's loot. Nope is so damn glad everyone else in this team is damn good at what they do.  "It's from Floral."  He reads the message aloud for Ariadne. Cheeks puff out as he sees how far away the pin is, already looking tired.  "I'll, uh, I'll go. Can you send the location to Helios?"  He types and sends   Coming.  
 
 Spoiler: If Nope can do a double move with EE this round 
The next moment he appears next to Floral and the cylinder, then moves them back to the machine hideout. Immediately followed by Nope sitting next to the machine, his hand against it to help with the focus, while nursing a clear headache.  "I, uh, I have no idea if this is a good hideout. Or if I actually deactivated the tracker,"  he once again sheepishly admits.
 

 
 Spoiler: Planned actions 
Nope wants to get Floral and the cylinder with a  Remove Travel Time  double move while concentrating via Extra Effort.
 
Dorni
Helios drew up short at the new proxybot's sudden appearance. The Mover continued drawing further away, but it wasn't yet out of sight. The problem was the new battle droid was tracking him perfectly despite his veil. He wouldn't be able to hide from its sensors - this would be a fight if he pursued. Which also was motivation to improve his veil, but that was an issue for later. Right now he was fairly confident that his magic could handle the newcomer, but he definitely didn't want to see what those blades could do to him if he slipped up. He'd have to fight extra careful - meaning it likely wouldn't be quick or easy. And every minute he'd be drawing further away from his allies, meanwhile the robots could call in even more help.

His phone chose that moment to beep. Floral had a canister secure. Needed assist.

Helios regarded the battle droid one more time. Then he gave it a fencer's salute. His goal was the canisters the Mover was carrying. With Floral's sample there was no more need to pursue. And he was no battle junkie. He was sure he'd have to battle more of Proxy's creations in the future, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

He floated backwards, eyes still on the machine in case it decided to rush him but once it was clear it wasn't chasing he turned and made for Floral's location, maintaining his veil until he got close.   On it.  
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: OOC Note 
For the sake of good order, I'm going to assume that Nope grabbed Helios and brough him along after Helios arrived near Floral.
 


The cylindrical, vaguely serpentine robot makes no move towards or away from Helios as he backs away, it simply watches, its silent spinning blades an unspoken but obvious threat. It continues to simply wait in the path between Helios and the Mover until the magic user goes out of sight.

In mere seconds (for everyone but Nope, that is; Nope has an extended period in between microseconds filled with careful movements and increasing mental pressure to keep the machine's parts non-functioning without simply removing them entirely from existence), the group has all gathered together in a small boathouse on a dock near where they began. The machine sits within the plywood house, the two still-connected cylinders humming slightly; otherwise, the machine is still. A small amount of mud, muck, and lake-bottom detritus leaks from underneath the machine.

The cylinder that  fell off of the Mover is standing upright between you all; at closer inspection, it is not a smooth, seamless structure, but possesses a sealed lid with a small button at the top. If the button is pressed, the top of the cylinder lifts smoothly open with a slight hiss, revealing... sand. With a few small pebbles and some darker dirt mixed in.

 
 Spoiler: Expertise (Biology or Animals) DC 25, Expertise (Biochemistry) DC 30 
With a cursory glance, it's impossible to say if this holds true for the entire cylinder, and a microscope would be needed to make certain, but it looks like a high number of the larger pebbles are actually tiny fossils, bits of whatever lived in this area long, long ago.
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Battle over! Everyone take a Hero Point.

I'll give you the Downtimes once this scene is finished up.
 
Quellian-dyrae
 
 Spoiler 
Routining the Expertise check.
 


And pop they were elsewhere.  Lily was actually starting to get used to that.

Her wounds were already healed.  Her ego was very much not, but while Lily's pride may have left her sensitive to feelings of failure and inadequacy, it also meant the idea of actually showing it was basically too horrible to contemplate.  So all her doubts about being good enough, about being powerful enough to measure up to the other heroes, she kept firmly locked away in her head.  Fortunately, Lily had a pretty decent poker face.

Lily looked over the contents of the container.  Sand, and stones.  Precisely what you'd expect a machine to be sucking up from a lake if it wasn't sucking up water.  But not just stones...

 "Fossils,"  Lily said aloud, picking out a couple of the larger ones to examine.   "At least the bigger ones.  Maybe all of it.  Probably the machine was able to filter them out somehow." 

Which...on its own didn't explain much, granted, but this wasn't on its own.  Proxy's attack on the museum had been targeting ancient tools that had turned out to be  surprisingly  ancient, some of the oldest tools of their type on record...

Lily went sifting and sniffing through the contents of the container.  It wasn't all fossils, and on closer examination some of the rocks had scratches and imperfections that could maybe have been confused for fossils by an insufficiently discerning AI.  That...probably mostly ruled out a specifically targeted search.

Two obvious hypotheses sprang to mind.  First, Proxy was looking for something anomalous, out of place, in the way the too-old tools had been.  Which for fossils would mean...what?  Evidence of plant or animal life in the wrong part of the fossil record, maybe?  Or he could be looking for fossils from a specific time period.  Maybe the time those tools were from?

They would need to examine the fossils in a lab, get them dated, of course, but that would take time.  There might be a faster answer.   "This machine had to be sucking up material from the lakebed.  Or, not just the lakebed,  below  the lakebed."   Lily was neither a geologist not an archaeologist, but she certainly knew enough to know that if you are looking for something old, you're going to need to go digging.   "Did the machine have like, a tube or something attached, when you guys grabbed it?  And how long was it?"   If they could figure out how far down the hose had gone, maybe they could use that to estimate how far  back  in time Proxy was looking.  If it was anywhere near the time those tools were from, that'd be a clear lead.
Ridai
Nope nods his head, shakily, then points to the mess behind the machine.  "Absurdly long tubes. Got to the ground of the lake, easy." 

He glances to the others, but not too long to keep himself from getting distracted.  "D-do you still need to examine the machine? Head's really hurting." 
Abracadangit
Kal shakes her head.

 "My   plan   was   to   see   inside   the   machine,   but   without   some   kind   of   opening,   my   thread   sight   can't   get   inside.   Besides,   I   am   not   so...   versed,   in   the   ways   of   science,"  she admits, with a shrug.  "Floral   will   be   of   more   use   here,   I   imagine." 
Dorni
 "Fossils? hmm..." 

That was curious. Helios supposed it tracked with Proxy's raid on the museum, providing more evidence to their earlier theory that the doctor was seeking something in the historical record. It got them no closer to knowing what that thing was. The best he could see was that they should be be on the lookout for Proxy to make moves on any historical artifacts, but he'd already hit the museum and with the dome up it there wouldn't be any new ones coming into town any time soon.

Although...  "Let me have a look at those." 

Helios had been toying with a theory. It wasn't fully filled in, but there were plenty of pieces. Whether it was in this timeline or Watcher's, Manchineel had awoken here. Lockdown had lived for a time here. And the abandoned camp nearby was the site of a well of Death energy that obviously predated all of this. He wasn't sure what it meant, but it still nagged at him that Watcher had attested at each of the League were weaker now than they had been in his timeline, where even then they were still  minor  threats. But it pointed in the direction that there was something off about this place supernaturally, or perhaps about the world in general. History didn't record any verified superhumans in the past few centuries, but all of a sudden dozens were popping up? He wasn't sure what, but it suggested that something about the world was changing. Damn global warming.

But if something was changing, what was it changing from? What was it changing to? Helios studied the mass of fossils, which until now had laid undisturbed far beneath the lake. He'd heard of of scientists in the arctic studying large ice cores to track changes in the atmosphere over time. Perhaps the fossil core Proxy had drilled could act the same.


 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Perception  (1d20+15)[ 23 ] . Trying to discern if anything about the fossil collection pings as odd to his mystic senses, or if there are any changes in what he senses mystically as he goes down the sample..
 
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: Helios 
The theory is interesting, and possibly worth pursuing. However, The mixed collection of rocks, sand, and fossils in front of you does not have a trace of magical, mystical, or other energy that your Mystic Sense can pick up.
 


After a few minutes, the soft humming of the machine's still-working section trails off to nothing, the entire thing apparently winding down now that it is out of the water. In that time, no new machines, Proxybot or otherwise, appear near you; it seems that Nope's negation of the machinery has been effective in disabling the tracking.

...Or Doctor Proxy decided that the cost of retrieving the machine was not worth the advantage of retrieval. Either way, it amounts to the same thing; a Proxy-machine, in essentially pristine condition, for your perusal.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
All right; I think that's the scene! Everyone can take  2 Downtime Actions .

Since you collected the machine basically untouched and a sample of what Doctor Proxy was gathering in at least one of the canisters, everyone gains a  +5 bonus  to the  Watching the Bots  Downtime for this downtime period.
 
Zelphas
 Tattered Memory 

September 14th, 2018.

While Lily continues research on the machine and containers grabbed from Doctor Proxy (and possibly has another showdown in front of the police laboratory with her sister, one that ends much more decidedly in her favor since the four new heroes have gotten on good terms with nearly everyone on the police force due to their heroism), the three of you chase down a lead you've had for more than a month at this point; the beaten up red woolen scarf wrapped around Abel's neck, with the letters "N. Magr--" written on one edge of it, like a name. Ms. Jennifer Magrethe is easy to research and dismiss, with a little bit more digging; she is in her mid seventies, an only child, no close relatives, no spouse, no children, no one who shares her name at all within roughly a hundred miles, as far as you can find. She is also well-to-do and apparently wouldn't be caught dead near anything made of mere rough wool, so the scarf does not seem to belong to her.

That leaves the Magro family, and in contrast to Ms. Magrethe, there seem to be too many options. Zephyr is a warehouse manager, a difficult thing to do in the current climate of Forester's Bay; his wife works for the city as a groundkeeper in Forester's Park and thus has had more contact with creatures of Manchineel than most civilians, though so far she has not drawn their ire. The reason that this is almost certainly the right choice is the fact that there are  three  "N. Magro"s closely connected to this family: Nathan Magro, Zephyr's grandfather; Nathan Magro (again), Zephyr's twin brother; and Natalie Magro, Zephyr and Talia's seven-year-old daughter.

A little bit more searching, however, complicates things once again. A visit to the Restful Boughs Nursing Home reveals that the first Nathan Magro, Zephyr and the other Nathan's grandfather, is still comfortably ensconced there, with nothhing affecting him except the early stages of dementia and a life of hard labor. Nathan Magro (the twin) is apparently known as a shiftless wanderer, unlike his well-liked brother, and he hasn't been seen in Forester's Bay--in fact, in Michigan at all, as far as anyone knows--for the last five years. And if the brown-haired girl sitting half-hidden in a bush, concentrating on a handheld device of some sort, in front of the comfortable narrow-lot style house with the mailbox with "MAGRO" painted in sloppy blue-and-yellow letters, is who you think she is, then Natalie Magro is also, essentially, accounted for.

Still, this is the most obvious lead you have to the identity of Abel--or at least, to something Abel cares about. Every Punishment has acted, in some way, like the animal that they began as (the plant-based ones were harder to tell, but the theory still holds). Raphael was talked down without a fight, by appealing to her nature as an animal first, rather than the elements that Manchineel had added on to her. Perhaps, if Abel was once a human, or if he cared about a human in some way, you can use that to similarly talk him down? Or maybe you can just find a weakness.

Either way, you are standing in front of the Magro household in the Residential Quarter, preparing to have a decidedly odd conversation with at least two of the residents of Forester's Bay.

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
The girl in the bush--Natalie, almost certainly--has an aptitude for Life magic and Earth magic, though it is definitely untrained. They combine in her in an interesting way that you haven't really seen yet--you're reaching, but you think she might be able to make animated statues, though they'd likely be small and simple, at least at first.

 
 Spoiler: Perception (Mystic Senses) DC 22 
Magic aptitude is not necessarily hereditary, but you get the feeling that that is the case here. The lawn and garden in front of you has been tended by someone (or someones) who has Earth and Life affinity, though in very small amounts and not in any trained way; you can only just catch the traces.

 
 Spoiler: DC 27 
In fact... it's muffled by the natural turn of the seasons, but it seems like whoever had Life affinity hasn't tended to this garden in over a month. The signs, already sparse, are fading fast.
 

 

 

 
 Spoiler: Kal 
Inside your head, Ariadne gives a dry sort of chuckle.   "Learn to see the threads more clearly, and you'll know,  engoni,"  she replies before you can ask, and refuses to elaborate.
 

 
 Spoiler: Nope 
Nothing seems bad, or out of place, or otherwise problematic to you. This all seems completely normal. I realize that this sounds like it's building up paranoia, but really, everything is fine here.
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
All right! Howe are you showing up here, and what are you planning to do next?
 
Ridai
Nope observes the house for a while, unseen, waiting for the others to arrive. Naturally, given the social situation they will be getting themselves into, he asks them, away from the house:  "...So how are we gonna do this? Just straight ask them? ...And do you want me there as well? What with the... no food for three days thing and all..." 
Abracadangit
 "A   moment   for   reconnaissance   before   we   make   any   moves,"  Kal says, as she gestures with her needle in the air. Perhaps this one time, she would listen to Ariadne without putting up a fight to start.

As she closes her eyes, another sense opens, the same way someone might feel a loud sound or hear a bright color. A network of intangible threads, crisscrossing over and around each other, expands outwards over the surrounding area. The threads seek out information, waves, auras, truths, as Kal's consciousness drifts from one thread to the next.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Gonna turn on Threadwork Sense, with a special attention for odd energies. Also -- does Threadwork Sense detect anything related to or connected to the scarf itself? Figure there's some parallelism with threads, and all that.
 
Ridai
 "I don't get the sense anything's wrong here,"  Nope adds before waiting for whatever Ariadne is doing.
Dorni
 "Same here,"  Helios adds while removing his veil.  "The girl isn't trained, but she has an aptitude for Life and Earth magic. From the traces of it around the garden it looks like she got it from her parents. But those traces are faint and don't seem to have been placed with intention. If there is a threat here it isn't mystical. Caution's fine, but I think we can approach them directly." 
Abracadangit
Kal nods, as her threadwork sense doesn't turn up much of use.  "Agreed,"  Kal says, as her normal senses turn back on and the threads recede.  "Whatever   approach   you   two   think   is   best." 
Zelphas
Natalie looks up as the three of you approach the house, her green eyes widening in shocked recognition. She seems frozen between wanting to shrink shyly into the bush and wanting to rush out and talk to you; the electronic device (a 3DS) lies forgotten in her hands. As you approach the house, you can hear raised voices; two people, male and female--not frightened, but definitely angry.

The doorbell doesn't work, but a quick knock on the red-painted door cuts off the possible argument fairly quickly. Footsteps turn into the door being opened by a woman a few inches taller than Lily, with short brown curly hair held back by a headband and green eyes precisely the same shade as her daughter, wearing a grey sweatshirt and jeans. Talia Magro's face turns from annoyance, to shock, and quickly into concerned horror as she takes in the three of you at her doorstep.   "Hello, can--wait, Ariadne? You all are--what's wrong? Is Natalie okay?! Natalie!"  
  "I'm right here, Mom,"   a voice pipes up behind you, and Talia nearly falls over with relief. From behind her, within the house, a taller man--six foot three, at least, though he's slouching somewhat--with short-cropped blond hair and blue eyes walks up behind his wife, his face a picture of annoyance.

Zephyr Magro shifts his shoulders underneath the white dress shirt he's wearing as he steps next to and slightly behind Talia, blocking your view of the house beyond.   "Can we help you?"   he asks bluntly, ignoring the sharp look from his wife.

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Talia Magro has the slightest ability with Life magic, as the healthy houseplants you can see in the home attest to. You doubt that she can do much more than be slightly healthier herself.

You get no sense of magic ability from Zephyr.
 

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
Your threads dance very slightly around Talia and Zephyr; there's magic there, though its so faint it's hard to tell which one's giving off the ability, let alone what they could do with it.

There are several examples of simple crochet work in the house, some of it  much  sloppier than others. They're displayed with a sense of pride; if you had to guess, you'd say that Talia knows how to crochet and is teaching Natalie.

  "Simple work, but good; you must not forget your basics,  engoni." 
 

 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 20 
If the raised voices weren't enough of a clue, it's obvious by their posture that the relationship between Zephyr and Talia is... strained, to say the least. Talia seems glad of the distraction from their fight (though still deeply worried about why  superheroes  are at her door), but Zephyr is angrier with you than with her.

 
 Spoiler: DC 25 
Zephyr's anger is masking fear, and his fear springs from guilt. He's guilty about something and afraid you'll find out--though it doesn't seem to be you all  specifically  that he's afraid of.
 

 

 
 Spoiler: Expertise (Fashion and Garments) DC 20 
The white button-up shirt that Zephyr is wearing is store-bought, but someone tailored the shirt to fit in a more flattering fashion--a cost-effective way to look good in formal clothes without fully breaking the bank.

 
 Spoiler: DC 30 
It wasn't tailored right, though; it's too tight around the stomach and too loose at the shoulders. It isn't much of a change, but it's definitely off.
 

 
Ridai
Well, at least they don't seem terrified of him, so that is kind of a tiny win for Nope? Then again, Zephyr seems pretty mad at them, so jury is still out in that regard. Put into an uncomfortable situation, Nope tries to avoid just saying nothing in hopes of someone else saying something fast enough to not make things awkward.  "We're investigating something weird and wondered if you could help us. Just a couple of questions. Not sure if we should do that out here though."  There. He said the gist of it. Reminder to everyone that Remy never wanted to become a policeman, detective, or lawyer.
Abracadangit
Kal notes the oddness of Zephyr's shirt -- not a terribly skilled hand, at work -- and bows slightly, for the assembled Magros.

 "My   colleague   is   correct,   we   only   come   looking   for   information." 
Dorni
So. As he'd suspected, the girl's mother had a touch of the talent as well. He almost dismissed the thought when another hit him. Rapheal had been a font of Life. And if Abel was-is Nathan Magro, he'd likely inherited a touch of talent for Life as well. It wasn't much, but it was a connection. Did Manchineel need subjects with an affinity for Life to create more powerful servants? Food for thought. For later.

Helios met Zephyr's gaze. Not in challenge, but still firmly.  "Indeed. We're looking for some answers and hope we hope you can help us. Please." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Persuasion  (1d20+15)[ 27 ]  for the initial impressions
 
Zelphas
Zephyr tries to step forward, mouth opening angrily, but he's blocked by a pointed elbow to the gut from Talia, who never looks away from the three of you. Mouth opening in a relieved--if still somewhat nervous--smile, she nods, opening the door a bit wider.   "Oh, we'd be happy to help! Though I'm not sure what we can do... come in, please, take a seat in the living room."  
  "Talia, if the League hears--"  
  "We're  happy  to help the people who are trying to do something about the mess we're in,"   Talia replies hotly, her eyes flashing. She turns back to the three of you, all smiles.   "Do you drink coffee? Tea? We have some soda here, too..."  

Meanwhile, Nope feels a hesitant tap on his arm. Turning, he'll see Natalie trying very hard to actually look at him while also shyly looking away from his eyes.   "Do...do you have invisibility powers? How did you get them?"   she asks quietly, curiosity evident in her tone.

  "Natalie, get inside."   Zephyr's voice rings out with command, and the girl jumps a bit before giving Nope an apologetic look and scurrying to obey. The tall, blond-haired man blocks the door as Nope approaches.   "Fine, we're helping the other two, but I don't want  him  in my house. Who knows what'll go missing,"   he adds nastily, looking somewhat near Nope without quite focusing on him.

 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 15 
Zephyr doesn't actually care one way or another about Nope and his powers; he just doesn't want any of you in the house, and it seems like he just remembered that he has a semi-plausible reason to try and block Nope. He'll probably crumble if the point is pressed.

There's definitely something way off about his entire demeanor, but you don't have it pinned down just yet. You get the feeling that a lot of his reactions have almost nothing to do with any of you personally.
 
Ridai
Looking at Natalie, Nope manages to reply with a hesitant nod. To the second, in the moment before Zephyr commands her inside, the girl manages to see a very sad and pained expression through the indistinct veil.

When Nope is blocked entrance, perhaps the man expects Nope to put up a fight. Therefor, he is hit with  "Okay,"  as Nope accepts this treatment. It is only fair.  "I'll stand in that spot, out of sight. Throw something at me if you want to confirm I am there."  He points to a place in their yard, walks there, and removes his presence.

And then he waits.
Abracadangit
Kal makes a face, behind her mask -- she doesn't like seeing one of her colleagues treated in this way, but it's not like they have other options.

As she enters their home and politely declines a beverage, she gestures at the crocheting, here and there.  "Excellent   work,"  she says, with a sprig of warmth, to hopefully restore goodwill.  "Who   amongst   you   demonstrates   such   skill?" 
Dorni
Helios' friendly demeanor stiffened at the insult to his teammate. It seemed to him to be made in bad faith, like he was looking for ways to upset and drive them all off and having been overruled by his wife was settling for keeping out one of them. Helios opened his mouth ready to defend Nope when his teammate accepted the barring. A glance at Nope caught the boy's pained look - the jab had landed. Looked like he was still beating himself up for the insect incident. Helios closed his mouth and didn't stop Nope, but he made a note to talk with his colleague later.

 "Thanks, water is fine for me, ma'am,"  he accepted, following Talia inside.
Zelphas
 Ariadne and Helios 

Natalie, having slipped in the door just before it closed, vanishes up the stairs mere moments later. The distinct sound of a door closing a bit harder than it needs to comes a moment later, and Zephyr's shoulders twitch with chagrin and irritation.

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
Seconds after the door to Natalie's room closes (her room is filled with various toys, games, bits of string, half-finished drawings, and even clumps of Play-Doh that have been left out too long and hardened in half-done shapes), her window is open, and Natalie is climbing down the drainpipe outside. She moves to the front yard and stops, looking around in confusion.
 


The look that Talia flashed towards Zephyr after his comment could quite possibly have boiled the glass of water that she hands to Helios a few moments later, but she doesn't respond aloud. For his part, Zephyr moves to one corner of the room, leaning against a doorway and glowering with his arms crossed.  The living room is comfortable--an L-shaped couch and a separate easy chair, both in dark blue, facing a mid-size television, with bluish grey carpeting and warm tan for the walls.   "Oh, please; it's just a little crochet,"   Talia replies dismissively to Ariadne's comment, though it's obvious that she's pleased.   "With things being... well, I can do a little work, still, but not much, and so you need something to do with your hands--and indoors, mostly,"   she mutters the last part almost to herself, annoyance flashing across her face for a moment.

  "I appreciate your interest in my wife's hobbies, but I don't think the oh-so-noble superheroes of Forester's Bay came to our door to swap crocheting patterns,"   Zephyr cuts in, his tone more obviously insulting after his earlier success keeping Nope out.   "Why are you dragging us into your fight with the League?"  
 Nope 

A few moments after the front door closes on you, a window at the front of the house opens. Natalie's head pokes out, and after a bit of hesitation the rest of her follows. With the practiced ease of a child who has done this plenty of times before, Natalie clambers down the drainpipe in near-silence, landing on the front lawn. She looks around, confusion and concern knitting her brow.   "Mr. Invisible? Um... Nope, sir?"   she half-whispers, casting nervous glances over her shoulder towards the house.   "C-can I ask you some things? Are you still here, Mr. Nope?"  
Ridai
Nope watches the little girl climb out of the window and he gets the building sense that this can't end well.

Still, the girl seems determined. Nope squats down to be more at eye level with her, whispering  "I'm here. Staying invisible to not attract bad guys."  The briefest outline of Nope becomes visible for but a moment to let the girl know where he is, but becomes invisible again afterwards.  "Just... just Nope's fine, thank you."  He sighs, then continues.  "I promised I'd stay in this spot. I don't want you to get in trouble with your dad." 

He looks to the little girl and the front door. Can't bring himself to just brush her off.  "But sure. Just a few questions, though, please. Then you'll climb back to your room before your dad finds out, promise?"  Nope doesn't like getting shouted at or insulted, but he likes it even less if that happens to other people because of him. Naturally, Nope is also watching the front door, and listening to things like one of Natalie's parents going up the stairs or knocking on her door and the like to bring her back to her room instantly and return to his spot.
Dorni
Helios narrowed his eyes at Zephyr.  "We didn't start this or put up the dome, sir. We just don't like bullies."  Helios responded with a very direct look.

His expression softened looking back to Talia.  "Actually, in a way the stitching is why we're here. One of Manchineel's servants - Abel - wears a scarf. Faded, red, with a part of a name sewn in. We think it belonged to Nathan. We're wondering if you know anything about it." 
Abracadangit
With Helios having asked the question they came here to ask, Kal instead turns her attentions to getting Zephyr to calm down, even if only a little.

 "I   understand   your   apprehension.   We   all   have   people   we   wish   to   protect,   Mr.   Magro.   And   that   is   why   I   am   giving   you   and   your    family    this." 

Kal produces a small needle, and gestures arcanely with her fingers as a short length of red thread knots itself around the eye.  "If any of you,   for any reason,   feel as though   you are in need of protection,   hold this needle in one hand   and pull the thread with the other.   It is tied to the threads   in my soul, Mr. Magro.   That means it is   impossible for me to ignore.   I cannot   let it 'go to voicemail,' hnn, hnn, hnn.   It will wake me in the night,   if that is when you need my aid.   I trust you   not to abuse it,   and in return..." 

She holds the needle out to Zephyr, and waits patiently for him to take it.

 "...I   need   you   to   trust   us,   now.   We   only   wish   to   see   an   end   to   the   suffering." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Adding "Strings Attached" Complication to Ariadne's sheet, in the OOC thread.
 
Zelphas
 Nope 

Natalie jumps a little in surprise at Nope's outline suddenly appearing, but nods seriously in response to his statements.   Mr. Nope, um, can you.--umm, okay, you can turn invisible. Can you also... look like someone else? Or do you know if...if people can?"   Her face is earnest as she tries to look where your face is.

 Helios and Ariadne 

Zephyr's lip curls in a sneer at Helios' veiled comment, but he doesn't reply aloud, choosing instead to glare and keep his arms crossed. Talia tilts her head, thinking, her eyes confused.   "Well... Natalie did knit her uncle a scarf a year or two ago, but he didn't show for Christmas. He hadn't been here, not in years, but Natalie wanted to try out her skills..."  
 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
Helios' eyes were on Talia, but yours were on Zephyr when he asked his question, so you caught it. For a second, Zephyr's face had gone ashen with shock, but he covered it up quickly.
 

  "Thank you,"   Zephyr says stiffly, almost woodenly, accepting the needle as though he expects it to stab into him at any second.   "We sent it to him, right? Forwarded it to his address in California."  

Talia shakes her head decisively after a moment.   "No, we didn't have his address,"   she argued, firmer now.   "He said he was in the southwest, so we thought California, but--"  
  "Oh, right! Right. Wait, I remember now,"   Zephyr says, tapping his forehead for a moment.   "I threw it away, when this whole thing started. Well, if he didn't want it, then why should we clutter the house with it?"   he snaps defensively in response to Talia's look at him.

 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 15 
Everything that Zephyr has just said is a lie.
 
Ridai
 "No, I... I can only make things go away. Some things come back, like me becoming visible again. Some things don't."  There is a heavy pause, and an audible exhale. Nope quickly pulls himself out of thinking about his own powers, and more towards Natalie probably asking something this specific for a reason. Well, at least he thinks she might. Mostly because of it seeming kind of important to her, otherwise he'd expect... more questions at once if it was just about "cool superpowers".  "Other people might be able to shapeshift, though. Is there someone you think can look like someone else?" 
Abracadangit
This is going nowhere, Kal muses. The more she pushes, the more the story changes, and the more Zephyr and Talia fall back into whatever weird fight they were having before the team showed up.

  "What do I tell someone that doesn't want to talk?"   Kal ponders.

  "Simple, engoní. You tell them what you tell anyone who is afraid: the truth."  

Kal glances at Talia and Zephyr, watching them fidget nervously, and then clears her throat.

 "I have learned much   in these past few days, not just about   our strange situation, but also which resource   is the most important at times like these.   I used to think it was our gifts --   after all, you cannot fight   if you cannot defend yourself, hm? And this   is part-of-the-way true. Then,   I think to myself, it is not our gifts,   it is our cleverness, our cunning that is the greatest resource.   Our gifts are only as useful as our creativity   in wielding them, so that we can adapt to these new threats as we discover them. This   is also part-of-the-way, but not all-of-the-way true. Looking back   on our triumphs, I am realizing   that I am wrong twice now. There is but one thing   that allowed us to assist in time, and has been   our most reliable ally, and that thing is information." 
 "It was information that kept us one step   ahead of the crazy doctor man, who attacked the museum. It was   information that helped us stop the cult meeting, before they   could work their dark magics. It was information for the camp,   and the water supply, and everything else. It was information that saved lives,   Mr. and Mrs. Magro. Information in our hands,   with enough time to act on it." 
 "Now, here is your other problem,   but it is related, this I know to be true.   If this was a situation for the police, and you   don't like the officer who comes to write down what you say on their little paper, you wait   for the next one. You go to the doctor and you do not   like what they have to say, you go and get   a second opinion. This is what everyone does. But you see,   our situation here is... unique, is it not? There are no   other police officers coming to write down what you say, there is no other   doctor with a 'second opinion.' We are the only ones who   can protect you from this strangeness, at your door. But we can   only do that if we have the right information, with enough   time to act on it. I beg of you, if you   have such information, that you please   share it with us, so we can   protect you in whatever way we are able."
 
Kal gestures to the needle, now held by Zephyr.  "I have put a little piece   of my soul in your hands, Mr. Magro.   All I am asking in return is that you   put a little piece of your trust in mine." 
Zelphas
 Nope 

Natalie listens to your explanation soberly, beginning to fidget as you ask your question in response.   "I, um... well, it's just that... umm, you see... I don't like being called Nat!"   She burst out, a look of almost horror coming to her face a second or two later.   "No, I mean, what I mean is, it's just that, th-there's a, um..."  

Bending down abruptly, Natalie seizes a small branch from the ground and begins to prune it of the spiny leaves from the bushes, her face and body slowly calming down as she becomes absorbed in concentration.   "It sounds like a bug, right? Nat. At least, that's what Suzy said, and then they all laughed, and... a-anyway,"   she continues, her eyes focused on the branch as she begins carefully breaking off the smaller branches and smoothing out a few of the larger ones.   "I don't like it. And Mom and Dad know that, a-and so they don't call me that. B-but..."  

Natalie is silent for a long moment, still picking at her branch. She holds it up to the sun to look at it; with her pruning and shaping, it looks roughly like a humanoid figure made of sticks, though the "arms" and "legs" are all different sizes. She starts trying to even them out for another long moment, before her hands slowly come to a stop.   When the... when everything got weird. A couple days after, right after the 4th of July. When Dad came home from work, he... he called me. Nat. He said it a few times. And-and then he stopped. But everything was weird, but my parents are being weird and fighting when they think I don't hear them, but he looks just like Dad and Mom doesn't notice anything, but he--but..."  

Her hands tremble on the branch.   "I think my Dad isn't my Dad,"   Natalie whispers, her face hidden behind her hair.

 Ariadne and Helios 

As Ariadne gives her speech, Zephyr's face turns white and red in blotches, as though two different, strong emotions are fighting for dominance. His hand twitches as though he wants to throw the needle across the room, but he restrains himself at the last second, settling for quickly setting the needle on a shelf nearby and folding his arms tightly across his chest.

Talia looks between Ariadne and Zephyr, confusion quickly being replaced by surprise and anger.   "Are you--Zephyr, is she saying that you're lying to them? Why would you do that?"  
  "I'm not lying."   Zephyr's tone is tight, leashed anger and fear sounding behind every teeth-clenched syllable he forces out. He manages to meet Ariadne's eyes for a few seconds before looking away, though he refuses to look down.   "I threw the scarf away. I don't have anything else to tell you."  
  Okay, what is  wrong  with you?!?"   Talia explodes, bursting out of her chair and turning to face Zephyr.   "Look, everything is  crazy  right now, and we don't have to agree on anything, but these people are actually trying to  fix  things! Just tell them the truth!"  

Zephyr hunches in on himself a little further, but he refuses to back down.   "I said everything I'm going to. I can't help you."   Talia breathes in to continue yelling, heedless of the heroes around her, but Zephyr simply remains crunched in on himself.

 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 20 
Weirdly enough, when Zephyr said that he threw the scarf away this time, he seems to be honest. However, he does not want you looking into this scarf, or anything about Nathan, and he's apparently willing to antagonize both of you and Talia to do so.

He's panicking and doubling down like someone being caught in a long-term lie, simply shutting down the questioning to hide something major.
 
Ridai
Given that the dome went up and soon after, Remy's mom and dad became not just villains but high-ranking villains, Nope has very little difficulty sympathizing. When the people you trust the most, who are like unshakable pillars in your life at that age, suddenly are someone else, it is hard not to be scared. A lot.

 "I believe you, Natalie,"  Nope says. That is another thing. Letting the girl know someone understands, and tries to help.  "My friends and I are looking into something scary, and whoever is pretending to be your dad might be part of it. I'll let my friends know, but we might not tell your mom for now. I think it is safer this way, and I want you and your mom to be as safe as you can be." 

Nope is quiet for a moment, trying to think what to do.  "We should probably get you back to your room soon. But... say, one last thing. Have you ever met your uncle? He and your dad are identical twins, right? Do you think he could be the one pretending to be your dad?" 
Dorni
Helios studied Zephyr once again, doubling down and stonewalling. The man was entirely detestable, at least from the brief glimpse of the man that they'd gotten.  We're not here for him,  he reminded himself. And the truth was, if Abel really was Nathan transformed by Manchineel, he could sort of sympathize with the stress of seeing someone close becoming a menace...

 "Have you ever encountered one of Manchineel's Punishments? A person that Manchineel has transformed?"  He aimed for confident and sincere, rising from his seat to slowly approach the man. He didn't want to add to the shouting.

 "We have, plenty of times. Everyone calls them monsters, and they can be plenty dangerous. But something we've learned is that Manchineel's transformations are not  complete . She can't bend them to her will completely." 
 "The person that Manchineel transformed is still in there. We know this because we've been able to reach them through something they cared about. That's what we'd like to do with Abel. We don't want to have to destroy him if there's any way to avoid it. We want to  save  him. We can't do that if you won't tell us anything." 
 "If you don't want to help us, that's one thing. But please. Help your brother. Tell us what you know." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Persuasion  (1d20+17)[ 19 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Nope 

Natalie takes a deep, shuddering breath as you say you believe her, keeping her face hidden behind her hair. Her shoulders slump, and shake slightly.

She looks up at you in response to your question, squinting slightly in confusion.   "He was at Christmas when I was little once, I think; I didn't really meet him too much. Why would he do that, though? Dad always said Uncle Nathan was just figuring himself out, and he could use our help, when I asked. Mom... I guess she made her lips really thin when he was brought up, but she didn't say anything."  
 Helios and Ariadne 

For the entire time you've been here, Zephyr has been expressing mostly anger, antagonism. You've caught flashes of other emotions, but anger has definitely been at the forefront.

At Helios' description of how the Punishments work, Zephyr's anger briefly vanishes, replaced by something else. There's fear in there, a lot of it. And, possibly... guilt?

A few seconds later, and its gone, covered over by a surge of desperate anger.   "It can't have anything to do with my brother; it happened before Manchineel was around!"  

In the short silence, Talia, her voice suddenly much quieter, asks,   "'It' happened?  What  happened, Zephyr?"  
  "The scarf,"   Zephyr says too quickly, the anger being consumed by defensiveness.   "I threw the scarf away before Manchineel showed up. She appeared around the 6th, right? I threw it away--before then."  
 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 16 
Again, he isn't lying about throwing away the scarf, but he  is  lying about that being what he meant when he said "it happened". Something else happened... well, obviously.
 

 
 Spoiler: Expertise (Local or Current Events) DC 15 
Manchineel did make her first appearance on July 6th; however, Abel and Gabriel appeared publicly at the same time as she did. Abel could easily have been "created" on or around the 5th, depending on what Manchineel was doing at the time.
 
Ridai
 "Well, that's something my friends and I will need to find out. If he's even involved and if yes, why, that is." 

Nope glances to the front door again.  "Want me to bring you back to your room? You'll be here one moment, and there the next." 
Abracadangit
  "A skilled liar is a dangerous thing, a spider of words. They scurry across each strand of their deception with care, living in it like their web,"   Ariadne thinks.
 
 "Right. So then what do I do?"  
  "Fear not, engoní. This man -- he is not a spider, hnn, hnn, hnn."  
 "I   see,"  Kal says aloud, with a respectful nod.  "Thank you for being forthcoming   with that information. It seems as though   that period of time is our window for strangeness. Please, can   you describe the manner in which you discarded the scarf,   Mr. Magro. And around that time,   is there any kind of change you could think of, in your   brother's normal patterns or behavior. Very small   things may seem insignificant, but   could prove to be the key." 
Zelphas
 Nope 

Natalie considers your question, glancing around the front lawn. She looks like she wants to shake her head for a long moment, and then finally nods.   "I should--I can climb back up myself, but--if you want to...?"   She looks curious at your description of your powers.

 Ariadne and Helios 

Zephyr looks at Ariadne for a moment, his mouth working silently.   "I--what? I just--I just threw it away, why-why would I remember all the steps of throwing something useless away? And my brother, he wasn't any--I mean, we haven't seen him in three--five years, right--"   He glances at Talia as if for support, only to see Talia looking at him in mounting suspicion and confusion.   "All right? He isn't still--he isn't here!"   It doesn't take an Insight score to see that he's grasping at straws.
Ridai
 "Okay. Just so you know, it is not very flashy, but it might be a bit jarring. No calling out for me though, I'll still be out here. Are you ready?"  Once Natalie gives the okay, Nope says  "Okay. Don't lose hope, Natalie. We're doing everything we can to make this right. Okay, here we go." 

And the very next moment, Natalie is standing in her room.

Given Nope has had at the very least subjective weeks of practice and is under no real stress or duress, he felt confident enough to move Natalie a little short distance. And  technically  he doesn't move from his spot. In realtime. Just as he  technically  didn't make the promise to the guy inside that house, given that's apparently not Natalie's real dad.

Regardless, Nope is being very careful in zero-time not to bump Natalie into anything, and he puts her onto the floor in a way that will not cause her to become unstable.

...he still puts her with her bed to her back and the carpet in front of her, just in case.
Abracadangit
 "I mean   no offense, Mr. Magro,"  Kal clarifies, keeping her eerie, masked gaze on him.  "It is simply a matter of discerning   how the scarf came to move from   one place, to the other. And it is not   often one quickly discards a garment,   hm? Did you simply throw it in   the trash, was it in a box awaiting donation? To make   sense of this, we must see the   situation from every angle." 
Zelphas
 Lily (with Nope) 

Hannah was too busy with her other work to interrupt Lily today, and her work on Proxy's equipment is going... about as well as can be expected when dealing with the machinery made by a super-genius who may actually be from an unspecified point in the future. Lily's actually hit an odd bit of downtime in her research; some of the machinery she's using needs to be left alone to cycle, and so she finds herself with enough time to meet up with the rest of the team after all.  As she approaches the narrow-lot style house, Lily can see a brown haired girl of around seven or eight having a serious conversation with thin air. A moment later, the girl herself vanishes.

Now, normally, this would be cause for concern, but Lily's been working with Nope long enough to recognize the signs.

Nope himself has plenty of time to notice Lily heading towards the Magro house in the endless non-time as he moves Natalie safely back to her room, which is decorated like someone who is falling violently out of love with horses and into love with Transformers as we speak, possibly.

 Ariadne and Helios 
  "Who cares about the scarf!?!"   Zephyr Magro shouts, rounding to face Ariadne directly. Kal feels a shiver run down her arms as Ariadne "suggests" that she perhaps show this man his place for trying to intimidate her.   "That's all he--why would I want--It's just a stupid scrap of cloth barely holding together! Is that all you all care about? All this is going on, and all you people care about is the  scarf?" 

Talia's anger is draining, replaced by mounting horror. She moves on shaky legs, going to place herself between Zephyr and the stairs to the second floor. Her hands, behind her, start scrambling over the drawers of a small dressing table set near the second floor, even as she shakes her head with mounting disbelief and shock.
Ridai
Returning to his spot, Nope briefly appears in outline, waving Lily closer.  "Others are inside, talking to the parents. The little girl, Natalie, thinks the man inside the house is an impostor. Don't want to burst in there. Or let the impostor know I talked with Natalie. Could escalate things. Don't want that,"  Nope fills his colleague in.
Quellian-dyrae
Was it weird that watching the girl talk to empty air, vanish, and then Nope appear was actually kinda jarring?

Like, she'd had these powers for a couple months now and been working with Nope for much of that time.  You'd think she'd be sufficiently used to it that she would barely pay it any mind.  Maybe it was because she was still in her "researcher" headspace more than her "superhero" headspace.  Or maybe it was just because this time she was seeing it "from the outside" so to speak.  But she kinda paused for a step and blinked when she saw it.  Kinda made her wonder what her own powers must have looked like to regular people.

 "Hey Nope,"  she said as she approached, listening to his briefing and considering.  By their lead, the man in the house would be Zephyr, grandson of Nathan Magro and twin brother of Nathan Magro...Jr?  The third?  Whatever.  And, perhaps most significantly for immediate tactical purposes, father of Natalie.

It wouldn't take much more than a sniff of each of them for Lily to be able to confirm or refute whether the man inside shared half his genes with the young girl.  Of course, that meant going in and getting face to face with both of them.

In principle, they could pull the same move they pulled with the cultists, with Nope removing the obstacle the house presented to her sense of smell.  Buuuut...that hadn't  exactly  been a pleasant experience, and the cracked window suggested it wasn't entirely without risk.  Call that Plan B.

If it was even needed, she supposed.   "Are we convinced she's right, or do we want to try to confirm it?"   There was more to that question than there appeared, which Nope may or may not have been aware of; around Uncle Bruno's gaming table over the years, Lily had had a tendency first to play characters with significant information-gathering capabilities (she was on record as saying that whoever thought diviners were underpowered enough to warrant giving up only one school rather than the usual two was an idiot), and when it game to gathering information, to always want to check things herself, rarely taking the word of NPCs at face value.  She'd even double-checked the results of other PCs a couple times when it was information they had gained by passing notes, or when she wasn't in the room.

Point is, Lily tended to trust her own experiments and evaluations over the claimed knowledge of others.  That she was willing to take Nope's assessment of Natalie's accuracy as given was, from her, a fairly significant statement of trust and confidence.
Ridai
 "No idea if he's actually fake, or got his mind messed with, or something else. But Natalie noticed her dad acting weird since the barrier appeared, like calling her by a nickname he'd not call her because he'd know she hates it. I'd say something's up. Just not sure what exactly."  A brief pause.  "Not enough to walk in and accuse on the spot." 
Abracadangit
 "The scarf is one   of our few leads,"  Kal says, coolly.  "If we had more robust avenues   of information to explore, I assure you,   that is what we would do." 
 "But it seems as though our mention of this scarf   is causing you a great deal of distress, hm?"  Her voice betrays not a hint of agitation. She maintains an eerie calm, despite Zephyr's escalating tension.  "It was not my intention to alarm, Mr. Magro, I   apologize. Perhaps we could switch to a less charged topic   of conversation, if only for a moment? Your lovely   wife looks rather startled, this is the last thing I would ever want." 
 "Tell me, Mr. Magro. How   did you two first meet?" 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily nodded, thinking.

If Zephyr was an imposter, he could be a danger to the Magros, but he wasn't an immediate one - if he had been, he would have done something to them already.  That  could  change if he felt his cover was sufficiently threatened, though.  For that matter, while Lily might have trusted Nope's evaluation on its face, Natalie's was a different story; if imposters were on the table, it could just as easily be the daughter as the father, trying to deflect the heroes' attention.

Hrm.  Well, maybe not  just  as plausible.  That did seem like a low-probability move.  Better to let the heroes think everything was normal than to get them looking for an imposter.

Or as Nope speculated, it could be mind control.  That also struck her as a less likely explanation.  Calling his daughter by a nickname she hates is the sort of mistake an imposter might make, but a mind-controlled person probably wouldn't.  The exception would be if it was a form of possession, and the possessor was psychically interrogating the victim to see how to better act as them.  In principle it seemed like someone with a strong enough will and sharp enough mind might be able to slip such subtle mistakes past the possessor to offer a clue to those who knew them.

A very reasonable theory, but the trick of solving mysteries in a world of superpowers was remembering that while anything may be possible, it wasn't all equally probable.  They had no evidence that Manchineel had any sort of possession-related or similar psychic powers; that was more Proxy's schtick.  But transformation was very much in Manchineel's wheelhouse.

Getting a whiff of Zephyr would offer useful data.  But if another hero just showed up out of the blue, it might agitate him.  The bold and dramatic step of knocking politely on the door could wait until other avenues of investigation had been exhausted.

To that end, Lily headed over to conduct a thorough olfactory biochemical analysis on the local plantlife that involved using trace chemical evidence held in living plant cells to acquire information that normal examination would not normally be able to acquire and definitely did not involve talking to the plants in any way no matter how her brain's auditory-processing center may have translated the insights gleaned thereby because superpowers or no superpowers Lily was still a scientist and plants weren't sentient notwithstanding certain special cases like herself and Manchineel!!

But to anyone who was less clear on the whole "plants aren't sentient no matter how much evidence my very existence seems to present against that conclusion" deal, it would have very much seemed like Lily walked up to the Magro's lawn and asked the bushes,  "Have there been any other humanoid plants like me coming in and out of this house regularly lately?" 

Again, I want to stress, Lily  was not  speaking to the plants.  She was talking to herself, verbalizing the information she was looking for as a means of focusing her attention on the right olfactory details.  Because bushes have neither ears nor brains and Lily has never protested too much about anything in her entire life.

 
 Spoiler 
Comprehend Plants.  Also note that Lily's power has a Feature that plants can draw upon her knowledge for purposes of identifying and recognizing things.

I guess while I'm at it I'll turn on the full Senses suite and throw out a Perception roll.  Maybe I'll get lucky:  (1d20+15)[ 33 ] .   Well I got lucky in one sense, whether there's actually anything out here to find is of course a separate question. 
 
Dorni
Helios glanced from Mr Magro to his wife. It felt like the conversation had shaken something loose for her. A realization. Or a suspicion. He kept part of his attention on her even as continued the conversation.

 "Ariadne is right, we don't intend to cause you undue stress. But we can put aside the scarf. A minute ago you mentioned that something happened to your brother around the time Manchineel appeared. Could you tell us what happened to him?" 
 
 Spoiler: If Needed 
Persuasion  (1d20+17)[ 19 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Floral and Nope 

As long as you have the nose for it, pheromones are a fairly fast means of communication. Floral gets a 'response' from the plants around the Magro household within seconds of 'asking' them. The result is simple: a resounding "no". No humanoid plants, no moving plants, no strange plants of any kind have arrived. The tree in the front yard is new, but it hasn't moved.

(It takes a glance to see that "new" is a relative term for the plants in the yard. The small tree, a little decorative Japanese Maple tree that's about as tall as Lily's waist, has been growing there for at least two years.)

That would be all... but there is a little thread of something. The plants haven't been cared for in the same way as usual, and their 'complaints' about this color in their response to Lily's question. It's a brand new thing, to a plant--so at most a few months old--and it it's a bit hard to parse, but eventually Lily gathers that the yardwork used to be a two-person activity, but lately only one and a half people have been doing it.

No, that isn't right; two people are still doing it, but one of them is missing something that the plants seem to think that they used to have, and so is doing a worse job. Either way, something changed a few months ago, around when the Dome came into being.

 Ariadne and Helios 
  "I-I don't see how that's your business,"   Zephyr snaps at Ariadne, falling back to hostility as his old standby.   "And he was--how would I know? I haven't seen him since--"  
  "Get out."  

Talia has pulled a small handgun from a locked drawer near the front door; the key is in her other hand. Her eyes are on Zephyr, who is staring at her in shock. The barrel is pointed downwards and her finger is off the trigger, but the tension in the room still jumps several notches.   "I couldn't believe it. I blamed it all, forgetting your work stuff, the strange comments, your roughness with Nat, on the Dome. It's driven everything crazy."  
  "Tal, baby, I'm not--"   The gun twitches up in Talia's hand, stopping Zephyr's words as efficiently as a fist to the gut. She still doesn't point it directly at him, and her hand is shaking.

  "You're not Zephyr. Get out of my house."   Talia seems to have almost forgotten the two costumed, superpowered people in her midst, so intent is she on facing down a growing nightmare.
Quellian-dyrae
No humanoid plants.  That didn't strictly rule out Manchineel's works; Lily's powers were limited to plantlife, but Manchineel's definitely weren't.  Still, it reduced the odds.  If it wasn't a transformation...

Well, there was an obvious enough alternative, and one which, amusingly enough, Lily expected her nose might not have picked up on in itself, although if they could be sure that the Zephyr in the house was an imposter, then a null result for her nose would leave only one conclusion reasonably probable.

Still, it wouldn't do to jump to conclusions, and while it seemed like a stretch...it did occur to Lily that if a change to one of the people here had negatively impacted their work on the lawn, on priors she might have expected it to have been a change to Talia the groundskeeper, not to Zephyr the warehouse manager.

So she continued communing with the plants, asking them more about what the person tending them had been doing wrong, as well as whether the one they were talking about was adult or child, male or female.
Abracadangit
Kal watches the drama unfolding before her, momentarily stunned. It wasn't fair -- she'd felt like she was making progress, even though the mysterious Zephyr fake had been growing hostile again. Kal thought that being a hero meant that people in the community would trust her or come to her for help; maybe not always to get cats out of trees, fine, but at least would believe in her enough so they could turn to her in times of need. But this whole dome situation from the start had lumped her and her allies in with the same maniacs that were tearing up Forester's Bay for power, profit, or personal gain.

  "It is not the hero's job to be loved,"   Ariadne says inside Kal's mind, with a sort of grim resignation, as though she had faced this exact moment herself.   "It is a hero's job to do what is right. First, take her weapon with the pattern we have been practicing. Then..."  
  "You're right, it isn't my job to be loved,"   Kal thinks back, strangely emboldened.   "But it IS my job to help those who are hurting. And Talia Magro is no villain... she's just in so much pain."  
  
"Be not foolish--"   Ariadne begins to warn, but Kal is already lunging forward.

She stands between Talia and Zephyr, facing Talia with her arms outstretched, making plain her intent to protect.

 "You have every right   to be angry,"  Kal says, the edge in her voice having disappeared, softened to an understanding plea.  "I will not pretend to know the things you have suffered since this man entered your home, that would be disrespectful   and unkind, and I do not traffic in disrespect or unkindness. You have clearly endured more than any of us have had to bear, and   yet still you stand. You are a very impressive woman, Mrs. Magro, this I know to be true. And if your venom,   your hatred, your rage demands that you pull the trigger, you can point it at me. Unleash your bottled   sorrows, and scream so loud the gods might hear you. Perhaps my thread can protect me, perhaps   not. Why protect this liar, this pretender in our midst, hm. Here is the truth of it,   Mrs. Magro -- if I am injured, I can recover. But if we hurt this strange man beside me, and he   loses his life, or escapes? We lose our one lead on how   to find your real husband, and this is a mystery we may yet solve." 

Kal doesn't want to take her eyes off of Talia for an instant, so to address Zephyr behind her, she invokes a curious pattern.

The back of her trademark red cloak and hood bristles and ripples like water, and the thread rearranges itself until it forms the image of a sort of ghostly, crimson Ariadne duplicate, facing Zephyr. The head of the duplicate stretches forward, on a neck made of twisting thread, until its face is close to Zephyr's, and the duplicate mask's eyeslits narrow disapprovingly.

  "You may not know the stories about me, but I am no stranger to lying men, Mr. Not So Magro. One of them left me on an island, did you know this? After I helped him take back his freedom. Did he leave me there to die, or simply because he grew tired of me?"   The threads making up the face briefly twist and shudder, as if wracked by anger.   "I was able to forgive him in time, but it is the thread, you see, that has never been able to forget the injustice of lying men."   For an instant, the threads harden again, the edges of the duplicate gleaming coldly like razors.   "The difference between that man and you, however, is I believe you are clinging to this lie to protect someone. The man whose face you wear, his family, I am not certain. But I can tell you this: the lie is inflicting pain now, and I will not stand by and watch idly as you cause pain. Now is not the time to be telling tales out of school, Mr. Not So Magro. But if you enjoy causing Mrs. Magro to suffer, and perhaps you do, by all means continue to lie."
  
   "What do you know of the man whose face you wear?"    Ariadne asks, her voice becoming increasingly demanding, jagged, and terrifying.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Switching Threadworks array to Defensive Thread, just in case things go south.
 
Dorni
Helios stood, reaching for threads of aether. The possibility that the man sitting here was an imposter was alarming, and between Manchineel and Apophis' cults there were plenty of beings that could manage a disguise or a memory tamper. Assuming this wasn't just Zephyr's twin.

But quick as he was, Ariadne beat him to it. Rather than interrupt her, he split his attention, readying threads of solid air just in case. Talia pulling a gun had surprised him, but there was still a chance to deescalate this. And "Zephyr" was running out of chances to come clean.
Zelphas
 Ariadne and Helios 

Ariadne's move in front of Talia seems to remind her that Ariadne and Helios are still there, and she stares at Ariadne with a look of confusion.   "What? I--no! I'm not--I mean, yes, I'm angry, but I don't know who he is! This was to protect me and Natalie, not--I'm not going to shoot you!"  

Meanwhile, "Zephyr" is staring at the image on Ariadne's back, his face white with terror. Helios catches his eyes flick to the large, curtained window behind him just a second too late...

...too late to stop him from breaking the window, that is; Helios is still able to snag the man in midair when he's halfway through where the window once was. Hopefully the curtains protected him from the worst of the broken glass all around him.

 Floral and Nope 

Plants don't have the best grasp of human ages (or biological sex, for that matter), but Lily's able to make her way through their ignorance quickly enough. The person wasn't doing anything specifically wrong, from what they could tell; there was just  less  of him, in a way the plants couldn't quantify. He was adult, and they think he was male.

At about this time, the large window at the front of the house shattered, and Zephyr's head and upper shoulders appeared out of the swirling glass and curtains before he was abruptly stopped in midair.

 
 Spoiler: Floral, Perception DC 25 
It... actually takes you a second or two to puzzle out exactly what you're smelling from this person and the room beyond. He's human, cut in at least two places (though you're pretty sure he only has shallow cuts), and terrified; and for a long moment that's about all you're getting. You would've put money down in that moment that this man really is Zephyr Magro.  It takes a deliberate, deeper sniff to catch the trick.

Your sense of smell allows you to break down organic material to the molecular, genetic level, giving you a dizzying array of information on the being you are smelling. This particular situation tests this ability to the limit, because the scent of this person in front of you and the older scents of the man living at this house are functionally identical down to  almost  the smallest detail.

Identical twins have the exact same DNA... right after they split apart in the womb. After that, they divide and grow millions of times, and each cell division has the chance of introducing tiny, minor mutations into the DNA of the twin--mutations that are quite possibly different from their identical twin next to them. Most identical twins have a few of these tiny mutations, setting them apart in infinitesimal ways from each other, a few small bumps in billions of DNA sequences. These mutations are magnified when one identical twin has a child--in fact, a full DNA sequence for both twins, the mother, and the child are necessary to confirm which identical twin is the father in cases of paternity disputes, and even they aren't foolproof.

In short, you'd need to check Talia and Natalie to be certain, but you can probably bet that this isn't  Zephyr  Magro who is currently struggling against an invisible force while halfway out of a window in front of you.
 
Ridai
Nope starts at the sudden crash, bewildered by the suspended "Zephyr" hanging in the floating mess.  "Why you jumping through a window, man?!" 

He tries to fix the damage the guy did to himself with the weird stunt (surface cuts are much easier to deal with than internal injuries and such, plus he has much more practice with the former), then calls into the house:  "Is everyone alright?!" 
Quellian-dyrae
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Routining the Perception check; since I'm on full-power senses the olfactory bonus is enough to take it up to 25.
 


A couple months ago, Lily might have startled visibly when "Zephyr" came crashing out the window.  But the past couple of months had trained Lily's reactions sufficiently that she didn't even flinch physically (although someone with sufficiently esoteric senses might have noticed a certain internal gathering of stored solar power, as she whelmed her powers for combat in case of a threat).  Instead, she looked calmly over at "Zephyr" as he struggled against Helios's magic.   "...Hi there,"  she said, a bit bemusedly.

Now that he was outside, it took little more than...not even a sniff, just a normal indrawn breath through her nose, to...not necessarily  confirm  his identity, quite, since she was making a comparison to trace elements, but still very strongly shift the probabilities in favor of one particular hypothesis.   "Nathan, right?  I'm Lily.  Nice to meet you,"  she said, calm and polite as if he hadn't just come crashing out of a window.

 
 Spoiler 
Sticking to full sensory stuff, but swapping the five points from Commune with Nature to the Limited Deception/Persuasion boosts of Scent Intensification.

Persuasion to just generally try to improve his reaction:  (1d20+10)[ 27 ] .  If Attractive applies, add an additional +10; 5 for Attractive itself and 5 for her Limited Enhanced Persuasion.

Deception to basically deceive him into believing she is fully aware that he's actually Nathan so it'll hopefully be kinda pointless for him to keep pretending otherwise:  (1d20+10)[ 27 ] .  Again, +10 if Attractive applies.
 
Zelphas
Zeph-- Nathan  Magro stops struggling to stare at Lily and Nope, his eyes wide in panicked, disbelieving shock. Then, implausibly, he begins to laugh.

There is no humor in the laugh; it's a hysterical, wild thing on the edge of sanity, the laugh of a man who has been put face to face with the impossible until he is forced to accept its existence.   "I'm in a kid's cartoon,"   he gasps out between choking giggles.   A kid's cartoon. And I'm the bad guy. What... is any of this real? Is all of it real?"  

---

Saying that Nathan "calms down" might be a bit of a misnomer; there's a wildness around the edges of his eyes, a sense of frayed sanity in his expression, that doesn't really fade. He does, however, become more coherent. Perhaps due to his current mental state, the full story practically spills out of him before you can ask. It's jumbled, and filled with self-justifications and fabrications that Lily's nose can easily see through, but the gist of it is this:

The man in front of you all is Nathan Magro. He had come into Forester's Bay on the morning of July 1st, planning to drift in and out of town before his family knew he was there, and maybe get his brother in some minor legal trouble as a "prank" via some sloppy shoplifting at the Deep Forest Mall. What happened next is familiar to all of you (and especially to Helios, given his place as a non-native of the Bay): The Dome appeared, and Nathan found himself unable to leave. He spent the next few days scrambling like everyone else, until he came up with a plan.

On July 5th, Nathan called Zephyr and asked him to meet in the woods near Agnelli's bluff, claiming that he had "found something important". Apparently, Zephyr trusted his brother enough to go out to meet him, and he brought along the scarf that Nathan had forgotten at Zephyr's house. When Zephyr got to the meeting place, Nathan snuck up behind him and hit him over the head with a tree branch.

(Nathan claims that he wasn't trying to kill his brother here; believe that as you will.)

Nathan had already broken his own phone and thrown it into the woods when he saw his brother arrive. He stole Zephyr's phone, wallet, and clothing, and left his own clothes, wallet, and the scarf next to his brother before leaving. All it took was a quick break-in to an abandoned barber shop (the streets were still in chaos at that time), and Nathan looked like his brother exactly, or at least close enough for no one to ask questions at this time. He claimed that his plan was to impersonate his brother, steal what he could from the house, and make a clean getaway   "before Zephyr came back, of course,"  , disappearing into the city chaos until the Dome came down and he could leave.

Manchineel made her appearance the next day, with her full Menagerie already in place. Realizing that there was no way out of the city any time soon, "Zephyr" simply... hid, using his ruse to live a normal life in the insane circumstances. He had almost thought that his "trick" would never be fully discovered... until you all appeared on "his" doorstep.

It's probably a good thing that one of you convinced Talia to put the gun away before Nathan began his tale; she looks like she's torn between throwing up every meal she's ever eaten, dissolving into tears, or murdering Nathan with any and every implement on hand, and the murder is winning the fight. Natalie is still upstairs in her room, you think; she hasn't heard any of this.

You now probably have a fairly good idea of who Abel truly is; something that may be useful, out of this entire mess.
Ridai
Nope tries to fix the window with his powers as the others move back into the living room. It is good that he attempts this at that point, as the attempts would become quite hazardous during the explanations.

By the end, Nope is standing there, his indistinct face somehow still clearly having a "wtf did I just hear" expression on it. Overall mild-mannered as he is, his response is:

 "We are in a city-sized prison, locked in with a psychotic civilization-hating druid, a mad god and his equally mad cult gung-ho about human sacrifice, a superpowered crime lord and his gang terrorizing anyone unfortunate enough to be in the same place, and a robot maniac stuffing people into brainwashing suits. And yet, I have never, in my life, met someone as deserving as you of the title 'C***'."  If it wasn't clear, the last word is the one people in the UK don't think should be part of polite conversation but isn't all  that  bad, while Americans usually get real mad about it.

To the others:  "****** needs to be stuffed into a cell he can't worm out of. Can't have another cultist or Chain Ganger running around. Should leave him in the forest, but I'll deposit him in jail." 
Quellian-dyrae
For the most part, Lily's powers were very much  not  tied to her emotions, on account of the whole thing where using them properly actually required performing on-the-fly genetic engineering.  Being very angry wouldn't let you do that  harder , let alone accidentally.  So she didn't actually start dripping acid over everything.

She did put off an intense scent of fresh baked bread, though.  Her powers and emotions were not  entirely  decoupled.

Lily's relationship with her family, her sister in particular, had been kinda shaky since her transformation.  That was what it was.  But there was a world of difference between that and being willing to get your sibling involved in legal trouble as a "prank", which was literally the  least  hostile thing Nathan had just confessed to doing to his brother.  Even if his intent hadn't been murderous,  getting knocked unconscious from a head blow was medically extremely serious and could cause long-term damage especially if not promptly treated  what's that this is a superhero setting and we have precisely zero legs to stand on in that regard?  ...Fine.  But it was still  really mean!   Especially when the intent was then to go back and burgle his brother's house.

But the thing was?  Come down to it, none of that was really why Lily was approaching Talia-level furious at Nathan.

He had left his brother to get  transformed by Manchineel .

Did he intend it?  No.  Did he have any idea it was even a possible outcome of his actions?  No.  Lily was aware of that.  It didn't change how she felt.  She remembered all too clearly the horror, the helplessness, as Manchineel worked her powers upon her, painfully twisting her and her colleagues into plant monsters without there being anything they could have done about it.

And as horrible an experience as it had been, she could only imagine how much worse it might have been if it had been coupled with the sick realization that she had been put in that situation because her brother or sister had betrayed her.

(And deep down, a sickening realization that she might actually  owe  Nathan something for that, that if Manchineel hadn't already had her Abel when she had attacked the lab, it might well have been Lily who had been forced to join the Menagerie.  It wasn't certain, but it was a possible way history could have unfolded.)

She didn't speak.  There was nothing she could think to say that Talia didn't have far more right to say than she did.  She just stood there silently, smelling like a bakery at dawn.
Abracadangit
Kal is torn. On the one hand, she knows they should turn over Nathan to the proper authorities. But on the other hand...

  "Such things are more complicated than they once were,"   Ariadne echoes, now that she's comfortably back in Kal's mind.   "Before, you could deal with these things by yourself, and not raise much commotion. But now..."  
  "Not helpful,"   Kal thinks back. She sees Talia, struggling under her tidal wave of awful emotions.

 "Ms. Magro, I..."  She pauses.  "...I cannot imagine to know your pain,   so I will not pretend to. But what I can do   is offer you my word, and my promise that we will rest at   nothing to find a way to undo this damage that has been wrought." 

She flicks her wrist, and the needle that she gave Nathan before zooms back into her hand. She now holds out it to Talia.

 "If there is a way to save your husband, Ms.   Magro, we will find it. And we will bring him home." 
Dorni
Helios listened to the tale wearing a calm mask. Or at least he tried to. Calm and collected was more fitting for a superhero than shock and seething fury.

What Nathan had done - that his brother had been left unconscious and naked in the woods to be transformed into one of Manchineel's abominations, was beyond terrible. And yet, he could  almost  understand it. There was no way Nathan could have known the fate he'd dealt his brother. Manchineel hadn't appeared yet. He understood that.

It didn't matter. The man had lured his brother to the wilds and assaulted him. He'd stolen his identity. Intended to rob him. And when that wasn't going to work, he stole the man's life. His excuse that he hadn't meant to kill his brother, "just" leave him naked and concussed counted for nothing. There was a fine line between hitting someone hard enough to knock them out and hard enough to split their skull. Nathan's plan was indifferent to that outcome.

But that was what galled him. Everything in the man's plan had been, well, planned. Premeditated. It wasn't an accident, Nathan couldn't pretend the dome had put him in a tough situation. How could he just betray his brother like that? His own family? Sometimes family went bad, but it seemed like Zephry had trusted him. And he'd returned that trust with a fate almost worse than death.

Would Dante do the same?

Helios realized he'd been holding Nathan in his spell far more firmly than when the tale had started. He thought for a moment, then eased the spell slightly. He was acutely aware that he could crush the man to paste with a thought. It was a very uncomfortable thought.
Zelphas
The police are not tremendously interested in dealing with a crime that is not supernatural or immediately dangerous... at first. It doesn't take long for your retelling of Nathan's actions--confirmed by Talia and, after a few moments, by Nathan himself, since he was still in Helios' iron grip--to change the police's tune from impatient indifference to dead seriousness backed by cold anger. Sergeant Naples, who has appeared  just  enough times whenever the four of you interact with the police to make you suspect that he may have been assigned to you all as a liaison of some sort, makes the arrest himself.  "Literal supervillains running around in this fishbowl, and an ordinary guy manages to be the worst thing in it,"  you hear him comment as he shoves Nathan none-too-gently into the back of his police car.  "And I thought I'd have no more surprises..." 

Natalie, alerted by all of the noise and the flashing lights of the police, has been clinging to her mother, who has explained as best she can; taking care of her daughter seems to be redirecting Talia's energy, for the moment. Natalie is mostly confused, and simply stays by Talia, watching everything silently with large eyes... though she does give a small wave to the blurry patch of air that is Nope before he leaves.

---

Watcher's birds pinpoint Abel's location in moments; ever since the beginning, this member of Manchineel's Menagerie has sought out the mechanical pigeons, rather than avoiding or destroying them. With the information that Manchineel is lurking near Rudolph Logging Camp to the south, and with Floral's ability to mimic the scents of Manchineel's creatures, you are able to travel unmolested towards Abel's location. And yet, despite your actions, Abel finds all of you first.

The creature appears so quickly that the rush of its approach lags behind; the first sign of Abel is its appearance in front of you, about twenty feet of distance separating you and it--him. First the flash of eyes, green-gold like so many of Manchineel's creatures, with rectangular irises, which widen and seem to glow with their own inhuman inner light. Then the snout, or muzzle, looking almost comedically like someone took a sheep's face and stretched the jaw out a bit too long, deeper yellow lips curling back from large, square, block-shaped teeth, jet black, built to smash and crush. The teeth, and the six twisted, curling horns framing Abel's face, stand out against the green of the forest and the dirty yellow-white of Abel's wool, grown out in shaggy, matted clumps that cover his body. He stands on six legs that are just too long and have one too many joints, ending in black cloven hooves that tear into the ground and pull up thick clods of earth and grass. Only after your minds comprehend his appearance does the sound of his approach come, lagging behind like lightning after thunder, a roar of rushing, heavy feet on grass and dirt, that fades just as quickly to silence.

Abel inhales deeply through his nose and snorts, heavily, eyes widening and narrowing as the rectangular pupils take in each one of you in turn. A peculiar stench, like garbage halfway towards becoming compost, lingers around him, adding to his utterly animalistic presentation... and yet, there it is, around his neck. A red scarf, worn and torn from months of wind and weather, faded and dirty, knotted clumsily in place through a means you can scarcely imagine; Abel could not have asked someone to do this for him, and yet his form lacks arms or hands. And while menace rolls off of the member of Manchineel's Menagerie like a counterpart to his smell, he does not move to attack you.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
Through your Detect (Biology) senses, Abel smells... bewildering, like many of Manchineel's creations. Human is definitely a main part of his makeup, however.
 

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Your Magic Sense tells you that Abel has a faint affinity for Earth magic; untrained, and seemingly unused, but present.
 

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
The scarf, even as worn as it is, looks like it was made by Natalie Magro; there are similar knitting mistakes and amateur signs as were found within the Magro household.
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Abel is not initiating conflict; he seems to be waiting to see what you will do. While there have been stories about Abel guiding people out of the forest, he is still one of Manchineel's creatures, so care must be taken if you want to awaken past memories within him.
 
Ridai
Nope waves back to Natalie. It happens automatically, since while he feels quite bad for Talia and Natalie, he has no idea what the appropriate thing to say would be. So he ends up saying nothing. They will have to deal with Abel now, and he has no idea how that will go or what options they even have. So... better to not create false hopes.

-------

In the forest, actually seeing Abel up close doesn't make things any better. Knowing who that is and what happened to him doesn't help. He should probably leave the talking to someone just in general more proficient with words, but... well...

 "Zephyr, if you can understand me, we know what happened. Natalie knew from the beginning Nathan wasn't her real dad. We caught Nathan and he told us what he did. Talia and Natalie are safe. Do you understand? Your family is safe."  Nope is not entirely sure why he wanted to tell Abel that. They might still have to fight. Maybe its just the golden rule. Nope would like it if someone told him that his family would be alright.

He's glad Talia and Natalie aren't here to see this.
Quellian-dyrae
She didn't say anything out loud, but...    Not the worst,   Lily thought when she overheard Naples's comment.    Just the most selfish.  

Well.  Maybe, anyway.  To be fair, they didn't actually have any evidence as to whether or not Lockdown would sell out his grandmother for a buck.  But even for criminals, the prior on that level of selfishness was fairly low.

Of course, the supervillains had far greater  capacity for harm  than Nathan Magro.  But it wasn't even really about that.  If Nathan had been one of the villains, as powerful as any of them...maybe he'd end up a worse villain than Lockdown.  Lockdown's criminal ambitions were probably fueled by the same sort of petty, self-interested evil that had allowed Nathan to betray his brother, and might well have been on a smaller scale.  Nathan was demonstrably pretty far to the right side of that particular bell curve.

But Apophis seemed willing to cause the harm he did for no discernable reason at all.  Maybe he was just insane, but she could imagine Apophis turning everything and everyone in the Dome to sand and snakes and laughing over the pile.  She wouldn't expect that of a hypothetical Nathan with Apophis's powers.  There was too much personal, practical benefit in civilization at large continuing to exist.

Dr. Proxy was supposedly trying to save the future.  A noble goal, perhaps, but that just gave them more reason to take their evil even further in the effort to achieve it.

But be it biased or not, no other villain could ever eclipse Manchineel as the worst in Lily's mind.  She could  imagine  Apophis killing everyone in a fit of madness or nihilism, but it was more-or-less Manchineel's  explicit  goal, as she understood it.  Even if the annihilation of humanity wasn't a desired end in itself, Manchineel wished to return the world to the state of nature.  Her designs were fundamentally incompatible with human flourishing.  It was not for nothing that Lily counted Nathan's greatest crime against his brother to be allowing him to fall into Manchineel's hands, even after allowing for the fact that it had been unintentional and unpredictable.  Manchineel was just that bad.

--

Lily did startle some when Abel suddenly appeared before them in a display of super-speed.  She wasn't  surprised , quite; super-speed was part of her world-model and she was entirely aware of the fact that most of her enemies could probably reach her from miles away in seconds if they so wished.  But those reflexes didn't just go away as a result.

His appearance didn't faze her at all.  She had seen more than enough of Manchineel's monsters to have much in the way of strong reactions to their looks.  She wouldn't look much less horrible, had she not had the ability to transform herself back to more-or-less her normal shape.

So, now they knew the story behind Abel's scarf.  What did that offer them?  Nope told Abel his family was safe; that was good, the right thing to do, but would it get Abel - and it was important to remember that this  was  Abel, a being whose mind was enthralled to Manchineel to at least some degree, and not  only  a physically reshaped Zephyr Magro, even if he was that as well - to stand down?  She didn't expect so.  Maybe it would give Zephyr some foothold, maybe even prompt enough gratitude that he was less willing to fight them, make him hold back or even flee, if it came to blows.  She didn't expect it would be enough to allow Zephyr to force Abel to surrender.

Was there an option that could?

Well, there was one that certainly sprang to mind.  They could offer to bring him to Nathan, play on his likely feelings of rage and betrayal, in hopes of prompting his desire for vengeance.  Of course, Lily wouldn't actually bring him to his treacherous twin - not only would it be tantamount to murder, but Nathan was now in police custody, and a rampaging Abel would put any officer in the vicinity at risk, potentially including her own siblings.  But if they could deceive him into believing they would, they could take him straight to Watcher's facility for containment.  If there was one thing they knew about Zephyr Magro, it was that he was entirely possible of being deceived and betrayed when given the opportunity to meet his twin brother.

That entire plan and its plausibility came into Lily's mind basically instantaneously.  She rejected it almost as quickly.  Oh, she could give some strategic reasons for that.  She could say that maybe Zephyr would be  more  wary of just such a trick given his past experiences.  Fool me twice, and all that.  She could say that while Zephyr had every right to be angry, even vengeful, at his brother's betrayal, that didn't mean he actually  did  wish to harm him.  Maybe he was more forgiving than that; Lily would like to think that even if one of her own siblings had betrayed her like that, her love for them would still outweigh any desire to seek vengeance upon them.  She could even say that nobody would actually believe that the town's self-declared  superheroes  would just up and encourage taking that sort of vengeance.

And those arguments were all reasonable enough, in their way, but honestly only the second one held any real water.  If Abel  were  feeling as vengeful as she expected, he would not be thinking  reasonably .  That was the whole point.

No, she rejected the idea on the grounds that...it just wasn't right.  Lily wasn't opposed to deceiving villains, but Abel wasn't a villain, not really.  He was a victim, just like her.  A person who had been transformed into a monster by Manchineel, only he had it worse, because he was no longer fully in control of his mind.

But he wasn't fully out of control of it, either.  Manchineel's control was pheromone-based and proximity-dependent, according to Ntombi Peters.  Outside of her range, her control wasn't gone, but it was lessened.  Zephyr should be reachable on some level, and might be able to make his own choices, given enough reason, enough hope.

Lily's mind worked fast, but she still wasn't finished working out the best approach when she kinda surprised herself by saying,  "I might be able to turn you back." 

She blinked once as her thoughts caught up to her words, and again when she realized...she wasn't actually lying here.  Speculating, certainly.  Making a claim that she didn't have enough evidence to be strongly confident in.  But her thoughts immediately started bouncing down this new track, fleshing out the details, and she realized it was not impossible.

 "Ph-physically, at least, I'm...fairly sure.  I...I'm like you are.  Manchineel got to me too,"  she said, holding out a hand and letting it twist and lengthen, until it had become a vine.  The proof might not have been necessary; it was entirely probable that Abel could smell what she was as easily as she could him.   "But when it happened...I guess some of her powers rubbed off.  I can alter plantlife, transform it.  It's how I was able to return to my human form.  I...should be able to do the same to you, I think.  So you could see them again,  as  you, not as...this."

"You'd still be...Abel.  Still have your powers, and still be subject to her control.  You'd have to be contained.  They could come to you, maybe, but you couldn't go to them.  Not soon, anyway.  Maybe with time...maybe with you and with me, and Raphael, we've captured her already, maybe I could figure out what she did to us, find a way to fix it for real.  Or at least to break her control.  I don't know."   Manchineel was just so much more  powerful  than she was, could transform things in ways that Lily couldn't hope to approach.  But that was okay.  Humans hadn't reached the top of the food chain by being the strongest or fastest.  Manchineel might have all the power in the world, but Lily was learning more every day about just how much she could do even with what little power she had.

 "Will you come with us?" 
 
 Spoiler 
I'm assuming Abel is fully human-level intelligent so Lily's Living Plant Benefit doesn't apply...buuuut given he has a wife I'mma assume her Attractive advantage applies anyway.  If I'm wrong reduce the below Persuasion roll by 10 and Deception by 5.

Gonna make a Persuasion check to Improve Reaction to try and persuade him into coming along with us without a fight, hopefully the approach gives enough incentive to make it viable or at least a step in the right direction.

Including a Deception roll as well just in case.  Lily's not lying here, but she's making claims that are sufficiently  unbelievable  that I could imagine a Deception check might be required regardless of her sincerity.  However, since Attractive only applies to attempts to seduce, deceive, and improve reactions, its bonus doesn't apply here (Lily's Scent Intensification bonus does, since it's only Limited to people who are subject to her Attractive advantage regardless of the purpose of the check).

I'm including these rolls in a sub-spoiler so other players can consider whether they want to Team Check without being influenced by the die rolls, also in case that helps with setting DCs.

 
 Spoiler 
Persuasion (+5 for Attractive, +5 for Scent Intensification):  (1d20+20)[ 33 ] .

Deception (+5 for Scent Intensification, +2 for Favored Foe [Manchineel's Minions]):  (1d20+17)[ 27 ] .
 

 
Abracadangit
Kal sees Abel's tattered scarf, and wonders if restoring the scarf to its former glory might trigger memories, instill positive emotions, or if nothing else, ensure the creature was two degrees warmer.

 "We have met with your family,   spoken with them,"  Kal admits, as she returns Abel-once-Zephyr's baleful gaze.  "They miss you. They   want to see you whole   again, as do we."  She slowly raises her needle in a non-threatening manner, and begins to weave, focusing on the tears in the scarf.

 "Come with us.   Walk beside us.   Time   to   go   home." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Check to repair the scarf.
Expertise (Fashion and Garments):  (1d20+20)[ 29 ] 
 
Zelphas
Abel shifts as though startled on his six hooves as each of you begin to speak, eyes widening and wool-like fur fluffing out in apparent alarm; it's likely that no one has spoken calmly to him in quite some time. His movements still, abruptly, when Nope says "your family". The rectangular pupils simply stare, the long maw slightly agape, as your words wash over him. One long, incongruously soft-looking ear flips and twitches, restlessly, while the other seems to strain towards the four of you. Ariadne's movement causes him to start again, and when Abel notices that she's targeting his scarf, he lets out a wail just on this side of pain, a mingling of fear, anger, and loss. This noise cuts off immediately after he notices that the scarf has been repaired--not made new; this clumsily-knitted, snarled scarf wouldn't be sold in a catalogue. But it is whole, unbroken, looking like what it was; an inexpert, loving gift from a novice in the craft.

  "Not the so-called 'best' stitch, but the one that is needed,"   Ariadne comments  privately to Kal, her tone approving.   "Good,  engoni." 

Abel stares down at his scarf, his mouth working like a cow chewing cud. His golden, alien eyes look up, seeking out Ariadne. He coughs, once, heavily, the sound thick. The mouth opens, more deliberately this time.

  "Ffffffssssssssssshshshshshffffthshsaaaaaa---"   Abel shakes his head, coughs again, takes in a breath.   "Ah. Ah, ah, aaaaaaaiiiieeeee aaammemmuh."   Abel coughs once more, then growls. One foot kicks out angrily, shattering the bark of a tree nearby with a thunderous crack. He coughs again, lowering his head, shaking it.

 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 15 
Abel can clearly hear and understand you perfectly fine; his current form seems to give him very limited speech. He is extremely irritated by this, but he is not in the slightest hostile towards any of you any longer.
 

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
The amount of soft tissue comprising a human tongue, vocal cords, and voice box is significantly less than twelve pounds. You are a certified genius, with expertise in Biochemistry, and you have the power to transform vegetable matter into any form--2 pounds at a time. It seems possible that you can give Abel a working voice...

...If his vocal apparatus is made of vegetable matter. The Menagerie seems to be a fusion of vegetable and animal characteristics, and you can't know for sure where Abel stands on the scale. In addition, you can't  see  his vocal cords or voice box.

You may make an Expertise (Biochemistry) check to try and give Abel clearer speech. You cannot Routine this check. There may be a chance to try again later, but you will not be able to try again during this Scene.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily squeezed her eyes tightly shut against tears of sympathetic pain when Abel made his halting attempt to speak.  It shot right through to her memories.  Lily hadn't been unable to talk, when she had first been transformed.  Maybe it was something about being turned into an  anthropomorphic  flower that had left her internally capable of it.  Come down to it it wouldn't have changed all that much; it wasn't like Lily would have just  not  grabbed a pad of paper and written things down if she had needed to.  But regardless, she hadn't lost her ability to speak.

Her voice, however, had been every bit as different and as horrible as her body, but it wasn't even about that so much as-

Well.

It just stuck with her, the horrified looks she had received from her family when she spoke her first post-transformation words: It's me!  It's Lily!

  "Screw Manchineel,"   Lily said, quietly, but with fierce intensity.

She opened her eyes, and though they may have taken on a faint golden tinge, they were ablaze with determination.   "This might hurt for a minute.  I'm sorry." 

Then she reached out, laying one hand over his mouth and one over his throat, and she did something she rarely ever did, something she had never really expected she might ever need to do in her heroic capacity as Floral.

She used her only actual active superpower, all on its own.  No using it as just the key to unlock stored solar energy to produce potent but temporary transmutations.  It's full and normal effect.  The power to transform vegetable matter into other vegetable matter, permanently, at two pounds per second.

 
 Spoiler 
Extra Effort for a Bonus, then Expertise (Biochemistry):  (1d20+27)[ 47 ] .  If I roll less than 35 total, I'll spend a Hero Point to reroll at  (1d10+37)[ 46 ] .  Because screw Manchineel.   I...okay then, yeah, sure, that works.  2/2 dice agree: Screw Manchineel.  Um.  Crit.  No HP spent.  Total effective result 52. 

Current Status: Fatigued.
 
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: Floral 
It takes less than a second for you to realize that  changing  Abel's vocal apparatus isn't going to work; there simply isn't enough material there to work with, which explains his problem with speaking.

It takes very little more time for you to say "screw it" and create an entirely new larynx with the excess material provided, taking carefully from threads of vegetable "reinforcement" matter all around Abel's neck. You get the feeling that one of Abel's abilities is an extremely loud screaming noise, and there's a lot of (honestly somewhat clumsy and bewilderingly instinctive-seeming) vegetable matter that's protecting and reinforcing his neck and throat.

Abel's neck muscles might feel slightly weaker for a few minutes, but he should be able to speak clearly now.
 


Abel starts back from Floral, but his attempts to speak have left him slightly too slow; Floral's hands land on him, and from the outside nothing seems to happen.

Then Abel pulls himself roughly out of Floral's hands, shuddering, and coughs again, the sound markedly different from before. He looks up, and then, distinctly, clears his throat.

  "Th... Thank you."   The voice is still strange, much deeper than any humans, coming from a larger throat. But it is clear. Abel is looking at Ariadne.   "Thank you. For the garb... no. For the... the... scarf. It is... important... to me."  

Only then does Abel look at Floral, lowering his head in an oddly submissive gesture.   "Thank you. For my voice. It was... you are not a fellow creature of the Command-Scent? You smell like her, but your words... Ah, yes. She called herself Manchineel, when she apologized for failing to make me well. I was not a part of her plan, at first. Or I was the first part... I am sorry. The Times before are... there is a mist in my mind. It is lighter than before, but..."   Abel moves restlessly, eyes rolling, hooves stamping at the ground, before he settles.

He breathes for a moment, then continues.   "I know... that I am not as I was. I know that... Manchineel... made me into... what I am. And I know that what she did saved me from death. I think... I think I was struck on the head, and my memories fell out. Can that happen?"   Abel shakes himself, twisting his neck as if to shift the scarf upon it.   "I knew nothing, thought of nothing but the Purpose for which I was remade... until I found this scarf. It is garbage. I am to cleanse the garbage, the unnatural filth, from... Manchineel's land. I do not remember what these words mean, but my nose can tell. This is garbage. But it is also.. what I once was. A part of it. And so, now I think of loss."  

Abel looks towards Agnelli's Bluff, his goatlike eyes somehow far away.   "My family, you said. Natalie. Talia. These... are names. Are people. They look... they look like... more like you than like me. They smell more like you than like me, but the smell is a memory, and all memory smells are practically dead. I don't... remember them. Zephyr. You called... me, that name. That name has no scent; it is deeper than that. How can you smell... yourself? Yes. I am--I was Zephyr. I don't know if I am him. I don't remember."  

His eyes refocus on Floral, bright and still strange despite the words flowing from his mouth.   "Contained. You said I would have to be contained. Because of... Manchineel. The Scent-Controller. She sings, with her scent, and we dance, and that's all there is to it. But she fears the north."   There's a twinkle in his goatlike eye as he speaks.   "She claims this land, but will not tread upon it, except when provoked. So I do not scent her control, and hold myself away from it. If I am... contained, she will discover it; I was not in her plan, but I became the first, and she creates natural laws where none are found. She must have Abel, the one who cleanses the garbage. If she cannot find Abel, she will create a new one--and I am perhaps the easiest of my siblings to re-make."   One hoof paws at the ground for a moment before stilling again.   "If she calls for aid, her scent carries much farther. Before, I would answer; I owed her life, such as it is, and she is... was Purpose. Now...  

Abel looks over all of you, nostrils flaring. He shakes his head, snorting.   "Should you choose to fight me, You would likely win. I am not made for battle, though I would not go down... quietly. Michael is her war-beast, and he is usually near... Manchineel, unless someone decides to hunt on her land."   He snorts again.   "If... Manchineel, calls, I will not answer. I can offer nothing more freely."  
Quellian-dyrae
If Lily Woods had still been a human being, she might have thrown up.

But she wasn't.  She was a flower who had taken on a human shape.  She wasn't  quite  entirely immune to nausea, because when she had been re-reconfiguring her body to eliminate as many of the weaknesses of the human physiology as she could, she had decided to leave her digestive system more-or-less in place.  She didn't  need  it, really; she could photosynthesize sunlight, and while she did need to consume water, she could have patterned some of her cells off of roots to do so at least as efficiently.  If she really worked at it, maybe she could even give herself a minor resistance to water-based attacks, the same way her photosynthesis, as she had discovered against the Proxysuit at the museum, offered her some defense against weaponized light.

But...she still enjoyed the taste of food, and beyond that just...the capacity to share a meal with friends and family.  She wasn't quite ready to give all that up.

So her digestive system still existed, but it was largely vestigial.  Most of the chemicals and impulses it used to communicate information to her brain were more-or-less deprecated.  It wasn't that she  couldn't  get nauseous, but it was quite a bit harder than it used to be.

But it was clear, now, that whatever his intentions may have been, Nathan Magro had killed his brother.  Manchineel might have kept his body alive, and some of his memories might still be floating around in his head, still physically encoded into his brain in a way that even Lily, for all her knowledge of the workings of the body, had only the most cursory understanding of (neuroscience might not be entirely divorced from biochemistry in the strictest sense, but for all practical purposes the two were  very  different fields).  But Zephyr wasn't in there trying to exert control or break free.  Maybe with enough work she could turn him back...or maybe not.  But as it was, Zephyr was gone.  Abel was a functionally distinct being who happened to be made of the same physical raw materials.

(In the back of her mind,   Not a fellow creature of the Command-Scent.    Evidence that she might not be subject to Manchineel's control?  No, this is confusion, not insight; the Command-Scent is his term for Manchineel.    You smell like her.    Inconclusive.  Not enough evidence to update.)

And Manchineel had saved him.  Coincidence?  He suited her purposes, she transformed him, and that happened to save him?  Or intent?  She had apologized for failing to make him well.  Was it possible that Manchineel's intentions were less hostile towards humanity than she thought?  Ntombi Peters was able to speak to her without arousing hostility...

It was an update, but not a decisive one.  Her goals were still fundamentally opposed to human flourishing, even if she was perhaps not  entirely  hostile to the species.

Which all left the question, what do they do with Abel?

He said he wouldn't come to Manchineel's defense if she called.  For most practical purposes, that was all they needed.  And he would be easy enough for her to replace if they captured him.  Picking up garbage wasn't exactly a dire threat to the people of Forester's Bay.  And Lily did understand, now, that trying to get Zephyr back, or reunite him with his family...it wasn't likely to be possible even if they had him in custody.  Certainly not any time soon.  He had offered what he could, and Lily couldn't begin to imagine what more they could do to persuade him, though maybe one of the others would have an idea.  She didn't much love their odds of tricking him either; they had laid too many cards on the table for that, she was pretty sure.

It was a decision they'd have to make as a group, but before she could be sure where her own opinion on the matter fell, there was one thing she had to know.

 "In your work for Manchineel, collecting garbage...have you ever had to hurt anyone?  What do you do if you encounter people?" 

If he wasn't a threat to people, her own analysis was that they could afford to leave him to his garbage collecting.  If he was...then it didn't matter how sympathetic he was or how dirty his brother had done him.  The safety of Forester's Bay came first.

 
 Spoiler 
Perception-as-Insight to Evaluate his response, +5 for Scent Intensification, +2 for Favored Foe (Manchineel's Minions):  (1d20+17)[ 27 ] .
 
Ridai
Once he gets home, Remy will lie down in his bed and stare at the ceiling for a long time, after hugging Uncle Bruno. It's all a bit much right now. It's been a whole day.

 "That's- that's enough, right?"  Nope asks the others. And considering he should probably try and contribute something, he asks Abel  "Can you tell us anything about Michael?" 
Abracadangit
Kal isn't sure what to say, or how to respond. She feels anguish pooling at the forefront of her mind -- after everything they had done, all the precautions they had taken, there was only so much they could do after all. Even Abel himself seems almost resigned, to his fate.

Ariadne is uncharacteristically silent, as she often is at moments like these. What Kal initially mistook for ornery snark is actually more like a defense mechanism; when Ariadne is faced with situations where her magic can't fix the problem or wipe away the injustice, she simmers. I can't blame her, Kal thinks, not caring if Ariadne hears. So much unfairness -- is this always the way of the world?
 
"It will be   enough, I think,"  Kal says, answering Nope's question aimed at the group.

 "You have nothing   to thank me for,"  she replies, turning to Abel.  "I understand that you no longer remember   the one who made this, that memory is fading. But if   you had any sort of message for the one   who made this, I would deliver it   for you. I swear, on it."
 
Zelphas
Abel considers Floral's question carefully, his strange eyes solemn and unblinking.   "The time before I found... the scarf, it is hazy. I remember being as I am now, but I acted merely on instinct and the scent of Purpose. Thinking was not a concern. If I harmed anyone during that time, I did not know it; that is not an excuse, but simply how I must answer. I do not even know how long I was... without thought, before the scarf."   His head dips, nuzzling the red fabric to himself in an unconscious gesture.   "Afterwards... If those I came across were lost or wandering, I pointed them back towards the place where you are from. They feared me, so the simplest way to do this was to appear before them in the opposite direction. I did not pursue."   A hard glitter comes into Abel's eyes.   "Some few--a very few--came with the intent to despoil the wild places, either as an act of rebellion against Manchineel or simple thoughtlessness. Those earned harder lessons. I did not pursue, when they fled, and I have not seen the same despoiler twice. My work is tedious and tasteless enough without others adding to the pile. My mercy would not extend to a repeat offender. And that is... wrong... of me."   The last words are thoughtful, strange; Abel shakes his head.

  "Michael is Manchineel's second child; he was a stray cat before she found him, lost and starving in the woods."   Abel tilts his head, his eyes narrowing as he accesses a faint memory.   "It... amused her to create a hunter to hunt hunters. He spends much of his time as Manchineel's guardian, but his primary duty is eliminating anyone who hunts for food within these trees. I am unsure how he senses those who he hunts; perhaps the smell of gunpowder? Regardless, that is the only time he leaves Manchineel's side."  
  "Before you leave, or you decide I must be... contained and force a fight, I have a warning... and a request."   Abel's hooves tear the ground slightly as he shifts, parts of his hide shaking as if to throw off fleas.   "My brethren... I do not know how many they are, but I know that Manchineel is obsessed with our number, and our duties. I am, I think, an addition to her design, and so easier to replace; the others were chosen or grown for their purpose. She will not feel complete without her full complement, and will attempt to replace missing members with suitable candidates, after perhaps a time of grieving the loss. Perhaps a fortunate aspect of her obsession is that once she chooses a new... member? Child? Target? She will be single-minded in her aim; so long as that person or animal is not transformed to suit her purpose, she will not choose another. At the same time, she will call all of my brethren to herself if she feels in danger; I will ignore the call, but I cannot speak for the others."  

Blinking slowly, Abel swallows, as though the next words are sticking awkwardly in his new throat.   "Finally... the two you mentioned. Talia and Natalie. My 'Tali's. Mass Effect deserved a better ending."   Abel blinks once more, his goatlike face difficult to read. After a long moment, he continues.   "I do not remember, but... I do not wish to harm them. All like you who have seen me have reacted in terror; all of you are in various states of sadness, anguish, and rage. I do not... they do not need to know that Abel is what remains of their father, their husband. The scarf is enough. I do my work, and it does not harm them. Please."  
Quellian-dyrae
Of course, Lily would have preferred if Abel had been a complete non-threat to anyone, but that had been a long-shot at best.  He did seem to avoid conflict to some extent; his role didn't really expect it of him, so it wouldn't  quite  be correct to say that the default expectation of a replacement would be more hostile to humanity in general.  Even so, there was some chance they would.  At the moment...yes, Abel was a potential threat to those who came into the woods to oppose Manchineel's aims, repeatedly.  But there were worse threats in here for them to face.  Added to the consideration that a replacement Abel would come to Manchineel's call when this one wouldn't...

The probability that allowing Abel to remain free would cause harm that would have been averted in the counterfactual was low enough to be within Lily's tolerance, at least.   "Yeah, I think it is,"  she replied to Ariadne and Nope.

Abel's warning about his 'brethren' set her mind racing (and would have done the same to her heart, if it had still existed in anything like its original configuration).  The Vespers sprang immediately to mind, attacking her with poison intended to disable, seeking to capture rather than kill.  And then the saplings that had helped her when she had failed to destroy Dr. Proxy's Mover...

She wasn't certain, couldn't be certain, but certainty was not a prerequisite for reasoning.  The obvious conclusion from the evidence at hand was that Manchineel intended for her to replace Raphael.

   EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.........!!!!!!!!    wailed the helpless voice of the Flower Girl in her head.

   Good,    answered the calm, confident voice of Floral.     If she pursues me as obsessively as Abel suggests, that just means Raphael will stay off the board.  Which should also delay Manchineel's overall plans indefinitely, given Raphael's importance to them.   
   So...so in other words...capturing and enslaving me personally is very plausibly a blocking priority on Manchineel's entire plan?   
   Indeed.  It should offer an excellent opportunity to waste her resources.   
   EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.........!!!!!!!!   
Ridai
Nope just nods, trying to keep it together.  "Alright. Just... just keep doing what you've been doing. We'll try to figure out the rest. And thank you." 

It's not a good feel to have to leave him like this, but it is the best they could have hoped for at the moment.
Abracadangit
Kal tries to think of what she'll pass along to Talia and Natalie. Of course she'll respect Abel's wishes, it's the least she can do -- but how to tell his family.  What  to tell his family.

She nods to Abel's words.  "I understand,"  she replies, solemnly.  "I will not tell them, of your...   current state." 

But can I not give them hope? Kal wonders.

 "We will not give up either,   on a way to restore you.   This,   I   promise   you." 
Dorni
Helios studied Abel, almost wishing he'd attacked them on sight like a monster was supposed to. Then led to Helios wondering what was wrong with himself, but he already knew. He knew how to fight monsters. The way was clear, straightforward. He didn't know what he was supposed to do here.

It wasn't the strategic calculation that troubled him. Abel agreeing not to come to Manchineel's aid was the optimal outcome. He'd pledge to refuse to come to Manchineel's aid accomplished that goal. Abel didn't harm anyone if he could avoid it, so he wouldn't be a threat left alone. As long as he was free it spared another the fate of Manchineel twisting them into his replacement. It was a win all around. Assuming everything Abel had said was true of course, but he found himself trusting his words.

It was Abel himself that troubled Helios. He could hardly imagine what it was like to have his memories torn away as he had, to  know  that there were pieces of him missing but only be able to recall shreds. And he might be able to fix it.

The Suneaters delved into mental magics. It was a necessary component of their summoning magics. Strictly speaking, creating a necromantic minion only required a body and a 'soul' to power it. The body could be obtained or conjured, and the 'soul' requirement was simply infusing it with power. A 'mind' wasn't strictly neccessary - the simplest shortcut was to forgo the 'mind' and bind the creation to mindlessly follow the creator's orders. But that was just a shortcut - the cult desired power, and a minion that can think for itself was far more useful and adaptable. It didn't take long at all for those studies to lead to dropping the necromantic components and going straight for mental manipulation.

It was a path of magic that Flint had resisted. It was dark magic, and would be so easy to abuse. Nothing good could come of it. What good use could their be for rewriting another's will? Dante had replied that it was just a tool - not unlike an energy blast. He'd argued that some tools were tainted, but faced with Abel... Flint had absorbed enough principles of mind magic that he could say it wasn't impossible to repair the shreds of Abel's memories.

Helios shuddered at the thought. It would be delicate work - and he certainly wasn't confident enough to try it without more study, but at what point did he cross over from repairing Abel's memories to writing him a new life?

He shook himself from his worries. This wasn't a decision that needed to be made right now.

 "Agreed. If you can resist Manchineel's call, that's enough. And I'm sorry for everything that befell you. If there's a way to safely restore you, we'll find it. As for Talia and Natalie, it may be too late. They already have some suspicions. But I can refrain from confirming them for a time." 
Zelphas
Abel looks at the four of you, then simply nods, his large head dipping deeply enough to almost look like a bow.   "You are all possessed of power, resourceful, and intelligent enough to carefully plan your attack. Should you continue with your preparations, you may be successful when facing... Manchineel. If you are not... I will do what I can, to help you remember."  

With that, Abel is gone, a gust of wind and fading hoofbeats the only sign of his fading presence. With perhaps more questions than answers, the four of you return to Forester's Bay.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
All right, Scene complete! Everyone take a Hero Point.

Remember, we are not doing React Scenes for a little while; take  Two Downtime Actions  before choosing your next Act Scene.

By your actions in this Scene, you have gained three benefits:

-- The Power of Names: By repeatedly calling Abel by his name, Zephyr, you shook loose more of his memories. He went from Neutral to Friendly to you right then, to put it in simple terms. From this, you now know that  using the original name of a human changed by Manchineel's powers will have certain effects . These effects vary depending on the person addressed, but they are all beneficial to you.

--A new Act Scene,  Belling the Cat , is now unlocked; from what Abel has said, you can reliably coax Michael away from Manchineel's side in order to try and subdue him.

--By finishing several Manchineel Scenes, a special Act Scene has been unlocked:  Manchineel . You may choose to force a confrontation with Manchineel at any time going forward.   Any Active Menagerie members will join this Scene on Manchineel's side  . Abel and Raphael are currently inactive Menagerie members.

Thanks for everyone's time and patience; I hope we're all still enjoying the game!
 
Zelphas
 Fitting Face to Form 

September 17th, 2018.

After the entire ordeal with the fake Zephyr Magro, Talia and Natalie, and talking to Abel, the four heroes decided to take the weekend to recuperate before tackling the next of Manchineel's Menagerie. Time may be of the essence, but superhero work takes its toll; emotional as much as physical, sometimes.

This isn't to say that the weekend wasn't productive; in fact, it was anything but. Floral, working quickly with the growing network of contacts and volunteers within Forester's Bay, is able to get assurances from the group that they will take extra work in the next week to make sure nothing escalates into a full incident, freeing up time for the four of you to close in on Manchineel. They can't stop it if one of the League decides to do something big, but hopefully the pattern will hold for the moment and none of them will do anything dramatic. Meanwhile, Nope's  musings on the names of the Menagerie  leads him to a worrying conclusion; working with Ariadne, the two of them are able to notice trends in Sapling behavior that suggests that they might have another Menagerie member that they sometimes interact with, other than the four known ones. It doesn't guarantee a Uriel is out there, but it brings up a strong possibility.

That would've been the biggest news of the weekend, if Helios didn't contact the group on Sunday evening with the revelation of Manchineel's human name.

Setting this aside for the moment, the four of you decide to chase down Gabriel. With your newfound knowledge of how their true names affect those changed by Manchineel's power, you decide to try and narrow down Gabriel's original name. Three names are on your list: Maura Angelov, Roberta Tehrani, and Cosme Muto. The group with the most up-to-date info on the many missing and presumed missing in Forester's Bay are the Forest Eyes Neighborhood watch, and so you head to their headquarters--once the Forester's Bay Police Station, until a new station was 'gifted' to the force by residents in Lakeside a few years ago--to see if you can learn more. Two of you arrive in costume, two as civilians.

 Floral and Helios 
  "Thank you for following me to my office,"   Mary Wu, head of the Forest Eyes Neighborhood Watch, is rarely still in the few moments since you've met her; she is always checking through a paper, pacing, or occasionally glancing at her phone with the professional air of someone used to receiving urgent messages with some regularity. You get the feeling that, despite her distracted nature, most of her attention is still on the two of you; her brown eyes flick constantly to and over you both, assessing.   "My secretary would normally have directed you more discreetly, but we have some other guests today and everyone else is patrolling the streets at the moment. Since that Mover careened through town about a week ago, my people have been a bit on edge."  

Waving a hand to offer one of the (functional, possibly comfortable enough) chairs in the room to you, Ms. Wu settles herself behind her desk; Lily would recognize it as the police chief's old desk from before the move, apparently left behind with the building itself. She sets out her phone, flipping the screen upside down, and takes in a breath, stilling suddenly. Folding her hands, she looks across the desk at the two of you with none of her former distracted air, her eyes clear and sharp.   "To be honest, I had hoped not to see any of you in my building for a little while yet. The Forest Eyes Neighborhood Watch has survived so far because, to be frank, the League is lazy and territorial, and we've stayed in Watcher's turf and kept from poking the bear. And now I'm sitting across from two of the people who have been giving the bear a bloody nose."   She sighs, blinking once.   "That being said, I would like to see you succeed in more than annoying the League; I just want to make sure my people survive the aftermath. So, then, now that you're here, what can Fen-W do for you? And how can I make sure my people don't face the blowback?"  
 
 Spoiler: Helios, Perception (Mystic Sense) DC 20 
When you first came to the headquarters of the Watch, you were disappointed that there were so few potential mages among them; the air barely holds a hint of magic, suggesting that there are pretty much no chance of magic power being found here. As you've walked through the halls to Mary Wu's office, however, you've come to a different conclusion; it's  too  barren, too empty of magical traces. As with far too much in your mystical studies, you're working off of hunches and hypotheses, but it feels like someone or something is scrubbing magical energy from this building... somehow. The how is as elusive as the who--or the what--at the moment.
 

 
 Spoiler: Floral, Detect (Emotions) 
Fear and frustration are about equally matched in Mary Wu at the moment, creating her lukewarm response to you. She is fearful of what your presence could mean for the Watch, and irritated with herself for her fear. These emotions tie into broader forms of themselves; fear and frustration are Mary Wu's general state of being in this Dome, you'd guess.
 

  Ariadne  Kal and  Nope  Remy 
   "And this is the library--well, the records room."    The woman in front of you practically fades into the background the moment she stops moving or speaking, her greyish-blue clothing accentuating the effect against the bland grey walls of the headquarters. Throughout the 'tour' that she's given you, Danya Albescu has barely raised her voice above a low murmur; the empty hallways are practically a blessing, since the noise of your footsteps are nearly enough to drown her out on your own. She speaks politely and clearly has a wealth of information on the Forest Eyes Neighborhood Watch and its programs, but her 'sales pitch' to volunteer for the Watch is a bit spoiled by her incredibly quiet voice and shy, self-effacing mannerisms.    "If you let me know what you're looking for today, I can help to look--of course, if you joined the Watch, you would have free access to the records any time you needed; we do need help with organization..."    You're pretty sure that she faded off hopefully at the end there, instead of her voice fading away below your ability to hear it.

The 'library' stands in front of you. It has all the hallmarks of a library--lots of shelving, a great variety of books, desks and tables to study at--but the effect is spoiled somewhat by the newspaper clippings, printouts of webpages, and other bits of loose-leaf paper that are either spread out somewhat carefully on the tables or stuffed more-or-less carefully into folders that are stacked on the desks. There is obviously some sort of organization going on, but it is just as obviously not quite finished yet, which might complicate your search a bit.

 
 Spoiler: Remy, Insight DC 20 
Danya Albescu hasn't forgotten about you once so far. She hasn't singled you out, but she hasn't forgotten you either. That, in and of itself, is noteworthy at this point.
 

 
 Spoiler: Kal 
Ariadne had chuckled once, dryly, when you entered the headquarters, but has otherwise remained silent. Only after a bit of prodding do you realize that she is intentionally shielding herself from your mental awareness. She's entitled to her privacy... probably... I suppose... but this is the first time you remember this happening.
 
Ridai
Remy tries not to make it too obvious that it is a weird feeling to encounter a second person who, well, seems kind of like him. The jury's out on how well he actually does. One has to wonder how often the Proxysuit fails. That has to be the reason, right?

Standing in the library, it certainly fits an environment of people hard at work for quite some time.  "Uhm, thank you, Ms. Albescu,"  he says, as he tries to orient himself on where to start. He has been doing some infiltration of the Chain Gang before and has shadowed the other villain factions as well. It is not like he is  used to  doing that, but entering a neutral place kinda-sorta undercover is still a bit new and weird.  "Been trying to help out a bit when I got the time, you know, without running into, uh, into any bad guys. Still a lot of people missing. Keep hearing different things, so thought I'd start with, uh, the first few disappearances in the forest, see if anything is actually known about them. Something like that."  It's mostly the truth. Remy's never been big on trying to do elaborate cover stories. Simple stuff seems to work much better and he doesn't feel great about trying to deceive regular people to begin with.
Abracadangit
 "Same as what he said,"  Kal adds, promptly.  "Missing people, weird incidents, that sort of thing. Trying to be more present in the community."
 

For quite some time now, Kal's thought to herself about how she could use a little Ariadne vacation, but this is weirdly unprecedented. And usually, if Ariadne  does  take a little time to rest, it's when Kal isn't doing investigation stuff. Ariadne usually loves puzzling evidence out and pointing out something Kal might have missed. Something feels off.

 "How long have you been helping out at the records room?"  Kal asks, deciding to do a little detective work before sifting through newspaper articles.  "Have you ever noticed anything strange happen here?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Either Ariadne has an Ariagenda (  "Stop saying that. I forbid it."  ), or she senses something that Kal doesn't.
Persuasion for making general impression with Danya (+10 for various bonuses from "Art is Important" Downtimes): (1d20+10)[ 18 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily gave Mary a little smile,  "Thank you for seeing us.  The first reason we're here is that we're looking into the disappearances of three people from shortly after the dome came down - Maura Angelov, Roberta Tehrani, and Cosme Muto.  We were hoping your organization might have some information about them.  As for how to avoid blowback...well, I have an idea for that that actually ties into the second reason we're here."

"Since we started doing this, truth is that actually fighting the League's forces has been kinda the smaller part of the job.  There's been a lot of people who needed help in a lot of ways; it's not as flashy as the big superpowered battles, but it's at least as important.  It's also proven to be an important part of mitigating the damage done by the League, at least a little.  There's only four of us and we're not omniscient; we're pretty heavy-hitters, sure, but that doesn't actually matter if we're not in the right place at the right time."

"But in the time we've been doing this, helping people with their problems where and when we can, we've developed a fairly robust network of contacts among the community.  People who have good heads on their shoulders and have seen enough to know what to look for.  It's gotten to the point where a decent amount of the time, they can get us information on League activity before they make an actual move, allowing us to intervene early and keep it from becoming a big superpowered battle in the first place.  Sometimes they can even head it off entirely by just like getting people out before the League acts or something."

"Point is, I'm not sure what all information-gathering capabilities the League has available - I haven't seen anything so far that makes me think they're especially robust, but I can't rule out that they know more than it seems.  So what I'm thinking is, maybe there's something we can do here, to help you guys.  Like, if there are some recently missing people, we could maybe help track them down.  If it looks like we came here and suddenly we act on some useful information, then maybe it looks like we came to you guys for help and you were able to give it, and the League has an interest in preventing that in the future.  But if it looks like you called us in for help on an unrelated matter, then the League has no way of knowing that we got our information from you, short of like directly spying on this conversation I suppose."

"Especially when there's a much more plausible explanation.  The people we're looking into disappeared in the Manitou Forest, but as far as we know they were living or staying in the Residential District, which is why we're hoping they're on your radar.  But a few weeks ago we...kinda tricked the Suneater Cult into thinking some of their members might be providing us with information.  As it happens, members who as I understand it specialize in kinda more 'naturey' magic.  Assuming the League is keeping at least some amount of tabs on each other's operations, they'll be a much more obvious explanation for any information we might have regarding Manitou Forest than a group that operates almost exclusively in the Residential District." 

And though Lily didn't mention this part - she was intentionally staying very light on details regarding what they knew of the League and their organization and operations, so that there wouldn't be any risk of Mary giving away that she was more in the know than she should be - if they could plant the seed (no pun intended) that the Green Wizard's faction were responsible for giving them knowledge about Manchineel's forces and domain, not only might it divert some of Manchineel's resources to further conflict with the Cult (and some of the Cult's resources into countering) while they lined up their planned assault, but if they were very lucky, Manchineel might find it necessary to seek out more information on the Cult's apparent connection to the heroes, which just might draw out her hypothesized spymaster.  Which Helios, with his connection to people in the Cult, might be able to learn about.  A lot of dominoes would have to fall the right way for it to work, but long-shot plans were worth attempting when they were effectively a free action.

 
 Spoiler 
Lily will Routine Persuasion for 20 to improve Mary's reaction/set her concerns at ease.  If Attractive applies this could plausibly go up to 30 (from Attractive itself and Scent Intensification) but since that's statistically unlikely and I didn't spend a downtime on Growing a Better Future last time so I can't claim its bonus, by default I'll do this as a Team Check for Helios, giving him +5.  It can stand on its own if he doesn't actually make a Persuasion check though.
 
Zelphas
 Remy and Kal 
   "The missing person's files should be on the third table to the left on the right-hand wall,"    Danya responds, nodding to Remy and pointing to one especially overstuffed table in the library.    "The earlier files are at the bottom of the stack, I'm afraid; you may not be able to keep them in order, but please try not to mix the files. We don't want any of them getting    lost ."   

With her statement finished, Danya shifts her gaze back towards Kal, seeming to consider her question for a moment.    "Oh, I'm not a records worker; I serve as Ms. Wu's personal secretary, organizing everything in the building. I'm not sure what you mean by 'strange'; could you give an example?"    She tilts her head, watching Kal carefully.

 
 Spoiler: Remy 
Can I get an Investigation check to begin looking through the papers and finding what you need?
 

 
 Spoiler: Kal 
You don't pick up anything specific about Danya; she simply seems to be very soft-spoken, from what you can tell.

Ariadne's voice appears in your mind, the sudden 'noise' after her 'absence' startling. Her voice is urgent, direct.   "Engoni, walk three steps to your left, pick up the folder with the green tag on it, and flip three pages. Answer something noncomittal as you do so, and do not look down at the file."  

(OOC: If you follow Ariadne's directions, I will ask for a Deception check to seem natural.)
 

 Floral and Helios 

Mary Wu takes in Lily's words without a change in expression, simply weighing them carefully for a long moment before speaking again.   "...I may have something for you both, or all four of you if you're available, though..."   Even in the short time that you've known her, it's odd to see Ms. Wu sounding so hesitant in her speech. She re-centers herself and begins speaking again.   "I may be merely baseless suspicions; given the presence of  actual magic  appearing within our world in the past year or so, and the madness within our own little snow-globe, it's difficult at times to tell what is hysteria and what is credible. All of this is to say that I have a concern about my people that may be nothing more than the situation itself, which it seems you are already working to alleviate. But if it isn't...

"I told you that all of our people are patrolling today. That was a slight obfuscation; all of our  active  people, except for Danya and myself, are on patrol. The rest... are taking vacation days. Sick days. Time off due to stress."   She smiles without humor.   "The business terms aren't quite correct--we are a volunteer organization, no one here is getting paid--but the gist is the same. We have several volunteers, and on paper we are well-staffed, but even when they are present, many people are listless, distracted, apathetic. Again, it may just be the world we are trapped in, but the frequency and the uniformity on our members make it suspicious."  

Ms. Wu regards each of you in turn over folded hands.   "If you have some way of discovering what, if I may be melodramatic, seems to be stealing the spirit of my people, and if it actually  is  enemy action rather than unchecked suspicion on my part, then I would consider it more than an equal exchange. If you can find nothing, then I will still be grateful; collecting a few of the missing person's reports and chasing them down would be a welcome act as well. In order to even out the exchange--I'm asking for something vague and possibly nonsensical, after all--let me clear up one of the names on your list. Miss Roberta Tehrani was concerned that some of her relatives may be trapped in the Dome with her, and did not want to meet them. Shortly after Fen-W was formed, she approached us and asked for a place to hide. We provided it; she is still safe in the city, but with a different name and disguised features. Any more would be betraying her trust, but if you need to speak to her, I can ask if she's willing to meet."  
Ridai
Remy nods.  "Will do."  He heads over to the table, and with no better approach, he tries to clear a spot on the table, start with the top-most file, check it, then place it in the free spot. Continue until finding anything on their three leads.
Abracadangit
Not used to hard edicts from Ariadne, Kal decides to pay heed; she owes Ariadne that much.

She briskly follows Ariadne's eerily precise instructions, picks up the folder with the green tag, and flips three pages.

 "Just anything out of the ordinary, really,"  Kal replies, hoping that sounds noncommittal enough.

Kal averts her eyes from the contents, though it's strangely difficult, in a "Don't think of an elephant" sort of way.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Deception check to act natural (+10 for various bonuses from "Art is Important" Downtimes):  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily frowned when Mary explained what was happening with her people.   "We can look into that, definitely.  We'll probably need to examine some of them directly though; could we get the names and addresses of a few who probably won't mind a house call?" 

She nodded appreciatively when Mary told them about Roberta Tehrani.   "Thanks, that's a big help in itself."   Narrowing the suspect pool from three to two was big game.   "I don't...think(?) we'll need to speak with her,"  she kinda half-asked-half-said, looking to Helios in case he had other ideas.   "If she's not actually missing she probably has nothing to do with what we're looking into." 
Dorni
Helios frowned in thought during Mary's explanation. The entire headquarters had been devoid of any sign of magic activity on the way in - suspiciously so. His first instinct was to wonder if someone was scrubbing magical traces from the area, and in turn whether someone with the skill to do that was hiding among the Forest Eyes. Add in that many of the members were feeling lethargic... It was possible. He himself employed a Life-based spell to drain someone's vitality. A similar, much smaller spell spread out over many people could gather significant energy over time while the effects were experienced as mild lethargy. It would also explain how clean of background magic this place was. Or it could be something else entirely, he reminded himself. Magic was endlessly fascinating, but not every problem was a magical one.

 "Of course, we can look into that. When did you first start to notice this lethargy?" 
Zelphas
 Remy and Kal 

Luckily, while the larger organization is still in progress, the files seem to be neatly labeled. They are obviously written by several different people over time, and Remy is able to sort the files into stacks based on the handwriting. He still has more stacks to go, but he finds one of the files almost immediately.

 
 Spoiler: Maura Angelov 
There are a few pictures in the folder, most of them showing a middle-aged woman with greying brown hair, light skin, and brown eyes in both posed and candid shots; the pictures look like they were taken from Facebook or another online website, and none of them look like the woman was unaware of them. One picture stands out from the rest: it's a black sedan, fairly old, rusted and covered in creeping vines, on the side of an old, pitted road next to a forest.

Behind the photos is a series of papers; the other sheets seem like handwritten or typed 'reports' of some sort, but stapled to the front of the papers is a single types summary:

 Name:  Maura Angelov
 Age:  47
 Residence:  496 Clark Boulevard, Residential Quarter, Forester's Bay.
 Last Seen:  July 1st, 2018, roughly 6:50 PM
 Summary:  Maura Angelov left her home shortly after the Obelisk appeared, traveling west on a vacation trip to see her son and his family in Wisconsin. She remarked to her neighbor that the Obelisk was "just more of this crazy Internet stuff" and that she'd "let the government handle it; I'm on vacation." Attempts at mass exodus from Forester's Bay did not reach its peak until roughly 8:30 PM on the 1st, after the Dome had fully appeared and Watcher made his first pronouncement; it's likely that Maura was ahead of the first wave, though she would not have been able to reach the border before the Dome appeared.
 Relatives within Forester's Bay:  None (husband Harold, Deceased, is buried in St. Josephine Catholic cemetery in Residential Quarter)
 Relatives outside Forester's Bay:  Son, Harold Jr. (28); son's wife Kaitlyn (26); granddaughter Ryleigh (2). All live in Madison, Wisconsin. Harold Jr. was reluctant to converse with non-law enforcement, but confirmed that he had not heard from his mother since shortly after the Dome came down, when she was complaining about the traffic.

At the bottom of this summary is an addendum added in a different hand than the person who wrote the file name.

 Update: Maura Angelov's car was discovered roughly 3 miles from the Dome by Mr. and Mrs. Kozlow when walking Highway 47 west into the Forest; picture added to file. The Kozlows were not able to stay long--they've only managed to remain unnoticed by Manchineel's Saplings by entering the Forest whenever Manchineel is seen, and only for short periods--but there seemed to be no signs of damage to the car, aside from increased decay from Manchineel's influence. Confirmed that Mrs. Angelov did not leave Forester's Bay; she left well before Manchineel appeared, but did not hsow up again, so anything still goes. 
 


Danya looks over at Kal... then smiles, shrugging in a self-deprecating way.    "The way that this world's been for the last two months, that's a hard question to answer,"    she softly replies, her attention moving away from Kal and towards the tablet she has slung at her side.    "Who knows what has    slipped through the cracks  as we've tried to get everything organized here."   
 
 Spoiler: Kal 
She tries to hide it, but you think you 'hear' Ariadne give a small sigh of relief. A moment later, her voice--much softer now--speaks in your head.

  "Engoni, this work is important, but there's a snarl in the weaving that needs unpicking. Continue your search, but we should leave before any other 'eyes' arrive back to this place. Put the file down without looking at it still, and then do as you wish."  
 

 Floral and Helios 
  "Certainly; If you want to speak to someone immediately, Mitul Stieber has 'called in' several times in the past few weeks, but he's on patrol today. I'll buzz him to come back to the building for a quick conversation. While I'm at it, let me send a quick email to my secretary, so she can get some addresses together for you,"   Ms. Wu replies, smoothly opening a small laptop on her desk and beginning to type. Her mouth quirks in a small, bitter smile at Lily's continued comment.   "That sort of 'missing', then; well, it will hopefully comfort their families, at least. Though I shouldn't speculate."  

She looks up to meet Helios' eyes for a moment when he first speaks, leaning back slightly in her chair to think.   "The Forest Eyes Neighborhood Watch began on July 4th; I had actually bought the building to turn it into an after-school activity center, something for middle- and high-schoolers to do instead of making terrible decisions out of boredom. The lethargy began... maybe a month after that? Somewhere in early or mid-August. Before that, I believe it was just normal stress, and the chaos of organizing. Since I'm not even sure if there  is  an actual problem, this is mostly guesswork, mind,"   she adds in at the end almost as an afterthought, tapping a few more keys before setting the laptop aside, its screen tilted down but not closed.
Ridai
Remy's brow furrows as he reads through the summary page of the report (he takes a picture of it, for posterity).  "Hm."  He waves Kal over, showing her the file.  "Here, look at this."  He also checks if there is anything noteworthy in the pages behind the initial summary. Otherwise, well, it is back to searching through the piles. Really though, Ms. Albescu perhaps being like him in some way keeps bugging Remy. He is not sure how to best communicate this to Kal without raising suspicions, though. He is not even sure if everyone who is like him became that way like he did. Or if they are all allies. Or what they even want. That one woman gave him the hint about how to find Nora, but was never seen again since then. Mostly though, he doesn't want to risk exposing himself as Nope, to avoid danger to Uncle Bruno.
Abracadangit
Kal puts the file down (still without looking at it, though the curiosity gnaws at her), and nods at Danya's statement.  "You speak in truths. Thank you for being generous with your time." 

She looks at the info Remy has turned up, especially the addendum with the information regarding Maura's abandoned car.  "I'd say that puts her pretty close to the top of the list, hm? Good work." 

Kal adds in a lower voice, so Danya won't hear:  "Orders from you-know-who, says I shouldn't stay here for long, so I'll be heading out. You can keep looking if you want, but whatever she doesn't like might affect you too, so be careful. You know how she is." 
Ridai
 "Alright. Something's weird, but not sure anything'll actually happen. I'll keep looking,"  Remy answers quietly, putting away the file onto the appropriate pile once they checked it, then moving on with the search through the reports.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily didn't respond or react to Ms. Wu's speculations, just on the precautionary principle that the less she knew about what they were looking into, the less likely she might do something that could subtly reveal her as an informant.

...Or, well, she didn't react in any way visible on her face, anyway.  One might notice the slight hint of a cinnamon scent drift into the air, though.  They hadn't had much comfort to offer Zephyr Magro's family.

But about calling back in Mr. Steiber she replied with a smile,  "That'd be great, thanks." 

So the lethargy had started give-or-take a month after the Dome had come up...actually roundabout the time their team had formed, in fact.  Hmm.

That had been an interesting day, too, with forces from all four members of the League converging on that warehouse for...reasons that they had never actually managed to figure out.  Lily didn't...really see how there could be any connection, and was probably just auto-fitting random data to a pattern, but still, she flagged the thought just in case.

 "In the meantime, would you mind if I poked around the building a bit?  Given the localized effect, it could just be something environmental, like a gas leak or some sort of mold or something; if there's anything like that getting into the air I might be able to sniff it out."   Even in a world of magic and superpowers, sometimes the normal possibility was worth checking, especially when checking it was relatively quick and easy.

 
 Spoiler 
If she agrees, Lily will do a sweep of the building to try to sniff out anything that might be toxic or dangerous or whatever.  Routine Perception for 25 with Analytical Scent and Analytical Detect Biology.

...And you know what sure Routine Expertise (Sanitation) for 20 on the off chance that matters like literally at all.  I never pass up the opportunity to throw insanely niche Expertise skills at a problem.
 
Dorni
So there had been a definitive start to this lethargy. More evidence that it wasn't just normal exhaustion.

 "Thank you,"  he replied smoothly.  "That should be plenty to get us started." 

If there was a spell behind this, how could it be cast over the entire watch? It could be an enchantment set up over somewhere the Forest Eyes congregated. Their HQ - being suspiciously devoid of magic sign - was an obvious candidate. There were likely traces of whatever was around the facility. But if it were location based, then he'd expect the people most affected were those that spent the most time at the facility as opposed to being out patrolling. People like Ms Wu, or her secretary. Although if either of them were unaffected...

 "If its alright Floral, I think I'll join you on the walk. It can't hurt to make sure there's nothing mystical at play either." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Helios will join Floral on the walk, assuming Wu doesn't object. He'll routine Expertise [Magic] at 30 for any magical traces he's missed in line with his sort-of theory.
He'll also routine Investigation 20 looking for other clues - mostly anything that would strike him as out of place.
 
Zelphas
 Remy and Kal 

The files behind the summary report are mostly notes from volunteers who looked into Mrs. Angelov's disappearance; they're generally a collection of rumors and hearsay, which seem to be noted and discounted by later reports. The summary report looks like it has all of the verifiable information noted on it. Sifting through the papers continues to take time, though Remy's getting into the rhythm of looking. Soon enough, he finds a file on Roberta Tehrani.

 
 Spoiler: Roberta Tehrani 
There are a number of papers within this file, but they are all stapled together in such a way that they cannot be opened without tearing the pages. The very first page at the top is a blank white paper with a simple sentence in plain black font:

  Anyone inquiring about the whereabouts of Roberta Tehrani should seek an appointment with Ms. Mary Wu, president of the Forest Eyes Neighborhood Watch.  
 


And hey, it looks like Remy's in luck! The file marked "Cosme Muto" is just underneath Roberta Tehrani's file!

A hand taps lightly on Remy's shoulder. The lights flicker, buzzing; old iridescent lights, a holdover from the police office days of this building.    "I don't mean to interrupt; I just wanted to apologize for the mess again, and check to make sure... you didn't need anything else,"    Danya says from behind Remy, her hand still held up slightly from her tap.

 
 Spoiler: Perception or Insight DC 20, Remy only 
The lights didn't flicker. Light briefly became darkness and vice versa, a somewhat common side effect of your powers activating (if anything about your powers can be called common). It only occurred for a split second, but it happened the instant Danya's hand touched your shoulder.
 


Meanwhile, As Kal makes her way out the door, a car pulls up to the parking lot and stops. The man exiting is middle-aged with a dark complexion, salt-and-pepper hair, and the beginnings of a beard in unkempt stubble on his face. He scowls at the building and begins walking towards it, in clear view of the (bulletproof) glass front doors.

 
 Spoiler: Kal 
  Engoni, we will need to deal with this place eventually; I do not like being compared to--Hmm.   Ariadne has been saying as you moved towards the door, stopping when you saw the man.   Now this is manageable alone. See as I have taught you, engoni; I am sure you will know what to do next.  
 

 Floral and Helios 

Mary Wu nods her acquiescence to walk around the building, already becoming absorbed in her laptop once again; it seems that there is plenty of work for her to do now as well.   "When you reach the door at the end of the long hallway downstairs, please knock and ask if you can enter; the holding cells have been converted into small apartments for those temporarily without homes, and I try not to disturb them unless necessary,"   she states, smiling wryly at the irony of the conversion to herself before the two of you leave.

As a former police station, the layout of the Forest Eyes Neighborhood Watch is fairly straightforward; three short hallways connected to one long hallway down the middle of the building, studded with doors leading to medium-sized offices, with a large cafeteria, a library, and a heavier door leading to the former holding cells as the only breaks in the regularity. It only takes the two of you about ten minutes to walk the entire building besides the holding cells, passing Kal in the hallway and seeing Remy working on files in the library with an unremarkable woman as you go. Within a short time, you are in front of the door to the holding cells, the last place you haven't looked into.

 
 Spoiler: Lily 
Fatigue scents the air around you, seeming to have seeped into the mortar of the building itself; something is definitely making the people here tired, or sapping their energy. The fact that Mary Wu seems to be free of the problem would be more suspicious if she wasn't the one who sent you to figure this out.

It's probably unrelated, but if your nose is correct, the building seems to have a large amount of snakes, spiders, and rats living within it, though the haven't made themselves visibly apparent. What  might  be related is the number of mosquitoes, tapeworms, and roundworms you seem to be smelling as nearby as well. Has the Watch just neglected their pest control?

The really weird thing is, the sanitation of the building is solid--better than average, you'd say, if your nose wasn't saying otherwise. The building is clean and well-kept, the floors are polished and swept, the cafeteria is sanitary, it's all good. Except for all the smells...
 

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Magic leaves a signature, a kind of trace in the air that doesn't immediately fade away. If someone's laid a spell on the building or the people there, you should be able to find traces if you look.

And now that you're looking for traces, you notice some as you leave Ms. Wu's office--traces of your own magic, as well as Ariadne's, and even bits of Floral's, though Lily is giving off general "living being" energy that you've never noticed before. None of this energy except for yours and maybe Ariadne's should be noticeable, and they shouldn't be  this  noticeable regardless. A moment's searching gives you another signature which you can trace to Mary Wu herself; she is not magically gifted, but gives out "living being" traces. You shouldn't be able to notice "living being" energy, not with your Mystic Sense being at the level it currently is.

This suggests that whatever is occurring isn't a continuous spell. Seeing this, you realize that it's not as if something "scrubbed" the magic from the building. It's like something came along and sucked the magical energy out of the building, leaving a void that even the faintest traces of magic stand out against. The fact that Danya Ablescu gives out  no  energy whatsoever is something worth noting--but then again, Nope isn't giving off any energy either.

Your investigative instincts, combined with your Mystic Sense, are pushing you towards the holding cells; something about this feels both familiar and alien, and all of it aims at that door, though you can't put it down to anything more than a hunch. Maybe the place, and the things that seem to be out of place, are just spooking you.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily walked mostly in silence for the first couple minutes, aside from saying  "Pests?"  in a vaguely confused voice at one point.  She starts paying a bit more attention to things like corners, windows, vents, and such as they go.  When they pass Kal in the halls Lily gives her a little smile and wave, but since there's someone else in the room Remy occupies she gives them both a polite nod and moves on.

After a few minutes of walking and sniffing, when she's sure (because of the sniffing, you see) that there isn't anyone else nearby, Lily glances sidelong at Helios and asks quietly,  "So um, how are your brother and cousin...holding up?" 

--

When they've gone through all the rest of the building and arrived at the door to the former holding cells, Lily says,  "I've been smelling a lot of pests.  Snakes, spiders, rats, mosquitoes, tapeworms, roundworms...lots of stuff.  It doesn't really fit.  The building's clean, sanitation is all good.  I haven't seen any leaks in the bathrooms, exposed food in the cafeteria, poorly-fitting windows, anything like that.  This could be some sort of sickness the pests are carrying, maybe, but it's still odd that there'd be so many in a place this well-kept at all."

"Our lives being what they are, the thought that one of their guests might have some sort of pest-summoning power or something has definitely come to mind.   Although I swear to God after Lockdown's Seven Deadly Sins and Manchineel's Angels if it turns out that Apophis is running some sort of Four Horsemen thing and we just stumbled upon Pestilence I will find a way to make him pay.  Already fight Famine enough in my day job. "   And no that was  not a suggestion, Apophis! 
Ridai
The tap on his shoulder has Remy instinctively pull away from his, along with a startled jolt going through his body. And he notices what just happened to the lights. What really happened.

 "No, it's alright,"  comes out of him on auto-pilot. Pause. Look up at the normally functioning lights. Then Danya. Oh, this could go so very wrong. Best case would be that she thinks he is some sort of weirdo and leave him alone, which would haunt him for a good bit of time along with all the other memories of awkward moments or when he messed up.

 "...but did you just do that?"  And he points up at the lights.

Worst case would be his secret identity getting exposed and immediately getting thrown into a fight of life and death.

When Floral walks by and gives them a nod, Remy tries to give her a "something's really not right here" look as subtly as possible.
Abracadangit
Kal waves as she passes Floral in the hall, while wishing there was a way she could communicate her thoughts without speaking. Might have to look into a pattern for that, later.

As she approached the door and heard Ariadne's directive, it seemed like now was as good a time as any to peer into the Thread -- but she'd have to be sneaky about it. Her trance while immersed in Ariadne's phantom network wasn't exactly... subtle.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Stealth check to hide from approaching man:  (1d20)[ 9 ] 
 
Dorni
Helios makes the walk around the building in comfortable silence, stopping to squinting at the odd wall, desk, or countertop. It isn't an idle silence - its obvious that he's on to something and his mental wheels are turning.  "They're... fine. As much as they can be. Sara is still adjusting. Dante..."  He trailed off, not sure what to say. Having too much to say. Not being able to say anything here.

---

Helios nodded at the information. Pests. He wasn't sure how it fit in to his puzzle, yet, but he was sure it was connected.  "Same. Everything has looked clean. Too clean."  He gave Floral a sharp look.  "There's... I guess you could call it background magic. There are trace magical elements everywhere. They're far too weak to have any effect, but they're  there . At most they can help me get a sense of a place. But here, they're just gone. I don't mean gone like they're muted. I mean gone like they've been sucked away. Like how the volunteers energy is just missing."
 
 "Only positive is that the traces that are there stand out a bit clearer than normal. Your aura has a stronger tilt toward Life aspect then"   normal humans   "other people,"  he corrected.  "I felt that same aura coming from Ms Wu." 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily was starting to piece together something resembling an academic understanding of magical theory - mostly hacked together from how it worked in games and fiction refined by what she had been able to observe from Helios and Ariadne, plus or minus a few questions.  But it was still very much incomplete and right now a lot of her theory was pointing towards "it can be different for different mages", which definitely wasn't annoying at all.

While she had picked up a couple times on Helios's mentions of different types of magic and such, she hadn't realized it was a thing that just kinda existed in the background.  Like, she knew there was a font of death magic or whatever at Camp Bubble Brook, but she had thought you'd only get that in specific places.  Something something ley lines or whatever?  Not that, like, there was background magic everywhere.

...It didn't sound  super -great that such traces were absent from this building.  Weird how something she hadn't even known existed until just now could worry her by its absence.  On the other hand, she had read a Dark Sun setting book once upon a time.  It was a valid-

Lily's concern about background magic went away when Helios told her about the similarities between her and Mary Wu's auras.  Her body went just briefly still for a moment as the gears turned in her head, processing...

And I do mean  still .  Not breathing.  Not blinking.  Not even the faint pulse of a heartbeat.  For just a second, Lily could have been mistaken for a wooden mannequin in a clothing store.

Then she blinked, and took in a breath, both actions done intentionally and with no physiological purpose, save where air was needed to facilitate speech.   "Have you seen an aura like that from anybody else?"  she asked quietly, while knocking on the door.

It didn't  necessarily  mean what it obviously could have meant.  That didn't mean it wasn't the obvious hypothesis.  Lily made a mental note to take a closer  look  sniff at Mary Wu's biology, next time they were in her office.
Zelphas
 Floral and Helios 

The door to what were once the holding cells is sturdy, heavy metal; it gives a reassuring clunk of noise in response to Lily's knocking, the sound echoing slightly in the mostly-empty hallway around you. For several seconds, it seems as though the knocking has no response, but finally the heavy curtain hung up behind the door twitches to one side, revealing a mess of tangled brown hair and one sleep-blurred eye. The visage studies the two of you for a moment, and then the curtain falls back; a second later, the door is pulled abruptly open, revealing a person in oversized grey sweatpants and a sweatshirt, most of their head hidden behind bushy brown hair.   "C'nI help you...?"   the person asks, most of what they say distorted by a heavy yawn.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
Looks like the door here was pretty good at holding in smells; the scent of pests increases a hundredfold in a blast as the door opens. You're pretty sure you could chase it down to the source in here simply enough.
 

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Two important things happen as the door opens:

In the first place, the magical "energy" of the area nearby abruptly stabilizes, meaning that you lose the "signature" of Floral in the background noise. Whatever took the energy out of the area did not do so past the holding cells, and it's a hard line; magical energy doesn't work like physical matter, so physical boundaries shouldn't affect it this strongly (to your knowledge).

In the second place, the "familiar, yet alien" feel intensifies enough for you to pick out more information. A summoning ritual. Not what the Cult has tried (and to your knowledge, so far mostly failed, with a few notable exceptions) to run, but the same basic "markers" are there. Someone summoned something beyond that door--and they summons something large enough (or  enough  somethings) to leave a lingering mark.
 

 Remy 

Danya Albescu tilts her head at you, slowly.    "I did not realize... well. I thought I was the only one who made the crossing."    The look in her eyes has... changed.    "I will not touch you and yours, if you do not touch me and mine,"    she intones, oddly, speaking an oath. A smile, somehow strange on her still normal face, appears briefly.    "Though I do not think you and I can--"   

Her head whips towards the doorway, body tensing for a moment. Danya straightens up, seeming almost to forget what had just happened.    "I'm sorry; there seems to be a problem at the front door. I will return shortly; please let me know if you need anything."    With that, she begins walking, with an efficient, determined stride, out of the room.

 Kal 
 
 Spoiler: Kal 
As always when you pull upon the strange sight that Ariadne has gifted you, you see the world as a series of strings, threads and wires crisscrossing in an ordered chaos, a tapestry far larger and more complex than you can truly grasp. Setting aside the mind-boggling majesty for the moment (as you always must), you focus your gaze upon the man who has begun walking to the front door.

The man is being eaten by a spider.

Threadwork limbscircle the man's entire body, crushing and manipulating his limbs, twisting and breaking the spirit within. The man's eyes are closed, his face set in an expression of distracted pain, as though haunted by a nightmare he cannot awaken from. two of the spider's limbs circle the head with an almost gentle grace, as though framing the agony there. The body of the spider presses against the man's back, pushing his spine up in an unnatural bow. The fangs are buried deep into the man's neck, the threads there unraveling, mingling, the grey-black spider overpowering the man's paler form in abstract dominance.

The spider's eyes, intent on its food, freeze in their lazy twitching. Glowing, orange, six of them spin, before focusing down your threadwork sight. It sees you.

 It sees you. 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Lwa Predator: Use  Predator's Gaze  on Kal.  (1d20+8)[ 17 ]  Affliction DC 18 vs. Perception Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled.  +5 to Kal's Resistance Roll 
 

 


The man walks up to the front door, opening them with a distracted nod towards Kal as he begins to make his way inside.
Ridai
 "The... the crossing?"  Then the offered gentlemen's agreement/veiled threat.  "Wait what-"  Then the smile and that aborted remark.  "Uh-" 

Remy has questions, and the feeling everyone else who might be like him has already figured out way more answers than he has.

All he wanted to do today was do some mundane research. You know. Basically a change of pace! What with not even heading into hostile territory  for once!  You know. Almost like a treat!  Or so he thought! 

So once Danya has left the room, Remy... decides to go to the bathroom. Only once he enters, he Nopes, and also disappearing from view, heading to the entrance of the building. Because he sure doesn't like how ominous all this is getting.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Switch on his identity, activate  Remove Presence , configure Focus Removal to  Remove Momentary Aggression , do the   Sneaky Sneaks  - (1d20+20)[ 31 ]  and head to the entrance.
 
Abracadangit
 
 Spoiler: In Threadworld 
Kal stares back without meaning to, as she feels a pulse of sickening energy crawl through her skin. A moment later, it fades -- perhaps she avoided whatever ill effect was planned.

  "I told you to prepare a pattern that can bind things without form, did I not," Ariadne snaps, in an accusatory tone. "Now we have another spirit, and what is it that you can do."  
  "First of all, we talked about this,"   Kal thinks back, coolly.   "If It's Not Helpful Mid-Fight, Save It For Tonight. Remember?"   Ariadne mutters something incomprehensible and probably mean-spirited, just as Kal --
 


-- shifts back into her normal sight. The man doesn't seem to pay Kal too much mind as he continues to make his way inside.

Time to let the others know what's up, Kal thinks to herself, as she decides to double back to grab Remy, with the added benefit of keeping an eye on where this poor soul is going.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Expertise: General Mythology check to recall information about the creature:  (1d20+20)[ 26 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Floral's nose crinkled noticeably when the door opened.   "Hi,"  she said, speaking fairly quietly.  If this...infestation or whatever it was was due to a person, she didn't want to warn them.   "We're...I guess examining the building is the best way to put it.  Is it okay if we run a quick sweep in here?" 

...

 "Also are you..."  okay so how do you put this so as not to freak a person out.  "You smell like you've got a major tapeworm infestation" seems like it...might not be the ideal approach.

Eh, Lily wasn't above lying for a good cause.

 "Feeling okay?"  she continued.   "We've had some reports of health issues.  Have you been experiencing any symptoms?  Fatigue, nausea, upset stomach, lack of appetite, anything like that?"   Although given the yawn and slurred speech, she was pretty sure fatigue would be a yes.  The rest of it was common symptoms of a tapeworm infestation, so she expected he'd confirm at least something along those lines, and then she could offer to heal him without it seeming too completely weird.

She also looked to Helios and said,  "Fourth room down on the right, I think,"  in case he wanted to check that out while she was tending to this guy.

 
 Spoiler 
Routine Deception for 20, 30 if her Attractive advantage and thus Limited Enhanced Deception applies.
 
Dorni
Helios answered Floral's question with a kindly smile while they waited for her knock to be answered.  "No." 

--

So. That was what was happening. But it wasn't complete yet. There was still time. Helios wanted to reach for his magic but held off. Before them was just one of these things. There were very likely more. And if Floral thought she'd found the source, then maybe he could cut this all off at the source.

 "Of course. I'll take care of the sweep while you tend to the miss."  Assuming the figure didn't block his path, he stepped past to look inside. He didn't think Floral needed the warning, but he tried to silently catch her eye as he slipped by.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Going to check out the room Floral mentioned. Expertise Magic  (1d20+20)[ 39 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Nope and Ariadne 

The man looks over his shoulder as Kal enters the building behind him; both he and Kal walk the same direction down the hallway, since the building is not very long. He looks back once or twice more before finally turning, opening his mouth to speak--

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne Threadvision 
The spider's eyes are on you the entire time; it seems confused, as though it expected some sort of response from its earlier glare. Finally, as the man turns, it seems to have made a decision; the fangs rip away from the man's neck, turning towards you--

  "Engoni, look--"  

A master sculptor wove together a tapestry on what comes after death. Decay, wilting, grief, loss, lingering, the life that lives off of death, consumption, predation, parasitism, symbiosis, the cycle beginning anew... all of it, woven together with such skill and power that the very repugnance of the subject takes on a compelling sort of.. not beauty. Never beauty. But close, too close.

One tiny fragment of that tapestry, frayed at the edges, missing many of its scenes and even some of its threads, cut crudely into the shape of a human being, steps out from behind the spider and places its hand-shape on the spider's head, pushing its fangs back down onto the man's neck.

  "--away..."   Ariadne sighs.   I had planned not to deal with it in its den, but we may have no choice."  
 


Danya Albescu places a hand on the man's shoulder, stopping him from speaking.    "I will handle this; go about your business, Mitul, thank you."    The man nods to Danya and to Kal, before turning and going towards Ms. Wu's office on the second floor. Danya watches Kal until he leaves, and then turns slightly and addresses an empty patch of air in the hallway.    "Is this one of yours, then?"   
 
 Spoiler: Remy 
Danya is looking at, and talking to, you.

Take a long-overdue Hero Point for your  ...Are There Others?  Complication.
 

 Floral and Helios 
  "Mmmm..."   The person responds to Lily's question noncommittally, still blinking the sleep from their eyes.   "I'unno... Watcher-slop isn' all that tasty... maybe should eat something..."   The person begins making their way through the door, going towards the main part of the building.

 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 28 
The person's eyes are not as sleep-blurred as they first appeared. They lingered on Floral when they said 'tasty', then flicked between Floral and Helios; they are also attempting to move causally, but are definitely in a hurry to get out the door and go directly either to someone or to somewhere.
 


The doors to the private rooms are heavy metal doors with thick clear plastic windows in the frames; when they were holding cells, these windows allowed officers to see inside without opening the doors, but after changing to private rooms it seems that blankets or curtains have been hung on the inside of the doors to give people privacy. Each of the doors has a small nameplate next to it, presumably with the last name of the person living there. Helios, stopping at the fourth door to the right, sees that the nameplate here (written in small but neat and clear script) reads "Albescu". The doors have their locks on the outside, and keyrings have been placed on the outside of each door under the nameplates; the door in front of Helios has no keyring, but is unlocked when he checks it. There are also no magical wards or tripwires that Helios can sense; odd, given the power and skill of the summoning going on here.

Inside, the room is a tiny space with a single, narrow bed, a tiny desk someone has managed to jam inside with a small laptop (closed) on it, and nothing else. Helios' magical senses direct him to underneath the tiny bed; then again, this could just be his regular intuition, since there is nowhere else in this room for something to hide. for a moment, nothing is there; then his vision shimmers, and several small Tupperware boxes appear under the bed, each one labeled with banal names like "files", "papers", and "misc."

 
 Spoiler: If you open a box 
The smell hits you immediately. Inside are the tiny, obviously dead bodies of several mosquitoes; too many to easily count. You're glad you didn't pick up a heavier box.
 


Something catches Helios' attention as he moves away from the bed, and he looks up to one corner of the room. His regular senses tell him that there's nothing there but a cobweb, but his Mystic Sense disagrees, and eventually it wins out. He can make out a circular shape of some sort of dark metal, small and seemingly broken, hidden within the cobwebs in the corner of the room.

 
 Spoiler: Expertise (The League or Local) DC 20 
The dark metal is the same color and has the same shine as a Proxysuit.
 
Quellian-dyrae
...Okay, that was creepy.  Something very weird was going on in here.

Lily knew as well as anyone that the right sort of chemicals could have all manner of strange effects on behavior.  With her powers and all the plants of the world to wield as weapons, she was capable of exerting an honestly fairly terrifying amount of control over the minds of others, if she wanted to.  But plants weren't the only things with such capabilities.  There were many parasites out there that could secrete chemicals that would influence the behavior of their hosts.

Such parasites tended to be more effective against the simpler nervous systems of insects and other less developed animals.  More complex organisms usually developed defenses against such parasites, and larger creatures could have immunity simply by virtue of the fact that tiny parasites couldn't produce enough of the necessary chemicals to exert influence.  And it wasn't really what tapeworms were known for in any event.

None of which was anything resembling a dealbreaker, with magic and superpowers loose in the world.

Lily's immediate inclination was to either try to heal the man, cleansing the parasitic infestation, or at least block his advance and see how he reacted to that.  But which action would be best depended on whether his behavior was in fact being influenced by the parasites.  Mostly, she had no way to figure that out.

Unless they were in fact doing it the way most parasites did it, in which case his biochemistry might contain an inordinate amount of brain-affecting chemicals.  Which she just might be able to detect.

 
 Spoiler 
Full senses still on, with Analytical Detect Biology probably being the big player here.  Perception:  (1d20+15)[ 28 ] .  Expertise (Biochemistry):  (1d20+25)[ 35 ] .
 
Ridai
Okay then. Screw Nope trying to make this work, since nothing seems to work.

Nope appears.  "So... you got put in a Proxy Suit and it didn't work as normal? And what the hell is going on here?"  Nope just avoids talking about Kal altogether.
Abracadangit
Kal switches off her threadsense so she can look plainly at the man once more. None of this is good, but for starters, I need to stop this man from moving or going anywhere else, Kal thinks. Then she can try something, maybe even some magic if she can make it look like something else for a civilian.

"Are you feeling all right, sir?" Kal asks the man, who hadn't even gotten a chance to speak before he was reintroduced to his less-than-savory guest. "I thought for a moment that you seemed... unwell."
Dorni
At the stranger's comment Helios stopped and turned back to face them, eyes narrowed. He flicked a hand and gave an effort of will. Translucent bands of hardened air shimmered into view around the stranger, not binding the person, but ready to wrap and entangle them.  "No, I don't think you'll be nibbling on anyone else. How long have you possessed them, scavenger spirit?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Set Spells Array to Ranged Strength 10, Cumulative Affliction [Impaired / Disabled]
Standard: Ready action to Cast Binding on the person if they try to attack or flee, using Strength to Grab. AOA 5. On hit, DC 20 vs Grab and Affliction.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Now Lily's nose may have been her real claim to fame in the senses...sense.  But while they may not have been enhanced her ears did still function just fine, so when she heard Helios down the hall calling out some sort of scavenger spirit for possessing people, she stopped bothering trying to parse the man's neurochemistry.  She no longer needed that data to come to a conclusion.

The next question was, could Lily actually heal possession?

She didn't know.  Plants were capable of producing a wide range of medicinal effects, curing a vast array of ailments and maladies, and that curative power was expanded further by Lily's use of stored solar energy to unlock superhuman potencies.  And her powers were proven to have the ability to manipulate the behavior by influencing the brain on a biochemical level.  But possession was something else entirely, an effect on a mental and spiritual plane that may or may not actually be correlated literally at all with the underlying physical reality.

Flip side, people have been using plants to have altered mental and "spiritual" experiences since time immemorial.  If spirits and souls did in fact exist, maybe such things were in fact an effect on that level.  Who knew?  Lily sure didn't.  And if not, well, maybe the fact that Lily was at the end of the day tapping into stored solar energy would have a mystical impact where a chemical one would fail.

Or maybe not.  There was really only one way to find out: run the experiment.  Lily reached out for the man as he started walking past her, hand dripping with healing nectar.

 
 Spoiler 
Reconfiguring Flower Power to 20 points Healing Nectar, 10 points Medicinal Nectar, 10 points Solar Nectar, 10 points Scent Intensification and trying to heal the guy with Restorative Persistent Healing at  (1d20+10)[ 27 ] .  If this requires an attack roll because he might try to avoid it:  (1d20+10)[ 16 ] .
 
Zelphas
 Kal and Nope 

The being that both of you only know as Danya Albescu smiles at Kal, stepping slightly between her and the man as he continues to walk away.    "Mitul has business, and the adults are talking now. He will be fine, I assure you."    Mitul--the man--does not turn around at Kal's calling. In her head, Ariadne allows herself to be 'heard' taking a slow, measured breath inwards, a sound you've only heard when she has become very irritated.

Turning to Nope, Danya hesitates for a moment.    "Hmm... It seems our situations aren't quite as similar as I thought. You see,  I  didn't get 'put in a Proxy Suit', as you put it. But I did leave one."    She considers the second part of Nope's question for a moment.    "I am following my nature, of course; what else is there to do? You must have done the same, at least a little."    Her eyes unfocus for a moment, before snapping back to you, her expression morphing into anger.    "Is this an invasion, then? Or do you really have nothing to do with this? No, you can both go; this place's immune system is kicking back, finally, but I won't go without a fight."    She begins to stride forwards towards the holding cells, once again acting as though she's forgotten Nope (and Kal this time too).

 Floral and Helios 
 
 Spoiler: Floral's Senses 
With your total focus on the person in front of you, you come across a paradox. When taking an inventory of the person's current health and mental state, there are clear signs of advanced parasitic infection; this person should be in a hospital getting treatment. However, when you try to pinpoint the parasites, your senses come up empty. This person is undergoing parasitism, without actually having any parasites within them. Still, the symptoms are there, which gives you something to focus on and try to cure.
 


The person turns towards Helios at his question, the sleepy, confused smile just beginning to slip of of their face, leaving an emptiness that is difficult to see on most human faces. They slump strangely, parts of their musculature relaxing while other, unorthodox muscles take up the slack, as though the effort of standing and walking normally had been too much up to that point. Before they can move further or speak, Floral strikes the human person standing before her with a concentrated burst of healing. The Parasite within the person, sensing neither dangerous magic nor malicious intent from Floral, does not attempt to avoid her nectar-soaked hand.

This seems to have been a mistake.

Outwardly, the Healing acts exactly as healing should; the person stands straighter, visible skin flushing with new health, the one visible eye even clearing somewhat from sleep and the haze of illness. They blink once and look around, alert confusion beginning to appear on their features for just a moment. Then something snaps behind the eyes, and the person begins to slump, heavily, to the ground, falling over towards Floral as they do so.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Helios, I'm assuming that you're going to grab the person to keep them from falling into Floral. If so, Resistance vs. Grab (DC 20):  (1d20+6)[ 10 ]   Fully Grabbed 

The Lwa Parasite uses  Jump Hosts  on Floral.  (1d20+6)[ 9 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 20 vs. Progressive Impaired/Compelled/Transformed (Lwa Parasite). This is Perception as well.  +10 to the Resistance Check 
 
 Spoiler: Helios 
If Floral succeeds on her Resistance check, the sense of the Parasite abruptly vanishes; without a host to hold onto, the creature is unable to maintain its presence in reality and quickly fades.
 

 
Ridai
 "Wha-   I came here to research missing people!"    bursts out of normally quiet Nope, who is officially so freaking done with the entire situation.

  "Why can no one speak normal sentences anymore?! Does talking only in cryptic bull**** like a ******* cartoon come standard issue with powers or what?!"   He continues.  "You know what? Screw you. You are getting no answers, see how you like it. Also enigma platypus!"  And with that, Nope disappears, taking Kal with him. And he goes looking for Floral and Helios. Since circumstance decided to show both Remy and Kal the giant middle finger in terms of keeping their identities hidden, everything's effed anymore. Still, if possible, he places Kal a bit out of sight of anyone not in the know so she can assume her Ariadne form.

 "Hi. Found something on the missing people. Also the librarian has Nope powers, is on the way to somewhere for some reason involving a building immune system or some BS, and can't answer simple questions to save her life. Also my identity got blown and my family threatened. How are things on your end?"  Nope exposits, quite purposefully, having a normal one right now.
Abracadangit
 "The  adults? "  Kal hisses back, indignantly.  "I don't know what your plan is, but to knowingly allow someone to--"
 
Kal experiences an odd sensation; not exactly vertigo, but more like her entire field of vision is an optical illusion, and has suddenly been turned inside out. She realizes this is what happens when her teammate Nopes some distance.

 "That sounds   like a lot,"  Kal replies to Nope's outburst, as her crimson peplos suddenly weaves itself over her, and crimson threads place her golden mask on her face.  "The man she referred to as Mitul   is carrying some kind of parasite, looks like a   demon spider. Might be something   Vodou, but I'm not positive. If at any   point you see one, avert your eyes. Oh, and your new 'friend'   is not what she seems, but you already knew that, hm." 
 "Time to   regroup,"  Kal says, as she flicks a needle into her hand.
Quellian-dyrae
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'm kinda unsure but my assumption is that Nope and Kal did arrive?  If I'm wrong there let me know and I'll edit.
 


Lily dodged the grasping hands of the entrapped possessee easily enough.  Even so, she felt...something trying to push its way at her mind.  Without physical contact having been made, the attempt seemed pretty low-bandwidth.  Lily slapped it down without even thinking about it.

Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously when Remy said the librarian with Nope powers had threatened his family.   "Well, we'll just have to deter that with extreme prejudice, then.  Sucks to be the librarian, I guess.  Although yeah the whole 'secret identities' thing turned out kinda useless in practice, huh?"   The part of her that had always felt that the fictional examples were more trouble than they were worth and been annoyed that she had seemed to actually have a reason to use one felt more than a little vindicated about that, not gonna lie.

 "Uh, I might be the immune system thing, actually.  This guy's possessed, I tried to heal him.  It...only partially worked.  I guess...nap time for him while we deal with his presumed boss, and then we can figure out how to depossess him."   She scratched her head a little, gathering a small handful of what looked like dandruff (actually pollen) into her hand, and tossing it in a little puff at the possessed guy's face, before turning and moving to face down the hallway leaning towards the former cells, in preparation for the librarian or demon-spider-guy or whoever.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Heady Scent, 10 points to Miasmic Scent, 10 points to Lingering Scents, 10 points to Potent Scents, 10 points to Floral Blood.

Standard: Attack Mr. Possessed Person with Heady Scent at  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] .  On a hit vs. Defenseless DC of 10, auto-crits for Resistance DC 25+Penetrating vs. Cumulative, Secondary Effect Immobilized/Stunned/Incapacitated.   HAH!  Knew I shouldn't Power Attack.  No Penetrating, just DC 25. 

Move: Kinda aiming to get between the rest of the group and anything that might be coming down the hall.

Current Status: Normal, Floral Blood (Def 5/Res 15).
 
Dorni
Helios regarded Floral levelly.  "I wanted to get the spirit talking,"  he stated levelly.  "Compel it to answer if need be. It was alone and the possession was incomplete. We could have learn-" 

The magician blinked in surprise and started willing a spell into being at Nope's sudden entrance. Once he registered who it was he let the aether disperse while Nope explained his findings.

 "Well, we'll just have to deter that with extreme prejudice, then.  Sucks to be the librarian, I guess.  Although yeah the whole 'secret identities' thing turned out kinda useless in practice, huh?"  Lily received an raised eyebrow.   Speak for yourself.  
 "He's probably referring to us having driven the parasite out of this man. So either your spirit had exceptional senses or the creatures share a mental bond. Interesting. If so we might be able to use that connection to find the rest. There's a whole nest of these spirits here. Some are more predatory in nature, some more akin to scavengers, and some are parasitic in nature."  He definitely did not look at Ariadne.

 "But if the spirit we met is any indication, the possessions aren't complete. A spirit attempting to possess someone isn't an instant process. Its takes time, gets drawn out as the host resists. It isn't uncommon that the possession never fully completes and both the spirit and the host 'blend' to some degree, with the host gaining access to the spirit's abilities."  Still definitely wasn't looking at Ariadne.

Helios felt a sinking feeling.  "Which makes me worried about all those volunteers who were 'too tired' to keep showing up." 
 "You said the one you met was a demon-spider? Get ready for anything."  Helios started another spell, weaving a protective enchantment around his companions.  "That's a predator spirit. Territorial. Now that he's detected us he might come to defend his territory. Possession might be stronger too." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Setting Spells to Healing (Restorative, Shapable Area Secondary Effect 6, Triggered 4 (upon taking damage)). Everyone in the party gets a Triggered Heal on them.
 
Zelphas
 Everyone 

Floral tosses a handful of powder at the downed person who was recently acting so strange; the person doesn't even twitch as their unconsciousness fades even further into full, deep sleep.

The sound of impatient footsteps echo through the halls of the building even as you regroup and speak to one another, pooling your information. To Ariadne and Nope, this is by far the loudest sound that they have heard Danya Albescu make in their short time of knowing her. The building isn't large, and one wing of it is set aside specifically for the area you are now standing in; it does not take long for the nondescript woman to turn the corner of the short hallway leading towards the repurposed containment cells, her grey-blue clothing and general aura of fading into the background making her actually a little hard to focus on for the first few moments of her appearance. Danya's face, composed in a mask of stern irritation as if she were a strict teacher moving in to break up children being rowdy in the halls, fades almost instantly into blankness as she takes in the four heroes, fully "suited up" and ready for combat, facing her.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
You can notice it now because you aren't working on other things (and Danya probably had something going on that kept her hidden), but Danya Albescu doesn't have a smell. Or, perhaps it is better said that she smells like the rest of the environment around her, pretty close to perfectly to your senses. If you closed your eyes, you wouldn't be able to point to her even if you and she were in a small room together, which is a rare occurrence since your powers were "given" to you (Nope notwithstanding).
 


In one smooth motion, Danya pivots on one heel and breaks into a sprint back the way she came.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'm assuming you're not just going to let her run, so...

 Initiative 

Nope:  (1d20)[ 7 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 20 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 20 ] 
Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 14 ] 

Danya:  (1d20)[ 11 ] 
 Danya is trying to escape, but is moving at normal-human-level speed at the moment. 
 Helios, Ariadne, and Floral act before Danya can break line of sight. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
 "Sorry,"  Lily replied to Helios.  Coordination failure, it happened.

When Danya arrived and promptly appeared to think better of arriving, yeah Lily wasn't down with that.  It did occur to her that the sudden reversal could be a trap of some kind, trying to lure them towards some prepared reinforcements or something.  It didn't especially occur to her to  care .

Well, that wasn't quite true.  It was more that, given her potent self-healing abilities and more limited offense, she tended to figure that if there was some unknown danger she was the best choice for triggering it.  So with a flutter of her wings, Lily shot down the hall, getting in Danya's way.  She didn't attack immediately, but she set her spear like a medieval piker ready to receive a charge, its tip glistening with nectar.   "How about we just talk, hmm?  Can we do that?" 
 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  5 points to Floral Wings, 5 points to Olfactory Clarity (Ranged Smell, Smell Accurate, Acute, Analytical), 10 points to Scent Intensification, 10 points to Heady Scent, 10 points to Potent Scents, 10 points to Floral Blood.  Descriptor set to [Physiological] [Poison].  Her sense of smell is currently Ranged, Radius, Acute, Analytical, Accurate, Counters Concealment [Overlapping Scents], Penetrates Concealment [Limited to Around Objects], and at +5 Perception.

Move: Into Danya's way at Speed 5.

Standard: Ready an action.  If Danya tries to get past her, attack with  Heady Scent  Paralytic Poison at  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 20+Penetrating vs. Immobilized/Stunned/Incapacitated.

Current Status: Floral Blood (Defense 5, Resistance 15), Triggered Healing.
 
Abracadangit
Kal raises a hand, and with lightning speed, conjures a wall of thread behind Floral. Even if Danya vaults over or past Floral, the barricade of magic thread will prove to be troublesome.

 "Violence is not our   aim, this day,"  Kal says, as a floating pentacle of thread appears around her open hand.  "But do not be   foolish, and do not test us." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Silken Shields to web up the corridor directly behind Floral.
 
Dorni
Helios approached slowly with a placating gesture.  "That's right. Calm down. We just want to talk." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Persuasion  (1d20+17)[ 19 ] 
 
Zelphas
Danya rushes towards the corner; her face registers no surprise at Floral sudden presence, simply spinning past her spear with a pirouette far smoother than her appearance suggests she would be able to pull off. The is about two steps past Floral when Ariadne's thread wall weaves itself into place, stopping her movement a hairsbreadth away from the wiry red material. There is a moment of stillness, and then Danya spins around slowly, her hands held open at her sides as if showing them off slightly.    "Handy tools you've found; are you from a sphere that prizes competence?"    she says, looking past all the rest to where Nope is still where he was when she first appeared.    "My side always wins in the end, I think, but in straight tests of strength you do have a definite advantage.

"In any case, I am at your mercy."    Danya smiles, shaking her hands slightly as though to present them once again.    "I rather like Danya; so unobtrusive, so able to slip beneath notice... until the exterminators come by, of course,"    she tilts her head towards Floral and Helios.    "Still, I'm effectively caught under the glass now; what happens next must be up to you."   
 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 32 (Emotion Sense Applies) 
It doesn't seem like Danya wants to fight any of you directly, but she also is definitely not surrendering. You get a similar feeling, looking at her, of a mouse or a spider that's caught in the middle of a room when the light flicks on; she's frozen, but frantically looking for an exit to dart through.
 
Ridai
Nope pinches the bridge of his nose as he squeezes his eyes closed.  "Look man, you have terminal villain dialog brainrot, you're making an ass out of yourself."  He sounds like he is talking to an especially dense drama club kid/chuunibou loser, after multiple failed attempts to get through to them in a more polite manner.

 "So since you seem deathly allergic to the very concept of straight sentences and providing any sort of information without twirling your moustache and going 'hnn, hnn, hnn', can you at least stop possessing people?"  Nope will never figure out what makes villain brains go dumb in very particular ways. There will be plenty of terrifying situations in his future involving villains, but right now, he is just so done with this crap. What is wrong with these people.

Thinking about it for a moment, he adds  "That's a binary question. That means yes or no." 
Abracadangit
 "The things that lurk   in the realm between,"  Kal says, keeping an eye on Danya and maintaining the thread barrier behind Floral. Just to be careful, she also conjures a shield between Danya and the rest of the group; a little window of space retracts from the shield's center, so Kal can see Danya as she speaks.  "I have seen that you are like them, and   yet also something else." 
 "They listen to you,   do they not? What power   do you have over them." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Making another Selective Silken Shield on Danya's other side.
 
Quellian-dyrae
 "We'd also like to know if you're the one responsible for the fatigue that has been afflicting many of the people here,"  Lily added.  It seemed likely, possibly as a side effect of the possession parasite thing, but she wasn't sure.  With combat no longer seeming quite imminent, Lily relaxed her stance a bit, and the focus she was dedicated to performing on-the-fly genetic engineering could go back to fully processing the scents around her.

 
 Spoiler 
Reconfiguring Flower Power.  10 points to Olfactory Clarity, 5 points to Scent Processing, 5 points to Petal Wings, 10 points to Scent Intensification, 10 points to Floral Blood, and...let's say 10 points to Photosynthetic Regeneration.

Perception-as-Insight to Evaluate her responses:  (1d20+15)[ 34 ] .
 
Zelphas
Danya Albescu looks at Nope for a long moment, nothing moving except for her eyes. She seems to be considering something, but when she opens her mouth all that she says to him is    "No."   

It takes her a few moments more to even acknowledge Ariadne and Floral, but when she does her answers are just as short.    "Yes. I am them. Yes."    She answers to each question in turn, though her eyes never truly leave Nope. At the end of her statements, her mouth forms into a slow, slightly mocking smile.
Ridai
Nope just  "Mh" s in reaction to being told no. Instead he looks to the others.  "Anyone of you know if there's actually parasites in there and if yes where, or is this some sort of psychic hive mind thing?"  He was about to say "cranium rat", but he doubts anyone would even get that, except maybe Lily, but even then, Planescape's old, man.

He asked the thing that apparently came out of a proxy suit to stop possessing people. It said no. There is now an impasse.
Quellian-dyrae
 "There were parasites, yeah.  Jury's still out on whether they form a hive mind,"  Lily confirmed, eyeing Danya.  From the context, it seemed like Danya was essentially a symptom herself, though whether victim or minion of the actual source she wasn't yet clear on.  She wasn't entirely sure, but given Danya's flat no on the topic of releasing those she had possessed, despite having admitted she was basically at their mercy, Lily suspected Danya's fate wasn't sufficiently important to whatever was actually calling the shots here to offer them much leverage.

...Although it was possible that she had only responded so because Nope had requested a binary answer, either glossing over nuance to obey the demand as literally as possible or just continuing to be  annoying .

 "Alright then, let's put it this way.  Our default course of action here seems to be finding your victims and purging them of your infestation and/or control, including Danya herself if she is under a similar condition, or securing you in a containment facility that I have high confidence will be capable of holding you despite your powers if healing you is not possible.  To whatever extent you are a thrall or mouthpiece for some greater entity, it seems obvious to me that that entity's goals are fundamentally opposed to human flourishing and thus it must be treated as our enemy, which I have high confidence will not turn out well for it in the long term."

"If you find any aspect of this general course of intention disagreeable, I am offering you the opportunity to convince us to change it.  Feel free to include nuance." 
Abracadangit
 "I have seen her, without   her human disguise,"  Kal explains, distastefully.  "I do not think she is possessed like   the others, though it is difficult to be sure. She is   an errant fragment of a much larger tapestry, in great need of mending." 

She whispers to Floral, Nope, and Helios her next words, out of Danya's earshot.  "If we plan to face her directly, we would   do well to lure her out of this place first. Ariadne doesn't   like the prospect of fighting her here -- perhaps she   draws power from her lair." 
Zelphas
   "It seems we are more different than I realized. Very well: to clarify."    Danya rolls her shoulders as if to loosen them, a surprisingly human movement given everything you know about "her" so far.    "Among my... let's call them directives, are 'propagate' and 'possess'. 'Live' is a misnomer on general principles, but I do not exist without the two. These preclude your default courses of action, which is why I shall be going now."   

Behind Ariadne's constructed thread wall, there is a heavy thud, followed by an odd sizzling noise. The wall shudders slightly, but does not break down. Danya looks... pained.    "Minions,"    she says in a commiserating tone, her statements still directed primarily towards Nope. Then she abruptly ducks to one side of Ariadne's window, disappearing from sight for a moment.

Above, two of the panels on the ceiling shudders, and what can only be described as an exterminator's nightmare falls to the floor in a series of small, dry, crackles and thuds. The two masses, seemingly composed completely of dead insects of various varieties of hair-raising from centipedes to earwigs and everything in between, do not take any form other than scattered mounds, but obviously has some sort of will, judging by their vague motions towards the four of you.

 
 Spoiler: Helios 
Magic, dense and interwoven with several different elements, sprang to the ceiling from "Danya" just before the mounds fell down; it's likely she is the one giving them motion.
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Initiative Redux 

Nope:  (1d20)[ 10 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 6 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 14 ] 
Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 22 ] 

Enemies:  (1d20)[ 10 ] 

Map is  forthcoming; sorry for the delay.   Here !

 Everyone but Ariadne is on turn. 
 
Ridai
 "Ugh,"  Nope goes at the general situation. What with piles of dead bugs dropping from the ceiling, too.

 "Since I apparently can't do jack against that one apparently, I guess I'm dealing with whatever is behind that wall."  That one being "Danya". Sooo... Nope walks through the right-most part of the wall and attacks... whatever is behind it.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Move  from K7 to P9

 Free  Switch to Remove Second Guessing and Remove Hit Points

 Standard  Attack LP with Remove Hit Points. Resistance DC 25/20/20 Damage 10 (Ranged, Improved Critical 4) Linked Weaken Resistance 10 Linked Affliction 10 (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition)
Attack vs LP  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] 
 
Dorni
  Why is it always the hard way?  

Helios shot forward, ignoring the insect mounds for the moment. Just before they'd swarmed to her aid he'd seen the burst of magic she'd cast into the ceiling. It was how she commanded them, he was certain. Even though she'd vanished from sight she was still connected to her minions - which was a poor choice of concealment against Helios' mystic sense.  "I'll get the runner!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Perception  (1d20+20)[ 38 ] 
Move: As needed to follow Danya

Rest of turn pending Perception result
 
Quellian-dyrae
Yeah Lily might have held out some hope for otherwise, but she wasn't going to pretend she was surprised to have received this sort of response.  From the standpoint of negotiation, she would have preferred to have a better understanding of...huh you know she was still pretty unclear on if this was actually Danya in any meaningful way and leaned against.  Given her power thematics and how annoying she was, Lily went ahead and codenamed her Pest in her head.  If the media could do it to her she could do it to supervillains, that was just fair.  Anyway, she would have preferred to have a better understanding of Pest's goals and what sort of things she could have offered to achieve cooperation, but she had honestly kinda expected that whatever Pest actually wanted would not in fact be something she would have been willing to offer.  (At least not honestly, although Lily had relatively little qualm about lying to supervillains either, to be fair.)  Her response seemed to have largely confirmed that assessment.

Lily's phobia was largely restricted to bees.  She was not, to be clear, entirely sure that the insect swarms were devoid of bees, although at a glance they seemed to be dominated by the more literally creepy-crawly varieties.  Still, on the one hand, ew, icky.  On the other hand, biologist.  Icky was nowhere near sufficient to slow her down.  Manure made too good a fertilizer for that.

With Helios going for Danya and Nope for whatever-it-was-on-the-other-side-of-the-wall, she went for the swarms.

There was a pretty wide variety of plant-based pesticides out there.  However, these swarms seemed to be composed of primarily dead insects.  Lily's gamer instincts continued helpfully suggesting not to waste time trying to poison zombies.  So she walked over to the first swarm and spat a glob of acid at it potent enough to melt a pile of insects into a kinda gross slurry of molten chitin, but which her experience suggested would probably only end up causing relatively minor acid burns because of Superpowered Shenanigans.  She supposed that when you were a literal flower and yet capable of serving as your team's tank you really had no right to complain.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Lingering Acid, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Potent Poison, 10 points to Floral Blood.  Feature sets descriptors to [Energy] [Acid].

Move: Into J8.

Standard: Attack DS2 with Acidic Nectar at  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20+Penetrating* vs. Damage Linked Weaken Resistance.  The Damage carries a Secondary Effect.   Holy snap an actual attack roll from Lily!  That might even be high enough to score a Penetrating bonus on the Weaken if they aren't high-PL and/or Defense shifted!  I AM SO HAPPY!  😁 
*To be clear only the Weaken portion gets the Penetrating bonus.

Current Status: Normal, Floral Blood (+5 Res/-5 Def).
 
Dorni
Though Danya had hidden herself from sight, she hadn't done a nearly sufficient job masking the magical threads connecting her to her minions. It turned out that she hadn't gone far. Ariadne's webs had done the job of sealing the passage. So there wasn't much room for her to go when he wove Air and Fire. Instead of the soft translucent sheen that came with his usual hardened air, this sheet shimmered with superheated air. Helios flung it forward to wrap around their would-be escapee.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set spells array to Strength 10 {20}, Penetrating Damage {20}, Weaken [Resistance] {10}
Move: to O4
Standard: Cast Burning Grip on Danya at AoA 5 / PA 2  (1d20+12)[ 32 ] . On hit, DC 27+Pen Damage / DC 22 Weaken &amp; Grab.  Crit 

Vulnerable, -5 AoA
 
Zelphas
Nope slips through Ariadne's walls to see what looks like a normal person staring intently at the wall of red threads blocking the hallway. Not deterred by the appearance of his foe, Nope's ability to negate strikes at the unknown thing behind the man, who reels as if struck by a heavy blow although physically he is unharmed. Snarling at Nope, the man turns reluctantly away and begins battering at the wall once again.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the walls, Floral's acidic attack is rewarded with a loud crackling and sizzling noise and the... pungent... odor of acid-melted dead insects. The good news is that the creatures do not attack by smell, though that could be a bit hard to believe in the moment. The undead swarm regroups itself and pours towards Floral, seeking to rip away at the plant-person with long-dead mandibles, while the other swarm rushes pass Ariadne to throw itself fully against her wall. A second or two later, another clump of dead insect matter falls from the ceiling with a heavy thump.

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
  "This is why I wished to wait until I was out of her lair,  engoni,"  Ariadne sighs.   There are always more vermin than you see."  
 


Between the threaded walls, "Danya" struggles unsuccessfully against the sudden blast of superheated air, finding herself immediately trapped in place.    "As one who eats the last scraps, it is so hard to find food at the right times,"    she says, her voice distressingly conversational despite the circumstances.    "But since you've neatly solved that problem for me..."    "Danya" takes in a deep breath... and with it, tries to pull in all of the magical energy, and a good bit of the life force, of everythign near her that is not on her side.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Lwa Predator 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Devour  on the Created wall.  (1d20+1)[ 9 ]  On a hit, Wall Resistance vs. DC 30 + Multiattack:  (1d20+9)[ 20 ]   Missed the wall... 

End of Turn: Regenerate 1 Bruise. Roll vs. Affliction (DC 20):  (1d20-3)[ -1 ]   Wow... 
 Dead Swarm 1 

Move Action: Shift to N5.

Standard Action: Use  Engulf  on the Created Wall.  (1d20+8)[ 19 ]  On a hit, Wall Resistance vs. DC 28 + Multiattack:  (1d20+10)[ 18 ]   DC becomes 30; wall Destroyed! 
 Dead Swarm 2 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Devour  on Floral.  (1d20+8)[ 28 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 23 + Multiattack vs. Secondary Effect Damage.  Crit; DC becomes 33. 
Dead Swarm Healing:  (1d20+8)[ 15 ]   5 RP 

End of Turn: Regenerate 1 Bruise. Resistance vs. SE (DC 25, modified by Healing above, possibly):  (1d20-2)[ 4 ]   INCAPACITATED! 
 Dead Swarm 3 

Turn: Arrive at H6.

 "Danya" 

Move Action: Staggered, Grabbed.

Standard Action: Use  Consume Surroundings . As a Burst Area 1, both walls, Helios, Ariadne, and Nope are in range. On a hit, Resistance DC 27 vs. Damage.

Wall 1 Resistance (DC 32):  (1d20+9)[ 10 ]   Destroyed! 
 Wall 2 Resistance (DC 32):  (1d20+10)[ 16 ]  
Helios Attack:  (1d20+12)[ 31 ]   Hit 
Ariadne Attack:  (1d20+12)[ 20 ]   Barely a hit 
Nope Attack: Immune.

"Danya" Healing:  (1d20+12)[ 15 ]   5 RP 

End of Turn: Regenerate 1 Bruise.

 All PCs are up! 
 
Quellian-dyrae
By whatever fluke of luck or instinct or strategic compulsion, the bugs that swarmed Lily didn't just bite her in dozens of random places all over her body, which the flow of her nectar would have easily healed.  They swarmed up her body and literally tore her throat open with their gnawing mandibles.  If she had been a human, she should have collapsed immediately from oxygen deprivation as the critical arteries that carried blood to her brain were ripped open, and likely bled to death in seconds.

Lily Woods was no longer human.   "Is that all you've got?"  she asked coldly, and having her throat torn open did not seem to inhibit her ability to speak in the slightest.  Why would it?  Her powers included minor personal phytokinesis.  She used it to move faster, to control her actions more precisely, to alter the course of vegetable matter produced from her body and fired at enemies as a projectile.  She could also use it to vibrate certain fibers in her body, and shape the fibers around them, in a way that produced sounds appropriate to speech.  After all, it wasn't like a flower had, or needed, lungs.

It was still a non-trivial amount of physical damage, but it wasn't blood that flowed from the wound.  It was a clear, faintly golden nectar, and it glowed gently as Lily unlocked the stored sunlight within it.

To outside observers, it might appear that Lily had somehow managed to produce a substance that was simultaneously restorative to her, and destructive to her foes, though that any sort of chemical process could have two such opposite effects simultaneously certainly seemed improbable.  This was not, in fact, the case.

Lily's transformative abilities were precise down to the cellular level, of course.  That was a big part of why her powers worked at all, for the purposes she used them for.  But it was easy to abstract that fact away and not really consider everything it actually meant.  Cells were microscopically tiny.  It followed, then, that Lily's powers could work with microscopic precision.

Wherever the nectar pouring from the wound passed over her own damaged flesh, it was transformed into a regenerative serum.

Wherever it touched the insects crawling over her and tearing at her body, it was transformed into a deadly caustic acid.

While she did that, Lily transformed the top of her staff into a net, which might be a more useful form for dealing with these insect swarms.

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Staggered.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  20 points to Healing Nectar, 8 points to Photosynthetic Regeneration, 5 points to Floral Acid (attack-boosting ranks), 5 points to Utility Nectar (SE Limited to Self), 2 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Floral Blood.

Standard: Use the Feature on her staff to Aid her own next attack on DS3 at  (1d20+15)[ 32 ] , Linked Healing on self at  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] , which carries a Secondary Effect.  RP will go first towards triggering her Recover, then towards her Bruise.   Aid +5, 8 RP added to the 3 from Helios triggers the Recover to remove Staggered, 1 RP towards the Bruise 

End of Turn: Regenerate for another 4 RP.

Current Status: 1 Bruise (5/10 RP), SE (D28), SE (H6), SE (H10), Aid +5 vs. DS3, Floral Blood (+5 Res/-5 Def).  Recover used.
 
Ridai
Nope buries his nose in his sleeved elbow once the nasty smell stinging his nose sets in. With the thread wall breaking down, the view reveals an insect pile turned to sludge and yet more angry piles.

So... first order of business appears to be getting rid of all the insects, whether physical and undead, or, uh... whatever is going on with the guy who snarled at Nope, but he conceptualized it as some form of parasite. It should be harder to get that particular Removal locked in, but there was the Catastrophic Noping of all insects (oh there goes the pang of guilt again). Since then, it has been... relatively easy to get the mental patterns to Remove insects and adjacent solid in his mind. Whether you want to call it practice, an epiphany, a muscle... that's how it is now. So that is what he does. Just... just kept very locally. Yeah. Hopefully. Don't get carried away because there's an Annoying Little **** From Inner Proxy present.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Hit Points, Mass 
 Standard  Attack all enemies (except Danya) with Remove Hit Points, Mass. Damage DC 25 (Improved Crit 4, Shapeable Area 2, Penetrating [Pierce Immunity], Multiattack [single target], Ranged)
  Attack vs LP  - (1d20+10)[ 27 ]   Potential crit? 
  Attack vs DS1  - (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
  Attack vs DS2  - (1d20+10)[ 23 ] 
  Attack vs DS3  - (1d20+10)[ 15 ] 
 
Abracadangit
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Moving to L8, dropping a Selective Thread Lash Cloud centered on Danya. Homing, Multiattack, and Secondary Effect.

Thread Lash vs. Danya:  (1d20+10)[ 30 ] 
Thread Lash vs. DS1:  (1d20+10)[ 30 ] 
 
Dorni
Helios flicked a hand in dismissal. He could feel Danya trying to draw in his energy, but that magic was his to command. He didn't need to raise a ward, rather he just willed it to stay. And it did.

 "Perhaps, but I'm no easy meal. Now-"  Ariadne's mystic threads smacked Danya into the wall where she crumpled unmoving. He shrugged, let down.  "That, I suppose." 

Helios turned disappointed eyes on the insect swarms. There'd be no conversation, nothing to learn here.  "Lets wrap this up." 

He wove Fire.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set array to Penetrating Secondary Effect Damage,  Penetrating Weaken [Resistance]
Move: meh
Standard: Cast Combust on DS1 at  (1d20+15)[ 23 ] 

Status: Fine, -5 AoA, Triggered Healing
 
Zelphas
The man possessed by a spider drops like a puppet with his strings cut moments after the air fills with that characteristic non-smell that visually indicates Nope is using his power, and yet the swarms of dead pests are untouched. Ariadne's threads shred one swarm nearly down into a tiny pile, and they knock Danya unconscious in the same blast; Helios' blast of fire ignites what's left of the shredded swarm. The smell of burning insects fill the air, uniquely unpleasant.

The final Dead Swarm begins to agitate in a complicated pattern, building speed, before a burst of glittering, dead exoskeletons burst out of it. They fly across the room, and simply sink into the skin, clothing, and hair of Danya, disappearing quickly from view. The swarm seems to have forgotten about the four of you entirely.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Dead Swarm 3 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Feed Unlife to Life  on "Danya". "Danya" is healed at:  (1d20+8)[ 9 ]   ...Yeah. This battle is really over, then. 
 All PCs are On Turn. 
 
Ridai
Nope is not looking forward to having to talk some more to whatever "Danya" is. With only one dead insect pile left in terms of aggressors (what an out-of-context-but-also-role-playing-game-thing-to-think), Removing it is vastly simpler than trying to subdue people or animals or the like. Just make the things go away. So, you know. It's something.

Being able to see non-smell should be cause for concern, but it has been months. At some point, a tired "eet eez what eet eez" sets in.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch back to  Remove Hit Points 
 Standard  Attack the remaining swarm with Remove Hit Points. DC 25/20/20 Damage (Improved Crit 4, Ranged), Weaken Resistance, Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated).
Attack  (1d20+10)[ 29 ]   Possible crit? 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Poor zombie insects.  As doubly-mindless beings, they probably didn't actually  do  surrender no matter how over the battle very much was.  Eh, they probably didn't really do pain either, so whatever, she supposed.  She extended her staff over the remaining swarm and swept her new net through it, the fibers of course transmuting to acid on contact.  The thin strands of the net wouldn't do much damage in practical terms - they wouldn't be sufficient to actually melt entire individual insects to sludge.  But the mass of them, collectively, would melt away a substantial total portion of the insectile carapaces, which should hopefully make it much easier to finish them off.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Potent Scents, 10 points to Potent Poisons, 2 points to Floral Thorn, 8 points to Floral Blood.  Feature sets descriptors to [Energy] [Acid].

Move: Into I7.

Standard: Attack DS3 with Acid Net, All Out Power Attack for 5, +5 for Aid, at  (1d20+15)[ 22 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 25+Penetrating vs. Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Affliction Linked Weaken Resistance.

End of Turn: Secondary Effect triggers for Healing at  (1d20+10)[ 23 ] .   13 RP.  Finishes curing prior Bruise, 8 RP towards the next 

End of Helios's Turn:  His  Secondary Effect triggers for Healing at  (1d20+6)[ 21 ] .   11 RP, curing remaining Bruise, rest wasted 

Current Status: Normal, (Dazed Ends), Floral Blood (+4 Res/-4 Def), AoA -5.  Recover used.
 
Abracadangit
Kal marveled at how ensnaring swarms using a web of thread was oddly appropriate.

With some lightning-quick swishes of her needle, thread arced and looped and spun around the remaining swarm. For a moment, the pattern was visually stunning, almost like the explosion from a firework, with the swarm at its center.

Then, all of the thread converged at once.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

All-Out Attack on last swarm, +5. Thread Lash, with Homing, Secondary Effect, &amp; Multiattack.

Thread Lash on Dead Swarm:  (1d20+15)[ 32 ] 
 
Dorni
Helios regarded the insect swarm with a touch of pity. They were still dangerous. They were still zombie insects possibly-summoned-from-another-realm. It definitely wouldn't be good if they escaped. But at the same time, it was clear they'd never really had a chance here. Being under Danya's control, there was a good chance they were compelled to defend Danya and didn't even have the option to flee.

Pity didn't stop him from weaving another sheet of fire.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Keep Spells array at Penetrating Secondary Effect Damage, Penetrating Weaken [Resistance]
Move: meh
Standard: Cast Combust on DS1 at  (1d20+15)[ 31 ]   Crit. Guess we're just piling it on 

Status: Fine, -5 AoA, Triggered Healing
 
Zelphas
The earth considered chartreuse, but the Dead Swarm switched it to taupe at the last moment, avoiding obliteration... or something less sensible happened which caused the remaining Swarm to lose some of its mass, but not a significant amount, from Nope's attack. Floral's net of acid softened up the Swarm enough for Ariadne's net of thread to tear through them, greatly reducing the mass yet more; the remaining somehow-animate dead husks buzzed and gathered themselves for what would be their final push--

--And Helios' fire reduced the entire pile to ash, scorching the linoleum floor and setting off the fire alarms in the entire building. The sprinklers overhead shudder, spitting out a few droplets of foul-smelling liquid before falling silent.   "Just as well that the fire marshal's schedule's been disrupted by the Dome; that would not be a pleasant fine,"   comes a voice doing its best to sound nonchalant down the hallway from the four of you.

Mary Wu steps forward, working to keep her face impassive, though shock is obviously present as she surveys the scene in the aftermath of all of this.   "If this is related to our discussion a few minutes ago, then... I must say, you all work fast,"   she comments lightly.   "If it's some sort of coup or attempt to sabotage the work here, then you've chosen strange targets, so I'll assume its the former.... Was it Danya, then?"  
 
 Spoiler: Intuition DC 15 (Emotion Sense works here as well) 
Ms. Wu is much more surprised than she's trying to show here, and still processing the situation. You're reasonably certain that she had not even considered suspecting her secretary until this moment, but she's intelligent and pragmatic enough to put the pieces together given what she sees so far... well, some of them. The piles of dead insects are one giant question mark to her, judging by her glances at the remains.
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Battle (such as it was) over! Everyone take a Hero Point.
 
Ridai
Nope decides he would like to breath through his shirt for the next few minutes.

 "Yeah. Something parasitic came out of a proxy suit and took over Danya. I think,"  he says with his indistinct and now slightly muffled voice.  "And I don't think it really knows how to people."  Said the socially awkward nerd thrust into a superhero position by bad luck.

Looking around, he asks  "Can we go through Danya's stuff before we wake her up? Might be more productive than the alternative." 
Abracadangit
Kal shakes her head, trying to make sense of everything.

 "Strange that a Proxy Suit could   lead to something like our present foe,"  she points out, as her threads furl and looping around her with a sort of nervous caution.  "How is it that metal and   machinery can beget a creature   of magic? It feels as though Danya's   tale is missing a chapter." 
Quellian-dyrae
 "She had also...possessed, or infected, or whatever one of the people staying here,"  Lily chimed in.   "It would probably be a good idea for us to check out the rest of your people.  We were able to heal whatever she had done, so if they're also affected, cleansing them should be doable.  I'm not sure if the fatigue is a symptom of the possession, or some initial thing to weaken a subject's resistance, or something else entirely, but regardless, it definitely wasn't natural." 

Lily had not, however, forgotten what Helios had told her before, about Mary Wu's odd aura of Life.

Lily's sense of smell had become pretty darn amazing, but while the sense in itself was effectively passive, that didn't mean she constantly received all of its benefits.  Like any sense, it was a stream of data that required processing, and indeed far  more  data than the human brain could actually fully analyze.  As with any sense, how the data translated into actual useful information was a matter of attention.

With the fight over, Lily had the attention to spare on sorting out more of what her nose was telling her.  In particular, what it could tell her about Mary Wu's biology.

 
 Spoiler 
Swapping to full Olfactory Clarity, Scent Processing, and Scent Intensification to see what Acute Analytical Smell and Acute Analytical Detect [Biology] tell me about Mary.
 
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: Floral 
Mary Wu is a lot less controlled than she is currently presenting herself. The realization that her secretary--which, by her dismay, you are pretty sure was her right-hand person and the one who kept a lot of the day-to-day activities running smoothly in the Watch--was not only working against her, but was apparently not a  person  at all, is something that is stretching her already-taxed nerves and worldview to the breaking point. The fear and frustration that you sensed in her earlier are melding into a kind of resigned dread, close to despair; she's not even sure how to contextualize what just happened, and would be more than happy to write it off entirely and consider the four of you crazy, dangerous people--if everything else in the Dome wasn't also happening. Something--some resolve that is pushing her--keeps these things from bubbling to the surface in public, at least.

With your enhanced senses, you can tell that Mary Wu has a pistol hidden in a holster at the small of her back; judging by your smell, her hand was on the handle it for several moments after she arrived, and she's only recently moved her hand away. Given that you smell nothing special about the gun (though it isn't exactly your wheelhouse), it's unlikely the weapon is actually a real danger to any of you, but it's worth noting.

Through all of this, the only thing that your nose tells you about Mary Wu's biology is that she is a completely normal human woman in her late forties or early fifties, in good shape, who eats well and exercises frequently.
 

  "...I see."   Mary Wu seems like she's about to say something else, then changes her mind.   "Well, I try not to disturb those who have chosen to live here, but the building is still owned by me, so legally all you need is..."   She coughs, her cheeks coloring slightly as she realizes she is rambling.   "I mean, yes; if that will help you, by all means look through Danya's room. This is... very... beyond my expertise."   She shakes her head, and then rolls her shoulders.   "We aren't an actual business, so I can't order everyone to arrive, but I will do what I can to call them in as soon as possible. I'll get to work on that now, unless the four of you need anything else...?"   If not stopped, Mary Wu turns back towards her office, stopping once to look over the fallen man who had attacked you all earlier, but otherwise moving forward.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Here  is the post with Danya's room; feel free to pick places and things to look at in your next post(s), and I'll give information in my next one. I will move us forward a little bit more in time with the next post as well, unless there are any objections.
 
Ridai
 "I'll just go see what I can do. Thank you, Ms. Wu,"  Nope says. He can't really claim much expertise in these matters himself, but one just needs to get to it anyway, I guess.

Heading to Danya's room, he is hit by the stench of the... the mosquito box. He'll just... close that one and push it out of the way. Yes. Very good.

There is a laptop, so it's something. Might be able to guess a password, or use a prepped USB stick for occasions like these (wouldn't be the first time while watching the cult or the gang).

There is also the small disk. Nope briefly freezes with a sharp inhale, before doing his best to very intently look at the laptop instead, while also not looking well himself.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
If Nope can routine Stealth via Nope's Covert Entry benefit to hack the laptop open if needed, he does so. If not, here is a check   Security via Stealth  - (1d20+20)[ 35 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Well, that was good news, anyway.  At least relative to her concerns.  Sure, it was still possible that Mary was some sort of minion of Manchineel and just sufficiently able to emulate human biology that even her nose couldn't detect the difference.  But that was  less  likely.

Given that, and that Mary was fairly on-edge at the moment, Lily didn't think questioning her on the subject was an immediate priority.  Certainly, she'd want to ask Helios more about what his sense of her might mean first.  So she just replied,  "That would be great, thanks,"  before following Nope off to Danya's room.

 "One day, one brave and glorious day, we are going to have an enemy that keeps a ficus in their lair,"  Lily joked.  She crinkled her nose at the tupperware boxes under the bed, nodding at them.   "Bunch of dead insects, presumably something to do with Pest's - Danya's, whatever - powers or minions." 

Those and the laptop aside, there didn't seem to be much in the room, but Lily'd sniff around anyway.  She'd also go and sniff around the other unoccupied dorms, to be thorough.  If there were any other  occupied  dorms she'd knock; presumably anyone living here might have been subject to Pest's powers, and may need healing (and/or be a source of information, if whatever Helios had been planning previously before she got trigger-happy would still be viable).

Somewhere in there, she'd also say to Helios,  "I checked Mary's biology; she's a normal human as far as I can tell.  What all might that stronger tilt towards life in her aura mean, assuming she's not like me?  Like...would a mage specialized in life or nature magic have that?  Or like...if she practices some sort of something something martial arts something chi would that do it?  Or could a regular person with just like a...'strong spirit', I guess, have an aura like that?  Oh!  Or if she's pregnant, maybe?  Although I guess that would probably come up in her biology..."   If Kal were in the vicinity she'd look her way too as she asked her questions.  She still wasn't particularly clear on all the details (not least because any time Helios and Spirit!Ariadne were conversing she could only hear half the conversation) but she did have some sense that Helios and Ariadne approached magic from different angles, and they might both have useful insights to offer on the subject.
Abracadangit
Kal knows Helios has already been here, and that she's unlikely to turn up any sort of hard evidence that he hasn't already found. Still, it never hurts to recheck, especially since her magical sight is differently attuned.

She takes a deep breath, and opens one of the boxes ever so slightly, just so her threadwork sense can detect the contents and see if the threads follow anywhere useful.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Using Threadwork Sense on the contents of the boxes, but also running a scan on the whole room in the event that there's some kind of evidence it can detect.
 
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: Nope 
Cracking the laptop is almost disgustingly easy, taking about five guessed passwords to get in... meaning that whoever or whatever "Danya" is, she protects her personal laptop about as well as the average person. The computer itself is mostly filled with files, spreadsheets, and other data cataloguing the business of the Forest Eyes Neighborhood Watch, including a list of the names and titles of all of the volunteers and employees of the organization; that will definitely help with tracking them down to make sure they are all all right. Other than that, the laptop is surprisingly dry; no games, no novels or novellas, nothing that immediately jumps out as separate from the business as secretary to the Watch. Eventually, as you dig, you find two other points of interest:

1) Hidden behind several folders with innocuous names are a series of files which seem to be ripped from the personal computers and phones of several Watch volunteers, including Mary Wu, along with a string of code that you think might be a fairly robust computer virus--more specifically, a "computer worm", a virus that replicates itself onto other computers to seize them and control their data. This clashes a bit with how unguarded the laptop was to access; maybe whatever "Danya" was had something to do with it?

2) "Danya" didn't know how to clear her search history, it seems. Looking at it without context, it would seem like Danya Albescu was an avid amateur entomologist: several searches on specific bugs and other pests were made rapidly about a month ago, before the searches focused in on the pests native to the Upper Midwest area (and specifically Michigan). You also find the question "How to leave the Dome" searched for a few times.
 

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
The other dorms are empty for the moment; it looks like five other people live in the rooms besides "Danya" and the other man, leaving quite a few empty cells. Some of these cells have a few more Tupperware containers tucked into corners; one of these is larger than the others, and contains (going by your nose) a collection of rats, which is... unfortunate.

Danya's room is a bit difficult to scent through because of all the dead creatures within it, but you pick up two important scents. The first is the smell of a Proxysuit's special alloys, coming from the small disk in the spiderweb in the corner of the room. This is the first time you've seen any piece of Proxysuit that is not on a person or melting into sludge. The second scent comes from several slivers of plastic that are underneath the keys of the laptop, as though they fell from the person while they were typing on the machine. It takes a long moment for you to place it: the slivers smell remarkably like the plastic sheeting you found after the fight in the warehouse a month and a half ago.
 

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
With just a regular sweep of your Threadwork Sense, you don't pick up much; mostly, you get the sense that someone was making mystical quilts here, of sorts--that is, they were "cutting" something from one place and "sewing" it together in a different location. Based on what you've seen already, it's likely that "Danya" was taking pest-like spirits and "sewing" them onto people, using a process you can't figure out without plenty of time and study.
 

 Some time later 

Ms. Wu is true to her word; within the next few hours, roughly two-thirds of the forest Eyes Neighborhood Watch arrive at their main building. Of those, perhaps one in ten are completely healthy and unaffected, mostly confused by why they're being called in in the middle of the day; maybe one quarter of the rest are actively infested by spiritual "pests", which you are able to subdue and eliminate fairly quickly; and everyone else is, for lack of a better phrase, "chewed on" by the pests, needing rest and recuperation but otherwise doing all right. Mary Wu is fairly certain that the rest will arrive within the next few days (all of them must be within twenty miles or so, at least...), but that still leaves twenty-two members unaccounted for as the sun begins to set.

You've eliminated one of the Gabriel possibilities you began with and learned a bit about another one, before being extensively sidetracked. What would you like to do next?
Ridai
Nope does his best help with removing the parasites if he can, though if the others with their  much safer to use  powers can do it, he leaves it to them. During the rest of the time left, he conducts his research.

To Ms. Wu, he reports that Danya's laptop included self-replicating malware that might have spawned from whatever possessed her and has probably been spread to other systems. He recommends not to connect the laptop to any networks or storage devices.

Once meeting with the team, Nope reports (with notes on his own phone):  "Okay so, on the parasite topic, if any of you connected to any hotspots in here with your devices, you might want to check if they caught the possibly parasite-created worm I found on Danya's laptop. If that one's abilities work like mine, I guess it has memetic... 'Infest' powers? Or something? Laptop also had a ton of internal data about the neighborhood watch, including a full member and volunteer list, so we can follow up about the infestations. Other than that, Danya was probably infested about a month, judging by her search history suddenly becoming very about bugs local to the Michigan area, and leaving the Dome."  Short pause.  "We should probably also talk about how I got my abilities more in-depth, since there's apparently more of me out there, and that's probably not good news." 

Tapping on his phone to his other notes:  "So about what we actually came here for, found files on Maura Angelov's disappearance. Went missing soon after the Dome went up, car was found abandoned some three miles from the Dome on Highway 47, but pretty much left alone aside from general Manchineel area influence. Last known conversation had her say she thought all this was an internet hoax and that she's on vacation. Family lives out of town, never heard from her since, didn't seem to show up anywhere else. File says it was confirmed she did not leave Forester's Bay. The area around the car might be worth looking at, on the off chance we might find a clue to confirm... something? Also found a file on Roberta Tehrani, but it's stapled shut with a note to talk to Ms. Wu if one wants to know more. Left it as is for now."  Report done, he exhales, cheeks puffing out.

 "How'd things go on your ends?" 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily did what she could to cleanse the infestations and heal the...spiritual injuries, or whatever they were.  She would coordinate with Mary to set up some times she could stop by to help with the people who hadn't arrived today.

When Nope mentioned it might be a good idea to discuss some about how his powers had come about, Lily nodded in agreement.  It occurred to her that she didn't really have any idea how Nope's powers worked, or where they came from.  Her powers were fundamentally just the ability to manipulate plantlife on a cellular level, which she presumed came from Manchineel's own transformative powers somehow rubbing off on her.  Helios and Ariadne did magic, and while her understanding of the mechanics of how their magic worked was cursory at best, it seemed like it was basically a learned skill, although she wasn't clear on whether it was something just anyone could learn or whether it had some sort of prerequisite.  But Proxy was known for two main things, tech and mind control, and Nope's powers definitely weren't technological in nature.  She supposed she couldn't  rule out  some sort of psionics, but...

Danya hadn't been put in a Proxysuit and come out with new abilities, psychic or otherwise.  She had been, best Lily could tell, straight-up hijacked by some sort of alien entity.  The more they knew about what they were dealing with there, the better.

On the subject of the search, she said,  "I didn't find much, but I did catch two things of note.  First, a little disk of metal that seems to be a match for the alloys used in Proxysuits, caught in a spider web in Danya's room.  I didn't touch it, since I wasn't sure it wouldn't just melt to sludge like they usually do if it was disturbed.  It might be worth another look.  I also smelled some slivers of plastic caught beneath the keys in the laptop, like traces might have fallen off Danya's hands when she was typing or something.  I'm...pretty sure the olfactory signature matches the sheeting in that warehouse that Proxy and Lockdown's goons had been trying to get, the day we all met."

"Yeah Ms. Wu told us about Miss Tehrani.  She's in hiding from relatives that she apparently doesn't have a good relationship with, so we can cross her off the list.  Checking out the area Angelov's car was found sounds worth doing, although the trail would probably be pretty cold.  Still, might be something.  I'd like to have one more talk with Ms. Wu before we leave though; since we solved the mystery of what was draining her people, she might have more she's willing to tell us."   Far as any outside observers, or even the rest of the FEN-W staff, would know, the heroes had been here to deal with the parasite, nobody should have any reason to assume the organization was helping them look into Manchineel's minions.
Zelphas
Ms. Wu is in her office once again, her own laptop directly in front of her while Danya's laptop is open to the side.   "I haven't enabled the wifi again or linked the laptop to any other devices,"   she says simply after looking up to see who had entered.   "There are several files on here that are needed for day-to-day work, so I'm copying them 'by hand' to my own files, as it were."   The light tap of the laptop keys fills the room.   "Since the virus is apparently more-or-less 'normal' in nature, I believe this should be safe... then again, I believed that FEN-W would be relatively safe so long as we did not actively antagonize the League."   She looks suddenly tired, her fingers slowing on the keys.   "Did you know that some people believe Mr. Watcher's Dome did more than simply seal us in--it actually altered the natural rules of existence, bringing us into, essentially, a new reality? No evidence for this theory, of course, but at times..."  

Shaking her head, she returns to her work.   "Thank you again for... what you discovered, and all you did to help. There really isn't much more for me to say at this time. Was there something else you needed from me today?"  
Quellian-dyrae
That was an interesting theory.  She could see why people might have concluded it, but she didn't think she really bought it, even though it did make a certain amount of sense.  It was just too...comforting, oddly enough.  Yes, sure, it was a scary thought, that you had been sealed into a new reality, where things worked differently.  Where magic existed, where superpowers were real, where who-knew-what sort of alien  things  were lurking who-knew-where, just waiting to infect you or possess you or transform you or maybe just delete you.  That was a scary thought, but in a way it was still comforting, compared to the truly terrifying possibility: that reality had  always  been like that, you had  always  been trapped there, and that for all of humanity's knowledge and science and technology you had only recently come to  notice .

She did not expect it would help Mary Wu for her to voice such thoughts out loud.

 "I was wondering if you knew anything else on the subject we had spoken about earlier?"  she replied, a bit obliquely.   "Although it might be better to discuss it in a room without that,"  she added with a nod to the laptop.  She wasn't sure exactly what the virus could do - Lily could find her way around a computer well enough, but the only codes she had experience in were genetic ones - but she knew it was at least in principle possible for a virus to do things like activate a computer's webcam or microphone.  She didn't know if Pest was connected to the League at all - indeed, all the undead insects and such kinda made her suspect that Manchineel in particular would have been hostile to her - but still, better safe than sorry.
Ridai
Hearing about the theory makes him remember all the Final Fantasy 8 time compression word salad.

 "Barrier sounds more likely to me at the moment,"  Nope says on the theory, sounding a bit tired in the way of "between all the other BS the League is up to". Not the most inspirational thing to say, but maybe being one of the... powered people working against the League makes it sound a bit reassuring or at least somewhat de-escalating.

Otherwise, he leaves the talking to the people that are better at it. Meaning the entire rest of the team.
Abracadangit
Kal isn't sure what Floral and Mary Wu were talking about before, so she stands off to the side with Nope.

  "You heard that, about the other worlds?"   Kal asks Ariadne, internally.   "Does that bother you, the idea that you might only exist in this space, since all the rules are different?"
  
  "Not terribly so,"   Ariadne replies.   "Before now, you weren't in my realm either, hm? Perhaps both of us are real, perhaps neither of us are; we can play thought games like these until the sun sets, but it changes little."  
 "What do you think   about it,"  Kal asks Nope, who doesn't seem fond of the idea.  "Would you prefer if when the   Dome goes away, everything goes back to the way it was before?" 
Ridai
Nope looks to Kal just as tired, evidently not that fond of these what-ifs.  "Don't know about you all, but nothing good is going to come from me coming into contact with the rest of the world. If my powers don't go away, best I could hope for is being ignored and doing stuff like cleaning up pollution and spent nuclear power plant fuel rods or something." 
Zelphas
Mary Wu grimaces at the laptop, then sighs and nods, standing up from her desk.   "There is something profoundly disturbing about the fact that a pun is a legitimate concern in my life at this moment,"   she mutters to herself, gesturing at the four of you to follow her out of her office and down the stairs once more.

Leading you to the library, Mary Wu goes to the files on the table, pulling out the three missing person's files with practiced ease and glancing through the two open ones quickly.   "Well,"   she says after a moment,   "I don't know why you're looking for these names--all they have in common is that they came up as missing persons before the League was fully formed. If it is League business..."   She snapped closed the final file and laid it out.   "Ms. Cosme Muto left Forester's bay traveling north on July 3rd, after telling me and a few friends that she was planning to circle the Dome and seek out any weak points. This was before Manchineel had made her appearance, so we didn't realize quite how much danger we were all in, but still..."   Mary Wu sighs again.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily followed along to the library.  Outwardly, she replied with another gentle smile.   "Got it, thanks.  Unless the others have any questions, I think we can get out of your hair." 

(Lily had actually had the impulse to ask one more question, about when exactly the lethargy had started, as her brain made a sudden connection.  But then she recalled Mary had already mentioned that.  And to Lily's relief, it had been early August, rather than early September.)

Internally, as soon as Mary mentioned Cosme's plan, Lily thought,   It's her.  

That hardly met a proper standard of evidence, but even so she was confident in the guess, almost certain.  Watcher had told them when they had first met that Gabriel was seeking out weaknesses in the dome.  Zephyr Magro had been left for dead in the forest by his brother, like garbage, and been transformed into Abel, whose task was to remove trash from the woods.  According to Abel, when Manchineel wanted to create a hunter to hunt hunters, she had used a stray cat as the base, a natural predator.  And even with Lily herself, and her colleagues, when Manchineel had transformed them, she had been saying things about how they would like having random plants spliced into their DNA.

And it all...if not perfectly fit, at least rhymed with what they had learned about Manchineel's perfect grids of trees, Raphael being perfectly symmetrical.  Manchineel's obsession with order.  Lily wasn't quite sure how it all hung together in her mind, but if Cosme had been seeking out weaknesses in the dome, she would have been an obvious choice for Manchineel wanting a member of her Menagerie to test the dome for weaknesses.

She didn't mention this out loud, yet; she'd bring it up to the rest of the team once Mary was out of earshot.  The less she knew the better remained in effect.
Abracadangit
 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
 Nope looks to Kal just as tired, evidently not that fond of these what-ifs.  "Don't know about you all, but nothing good is going to come from me coming into contact with the rest of the world. If my powers don't go away, best I could hope for is being ignored and doing stuff like cleaning up pollution and spent nuclear power plant fuel rods or something."  
 

It had never occurred to Kal that there might be a time after this where her life would abruptly revert back to normal, with no more Ariadne. She would settle for a life where she got to keep her magic but Ariadne wasn't in her head all the time; maybe a complete shift back to the everyday wouldn't be so bad. And yet...

 "You speak with such disdain for your gifts. Remember, no song   can be written without the rests between the notes, no stars can be seen without the night sky   that keeps them apart. Do not always think   of yourself as a remover, but as a creator of sky. Perhaps the world could use more of that, hm?"  Kal says, as Floral and Mary Wu wrap up their conversation.

 "No further questions. Thank you for your   straightforwardness, Ms. Wu -- very refreshing, in a time   beset by so many twists and turns,   hn,   hn,   hn." 
Ridai
 
 Originally Posted by Abracadangit 
  "You speak with such disdain for your gifts. Remember, no song   can be written without the rests between the notes, no stars can be seen without the night sky   that keeps them apart. Do not always think   of yourself as a remover, but as a creator of sky. Perhaps the world could use more of that, hm?"  Kal says, as Floral and Mary Wu wrap up their conversation. 
 

In the confusion visual impression that is Nope's face, where expressions can be clearly seen, yet no features really like to stick in the mind or the pattern recognition part of the brain, there's something like a pained wince of wanting to respond, but deciding against it.  "Let's... let's talk about that during the sitdown later. Not here." 

Nope does nod in regards to what Ariadne says to Ms. Wu about speaking like a normal person. An increasing rarity these days.  "Thank you." 
Zelphas
Mary Wu nods at your thanks, her face schooled to a noncommittal expression.   "I'm not sure whether to hope we never meet again or hope we meet under better circumstances,"   she says simply, re-stacking the folders on the table,   "But I will say that whatever you're doing, with Cosme and the rest... good luck."   She moves her hands in a curious gesture as she wishes you well; the tips of two fingers touching her chin and moving away, followed by a twist of her fingers and wrist and ending in what is almost an "OK" shape.

 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 20 
Mary herself seems surprised by the gesture for a moment, then a mixture of emotions as she looks down at the files--Cosme's in particular. Whatever the gesture was, it has something to do with Cosme Muto.
 

 Southwest, at the edge of the Dome; 6:45 PM 

This far to the edge of the Dome, to the south and west, Manchineel's presence is clearly felt; the setting sun lances through the regularly-spaced trees in bars of deep orange, looking more like the stripes of light in a grand hall with huge windows rather than the dappled shadows of an untamed forest. At least the regular covering lets you see the sky, and your target. From this distance, Gabriel looks almost like a real, large bird of prey--but sustained study reveals that the dark brown-gold wings are too wide and not quite long enough, the sharp yellow beak is short, straight, and nearly invisible, the golden, wickedly hooked talons too curved and clenched to land properly. Instead of a bird, Gabriel resembles a kite, flattened and stretched in an imitation of a true bird, soaring high in the sky without a single movement to break the illusion.

You have found Gabriel, and you may actually know her real name. How do you get her attention?
Ridai
It is just a very unreal scene altogether. The enormous Dome looming in the background, the tree patterns, and Gabriel. Another one twisted into a horrible shape.

 "I can try moving up there, maybe call her by her real name, see what happens?"  Nope says to his companions as he looks up at the flying member of the Menagerie.
Quellian-dyrae
 
 Spoiler 
Just to make it official, spending a Hero Point to Edit Scene to declare after that critted Knowledge (Local) that Lily was friends with Cosme.
 

  It's her.  

The words had been echoing in Lily'y head since they left Mary Wu's office.  She was quiet as they finished things up there, delivering Danya to Watcher, at least attempting to collect that little piece of Proxysuit alloy for future study, etc.  Her thoughts weren't really on the place.

Lily had known Cosme since they were kids, having met her on one of her family's visits to Forester's Bay and largely hit it off.  They met up again whenever they came out, but mostly they talked on-line or via letter.  They weren't really super-close or anything, but still, they were friends.

She'd been hoping, even after they had learned she was on the list of possible members of the Menagerie, that she had gotten out before the dome had come down.

But no.  She was Gabriel, and Manchineel had transformed yet another person Lily knew.

There had been little left of Zephyr Magro in Abel.  It was an uncomfortable thought, but Zephyr had been on the brink of death when Manchineel got to him.  Maybe it was different here.  Maybe there would be a way to get Cosme back.

In the meantime, Lily had one more reason to hate Manchineel.  Add it to the pile.

Nope suggested calling her by her real name.  Lily gave him a little, sad smile, and answered  "She won't hear you." 

With a flutter of her wings, Lily took to the air and flew over to Gabriel, approaching openly.  She even intensified the scent she gave off a bit, not enough to be uncomfortable or overwhelming or anything, but enough to be more clearly noticeable - sort of like the olfactory equivalent of approaching someone with heavy steps.  If that didn't cause Gabriel to face her on approach, then when she drew near...she'd tap her on the shoulder.

Assuming Gabriel didn't, you know, immediately try to claw her throat out or anything, she would follow up by signing   H-E-Y  , alphabetically, each letter formed slowly and distinctly.  High intelligence didn't mean infinite aptitude, and languages were one thing Lily had never had much of a head for.  Her sign language abilities consisted of the alphabet and a low double-digit vocabulary that was, weirdly enough, mostly made up of the words you'd need to passably sign the song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas".

Not that Cosme could have signed back with those talons, even if Lily could have understood it.  Or written a response, for that matter (although paper being made of wood pulp, Lily could have created some, she suppose.  Maybe with a pencil-like stick to write with and...berry juice for ink?)  And there was no reason to expect her new form would be any more capable of speech than Abel had been.  She could have maybe tried what she had for him on that, but...

Plants communicated by scent, kind of, sort of.  They could give off scents that "warned" other plants nearby of danger, and so on.  More concretely, Manchineel seemed to communicate with and control her minions by scent.  And smell was at least as high-bandwidth an input as hearing, if your sense of smell was sufficiently sharp.  Lily was even able to gather information from plantlife in a manner that was primarily olfactory, but which her brain seemed to process as a conversation - one with full-blown recursive syntactical grammar and everything.

So...in principle...

 ~So she got you too, huh?~  Lily sent to Gabriel.  It actually took a surprising amount of effort, because for all that Lily's strength lied in her knowledge of her powers, and her creative exploits thereof, in this case she was actually pushing a power she  didn't  really understand.  She always viewed her ability to communicate with plantlife as some sort of olfactory processing that in her head got translated into a conversation because that was how her brain processed it.  Plants weren't sentient, sapient, or in any way intelligent after all, and in fact her experimenting with that power clearly suggested that the plants she communicated with were drawing from her own knowledge.  It was a fair guess, but it wasn't the truth.  That particular power wasn't an olfactory sensory enhancement.  It was a gift of communion.

The truth was, quite simply, that Lily Woods...could talk to plants.

She just went ahead and poured enough stored energy into that dinky little power to push it beyond all reasonable limits, and create a mental bond with Gabriel.  It wasn't even actually olfactory in nature, although it would only work on beings who were or were connected to plantlife, because Lily was only telepathic by the standards of a flower.

 
 Spoiler 
Power Stunting off of 10 points of Flower Power.  Olfactory Communication 2 (Rapid 2).  In principle this also has a Limit, to only target plant creatures, Manchineel's creations, and other beings with some manner of connection to plantlife, but power stunt so not included mechanically.  It's a [Biological] [Gift] [Communion] power, effectively an enhanced version of Commune with Nature.

Lily will also activate/have active regular Commune with Nature, Petal Wings, Olfactory Clarity, Scent Processing, and Scent Intensification.  So, full Senses suite, Comprehend Plants, Communication, and Flight, pretty much.

Perception-as-Insight to Evaluate Gabriel (+2 from Favored Foe [Manchineel's Minions]):  (1d20+17)[ 35 ] .

Persuasion to Improve Reaction:  (1d20+10)[ 29 ] .  +10 if Attractive and thus Scent Intensification's Enhanced Trait applies (possibly from Humanoid Plant but I think Gabriel's probably human-level intelligent and ignores that).

Current Status: Fatigued.
 
Abracadangit
Kal watches as Floral approaches Gabriel, and hopes for the best.

 "Looks like she beat   you to it,"  she says to Nope. With a flick of her wrist, a needle appears in her hand.  "It would be such a wondrous thing,   to not have to resort to violence once more." 
Ridai
 "Uhuh?"  Nope says in response to Floral before she flies off. Nope briefly raises his arms in question, before letting them fall to his sides again.

To Ariadne:  "I would prefer not having to attack anyone ever again, yes." 

Likewise, he can just wait and hope for the best.
Zelphas
Gabriel had been crafted by Manchineel primarily to patrol the Dome and search out any cracks in its surface. Whatever else you may say about the mad plant-controller, it must be admitted that when she makes something to accomplish a task, that creation has all the tools necessary for that task... even if they are given very little else. This means that the powerful eyes of Gabriel spotted your group long before you caught her swooping and gliding through the air.

Whether by accident or design, Floral times her movement up in the air with Gabriel's swoop downwards; reports have mentioned that Gabriel patrols in an odd wavy motion, constantly diving towards the ground and then rising again at irregular intervals. Because of this, the two come close to each other much more quickly than either may have expected. Floral sends her message into the air currents... just a second later than Gabriel acts.

Gabriel's primary purpose is to patrol the dome, but that is not her only purpose. Manchineel also created her to command the skies in her mistress's place, and indeed Gabriel announced her existence by destroying any small aircraft she could find trapped within the Dome. Her instincts, encoded in her by Manchineel's shaping, therefore pushed her to respond to the new presence in the sky near her. It could have been an automatic response... but the avian shriek that bursts out of Gabriel's oddly small beak as she pivots fully towards Floral is clear frustration and rage, as obvious as if she spelled it out in front of the four of you.

With a flick of her enormous wings, a heavy feather darts across the space between Gabriel and floral, the pinion glinting in the fading light. An instant after the bolt flies, Gabriel freezes in the air, her shriek cutting off with a sudden squawk.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
Even as Gabriel strikes at you, you receive her response to your message: Rage, then surprise, confusion, recognition, confusion, deeper recognition, deeper confusion, instinct... it comes out as a tangled muddle, but it is sharper and stronger than what you got from Abel. Cosme is still in there; she just doesn't quite remember who she is yet. Your 'words' definitely had an effect, however.
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
As soon as Floral is above the treetops, Gabriel uses  Debilitating Pinion  on her.  (1d20+16)[ 18 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Damage linked Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled. The Affliction is Cumulative, with a Secondary Effect.  Hello, RNG, my old friend... Miss 

In response to Floral's message, Gabriel is  Stunned  next round; she is still working on instinct, and knows you came as a group, but if you can convey her humanity to her, you can keep working from there. I'm still going to roll Initiative, to see if you have one action or two before Gabriel moves:

Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 21 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 9 ] 
Nope:  (1d20)[ 8 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 7 ] 

Gabriel:  (1d20+20)[ 37 ] 
 All PCs are up; one round of posts before Gabriel acts. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Gabriel's eyes were sharp, but so was Lily's nose.  She picked up the scents of Gabriel's emotions early enough, and parsed them quickly enough, that she could have zipped back down and maybe avoided being attacked entirely.  She didn't; it meant she had plenty of time to dodge.

She was slightly distracted by the mental feedback she was getting from her powers.  Lily may not have recognized her capacity to speak with plants - or, perhaps more precisely, to commune with nature - for what it was previously, but it was kinda hard to blame her for that; she had only used it on, well, plants before.  Plants didn't  have  minds, and to what extent they could be said to communicate it  was  through scent, so of course her communication with them had been fundamentally olfactory, and easy to mistake for just augmented scent processing.  It wasn't like she didn't have plenty of evidence of her powers augmenting her ability to not just detect, but process smells.

But Gabriel, though touched and transformed by Manchineel's powers, was not a plant.  She had a mind, and communing with her was distinctly different.  Lily didn't really have any practical experience with telepathy - but as was often the case, the genre-savvy earned from long years of gaming and fictional media gave her enough of an idea of what it might be like that she knew it when she...saw it?  Heard it?  Psionically perceived it?  Whatever.

Excitedly, Lily tried reaching out to the rest of her team in the same way, so they could all communicate...and got flat nothing.  Sigh.  So instead she called down to them,  "Don't attack back!  I think I made...some sort of mental contact!  Cosme's in there, I think we can reach her, but she can't hear and I can't seem to link to you guys!"   Presumably one of the mages could do something to deal with that?

(Granted, technically, Lily hadn't empirically confirmed that Gabriel couldn't hear.  It was entirely plausible that Manchineel's transformation could have granted her hearing.  And if Cosme had originally lost her hearing from injury or illness, Lily might have tested the theory.  But she already knew that wasn't so; Cosme had been born deaf.  And there was no particular  reason  that that would have to be a factor given supernatural transformative powers - Manchineel clearly had no problem just plain directly enhancing her victims' senses, as both Lily's nose and Gabriel's eyes showed.  But...even so, she was highly confident in her assumption.  Lily had been transformed into an anthropomorphic flower, and yet, her allergy to bee venom was as severe as ever, relative to her newly superhuman durability.  She expected Cosme's deafness would have persistent through Manchineel's transformation for the same reason, whatever the reason may be.)

In the meantime, she'd go with what she had.

You might have thought that Lily's next move would be some sort of heartfelt appeal to Cosme, invoking the bond of their friendship to inspire Cosme to fight through the impulses that Manchineel had encoded into her and wrest control back from Gabriel in a poignant triumph of the Power of Friendship!

...Okay yeah, Lily liked those stories too, but it wasn't like she and Cosme were  spectacularly  close, or anything.  I mean, don't get me wrong, they kept in touch, visited when in each other's areas, enjoyed each other's company.  For having met in childhood and living in two different cities, they did fine.  But it wasn't like they were a constant presence in each other's lives, or anything.  And the vast majority of their interactions had been over text channels, letters or emails or texts or on-line chats.  And it wasn't that that didn't count, but...

Well, it wouldn't count to a  wolf .  Or a bird of prey, for that matter.

Gabriel was a creature of instinct.  And instincts were powerful.  For fast perceptual responses, action and reaction at the speed of thought, they were aces.  For all that Lily prided herself on her reasoning, when Gabriel had fired that barrage of feathers at her, she hadn't calmly and deliberately assessed the probabilities that Gabriel would attack, ciphered the angle of the feathers as they flew, calculated the optimal path to maneuver out of their line of fire, and then performed the precise muscle actions to move her body along the chosen course.  She had caught the warning scent and just  dodged .

Emotion was, for this purpose, closer to instinct than to reason.  System 1 rather than System 2.  This didn't mean emotion couldn't outweigh instinct in determining behavior, come down to it, but it seemed to Lily like it would be more of a direct contest, which weighted higher in the brain's algorithms for outputting behavior.  An emotional appeal would pit emotion against instinct in a fair fight.

But for all their power, instincts were also limited.  There were some things that they just couldn't do.  Manchineel's biological powers allowed her to encode entirely new instincts into her victims' DNA, perhaps.  But it didn't let her entirely dominate their wills, at least not when she wasn't in their immediate vicinity and influencing them through her scent.  So, Lily hypothesized, if you forced Gabriel's brain into a mode where instinct was useless, perhaps she would have no option but to fall back on reason - where Manchineel couldn't touch.  Get the brain in her head thinking in that mode, and it would more-or-less have to be Cosme doing the thinking, because Gabriel's instincts weren't designed for that mode of thought.

And how do you do that?  Well, according to Ntombi Peters, Manchineel couldn't change her victims' natures.  She couldn't change who and what they  were .

And Cosme Muto was a radiologist.

So what Lily sent across her phytopathic link was not an emotional appear or heartfelt plea.  It was not a warning that she was being controlled, or a demand to fight.  She didn't insist that she knew she was in there somewhere, or that she was stronger than Manchineel.  Instead she sent,  ~It's okay, Cosme,~  (I mean, of course she made sure to use her real name too.  Not going to just  not  do that.)   ~I can tell you're feeling confused.  Try this: give me a list of ten different radiology tests and procedures, half of them diagnostic and half of them interventional.~ 

It was a trivially easy question for a  radiologist .

But a  bird of prey  probably wouldn't be able to get past the part where it had to count to ten, and then take half.

 
 Spoiler 
Let me know if I should roll anything.
 
Ridai
As a plume burries itself nearby in the ground, Nope slowly raises a tentative thumbs up towards Floral in response.

No interaction with one of the Menagerie without it being kind of harrowing in some way, it seems. So Nope buries his hands in his hoodie pockets and continues staring up, though unable to keep himself shifting from one foot to the other and back, continuously, fueled by latent nervous energy/dread.
Abracadangit
Floral's suggestion reminded Kal -- she had practiced a number of slightly unorthodox patterns that never had the chance to see actual use. Long-distance communication was one she had more or less gotten the hang of, but converting one kind of signal to another was another matter entirely. Still, there was certainly no harm in trying.

Phantom threads form a strange sort of harp-like structure before the groundbound heroes, the strings thrumming and vibrating along with the flow of information that Kal attempts to channel. By focusing on the threadwork of Floral's thoughts, there's a chance she can tune the magic to Floral and Gabriel's communication, and output the translated message, but there's no telling if the experiment will yield actual results or just magical static.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Attempting to leapfrog off of Floral's power stunt using Ariadne's Variable, to create a sort of magic translator.
 
Zelphas
There's another long moment of stillness as Floral conveys her question to the flying Menagerie member. Ariadne's strings send out a somewhat discordant spray of sounds and notes, which Floral 'hears' as mounting confusion from Gabriel. For a few moments more, Gabriel almost seems to lose coordination in her limbs, flapping inelegantly to stay afloat before instinct transitions her into a slow glide once again. And then...

  "Plain... plain radiography--that is, X-rays,"   the notes from Ariadne are not exactly a voice, but the odd, straining distance is clear even in them, as though Gabriel is pulling the information from a long distance.   "CT scans--computed tomography. Ultrasound, or sonography. MRI--magnetic resonance imaging. And Nuclear medicine imaging--not what it sounds like, mostly. For interventional--I was studying for diagnostic radiography mostly, so... I was... studying. I--I... And then she--Kill. I'm going to KILL--"  

The rest of Cosme's words are drowned out by the rage-filled shriek that bursts out of her mouth as she spins from the Dome, her eyes raking over the forest. She lifts her wings in a massive motion, ready to blast off towards the depths of the Forest, and Manchineel.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Okay, good news: Lily's idea was novel enough that I didn't need a roll for it. Getting her to dive into her path of study short-circuited the work of Manchineel, giving Cosme the majority of her mind back; the rest may come in time, with help.

Possibly bad news?: The rage that Gabriel had been simmering in for the past two months and change now has an actual target--Manchineel, and she doesn't seem to realize (or possibly care) that going after Manchineel as she is might be a Very Bad Idea. In one round, Cosme will begin flying at her full speed (she easily can beat the Mobility check to speed up, so that's Flight 13 for every move) to find--and attack Manchineel.  She is still susceptible to Manchineel's spores . It is up to you to decide how to respond to this.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily gritted her teeth as Cosme turned towards, presumably, Manchineel's direction.  That wouldn't do at all.  She wasn't as fast a flier as Gabriel, but she was fast enough that the fact was largely irrelevant on the scale of the distance they were at, at least given the time it took for Gabriel to hone in on Manchineel's direction, and the fact that while it may be a non-factor in the vast majority of superhero-scale situations, acceleration was, in fact, a thing that exists.  A flutter of her wings put her directly in front of Gabriel, her arms outstretched, blocking her fight path with her own body.

(Which was also largely irrelevant at superheroic speeds, Lily had learned that lesson back when they fought the Suneaters, but still.  It might have mattered psychologically, and Lily would take what she could get.)

 ~Cosme, stop!  If you go after Manchineel now, at  best  she'll destroy you.  Most likely, as soon as you're within her scent radius, she'll just enthrall you!  She has the power to control any of her Menagerie by scent, and if she realizes you broke free once I expect she'll keep you on a tighter leash next time.  I understand that you're angry.   God  do I understand, and I got off way lighter than you did.  But just attacking her isn't going to work.  We can help you...and you can help us.  But you have to play smart, okay?~ 

Lily hoped her words would get through, would help Cosme see reason, but if they didn't...well, she wasn't going to let Cosme just go and get herself killed or re-enslaved if she could help it.  If Cosme did fly past her, she'd find herself flying into a cloud of pheromones that would hopefully calm her down enough to talk, or at least disorient her.

Manchineel wasn't the only one who could exert control through scent.

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Into Gabriel's flight path.  If there's some way I can actively attempt to interfere with her movement as part of this, I will do so, but given Lily's inferior Flight rank (especially since I'm dropping some ranks) and utter lack of a Mobility skill I don't have especially high hopes for it.

Free: Talk.  Let me know if I should roll anything.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10 for Blooming Staff).  10 points to maintain the stunt, 5 points to Petal Wings, 5 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Pheromone Scent, 10 points to Scented Nectar, 10 points to Potent Scents, 10 points to Concentrated Scent.

Standard: Ready an action.  If Gabriel attempts to fly off, attack with Pheromone Scent, All Out Attacking for 5, at  (1d20+10)[ 15 ] .  Resistance DC 25+Penetrating-Perception vs. Entranced/Compelled, Limited to one command that cannot force the target to actively work against their own goals or interests (but can force them to cease working towards them, work towards them inefficiently, etc).  The command here is to not go after Manchineel now.  Entranced can be ignored in any round Gabriel follows this command.  If this attack hits, it has a Concentration duration.

Current Status: Fatigued, possibly AoA -5.
 
Abracadangit
Kal wasn't entirely certain of the context of Gabriel's mutterings, but she knew the "kill" objective on the end for Manchineel was a bad idea.

As Floral continues to try to reason with Gabriel, Kal gets ready to stop their flight by nonviolent, if not somewhat uncomfortable, means. A glimmering needle appears in her hand.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Ready Action to Silken Shield in Gabriel's flight path, if they should decide to bolt for it without listening to what Floral has to say. Hopefully that can buy us one more round.
 
Ridai
This doesn't seem... good. There's a lot of angry swooping and screeching going on. Thus Nope decides to draw on something he practiced for quite some time now, even though it has yet to come in useful in the more high-profile operations.

 "Heads up, moving all of us along."  Going back into zero time, first he moves everyone to keep up with Gabriel if needed, then focuses entirely on Gabriel's aggression. Not the source of it, just the aggression existing at the moment. Because targeting the other way opens far too many cans of worms and he is not going to risk removing part of someone's basic emotions (or part of their brain possibly?). No, instead, he simply tries to remove the felt aggression. Now, it naturally comes back pretty quick. The source is still there and the reality of the situation thus reasserts itself. So he has to keep doing it. Gabriel will probably notice, so Nope is already pre-lifting his hands in a sort of "I mean no harm" gesture.

Tackling something as messy and ethereal as an emotion of the human mind is tricky enough, but this is Cosme's Menagerie-warped one. Well. Here goes nothing.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Momentary Aggression ,  Remove Travel Time 
 Move  Zero-time-travel everyone to keep up with Gabriel.

 Standard  Remove Momentary Aggression from Gabriel. DC 20 Affliction (Entranced/Compelled; Extra Condition, Limited [can only induce calm non-aggression, no direct control], Cumulative, Ranged). AoA -5/+5
 (1d20+15)[ 29 ] 
 
Zelphas
Cosme stares across the air between her and Floral, shaking off the colorshapespace of Nope's attempt to calm her with an angry jerk of her beak. Her wings stretch outwards, momentarily blocking out the setting sun from Floral's vantage point (and casting an enormous shadow across the forest for the rest of you). In a convulsive movement, she blasts her wings forward, blasting out a massive gust of wind that shakes the changing leaves off of several trees--and neatly tears apart Floral's waiting net of spores. A pair of feathers, seemingly knocked free by the violent movement, spiral up into the air for a moment before falling to land, quivering, in front of Nope and Ariadne.

  "My eyes are very, very good,"   comes the not-quite voice from Ariadne's plucked strings, echoing with tightly-leashed rage in Floral's mind as well.   "I can see the Dome by noting where the atoms of air  aren't . I can see that the one in Geek cosplay was going to throw something at me when I moved, and that the one that is actually hard to pinpoint  already  tried to throw something at me. I can see the molecules you prepared to hit me with when I flew past. And I can see that I am stronger than the four of you together, at least in raw strength and speed."  

Cosme's eyes--Gabriel's eyes--bore through Floral, disks of gold slashed through with midnight slits for pupils glowing in the lowering light.   "You gave me my name. That's worth a lot. But right now, I don't see how working with you gets me much more than taking  her  by surprise."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
You broke her out of her rage. Now convince her that you have a plan!
 
Ridai
 "In my defense, I tried to calm you down to have a talk, not do harm,"  Nope calls up, in hopes of at least providing a little in the way of explanation, but knows to shut up quickly before he starts making things worse by talking more.
Quellian-dyrae
 ~Then I assume you can also see that I'm still prepared to hit you with them if you try and fly off to attack Manchineel,~  Lily answered with a shrug.   ~It's not a secret.  I'd prefer not to resolve this matter with superpowers if possible.  But I also fully believe that if you go after Manchineel now, she'll just enthrall you again, and I'm not going to let that happen if I can stop it.~

~As for outclassing us in raw strength and speed, sure.  Most of our enemies do.  Hasn't seemed to help them much, but I'll grant that mighty thews aren't our comparative advantage, for whatever that's worth.  Thing is, it won't help you against Manchineel either.  The reason you're able to think right now is because you're not in the range of her scent.  As soon as you enter it, you lose that.  It doesn't matter how strong you are, how fast you are, or whether or not you take her by surprise.  As best I can tell given my current state of knowledge, as soon as you get close enough to smell her, you lose.~

~And if you don't believe that, then consider this.  We've imprisoned Raphael.  And we convinced Abel not to come at Manchineel's call.  But we haven't dealt with Michael yet, and he's her personal bodyguard.  You go after her now, even if you don't get auto-enthralled, it's not you against Manchineel.  It's you against Manchineel  and Michael .  My guess is Michael's at  least  as powerful as you are, and Manchineel probably strictly outclasses you on all dimensions relevant to a fight.  Surprise isn't going to overcome that level of disadvantage.~

~Cosme...I know you're angry.  I understand...probably about as well as anyone can.  Manchineel got me too.  These aren't pixie wings, and those molecules you saw aren't fairy dust.  Only reason I look like how I used to is because some of her transformative powers rubbed off on me and I changed my shape back.  It's not the same as what happened to you.  She only changed my body, not my mind, and I was able to get it back, more-or-less.  But I still know what it's like, and I'm angry too.~

~But however angry we are, it doesn't mean we can just go charging into her lair and throw down with her.  Not and have any expectation of actually  winning .  We have to be  smart .  That's why we're doing it this way, isolating her from her Menagerie one at a time.  If you really want to see her stopped, or punished for what she's done, then please, help us!~ 
 
 Spoiler 
Readying the same action, just in case, but not gonna bother rolling the attack unless it actually happens.
 
Zelphas
Gabriel glides in the air for a long moment, moving neither forward nor away, her golden eyes piercing through Floral, Ariadne, Nope, and Helios in turn. Then she flaps down once, sharply, her feathers rattling like spears.   "I don't need to be in smelling range to hit her,"   she 'says' finally, breaking her intense eye contact.   "But have it your way... for now.

"I'm tired. I don't have to... I haven't slept since... and my mind is fine, my vision's still good, but I still feel tired. I don't think I need to eat anymore, either, but I don't feel hungry; just tired. And yet the ground-- she  made me fear the  ground , somehow. I'm tired of flying. I can't wait very long, not now that I know for sure I'm more than this."   Cosme's eyes snap to Floral once again, looking closer to human than they have ever been since you've seen them.   "You say you fixed yourself. Can you..."  

Turning away, Cosme flies in a loop to regain her momentum, her eyes turning to scan the Dome again almost reflexively.   "I'll wait. But not long. If you have a plan, hurry it up. And when you go after  her ... I'm going to be there too. Now get below the treeline before she decides to find out why I've stopped in one place for so long."   With that, Gabriel wheels away, beginning her swooping, weaving flight around the Dome once more.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Well, this Scene was a long one, but it is complete! Everyone take  3 Downtime Actions  between this and the next Scene.

Remember that you have one more Scene where you don't have to worry about Reactions; I'll post your Act Scenes again in the next few days.
 
Zelphas
 Hidden Angel 

September 19th, 2018.

Ever since the four of you began working to take down Manchineel, you've been relying on one specific thing to track the movements of her and her creatures: the Saplings. Created out of plant matter to be Manchineel's eyes and ears, the Saplings are the lowest in Manchineel's order of creations, subservient to all others--and their natural reactions match this ranking system. Floral is able to move through Saplings without detection in large part because she "outranks" them, simply because she is an altered creature rather than a fully created one. When Manchineel was at the height of her power, with all of her Menagerie acting out heir parts on the field and her Punishments being sent to attack in several places at once, the Saplings were in constant movement, as one or more greater influences pulled them this way and that, causing a chaotic rush of actions that could only be used to find outliers. But Manchineel is no longer at the height of her power. She has not sent out a Punishment in some time, as though distracted... or preparing. The Saplings are not affected by these creatures.

Raphael is gone, in the Obelisk; the Saplings cannot respond to her presence. Abel keeps to the north, near Camp Bubble Brook, where even the Saplings refuse to go. Gabriel is on the outer edge of the Dome, and high up enough that the Saplings rarely even notice her, much less react to her presence. That leaves three places of swirling Sapling behavior, three places where they move away from their main purpose of watching to react to those higher than them.

The largest of these activity spots surrounds the Rudolph Logging Camp to the southeast; Saplings are called there constantly, it seems, to swirl and encircle the derelict campsite and the workers who are still called in daily to receive their wages for the work they cannot do. Watcher reports that his birds cannot come within a mile of the camp, which suggests that this is where Manchineel currently resides; the sheer number of Saplings make it plausible--though not certain--that Michael is with her.

The second activity spot is due east of the city, where the Industrial Block meets Lake Michigan. The Saplings seem to be milling about here without specific directions; the reason they stand out is because they have been glimpsed several times by normal people, and there is precious little vegetation to explain their presence. Some of the nicer dive bars (as contradictory as those terms are) and some almost-decent sit-down restaurants are in this area, along with warehouses, docks, and even a small nautical museum on the northernmost edge of the activity.

The final activity spot is just to the west of the town center, slightly east of Forester Park's central area. These Saplings could have been written off as remnants from Manchineel's Punishment attack on Forester Park itself a few weeks ago, but they've stayed around long enough that something else might be going on. These Saplings seem to be almost confused; they shift purposefully in one direction, then pause, then move in another, seemingly at random, with no set goal in mind, at least as far as your senses can tell.

Either of these places may be the hiding place of Uriel, the hidden angel of Manchineel's menagerie. Either or both of these places may have something that Manchineel is interested in, or that she is hiding, in any case. What do you do?

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Hopefully this gives you some things to look into; if you have a completely different idea, feel free to hunt that down as well, and we'll go from there!
 
Ridai
Considering what they managed to find out, Nope says  "In case Manchineel actually is at or near the logging camp, I'd say I go there to check for Uriel. I'm good at staying unseen and getting away quickly. Runner-up for me would be the edge of the Industrial Area, since that is still borderline Lockdown territory."  Given he has been infiltrating the Chain Gang at least in a low-level capacity, cover identity and all, Nope has been weighing in with what he managed to find out.
Quellian-dyrae
That cookie at  Food Fast  had been the last piece of food Lily had eaten since their encounter with Gabriel.

She hadn't gone with it, but when considering how to approach Gabriel, the whole 'try to get her using the rational, non-instinctive part of her brain' plan hadn't been her first idea.  Her first idea had been to try to turn Gabriel against Manchineel by revealing Manchineel's true identity.  Cosme's mother and Lucia Urquhart's mother were friends, although Lily didn't know for sure if Lucia and Cosme had known each other, or considered each other friends.  Even so, she had theorized that it might rate as sufficient betrayal to overcome Manchineel's influence.  In the end, she had rejected it for the same reason that she had ended up trying to stop Gabriel from attacking Manchineel - at the end of the day it would probably just end with her even more thoroughly enthralled.

But for a moment there, the thought of turning Manchineel's own minion against her had been tempting.  In her time as a hero, as Floral, Lily had grown more experience, had learned much about the League of the Future, their forces, even some about their plans.  She had grown more skilled, stronger.  She might not yet have been living up to the vision of Floral in her head, but neither was she quite the same Flower Girl she had started as.

But her anger towards and hatred for Manchineel had not abated.  If anything, after seeing what she had done first to Zephyr Magro, and then to Cosme, it had only grown stronger.

Gabriel had been starting to ask her if she could change her as well, before cutting off and then taking off.  Lily hadn't had an opportunity to answer.

The truth, though, was she probably couldn't.  Gabriel's form seemed strictly more animal than plant, and animal cells were not something she could directly manipulate with her powers.

But three members of the Menagerie had been neutralized.  If all went according to plan, they would be facing Manchineel herself soon.  Lily needed to be prepared.

After the Vespers, Lily had found herself shying away from continuing her experimentation into the weaknesses of her new physiology, seeking ways she could quickly and reliably neutralize herself if she fell under Manchineel's control.  It hadn't exactly been fun in the first place, and after enduring the repeated stings of the Vespers and their bees, she just hadn't been able to gather up the gumption to go back to it.

But seeing what had happened to Cosme had steeled her resolve.  And beyond that, the idea to reveal Manchineel's identity to her, though it may have been rejected, had sent her mind down a new path of possibility, had allowed her to realize something she hadn't really been letting herself notice.

Until that idea had come to her, Lily had not really been considering Manchineel from the perspective of her previous identity.  Manchineel was who she was in Lily's head, a force of nature.  Maybe she had used to be a person, sure, fine, whatever.  That wasn't what she was any more, by Lily's mind.  She had flagged her previous identity as a thing-that-existed and then more-or-less ignored it.

She hadn't realized, until now, that that meant that Manchineel was  like her .  A being who had been originally human, and been changed into a plant.

In principle, then, they might share similar weaknesses.  If Lily could figure out how to exploit her own weaknesses, she might be able to figure out how to exploit Manchineel's.

From practically the moment she got home, the thought consumed her.  She went back at poking and prodding and agitating her new physiology, far harder and with far more discipline than before.  Out in the city, sightings of Floral became fewer and further between, as she started spending more and more of her time locked in her apartment, experimenting on herself.

While Lily had further altered her physiology to remove some of the vulnerabilities that came from a normal human body, she did still, typically, act like a human when there wasn't any reason not to.  She still ate meals, even when she was alone, although she also met Andrew for lunch at least every few days.  Sometimes Hannah came along too.  Sometimes they even managed to get through the entire meal without a screaming match!  She went to her parents' house for dinner at least once a week.

She texted Andrew to cancel lunch on Tuesday, with the excuse of 'hero stuff'.  Eating took too much time, when her needs were served just as well by leaving a window open.  Normally Lily slept each night, but she didn't actually need to, and those hours were too valuable to waste.  Even showers and changes of clothes had been left by the wayside.  What was the point?  She could transform her clothes clean and smelled literally lily-fresh all the time no matter what.  It wasn't like a flower needed to  sweat .  That was just a waste of water.

When duty called loudly enough that she did go out, there were no signs of what she was doing.  She didn't look tired, because she didn't need sleep.  There were no signs of injuries, or ailments, or desiccation, because all such issues were fully healed before she left her apartment.  Aside from going out less often, there was no visible indication of the experimental regimen Lily had been putting herself through, practically around the clock.

Of course there wasn't.  If there had been, people might have asked her about it, and she did not have time for their questions.

At night, during the hours she had previously wasted sleeping, Lily worked on the second half of her project.  She was developing a poison, but not just any poison.  A poison designed to cripple plants, plant-creatures, and most of all, plants with any trace of human-like DNA.  A weapon that she hoped would give her, or her team, a key advantage over Manchineel.  A Blight.

There was a part of her brain that was screaming while she worked on it.  It wasn't the part she tended to think of as Floral, nor as the Flower Girl.  This was a different part, a distinct and yet not quite central aspect of her personality.  It took her a while to really recognize where this sense of internal horror was coming from.

It was Doctor Woods, the scientist who had devoted her life to ending hunger, screaming in horror as her scientific knowledge was used to produce a Blight.

And Lily ignored it, because the Blight she was creating was a poison, not a disease.  It was not contagious, would not spread to other plants, was designed to weaken rather than kill, and would be optimized against plant-creatures, especially those with traces of human DNA, regardless.  There was precisely zero risk of any sort of wide-scale harm being caused by this Blight.

And besides.

Defeating Manchineel was more important.

* * * * *

The meetup to figure out how to track down Uriel - if indeed they existed - was sufficiently high-priority to pull Lily out of her apartment.  She was a minute or two late, on account of her latest experiment having  kinda  rendered her unconscious for a little while.  Fortunately her safety protocols had been sufficiently robust that no permanent harm had been caused.

(Which was to say, because she was leaving a window open she had happened to be in direct sunlight when she collapsed and her regeneration had taken care of the problem.)

But when she arrived she was fully healed and to all appearances nothing had happened.  After Nope had made his suggestions she said,  "I don't know that scouting the logging camp is a high-value move, right now.  Since odds are high that Manchineel is there, even if Uriel also is, that doesn't really help us; if Uriel isn't isolated, we can't take them off the gameboard.  I also don't love the idea of scouting a location where both Manchineel  and  Michael are likely present, even with your stealth and mobility options.  It'd be a big risk, for pretty limited reward."

"I was thinking we maybe just check each of the other locations in turn, and see what we find at each one.  We could split up, especially if you'd rather check one of the locations stealthily, but that aside I don't think there's any particular advantage to checking them simultaneously rather than sequentially." 
Abracadangit
 "I would rather we stay as a group for now,"  Kal adds to the conversation, after hearing out both Nope and Floral.  "I feel as though my powers   are best served protecting and supporting from the rear, instead of attacking head-on."
 
 "I also think it might be in our best interest to explore the area east of Forester's   Park, first. The Saplings there seem... misguided, somehow. I know too little about the habits of plant creatures,   but I wonder if they have been somehow severed. If there's a chance that we can investigate   a point without alerting Manchineel to our movements, then that's where we should start." 
Ridai
 "Sure, can stay as a group, that's alright with me. Maybe industry area first? The ones in the park seem relatively harmless, at least for now?" 
Abracadangit
 "I can also see the prudence in exploring   the industrial area, given their docility. Perhaps   our services are needed there more, as they are closer to civilian populations." 
Zelphas
with the consensus eventually turning towards investigating the Industrial Block, you all move in that direction, tracking down the signs of Sapling movement that first led you in this direction. Given the almost complete lack of plants and vegetation within the Industrial Block itself (aside from the weeds pushing up through the concrete, which are all beginning to die in any case with the onset of winter), the Saplings in the area are relatively easy to find; a small teardrop-shaped green monster skulking down alleys is a notable sight, even in the strangeness that is the modern-day Forester's Bay. Most people have used the visibility of the Saplings in order to avoid them, but with Floral's ability to trick the Saplings, you are all able to follow at a reasonable distance without drawing their attention or ire.

 
 Spoiler: Intuition DC 15 
In the moments before Floral begins actively working to hide her presence from the Saplings that you see, you notice a shift in their behavior; they move, not as if they were preparing to fight or flee, but as if they were drawn to Floral. They almost treat her as if her presence was more important than whatever they were searching for here.
 


It quickly becomes apparent that the Saplings are moving in a circular pattern over a stretch of ground near the waterfront, spinning in slow, steady circle. One full rotation of this circle shows only a minor change in behavior; right at the edge of the water in one of the most run-down, abandoned areas of the Industrial Block, there is a strange phenomenon occurring. One out of every ten or so Saplings that pass by this place suddenly veers off from their circular course and moves to the lakeshore itself, climbing into a storm overflow pipe (which, judging by the smell coming from it, may have a sewage problem deeper within as well). The Saplings that climb into the pipe do not return--from that entrance, at least.

 
 Spoiler: Perception DC 25 (Olfactory &amp; Sight) 
The unsettling smell coming from the overflow pipe is familiar--and not only in the distressing way. Looking closer, you can see that the... liquid... coming out of the pipe is tinged the same shade of purple as the gas expelled by Doctor Proxy's Wastes.
 
Ridai
Observing the League's minions is something Nope has quite a bit of experience with, same going for watching the Saplings. The brief bit of behavior towards Floral is... odd. But the circle the Saplings are moving in is much stranger. Followed by a shiver down Nope's spine.

 "Proxy Waste in the pipe. Proxy doing something down there."  There it is again, the familiar fear creeping back in, the one he has to just deal with right now despite everything.
Quellian-dyrae
In most cases, encountering the smell of Proxy's Wastes would immediately draw her attention to investigating.  Anything they could do to sabotage any member of the League was a good thing, generally speaking.  But as they drew ever closer to their eventual encounter with Manchineel, such priorities shifted.  She didn't want to waste time running down some of Proxy's weird poison gas.  She wanted to find Uriel, take them out of the equation, and be one step closer to finally vanquishing Manchineel once and for all!

Fortunately, as preoccupied as she may have been, she wasn't so obsessed that her impatience won out entirely.  Not yet at least.

Even so, her guess was that there were two factors at play here.  Whatever was causing the Saplings to circle, and then separately, the gas drawing some of their attention elsewhere.  It wouldn't have been the first time the Saplings had seemed to be keeping some measure of an eye on Proxy's workings.  They had even helped her that one time when- huh.

That was true.  They had helped her.  Up until now, Lily had mainly used her phytomorphic biology to  avoid  the Saplings, just coming across as "one of them" and thus beneath notice.  But she had caught the scent of their attention earlier, and they had helped her before.  Maybe being a plant-person could be useful in other ways.

 "I'm gonna try something,"  she said quietly, and then stepped out of where the group was watching from, approaching the Saplings openly, but not hostilely.

And she said,  "Hey there.  What are you guys doing?" 

She could talk to trees and flowers, after all, and the Saplings had to be a fair sight more intelligent than those.  Why wouldn't she be able to talk to them?

 
 Spoiler 
Flower Power set to full Olfactory Clarity, Commune With Nature, Scent Processing, Scent Intensification, Floral Blood, and let's say Petal Wings.

Gonna try to talk to the Saplings with Comprehend Plants and see what happens!  Routine Persuasion for 30 (since Humanoid Plant allows Attractive and thus Scent Intensification to apply) to try to improve their reaction.
 
Zelphas
The Saplings are perhaps the only creatures of Manchineel that have no known "normal" ancestor from which they spring. The Menagerie is made up of what seem to be normal people and animals that were then enormously changed and empowered, while the Punishments seem to be this exact thing to a lesser extent. Only the Saplings appear to grow on their own, becoming their own type of life. Even taking in the mad magic of Apophis, the twisting powers of Lockdown, and the futuristic technology of Doctor Proxy and Watcher, the Saplings are perhaps one of the most truly alien things in the Dome at this time.

So it is, in some ways, deeply disturbing that the nearest Saplings respond to Floral's question with an audible, very human-like gasp of surprise and delight, like avid fans who have suddenly come across their favorite pop star.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
The Saplings "speak" to you like plants do, but with more direction and clarity to their thoughts. They are not as clear and straightforward as, for example, Gabriel was, but they intermix concrete words with images in a way that could easily be disorienting. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the Saplings are clearly very happy and excited to see and sense you directly.

Through the image-words, you get a sense of their mission. Manchineel is fairly certain that Doctor Proxy is making his Wastes somewhere in this vicinity. Manchineel wants the Wastes gone, but won't send a Punishment or Menagerie member after Doctor Proxy, something which the Saplings don't understand, but accept. The Saplings have been sent instead to discover the Waste production area, report back on it, and destroy it if they can.

One image-word repeats several times, spreading around the Saplings in the area and seemingly said in great excitement: it is your image interposed over a seedling just beginning to sprout, along with the word Raphael. Raphael-in-bud.

You get the feeling that this might be the name that they're calling you.
 
Ridai
Nope is faced with the bizarre reaction of the Saplings and he can't help but think "But why though, Manchineel".

 "I'll go... I'll go take a closer look at that pipe,"  he quietly tells Ariadne and Floral, before Removing his presence, stalking closer to the pipe.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Remove Presence  and Stealth  (1d20+20)[ 39 ] 
 
Abracadangit
A mesh of red thread weaves itself over the lower hemisphere of Ariadne's gold mask, acting as an air filter to remove the awful smell for Kal.

She holds her hands out in front of her, and shimmering strings materialize between her fingers, like an ethereal game of cat's cradle. Her muscles relax as her perception shifts into the mystical realm of twisting, infinite thread.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Shifting array to  Threadwork Sense , attempting to Remote Sense up the storm overflow pipe, may follow along a Sapling's path if possible.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Well.  That confirmed that theory, then.

Fortunately, it was already something she had had a fairly high probability on, so it didn't much distract her, although she did make a mental note to review, later, if there was any advantage to be gained that hadn't been worth risking when it was only a theory.  The way the Saplings interacted with her suggested it was at least possible.

At the very least, if Manchineel considered her the Raphael-to-be, then maybe they'd be able to use that to lure her into a trap, or catch her off guard.

Maybe.

But that was a matter for later.   "Apparently these guys are here because Proxy is making Wastes somewhere in the area.  Manchineel doesn't send any big guns against Proxy's interests, but the Saplings are supposed to find and report back on it, and destroy it if possible.  I don't think we're going to find Uriel here."   A beat, a little sigh, and she added, just a tad grudgingly,  "It might be worth taking out the Wastes though.  I'd almost say we could try to find where they are and just let these guys and whatever goons Proxy has in the facility duke it out, but it might be a collateral damage risk.  Maybe if the facility is isolated enough and sufficiently lightly guarded.  Not like Saplings are massive powerhouses of large-area destruction or anything."   ...Possibly she could have confirmed whether or not the Saplings understood English and/or human speech at all before just disparaging their fighting power right in front of them.  Kinda rude when they were being so helpful, I'm just saying.
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: Nope 
Veiling yourself from known senses, you peer deeper into the pipe. There are no lights aside from the weak sunlight coming in from behind you, but you can see the air growing steadily more purple as it goes deeper.  About fifteen feet into the pipe, before the purple haze grows very thick, you discern several Saplings, laying on their side or back, apparently frozen. Even as you watch, a Sapling roughly fifty feet ahead of you staggers, then stops, shuddering. The Sapling behind it reaches the stricken Sapling and stops, and the entire line stops for a moment as that Sapling pulls the other one back, placing it next to the others laying at the side of the pipe. Another Sapling apparently recovers from breathing in the haze, pulls itself to its feet... and rejoins the line.
 

 
 Spoiler: Ariadne 
Your threads easily move through the long pipe, passing over several Saplings on the way--including a pile of Saplings about fifteen feet into the pipe that seem to have fallen over or be lying down. The pipe quickly grows dark, causing your mental sense to take over, and you follow several twists and turns (finding several more fallen Saplings, these ones seeming to be fully unconscious) until, about three hundred feet in, the space widens. The first thing you sense is the oval-shaped, hole-filled form of a Waste, hovering to the left of the pipe's entrance; moments later, you sense another one, hovering directly to the right. Judging by your sense, the two Wastes are alternating in blowing their characteristic gas into the air, meaning that the entire area is constantly covered in a doubly-potent miasma of noxious fumes. Beyond the two active Wastes, you sense... a smooth metal box, perhaps ten feet on a side, that seems to be seamless and vibrating slightly. An unnoticed aperture on the box opens, and a familiar oval-shaped, hole-filled form is swiftly ejected... directly onto the bed of a Helper, which immediately turns and scuttles off deeper than your threads can go into the darkness. Any threads that trail into the opening in the box give you only an impression of too much space before they are abruptly, cleanly snipped away as the box closes, leaving no opening behind.
 


Immediately after Floral speaks, the Saplings she had "spoken" to look at her, their three clustered eyes somehow looking large and shining wetly with green-tinted tears. The press of Saplings in the pipe begins to increase as they try to move forward faster, piling up on each other slightly in their haste to impress.
Ridai
Nope reappears next to the others.  "I'm... not sure what they are doing down there. They get closed enough to get paralyzed, get pulled back by another Sapling, and line up behind the other Saplings." 

And with the Saplings now actively  running  into the pipe...  "I think you made them feel inadequate."  There's something Nope had not expected to happen. Being able to, in some way, empathize with Saplings.
Quellian-dyrae
...Yeah gonna be honest it was probably going to take a bit before Lily could quite manage to empathize with the Saplings.  They were just too tied together with Manchineel in her head for that, currently.   "Oops,"  she replied, kinda flatly, but at least not sarcastically, so that was something!

Although, to be perfectly fair, the Saplings didn't seem to have the capacity to do much here except get themselves paralyzed, so it's not like her assessment was actually  wrong , there.

...Actually, huh, that meant that what she had here was a convenient source of paralyzed Saplings that were already under the effects of a toxic substance.  This could prove useful to her experiments!

Right, matter for later.   "So what do you think guys?  Should we take out this facility first, or just head to the other location?  Although...if we want to take out the Wastes, we'll need a plan for dealing with the gas."   Lily was pretty sure she could more-or-less ignore it, given her altered biology and self-healing, but she wasn't sure the same was true for the others.
Abracadangit
 "There is a strange... box? Further down the pipe,"  Kal says, as she groggily makes sense of what she was able to perceive.  "It is somehow fabricating more Wastes, as   we speak. Or bringing them from somewhere. I am uncertain." 
 "I have my own defense against miasmic threats,"  Kal replies to Floral, as her gasmask-like protective mesh reweaves itself over the lower portion of her mask.  "The question is, do you have a way to   protect yourself, Nope. I understand that 'noping' something like gas from the air might prove difficult." 
Ridai
 "Might as well go down there while we're here,"  Nope says to Floral with a shrug.

To Ariadne:  "I can try a couple of things, but nothing I practiced, even if being able to see the gas might help,"  he says, grimacing as he refers back to what he told them about the involved risks of on-the-fly experimentation.  "Can try to improvise, hit and run in and out, or tough it out, I guess. I can bring us down there though, if you tell me where I need to go." 
Abracadangit
 "I can tell you where the space   is, to the best of my ability,"  Kal says, as she retraces her 'steps' with her threadwork sense.  "Let me know if your ability requires more   precise coordination, and I will see what I can do."
 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 

Ariadne will explain to Nope (in feet, more or less) where the space is, how far from them it is, and in what direction.
 
Zelphas
Nope's travel takes an instant for all but him; suddenly, you are all in darkness, with the sickly-sweet stench of Wastes filling the area. The odd metal box fills the cramped space with a low, grinding hum, adding to the chaotic mess of senses.

The Wastes make no noise, but anyone who can see in the darkness can sense that they are turning towards you, preparing their noxious gas. The gas already fills the entire space. The staccato, utra-rapid clicking of a Helper's feet on metal sounds all around you; at least one is moving in your direction, or possibly away from you.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Map  here . Place yourselves where you like.

A few notes:

1: the room is pitch-black; there is no light that enters it from any direction. If you do not have a way to see in the dark, you count as Visually Unaware.

2: The gas has so saturated the room that, along with the teleport, it is essentially impossible to 'dodge' breathing some of it in, thought it's a diluted dose. Everyone other than Ariadne (who I believe has developed a method to be immune to the gas for herself) must make a Resistance DC 18 check vs. Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed. This is [Physiological] and [Poison]; with Floral Blood, Floral cannot roll low enough to fail.

 Initiative: 

Nope:  (1d20)[ 3 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 14 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 20 ] 
Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 22 ] 

Wastes:  (1d20)[ 18 ] 
 ... Take a Surprise round; if the Wastes live, they can go first. 
 
Ridai
  "Oach!"   goes the Nope as the group reappears in real-time, down in the pitch-black area. Navigation was...  interesting , same going for making sure not to bump Ariadne and Floral on anything. As he said, the dignity of anyone he takes into zero time is Very Important.

Amidst a few retching sounds, Nope nopes the darkness. Meaning he activates the flashlight on his phone and targets it at the Wastes. It's still not all that clear of a view, what with the Wastes' products hanging in the air, but it will have to do. No time to try and remove the gas, better to try and undo the sources.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Failed save against Affliction by one degree, so Dazed 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing  and  Remove Hit Points, Mass 
 Move  Dazed

 Standard  Attack both Wastes with  Remove Hit Points, Mass . Damage DC 25 (Shapeable Area 2, Penetrating [Pierce Immunity], Multiattack [single target], Improved Critical 4, Ranged)
Attack vs W1  (1d20+10)[ 30 ]   Natural 20 
Attack vs W2  (1d20+10)[ 13 ]   lolnope 
 Recovers from Affliction 
 
Dorni
Helios blinked at the sudden shift to pitch-darkness. Even though he'd been prepared and expecting it, Nope's teleportation was always so abrupt.

He'd likewise prepared for the darkness to better result. As soon as he reappeared he willed power into the spell he'd prepared. After so long working with Fire, it hadn't been that hard to handle light. Aether spread out around him and the room lit up. It wasn't that he'd created a bonfire or a beacon - the glow was soft and even, like he'd simply raised the ambient light level.

That in turn revealed the Wastes. For them he wove Fire.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells array to: Damage (Burst Area, Selective, Penetrating)
Variable 1: Environment 2 [Light 2] (Sunny day light within in distance rank 2)

Iala Sith:  (1d4)[ 3 ]   Fall/Earth .
Standard: Blast the Wastes. On hit, DC 25+Pen Damage
W1:  (1d20+10)[ 23 ] 
W2:  (1d20+10)[ 19 ] 
 
Abracadangit
After having been teleported by Nope a number of times, Kal is finally able to shrug off the brief nausea more or less immediately. The darkness is only disorienting for a moment -- between Nope's phone light and Helios' magic illumination, the room is no longer pitch black.

With a flick of her needle, she gets to weaving.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Switching Threadwork array to "Defensive Thread" (which it was sort of already on according to the narration, but now I'm making it official). Now has Impervious Toughness 10, as well as immunity to all gases.

Standard: Thread Lash on W2, with Homing, Penetration, Secondary Effect, and Multiattack. (No AoEs while Defensive Thread is on)
W2:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ]  oof
 
Quellian-dyrae
Depriving Proxy of his assets was worth doing, but it wasn't what Lily had taken a break from her experiments from to do.  She did not intend to spend any more time on it than necessary.  With the rest of the team taking out one of the Wastes, she pointed her spear at the second, taking a moment to set her stance and her aim before firing a thorn the size of her forearm from the tip, a new one growing rapidly into place.  If it hit, it would punch into the Waste's metallic body before transmuting into deadly acid; if it missed, it would hover in the air and start turning back around, under the limited guidance of her personal phytokinesis.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Floral Blood, 10 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Lingering Acid.  Feature sets descriptors to [Energy] [Acid].

Surprise Standard: Attack Waste 2 with Acidic Nectar, All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 5, at  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 30/25 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Resistance.  The Damage carries a Secondary Effect.  On a miss, Homing 1.   Hopefully that should land, especially if it's Vulnerable from Surprise. 

Current Status: Normal, Floral Blood (+5 Res/-5 Def), AoA -5.
 
Zelphas
The Waste on the left side of the pipe was abruptly soup, which was then set on fire. The fact that what remained were the charred, useless scraps of Proxy tech is just a testament to the strangeness of Nope's powers.

The Waste on the right managed to avoid soupification, fire, and magical threads, and it spun itself so that Floral's thorn slashed a grazing cut along its plate rather than embedding into it deeply. It turned towards the four of you, cleanly avoiding Floral's follow-up thorn... and the acid that struck it from the first thorn abruptly reached its inner workings. There was a flash of brighter light as the Waste's circuitry gave out, and it fell to the concrete floor with a muffled clang.

One and a half seconds after the second Waste fell, a Helper appeared in the pipe leading away from this little waste management room. It immediately paused in mid-skitter, taking in the four of you without any eyes.

Two seconds after the second Waste fell, the cube in the center of the room opened, ejecting a Waste chassis from its too-deep center with a muffled hiss. The chassis hung in the air, perfectly at a level with the Helper's flat central platform, and then clattered to the ground, the noise of its fall notably different from the noise of the Waste two seconds earlier.

Half a second later, the Helper let out an ear-piercing wail, the sound rebounding off of the walls of the pipe and redoubling. Without turning, it began skittering quickly back the way it came.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Helper 

Move Action: Shift to N20.

Free Action: Scream.

Standard Action: Shift distance rank 5 back down the pipe it came from.

 PCs are on turn if they wish to pursue; if not, combat is over. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Well, that looked like the source of the Wastes.  Lily's first thought was just to melt it to slag and be done with it, but the timing of the Helper's arrival, the positioning of the Waste chassis relative to the Helper's platform...it suggested that the Helper was meant to bring the chassis off to the next stage of production, rather than the Wastes being fully assembled (or delivered fully assembled) directly here.

Which in turn meant that if they followed the Helper, they might find more of Proxy's operation.  And also that if this machine was just fabricating Waste chassis, rather than completed Wastes, they might be able to capture it rather than destroying it, and maybe learn more about Proxy's process that way.

 "It's probably calling for backup.  Should we just go after it, or play defense here?"  Lily asked, although given that she didn't know how much time they'd have before the hypothesized backup arrived, she leveled her spear at the pipe the helper came from.  If anything came out, she'd fire a spray of acid at it, aiming more for motive systems to try to leave it open to her friends.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  5 points to Floral Wings, 5 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Floral Blood, 5 points to Olfactory Clarity (Ranged Acute Accurate Analytical Smell), 5 points to Scent Intensification (Smell Counters Concealment [Overlapping Scents], Smell Penetrates Concealment [Limited to Around Objects], Extended Smell), 10 points to Floral Acid, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 5 points to Lingering Scent.  Feature sets descriptors to [Physical] [Piercing].

Free: If those Senses tell me anything about what's further down the pipe let me know!  🙂

Standard: Ready an action.  If anything robotic or otherwise obviously hostile comes out of the pipe, shoot it at  (1d20+10)[ 19 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC  25/20 vs. Damage Linked Vulnerable/Defenseless Affliction.  The Affliction carries a Secondary Effect.  On a miss, Homing 1.

Current Status: Floral Blood (-5 Defense, +5 Resistance).
 
Ridai
 "Might as well follow it? Could use a guide, though,"  Nope adds, even if it isn't much. He is really not sure how to make sense of what Proxy is doing from this single machine.
Abracadangit
 "If any are willing to follow, you could   lure it back and we could attack it through a thread barriacade,"  Kal says.  "My shields will allow our attacks to   pass through while blocking those of our foes." 
Ridai
Consensus seems to be "follow", so Nope puffs out his cheeks, sighing.  "Alright, going after it. Be back soon."  Since it is only him going, he opts for his other kind of teleportation. The actual teleportation. The scarier, but more effective one. Light in zero time is... finicky and generally unhelpful when it comes to bringing it along. Sooo... tiny pieces of skin or hair are sent ahead to check for  not ending up in a wall  before he just disappears in an instant, without any kind of visual or aural effect.

Sadly, while this kind of (actual) teleport allows for a stealthier approach, that is thoroughly undermined by holding a smartphone with activated flashlight in a pitch-black tunnel.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Switch to  Remove Personal Relative Distance 

Teleport after the Helper to see where it is going.
 
Zelphas
The pipe is dark, even with the flashlight, and the skittering sound of the Helper's retreating legs bounced around in the space, making it difficult to follow once the pipe began to split and offshoot in different directions. Nope followed as best he could, removing his time as he went, trying to pin down where the Helper is trying to go as he chased it down.

Taking a wrong turn down a dead-end pipe (and then erasing the time he took to go down that pipe) , Nope finally seemed to track the Helper effectively, hearing its metallic feet scraping along the pipe ahead of him. He jumped to the place and swung his flashlight around... to see not the boxy shape of a Helper, fleeing, but the rounded, bulbous two-toned head of an AKuma, rushing up the pipe towards him, the pounding of its feet warping and hiding the clicking from the Helper's flight.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Initiative part 2!

Nope, you can take your original Initiative or this new roll:  (1d20)[ 19 ] 

AKuma:  (1d20+16)[ 19 ] 

If anyone was following after Nope, you can either take your first initiative or roll a new one; you're choice.
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily nods and goes following after Nope.  The tight confines of the pipe make it awkward to use her wings, so she doesn't quite manage to keep up, but she's en route at least!
Abracadangit
 "Travel   safely,"  Kal says, as she weaves a series of barriers behind Nope and Floral as they exit further down the pipeway.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Action: Dropping Silken Shields in the pipe that Nope and Floral headed down, on the left side.
 
Dorni
Helios frowned momentarily, then nodded.  "Strike while the iron is hot,"  he agreed. He rose a few inches off the floor and flew along with the others.
Dorni
Helios zipped down the tunnel, rapidly overtaking the Akuma and throwing a fist of hardened air to crush it to the floor.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Set Spells to Strength 10, Penetrating Damage
Variable 1: Environment 2 [Light 2] (Sunny day light within in distance rank 2)

Attack  (1d20+10)[ 19 ] . On hit, DC 25+pen vs Damage / 20 vs Grab
 
Zelphas
While a robot, the AKuma seems almost as startled to run into Nope as Nope is to run into the AKuma. Still, the AKuma  is  a robot, and so by the time Helios flings his hardened air, the metal bear has already skittered back, forced to retreat in the cramped space to avoid the dangerous blow. Leaping quickly back to the edge of Helios' light, the red glow in the AKuma's eyes seem to brighten slightly before a mechanical whirr signals its mouth opening, a blast of electrified spears firing at both Nope and Helios and seeking to hold them in place.

Moments later, Floral and Ariadne are able to get to the edge of the fight. The noise of the battle echoes and re-echoes in the maze of tunnels, drowning out the metal tread of the fleeing Helper.

 
 Spoiler 
 AKuma 

Move Action: Back down the tunnel it came from 30 feet.

Standard Action: Use  Bear Spear , All-Out Attacking for 2. Using Multiattack to split it to aim at both Helios and Nope.

Nope:  (1d20+10)[ 22 ]   Hit 
Helios:  (1d20+10)[ 23 ]   Hit 

On a hit, Resistance DC 25/20 vs. Damage Linked Cumulative Immobilized/Stunned.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
Nope has been exposed to a great many very legit scary things in his short career.

An AKuma sprinting right at him out of the darkness in the tight quarters of the tunnel he is in, with the sounds to threaten the moment, is nightmare fuel.

So during the resulting very visible recoil and very resounding scream-shout, the spear is violently disintegrated, and the surrounding darkness is  roiling  around what light there is. Really, the worse visibility is in any given place, the more space there is for his brain to fill in things he does not wish to think about, such as where his powers come from. Light is hectic, as is Nope's retaliation to replace the AKuma with (regular. Hopefully.) darkness. And not the kind that just hides a still aggressive robot bear because  the lights just went out.  No no no, no stray thoughts, very bad, things already way too scary!

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing, Remove Hit Points 
 Standard  Attack the AKuma with  Remove Hit Points . DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged, Improved Critical 4), Weaken Resistance, Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated)
 (1d20+10)[ 20 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily may have been a bit slow to reach the fight but she made up for lost time; she turned the last corner in the pipes just in time to see (well, more smell, but whatever) the AKuma launch its electrified spear, and while her wings may not have been aces for maneuvering in the cramped confines a straight-shot they could do!  With a single hard beat she launched herself down the pipe, over her friends' heads, and into the way just in time to shield Helios from the spear.

Which...promptly shocked her badly enough to make it difficult to control her movements, as had happened pretty much every other time she'd gotten hit by an AKuma's stupid spear.  It was actually kinda comforting, in a weird way.  The feeling of intense cramping muscle spasms was precisely the same as it had been every other time before.  Her body had changed a lot in the past couple months.  Maybe not externally (those first few days after Manchineel notwithstanding), but on the inside, a lot was different now.  It was nice to know that even with many of her organs officially deprecated, her nervous system somewhat rewired, her muscles now grown from plant fibers and her blood thickened to sap, a severe electric shock was and remained a severe electric shock.

...Okay, not really, honestly it just hurt like the dickens.  But sometimes you have to try to stay positive when you're trudging through a sewer filled with poisoned gas and killer robots and getting several thousand volts of electricity run through you at the tip of a spear.

However, while Lily's personal phytokinesis wasn't actually enough to allow her to fully control the motions of her entire body absent properly functioning muscles - it could supplement her movements to make her faster, but it didn't have the oomph to actually move her full mass on its own - it was still fine for controlling various plant-based projectiles transmuted from the tip of her spear.  Let's say a banana this time.  It was kinda a waste, because the AKuma had been left virtually defenseless by Nope's attack so it probably wouldn't miss and then boomerang around, but whatever it wasn't like Lily was actually invested in visual sight gags.  It all got turned into hideously corrosive acid in the end.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Floral Blood, 5 points to Floral Thorn, 5 points to Olfactory Clarity (Ranged Acute Accurate Analytical Smell), 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 20 points to Healing Nectar.

Move: Dazed.  And Immobilized.  But otherwise having a great day.

Standard: Attack AKuma with Acidic Nectar, All Out Power Attack for 5, at  (1d20+10)[ 28 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 30 vs. Damage.  Lily receives Healing at  (1d20+10)[ 15 ] .   5 RP 

End of Turn: Resistance to recover from Immobilized (DC 20):  (1d20+15)[ 31 ] .   Recovers 

Current Status: 1 Bruise (5/10 RP), (Dazed Ends),  Immobilized (DC 20) , AoA -5, Floral Blood (+5 Res/-5 Def).
 
Abracadangit
Kal arrives just in time to see her teammates gathered around the AKuma, looking much the worse for wear.

 "Time to   end this,"  she says, as she flicks her needle and bolts of thread coil for a strike.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Routining attack roll with Thread Lash. Adding Power Attack +5 if that's doable, but if that means the routine attack no longer hits, I'll skip it.
 
Zelphas
In the light of Helios' magic, the AKuma abruptly becomes still, rents appearing in paper-thin chrome to reveal roiling darkness beneath it. In this state, Floral's acid does more than simply eat away the metal; it splits the AKuma apart like paper hit by a pressurized jet of water, shadows boiling out of the collapsing figure to join the darkness all around the tunnel before falling back into a semblance of normality once again.

A few seconds after the AKuma vanishes entirely, the tunnel shakes several times. A rumbling boom echoes out from the tunnels beyond where the AKuma once stood, fading away slowly into silence. Just as the sound fades away, dust billows into the tunnel, pushed towards you by a rush of displaced air. It seems that the robots of Doctor Proxy may have collapsed the tunnel ahead of you.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Aaand this battle is  definitely  over, at this point!
 
Quellian-dyrae
A collapsed tunnel was not a trivial problem, even for the average superhero - a paragon might have been able to clear the rubble, on raw strength, and might even have been able to do it fast enough to be worth it, on raw speed.  But it would have been dangerous work; it wasn't like what you had there was a perfectly functional, structurally-sound tunnel that just happened to be filled with rubble.  Remove the rubble, and probably all you do is cause the rubble that it's holding up to fall on your head.  Even a paragon could risk getting buried under more raw tonnage than they could lift, and even if they were strong enough, tough enough, or fast enough to survive, you had to take into consideration the city above.  If the collapse hadn't already caused a destructive sinkhole to whatever infrastructure or residences were located above, a secondary collapse probably would.

 "Everybody good?"  she asked.  Admittedly more out of politeness than concern.  It was like, sure, healing was on offer if needed, but it wasn't like most of the team wasn't just as capable of healing as she was.

Either way, with the machine that had been outputting Waste chassis in their custody, and Proxy's access to this location now cut off, Lily was happy enough to file this one in the W column and get back to their actual goal for the day.  So unless anybody did have injuries that needed tending or something she'd follow up with suggesting,  "So, maybe see if we can transport the machine somewhere for future examination, and then head over to the next location?" 

...Of course, the truth was that she might not have done so had her mind been a little less one-track at the moment.  A collapsed tunnel might not be a trivial obstacle for the average paragon, sure.  But between her acid, Helios and Ariadne's magic, and Nope's power to, you know, literally remove whatever was in his way, getting rid of any rubble in their path probably wouldn't be much of a problem.  Ariadne's threadworks could shore up the tunnel, and even on the assumption that raw construct strength alone couldn't do the job, Lily was up to date on all the latest best practices for engineering and infrastructure - solving world hunger wouldn't only be a matter of growing enough food, after all, and the work she was doing to help with cleanup and such since the League had arrived had given her ample opportunity to put her academic knowledge to use and gain practical experience with it.  And that was all discounting the possibility of Nope or one of the mages just blinking or phasing them right past the obstruction.  Point was, a collapsed tunnel probably wasn't an insurmountable obstacle given their resources, and it was perhaps telling that Lily didn't even spend a moment to spitball possible options for bypassing it.
Abracadangit
 "I am safe,"  Kal says, as crimson threads swirl around her like a cyclone, sweeping away the closest dust and debris.

 "If someone can begin the process of opening up the rubble, I can   get thread inside and make a tunnel,"  she suggests.  "The only trick is getting the   rubble out of the way, first." 
Ridai
Nope covers his nose and mouth with a sleeve, but still coughs. Honestly, he is glad to have been relatively far away. Being entombed is one of those haunting things that make his heart skip a beat whenever he Removes relative distance and appears  just  next to a wall.

 "I can-"  Quick cough.  "I can help with making the debris go away. Doing the... the teleport teleport for everyone is..."  And he shakes his head. Vigorously.

So once Ariadne gives him the thumbs up, Nope will try to clear the tunnel within the confines of her impromptu thread tunnel. Wonderful ability, that thread magic. Honestly, Nope feels like the others deserve more direct praise for what they do. Nope puts it on the to-do list once in less, uh, concerning environments and situations. And if he manages to find a way to make it not awkward. Latter might be the greater challenge, given how his brain loves, loves,  loves  to replay all his past mistakes.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
So, since this most likely falls in the  Remove Placeholder  territory, we are officially in the Removal Shenanigans Danger Zone of Unforeseen Consequences! 😁
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily kinda clenched her teeth, and if one was paying attention they might notice a faint whiff of...mint and fresh baked bread(?) flutter through the tunnel.  Weird.  Regardless, though, she stepped forward to assist, not with direct use of her powers, but eyeing the collapse and the tunnel as Nope worked to remove the rubble, giving he and Ariadne advice on what parts needed shoring up, where it was best to leave rubble in place until threads could handle the burden, and so on.

 
 Spoiler 
Routine Expertise (Architecture and Engineering) for 30 to advise them on clearing the tunnel hopefully without causing any secondary collapses.
 
Zelphas
 Roughly 30 seconds ago 

The outer Waste factory was a calculated loss; it had been overt enough to trick Manchineel into playing her hand, and now there was an excuse to move against her in her weakened state should the other forces fail in their conquest. Speaking of those other forces: they had been unable to pursue before the countermeasures, and given current trends they should--

Well. They were endeavoring to continue pursuit. A refreshing surprise at nearly every turn, these outliers. Very well; it was worth a leak in intelligence for further study, and it was hardly more than had already been shown. Just a slight tweak for the environment, and then... deployed.

 Present 

With Nope's power of removal, Helios' use of air, Ariadne's string supports, and Floral's knowhow and direction, you are all able to begin excavating the tunnel in fairly short order. The collapsed section seems to be somewhat extensive, stretching for several dozen feet ahead of you; nearly half a minute of excavation puts you nowhere in sight of the end.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
In fact, you are following only one collapsed tunnel; even in your short excavation, you notice several offshoots and other tunnels, each one large enough to hold a Helper, all likewise collapsed. You seem to be moving into a collapsed maze.
 


Shortly after you begin digging through the debris, however, you begin to hear a heavy crunching noise from ahead of you. The crunching noise grows louder and louder, until the most recent section of collapsed sewer shivers and breaks apart, disgorging a long, black shape.  The body is thinner than a Mover, but much longer, coiling and looping over itself in a constant, spinning array of overlapping curved panels and thin, impossibly sharp blades that cut through edges of the tunnel and the fallen debris like water without a pause or even a sound. Six wings, dull black and yet oddly, uncomfortably too soft-looking to be any metal you all--save one--have seen before are spaced regularly over the body, keeping the entire thing aloft with silent wingbeats even as it emerges from the pile of loose stones and dirt. At the front of the thing, facing you, is a matte black panel in the shape of a triangle, the point facing downwards. Etched into this panel is a single, faint mark; at first, it is nearly impossible to make out against the blackness, but then a dull red glow ignites the number   4  , casting faint, bloody shadows in the middle of Helios' light. Even as it emerges, the rubble resettles with a heavy crunch, hiding any trace of its travel.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Initiative 

Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 18 ] 
Nope:  (1d20)[ 14 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 16 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 3 ] 

4:  (1d20+10)[ 30 ] 
 4 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Blade Dance . 4 is Deflected at 1d10+23.

 All PCs are on-turn. 
 
Ridai
Nope is now faced with even worse nightmare fuel.

And right now, he wants this abomination of PTSD made semi-solid to just stop moving its way too many ways to come closer and kill them all. He really is having a hard time focusing on all the very difficult to see joints (and adjacent) with the many intrusive thoughts to  not be here anymore .

Can't just leave the others, so he has to focus entirely on Removing the means of movement for this   4   thing. The necessary... let's be generous here and call it "purity of thought" (on top of a thick layer of fear) sadly has the downside of not moving at all. Which may be for the best. Better it tries to mess him up than the others.

Nope is starting to question his sanity to some degree.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing  and  Remove Crux 
 Standard  Use  Remove Crux  on   4   to Nullify all Technological powers
Attack  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] 
Nullify check  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily grimaced as they got further down the tunnel, taking a couple sniffs of the air before nodding to herself and saying with a sigh,  "Guys this is a waste of time.  Look, most of the rubble on the sides of us has significantly more earth mixed with the stone, where the earth around the tunnel slumped in when the walls were damaged.  Most of the rubble ahead has much less, only from whatever earth was directly overhead and fell in.  But there and there...oh and there too,"  she pointed at some parts of collapsed wall on the side of the tunnel they had been excavating.   "That's more rubble with a low earth content.  Side branches, that have also been collapsed.  This isn't just a straight shot, it's a tunnel network.  And we have no idea how big it is, how twisty it is, or how much of it has been collapsed.
 I don't think we're going to-" 

...And of course, one of Proxy's robots came burrowing out to attack them.  Naturally.

 Although , that suggested Proxy was somehow managing to observe them, or at least their progress, despite having collapsed the tunnel, which you'd really think would have taken out any cameras or other security systems that had been in place.  Some sort of vibration sensor, maybe?  She supposed it wasn't impossible that Proxy might have sent a burrowing robot down to check that they had left on principle, but given the whole network of tunnels, that seemed less plausible.  Probably the burrowing robot would include a vibration sensor.  That seemed like an obvious combo.

 "But sure, if you want to throw another one of your robots into the meat grinder that is a throw-down with us, be my guest.  No skin off my knees."   (She had come up with a perfectly valid explanation for how the robot could have been aware of their presence without Proxy being directly observing them but she still said it anyway because to be fair there was no reason to assume the robot  didn't  also have a full audio/video camera feed going straight to Proxy's lair.)  The robot seemed to have taken some sort of a defensive stance.  Given all of its blades, Lily's gamer instincts were thinking counter-attacks.  Rather than attack too aggressively, she took a moment to unlock some of the stored solar energy in the nectar in her blood, and stepped forward with her spear held ready, eyeing the robot's stance, the positioning of its blades, trying to calculate a path of attack that would have the best chance of getting through.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power.  10 points to Floral Blood, 10 points to Acidic Nectar, 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Utility Nectar.

Move: Into Close range of 4.  Ideally getting between it and the others so if it wants to melee it has to go for her but given it has Burrowing that probably won't matter much.  Poor terrain features never get to matter in M&amp;M.  😏

Standard: Link Acidic Nectar to Healing Nectar, Aiding with Acidic Nectar, Defensive Attacking for 5, using the Benefit on my spear to Aid my own next attack at  (1d20+15)[ 24 ] .  Linked Healing triggers on self with no immediate effect, but thanks to Utility Nectar it carries a Secondary Effect.   Whoops forgot to change the +15 to +10 when I chose to Defensive Attack, that reduces the roll to 19 so only +2 Aid. 

Current Status: Aid +2, Floral Blood (-5 Def/+5 Res), DA +5, SE (Healing 10).
 
Abracadangit
 "More infernal   machines,"  Kal says, through a dissonant echo of threads. Scarlet string twists and turns around her and her teammates, as Kal's needles gleam coldly in the light of Helios' magic.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Dropping another Silken Shields on/around the party as best I can, though if we're arranged in such a way that not everyone can be under it, Ariadne will be the odd duck out.
 
Dorni
 "I agree,"  Helios agreed. He ceased maintaining the spell boring the tunnel back open.  "This is a waste of time. Coming here was worth a shot, but anything that was here is buried now. Spending more time here isn't going to get us any closer to Uriel." 

Naturally, that was when the rumbling started. Helios had time for a sigh and to draw himself up before the proxybot slithered out of the rubble. Helios narrowed his eyes when the bot readied its blades rather than coming directly at them. It was either being cautious against them - which was probably fair given their team's track record - or it wasn't fully committed to fighting either. Interesting.

Either way, Helios didn't waste the moment the bot gave them. Rather than hostile magic, he wove a familiar, faint shell of Life aether around the team.  "I don't suppose you'd be willing to back off if we agreed to leave, would you?"  Helios doubted his offer would be accepted, but it didn't hurt to try.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells to Healing (Restorative, Shapable Area, Triggered 4, Secondary Effect 6).
Standard: Cast Life Shell on the team. All teammates get a Triggered SE 6 Healing effect. The heal will trigger upon taking damage.
Move: Meh. Might need to figure something to do with these.
 
Zelphas
Nope threw out his power, and the air warped, stretched, and yawned, before curling up and going back to sleep. Or wait, no, it's air. Regardless, the monstrous mass of curling blades did not stop moving. Several feet above you all, Marcela Ingolfsson got into her car to go to work (astonishing that she was still expected to cover all of her shifts, with this mess going on all around her) only to discover that her car wouldn't start. Mostly because the engine was gone. And so were the engines of three other cars on her street.

It was probably a coincidence.

Meanwhile, the bladed monstrosity continues its slow circling in the tunnel, watching the four of you. The pattern of its spinning shifts once as Floral steps forward, shifts again in response to Ariadne's wall of threads, and then collapses back into its original pattern when Helios speaks up. Despite the threaded wall between you, the mechanical figure turns its etched, glowing   4   to face Helios directly. The bloody light from the character wavers slightly as the triangular head dips in a slow, fluid nod.

The creature does not move forward, or alter its position in any other way.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 4 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Blade Dance . the 4 is Deflected at 1d10+23.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
Ah, the familiar worry of "if I did not stop the machine, but something still happened, what else did I cause?".

Without further ado, the group disappears, reappearing a good bit away from the tunnels, back on the surface.

 "Sorry. Where to next?" 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily kinda eyed the robot.  Was it...was it actually letting them go?

Well whether it was or not it was kinda a moot point as they Noped out.  Worked for her.  Objectively that had been something of a mulligan but Lily hadn't started the day planning to disable some portion of one of Proxy's Waste constructors or whatever it was, so as far as she was concerned this was an unqualified success!

 "Forester's Park, I suppose.  Although it might be a good idea to retrieve the machine from in there before we go, so that we can examine it later and Proxy can't reclaim it,"  she suggested.  She'd have just gone and done it but well physical strength had never been something she had much of and her powers had not changed that fact even the least little bit.
Ridai
Nope looks back to where they came from, not looking all that enthused, but getting the Proxy tech is a fair point.  "Alright, I'll go."  Thus... he goes back, trying to see if it is still there. And if he would not run into  4  in the process.

Whether or not he is successful, it's the park next. Good as any pick.
Abracadangit
 "Forester's Park makes   a great deal of sense,"  Kal says, happy to be out of there.
Dorni
Helios was admittedly surprised at the robot's unmistakable nod. This was the second time that he'd faced off with a proxybot and struck an agreement to avoid a battle. This was twice now he'd encountered a proxybot that was willing to let him leave without a fight. Was Proxy simply uninterested in them as long as they didn't interfere in his operations? Or were these blade-bots so valuable that Proxy was hesitant to risk losing them?

Then Nope wisked them away and the moment was lost.

Helios shook off the thought. Worth pursuing later.  "Yeah, Forester's Park is the last one." 
Zelphas
Nope's return to the sewer to pick up the machine did not bring him into contact with the   4  , but he did have to negotiate the blocky, heavy box around several Saplings that had clustered around it since the Waste's gas had faded. Most of the Saplings had long vines spinning out of the tops of hteir heads, the ends dripping with a mild (to the four of you) toxin, all poised to strike... but before they landed, the box was no longer there.

In the moments before traveling over to near Forester Park, you are all able to determine that the collapse of the sewer line underneath you caused, at most, minor damage in the world above; there are a few more potholes on the street nearby than there were before, and one notable crumpling of a five-foot section of sidewalk as the ground forced itself upwards, but otherwise the surface of Forester's Bay in the area seems essentially undisturbed. It's too early for anyone to complain about the plumbing in any organized manner, in any case. Before anyone can do any further investigations, Nope returns, and you are in the streets of the Main Drag, at the edge of Forester Park.

The Main Drag is the most populated area of Forester's Bay; despite the capricious nature of it's "ruler", the area claimed by Apophis is simply the area with the most infrastructure that was not already full of residents when the Dome came down. Even in the middle of the day, people are walking from place to place and cars are driving along, with very few glancing up or at the sky; most have their heads down, their movements hurried, eager to get where they need to go and be done with it. The weather has been getting colder and colder, meaning that very few loiter around the streets in any case. There are a few reactions to your sudden arrival--a gasp, a long stare, even a smile or three for those who know about your various efforts at hero work--but the League is still fully in play. The street clears even more quickly, and the cars that pass by slow slightly to see you, then speed up out of the area. It doesn't take long for you to be mostly alone on the street. The only people still around you were a few odd commuters hurrying on the opposite side of the road, three cars moving various directions, and a dozen or so people enjoying cups of tea at a small tea shop at the edge of Forester Park; it seems the shop somehow still had tea leaves, which were growing increasingly rare.

 
 Spoiler: Perception DC 22 
Though she is making no obvious effort to hide herself, it takes a while for you to spot Ntombi Peters among those enjoying tea. She meets your gaze and smiles, nodding slightly to you as she sips her drink.
 


The Saplings in the area had been acting erratically, from the information you were given; it is as though they did not know where to go themselves, to find what they were seeking. About a minute after you arrive, however, you begin to see the tear-shaped bodies and three-eyed stalks of Saplings--just a few, and mostly in shadowed areas and behind trees. Their eyes are intent on you--or on one of you. They do not march forward, however, seeming to hold themselves at a distance, and watch.
Quellian-dyrae
There was a part of Lily that kinda wondered if they should be, like,  doing something  about the Saplings.  Like, in principle they were still League minions and potential threats.  But they also...didn't really seem to be hurting anything.  Honestly at this point she'd had as many encounters with them where they were on net helpful as hostile (and both of the hostile ones had been before they had captured Gabriel), and evidently Manchineel's intent to turn her into the next Gabriel meant that she had at least some manner of influence over them, which may not hold up if she just went arbitrarily hostile at them.  End of the day, Lily doubted the loss of some Saplings would meaningfully impact Manchineel's resources; replacing them might not be an entirely free action for her but it was probably about the next best thing.  ...Plus they hadn't done anything about the previous group and weird as it was there was nonetheless a part of her that thought that therefore attacking this group wouldn't be fair.

Fortunately before she was forced to come to terms with whatever this may or may not have said about herself, she caught wind of a familiar scent that firmly dropped the Saplings down to the bottom of the priority list.  Ntombi Peters was here.  Drinking tea.

Lily had been low-grade suspicious of Ntombi - not as a potential Uriel, just kinda in general as an outsider who somehow seemed to be friends with Manchineel - since they had first met her when going after Gabriel.  Of course, that had also been back before they even knew Uriel was a thing that (maybe) exists.  She couldn't really say that she had been able to assign "Ntombi Peters is Uriel" a majority probability - given that on priors you had to divide the probability around more-or-less every plant and animal living in the dome plus assign a substantial portion to the "Uriel does not exist at all, or at least not yet" probability, there simply hadn't been enough evidence to go quite that far.

On the other hand, it felt  fitting  in a way that Lily couldn't quite fully verbalize.  Certainly, conditional on Uriel's existence, Ntombi Peters would have to be the  single most likely  suspect that they knew of.

But a lot of that came from the priors - in principle, Uriel might not exist, or if they did could have been made from any living being in the dome.  But the presence of the Saplings was solid (though, she did have to remind herself, not overwhelming) evidence of Uriel both A) existing and B) being somewhere in this general vicinity.  Shift down the odds of Uriel not existing proportionately, reconsolidate an equivalent amount of that assigned to general "anyone under the dome" to "anyone in this vicinity", and update (retroactively, sadly; Lily kinda wished she had thought to consider the probabilities in advance) on Ntombi's presence...and yeah, Lily might not have a firm number in mind, but it was definitely high enough to be worth acting upon.

So, after a brief moment to inform the team of what she was about to do to make sure nobody wanted to stop her, Ntombi Peters would find Floral sitting across from her at her table in the tea shop (or nearest equivalent if I'm envisioning the scene wrong) and greeting her with,  "Hello, Uriel." 
 
 Spoiler 
If anyone wants to stop or pre-empt her feel free, otherwise:

Full power to Olfactory Clarity, Scent Processing, Scent Intensification, and, heck, Commune with Nature.  Perception-as-Insight to Evaluate along with Detect Emotions:  (1d20+15)[ 31 ] .  +2 if Favored Foe (Manchineel's Minions) applies, although whether or not it does should almost certainly be kept secret.

Regular Perception to see if Analytical Scent or Analytical Detect Biology reveal anything of interest:  (1d20+15)[ 33 ] .  Again, +2 if Favored Foe applies.

Deception to try to Trick her into letting slip some reaction and/or just believe Lily is not just wildly guessing here:  (1d20+10)[ 24 ] , +2 if Favored Foe applies, +5 from Scent Intensification if Lily's Attractive  could  apply against Ntombi in principle (including through Humanoid Plant's bit), further +5 that probably only counts for purposes of tricking her into believing that Lily isn't wildly guessing (since that's the part that's an attempt to Deceive) if Attractive applies.
 
Ridai
Not running into   4   again certainly helps nerves a bit. A bit.

Appearing on the Main Drag and seeing people's reactions does bring out the ol' discomfort of being around normal people as Nope. What with having become a boogeyman figure. That Incident. And the team showing up somewhere usually meaning something bad will also happen because of the League.

But here they are, in the quiet moments before the bad things happen. There are saplings watching them. Ntombi is also around, apparently. But no real indication what the saplings are even doing here. Looking around, Nope is honestly at a bit of a  loss. Sure, Ntombi is a Manchineel connection, but do Menagerie look like normal people? Is that a thing? Is Uriel more a title? Or is this just pure happensta-

Okay, Floral is going over.  "I'll, uh. I'll keep watch out here." 

Nope really doesn't want to put the tea shop on edge simply by being in the room.
Abracadangit
Kal watches the Saplings with a cautious eye, as she extends her consciousness over the sprawling streets and winding alleyways of the Main Drag. As one of the first places where she tested her powers, she retained a magical memory of the "labyrinth" of the neighborhood, allowing her to find or zero in on any location within a second's notice.

 "What do you make of   the little ones' behavior,"  Kal asks Nope and Helios, while Floral talks to Ntombi.  "I find their quiet...   discomforting." 
Ridai
 "I never had much contact with them before. Hard to know how they think, what with the pheromones also being part of it all. If that is like your own hormones messing with you, and if you notice that happening. So I guess someone told them to stay put, perhaps be on the lookout? ...Possibly for us? Maybe?"  The Saplings being emotionally invested in Floral's approval earlier still lingers in Nope's mind. He will definitely have to adjust how he fights them in the future.

Nope really can't wait for a time to come where he doesn't need to attack anything anymore.
Zelphas
 
 Spoiler: Floral Scent Result 1 
It is almost invisible, hidden behind iron calm, but Ntombi responds to your statement with surprise, then a sort of realization, followed by a heavy mixture of inevitable resolve, relief, and sadness almost akin to dread.
 


Ntombi looks up as Floral sits down across from her, blinking once with no expression. Then she smiles a soft, sad smile. Lifting up her cup, she tilts it towards Floral in a mock toast.   "I'm glad that we can clear the air, Floral,"   she says, bending to sip her tea.

And the air around you is filled with points of yellow light.

The hazy yellow spots fill the outside area of the tea shop, floating lazily in the soft wind. They cluster around the other customers in the area--customers who, you all now notice, have not responded to Floral's presence, carrying on their conversations as though she was not there. The hazy lights land on their skin, tangle in their hair, pile on their shoulders and across their clothing. The only places in the outside area where the spores are not are around the table where Ntombi and Floral are sitting.

 
 Spoiler: Floral Scent Result 2 
Your nose fills with the scent of these spores, suddenly, for that's what they are: spores. Mushroom spores, if you don't miss your guess, but from no mushroom that you have encountered before. If you had to guess, these spores have a heavy and complicated effect on the brain chemistry of those that they come into contact with, essentially 'hijacking' the brain to cause various effects. They're small, so the effect is most likely short-term, but they're something. They also seem to be emanating from Ntombi, who... smells completely human. Completely, totally, bog-standard human. Still.

After just a moment, even the scent of the spores begins to fade, because
 


Just as quickly as they appeared, the points of light vanish, disappearing into their hidden shape once again. Ntombi finishes her long sip of tea.   "She sings, and we dance, and that's all there is to it. Would you like to know my tune?"   She sets the cup down on the table with a light clink, her weather-beaten hands still wrapped lightly around it.   " It is more complicated than this, but here is the gist: remain hidden. Report all dangers to the forest--by which she means, dangers to  her --within one sunrise and sunset. If you are found and attacked, use any means necessary to ensure your escape. Subdue those who found you, if you believe it possible."   Ntombi looks at the dozen or so people all around her and Floral, then at the four of you in turn.   "I told you before that I'd rather not harm an innocent, and that is still true. And at the moment, I am not under attack. So here is what I offer.

I am going to finish my tea, and speak to whoever wishes to talk with me for the moment--I believe I owe at the very least an apology to you personally, Floral."   Ntombi pauses to take another long sip of her tea.   "Then, once I am finished, I will make my way into Forester Park, looking to find a secluded place where I can return to Manchineel and report. If I am attacked then, well... the means at my disposal will have changed. Perhaps I will even believe that I can subdue my foes, and commit myself fully to the battle."   Ntombi's mouth quirks, slightly, but her eyes remain level as she looks at Floral.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily let out a little sigh as Ntombi spoke.  She was less surprised than she thought she'd be, that what was still a highly speculative guess based on highly limited evidence had proven correct.  Honestly, she found that she was mostly surprised that Ntombi had, in fact, gone and admitted it.

(Some completely tactless part of her brain piped up noting that it was surprised that, conditional on Ntombi just up and admitting it, she  hadn't  done so by replying, "Hello, Raphael."  Lily was not sure where that part of her brain had come from or why it was so stupid, but she promptly ignored it and flagged it as not ever being allowed to have a vote on anything.)

 "I suppose I should have known,"  she said, her voice a bit hollow, a bit sad.  Was it strange that she actually felt  more  sympathetic to Ntombi now, knowing that she was one of Manchineel's creatures, than she had when she believed her to be a completely normal human?   "That the story of the human who had befriended Manchineel couldn't possibly have been true."   The existence of Uriel could not have been deduced, so far in advance.  But that puzzle Lily had had all the information she had needed to solve, from the very first time she met Ntombi.  She had thought the logic through explicitly, even though she had not recognized it for what it was.  A simple truth that ruled out that possibility from being a state of how reality could be.

You don't talk down a volcano.

And - even if you're Ntombi Peters - you  don't  make friends with a hurricane.

Some inner voice was telling her that she should be angry, as Ntombi - Uriel - revealed the spores that she was using to influence the people around her - at the moment, evidently, to keep them from noticing their discussion, or perhaps just to keep them from reacting to it.  That she should demand her immediately to release them from whatever thrall she was holding them under.  Attack her on the instant if she refused.

There were strong tactical reasons not to, of course.  Uriel had all but spelled out that if they did battle here, she would use those people as shields, or weapons.  They could be hurt.  And Uriel herself might escape in the chaos.  There was a better time and a better place, to have that fight.  And all of that was true, and was on its own a sufficient reason to stay her hand.

But it wasn't, come down to it, why she didn't react in anger.

When a tree, swept up in the winds of a hurricane, comes crashing through your roof, yes, it sucks.  Yes, it's a problem.  Yes, it needs to be fixed, the damage repaired, and the tree removed.

But there's no point getting mad at the tree.

And yet, the analogy did only hold so far, for it was clear that Ntombi was not entirely  without  capacity for choice.  She could still act against Manchineel, at the edges of her orders, just as she had before, giving them information.  Her "tune" did not preclude that.  And just as she had now, Lily realized.  Her tune demanded she keep herself secret, not allow others to  become aware  of what she was.  But Lily had approached her claiming to already know.  Whether Ntombi actually believed she had been certain or merely had enough leeway to go along with it, as far as her tune was concerned, there was no secret to keep.

Lily'd be honest, she'd have felt smugger about that if she had guessed it in advance.  Mostly she had just gone with this approach because she thought it might provoke a reaction that could confirm or refute the guess.  Then again, it had worked pretty well on Nathan Magro too, maybe she was onto something here...

Ntombi was willing to talk, for a time.  There were things it would probably be smart to ask her.  Information they might be able to glean, about Michael, or Manchineel.  It now seemed clear to Lily that for all that they were "her" creatures, Manchineel commanded no actual loyalty from her Menagerie.  Abel had willingly elected not to come to her call.  Gabriel was all too willing to attack her outright.  Uriel worked around the edges of her commands to sabotage her.  Even Raphael and Michael were at the end of the day only animals following their instincts.  Ntombi undoubtedly had limits to what she could reveal, but within those limits might yet be valuable strategic information.

But when she opened her mouth, the question that came out was not about fighting Manchineel, and not even about the apology that Uriel said she owed to her personally.  What Floral asked was,  "Is there anything we can do to help you?" 
Abracadangit
 "You speak   in truths,"  Kal replies to Nope, with a nod.  "While I do not care for them, I must admit that the thought has occurred to me to devise   a similar pattern, one where I could craft small... allies, let us call them, to watch unnoticed and alert me of   dangers or situations before they worsen."  A cloud of red thread hovering nearby flickers from one form to the next -- a bird, then a butterfly, then a fish swimming lazily in the air.

The form changes to a spider only for an instant, before the thread collapses promptly into a clump of string and knots -- Kal's never felt such a strong negative feedback from Ariadne in response to a pattern before, as though the magic was entirely cut off for a moment.

  "No spiders,"   Ariadne echoes, from within Kal's mind.   "I am not the only wielder of thread, engoní. There is another, wicked of heart, who claims spiders as her totem. Let her keep them."  
Zelphas
Ntombi's smile twists slightly at Floral's comment, and then her question. She takes another long sip of her tea.   "She doesn't know what she's doing, you know."   Her voice is soft, carrying with it complicated emotions.   "Not that that excuses her, but... you are one of those few who know what it's like to wake up with a different set of instincts, of biological needs and interests. And you had someone to blame--and you're right to blame her, she did this. You knew who you were before. What if you didn't?"   Ntombi looks directly at Floral, her gaze penetrating.   "What if you woke up with your body as it is, or was right after, and your memories of before that moment were all but lost? What would you be?"  

Ntombi Peters looks away, her eyes growing shadowed as she sighs.   "You're exactly what she thinks she needs; Floral, bio-manipulator. If you'd have gotten me first, you'd probably be my replacement instead of Raphael. By some quirk, you'd gained the ability to alter life like she did--but you actually  know  how to use it, in a way that she doesn't, maybe never did. Your scents are all distinctive, but yours is even more so, and she sent me to find the source. I was at the police station because there was a similar scent there, and then Lily Woods walked by. All it took was one Google search, and she had to have you, and I knew your weakness, your allergy--which meant she knew it, too."   Ntombi lifted her cup again, her fingers perhaps a tiny bit whiter on the handle as she took another sip.   "So that's what I have to apologize for. Her Vespers, her knowing who you are, is because of me. Only she and I know directly--though, with you showing your face more recently, some others might be figuring it out at this point, too."  

Ntombi looks past Floral, to where the other three of you are staying a small distance away. She raises her cup to you.   "If they have any questions, they're free to ask too; I'm almost done with my tea."   She sets down the cup and straightens her shoulders slightly.   "As for your question... I still say you all should pick a name, if you're going to go around being heroes. But I'm not sure helping me is the heroic thing, if I'm being honest."  
Dorni
Helios likewise wore a sad smile while he took a seat at the table. He'd guessed Ntombi was Urial the moment they'd learned of the position's existence. It just fit. Ntombi, the one human known to spend time in the forest and not be attacked by Manchineel's minions and even befriended the dryad herself. It was too good to be true. But he hadn't wanted to jump to conclusions. And she'd helped them with a vital clue about subduing Rapheal. In hindsight, yet another clue to how much she knew about the inner workings of the menagerie. But still, he didn't want her as an enemy.

 "What makes you say that?"  No, maybe that wasn't it.  "We know Manchineel's orders are not absolute. If they were you wouldn't have been able to help us the last time we met and we wouldn't be conversing now. When we confront her, can you not simply ignore her call for help? Once she's defeated I'm sure there's something we can do for you." 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily wasn't especially surprised to hear that Manchineel had little memory of Lucia Urquhart's life, and little in the way of her humanity remaining.  She had always conceptualized Manchineel as more a force of nature than anything.  On some level, perhaps that made her hatred towards her irrational but...Manchineel wasn't non-sapient.  Lily's own experience showed she had the capacity to speak.  Raphael proved she had the capacity to plan.  Abel proved she had the capacity to care.  Gabriel proved that she had the capacity to understand the goals and motivations of others.  Uriel proved she had the capacity to learn.

Whatever gaps she may have had in her knowledge, whatever instincts and urges might be driving her, whether or not she may in fact be exercising it, what it all came down to was that at the end of the day, Manchineel had the capacity to  choose .  Unlike her menagerie, she was not forced to dance to anybody else's tune.

Because Lily tried to be honest with herself, she had to admit that she didn't know if she could have done better, had she been the raw materials that had ended up becoming Manchineel.  She did not blame Lucia Urquhart for what Manchineel became.  But even so, she found no forgiveness in her heart for Manchineel herself, meeting Uriel's stare unflinchingly until she glanced away.  Ignorance was not the same thing as innocence.

As Uriel explained what she had to apologize for, Lily's body started to tremble.  Not with fear.  With rage.  The scent of fresh-baked bread filled the entire coffee shop.  The Vespers had been more than mere monsters, and had preyed on more than just Lily's biological weakness.  They had been the living embodiments of her nightmares.  They hadn't just hurt her, more even than just defeat her.  They had terrified her, humiliated her in front of her friends and teammates, and come closer than she would care to admit to breaking her entirely.  And that all would have been bad enough, but they had gone after her when she was at her weakest, near her home, in her civilian garb.  It wasn't just that they had stripped away the security of her secret identity.

Floral would fight whatever monsters and horrors the league wanted to throw at her, and not hesitate for a second.

But the Vespers hadn't attacked  Floral .  In targeting her identity, her allergy, her phobia...they had attacked Lily Woods.

Lily wanted nothing more, in the moment, than to lunge across the table and throttle Uriel with her bare hands.  Had Helios not come to sit down with them, she honestly wasn't sure she wouldn't have.  But she forced herself to keep her anger under control.  Not even because this was still not the time and place to force the fight, for all that that remained true.  But because there was more she needed to learn.

Because Uriel had found her by tracking a  similar scent  to the  police station .

Even so.  The correct response, to Uriel's final statement, the heroic response, was to refute it.  To say that she was another victim of Manchineel, and as deserving of help as any of them.

Lily did not say that.  She simply answered, her voice as stiff as a tree trunk and sharp as a rose's thorn,  "Very well." 

Helios, fortunately, was a better hero than her, or at least a better one than she could be in the moment.  But though his heart was in the right place, she didn't think his assessment was accurate.  With a little sigh, she said,  "It's not that her orders aren't absolute, it's that they're incomplete.  Manchineel doesn't have fancy contracts that can prevent her minions from doing anything they believe is against her interests, like Lockdown.  As long as they're within range of her scent, whatever orders she gives, they obey, even once they're out of her range.  But anything she hasn't explicitly ordered of them, they have discretion on, to whatever extent their own intelligence allows.  That's why she was able to advise us with Raphael, and why she's able to talk with us now, because her orders don't contain a clause for if she's approached by people who  already know  that she's Uriel, don't contain an explicit stipulation not to share Manchineel's secrets with her enemies.  They would presumably de facto answer if she called, but she hasn't directly ordered them to do so, which is why Abel can elect not to.  Her orders are inviolate, but they're also full of loopholes.  She probably doesn't even realize it."   Lily was answering Helios, but her gaze remained on Uriel, and when she finished her explanation she gave a little shrug.   "Am I close?"   It was, at the end of the day, only a theory, albeit a confident one, given everything Uriel had said and everything they had seen.  She considered it more likely than not that she was more right than wrong.  But a theory it remained.

 "The scent that was similar to mine, the one that had led you to the police station.  Did you identify its source?  And if so, is Manchineel aware of it?"   Lily was honestly a tad leery of asking even that much, because that indicated that it was important to her and so if Uriel hadn't identified her siblings it might help her to do so.  But the odds were that Uriel had already identified them anyway, and even if she hadn't the goal was to neutralize her before she could make another report to Manchineel anyway.  The risk was small enough to be worth it, weighed against the value of an answer to the question.
Zelphas
  "You're right and wrong, especially in regards to me,"   Ntombi replies to Floral in an agreeable tone, her hands still playing with her cup.   "You see, Abel, Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, they all play one role, and so their... instructions are related to that role. Clean. Grow. Watch. Hunt. Since they're still living beings, they can act outside of those rolls and move within them with some flexibility, but their positions are still decided for them. My place is somewhat different."   She looks over the people around you, still in the middle of their own conversations, still acting as if you all simply weren't there.   "I came about when Manchineel discovered her understanding of the world was not shared by all living creatures. People would disagree with her, reject her gifts, even undermine her or work to stop her. Manchineel didn't know why. Thus, she made someone who could explain it to her."   Ntombi shakes her head, the glowing spores briefly appearing and rippling out from her before vanishing once more.   "I have to be able to think, to argue, to even contradict--but Manchineel can't give up that much control. It isn't her nature. And so, a conundrum.

"She tried her best to compromise--she loves her 'children', or her 'comrades', or whatever name her mind has decided to give us in the week, and so she dislikes feeling my discomfort. But, she must have her rules. So, I am given tasks, and deadlines. I am free--somewhat--within those tasks. The deadlines are solid, and there's--well, let's just say I'm not one for missing my deadlines."   Ntombi shakes her head again, as though she feels like she said too much.   "My directives change with each meeting, though there are similar themes, and some can be reaffirmed to last longer. Perhaps because of that, there is less chance to work around those directives; they gain strength with each meeting, and deliberately working around them is... hard to contemplate. Not fully impossible, but impossible to do for long."  

Taking one last, long sip from her cup, Ntombi places it down and looks Floral square in the eye once again.   "As far as Manchineel knows or currently cares, Lily Woods has no relatives of any kind. It is against her nature to be less than direct, though I assume that is cold comfort."   She pushes back her chair and stands, stretching slightly. Lifting her face to catch a slight wind from the lake, she smiles, though it doesn't reach her eyes.   "Well then. It does seem to be a good time for a walk."   Without looking at the four of you, Ntombi turns and begins to stroll towards Forester Park, her hands free at her sides.

 
 Spoiler: Perception DC 41 
Sensing ahead of Ntombi, towards the trees in Forester Park, you just barely capture two presences. Presences you have felt before. Buzzing, not-quite human presences, with segmented eyes. They are waiting, hidden within the trees, too still.
 
Ridai
Nope watches Ntombi walk out the shop and towards the park. To the others:  "Guess it's a fight then, huh."  There is just a lot of gray mood, "it is what it is". There's never any looking forward to fighting Menagerie. Doubly so if there were talks beforehand.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily gave Ntombi a little nod when she said Manchineel didn't know about her family.  Putting it that way indicated very clearly that Ntombi herself  did .  Perhaps it wasn't in Manchineel's nature to target an enemy indirectly; even so, Lily much preferred the case where she did not know she had the option to do so.  Ntombi hadn't needed to keep that a secret from Manchineel, and Lily could appreciate that she had.

It didn't change what had to happen next, but Lily wasn't especially concerned about that.  Possibly she was projecting a fair bit, but none of the Menagerie who had been intelligent enough to communicate had seemed to actually feel any particular loyalty to Manchineel, beyond the constraints of her commands.  She knew for sure that if she were under Manchineel's thrall, she would have much preferred the other heroes knocking her out and dragging her off to the Obelisk for containment.  She kinda expected the rest of the Menagerie, at least the human-level intelligent ones, felt more-or-less similarly.

In the end it didn't matter.  Manchineel was a threat, and her most powerful forces needed to be taken off the board, one way or another, if that threat was to be curtailed.

The one concern Lily did have what the bit about Uriel not being one to miss her deadlines.  She had avoided saying something there, and while it probably wasn't quite the same as what Wrath had, she had a hunch it was in a similar theme.  Which still didn't and couldn't change anything, but...

These villains.  It wasn't like their forces were working for them out of their own interests.  Maybe some of them had believed that when they signed up, in Lockdown's case, or Apophis's.  But in the end it was all just control.  No followers, just minions and mind-slaves.  Forced to obey them, even made to suffer when they couldn't.  And that was the people who were aiding their cause, to say nothing of what they were doing to the innocent people of Forester's Bay.

They were all just so...horrible.

As Ntombi finished her tea and headed off to the park, something subtly changed in Lily's head.  Before, her goal had been to protect the people of her town, and defeating the League of the Future was merely a means to that end.

Protecting the people remained the top priority, but now...

In Lily's mind, defeating the League had become an end in and of itself.

She stood up, took one concerned sniff at the people around her, to make sure Uriel's spores didn't seem to be having any deleterious effects on their biology, and then (assuming they weren't) headed back over to Nope and Ariadne.   "Yeah,"  she replied to Nope.   "Let's go." 
 
 Spoiler 
Analytical Detect Biology just to make sure the spores aren't hurting anyone.  Routine Expertise (Medicine) for 30 to diagnose any issues from the raw biological data she receives.  Assuming they don't seem to need healing or anything I'm good to advance to confronting Uriel if everyone else is.
 
Abracadangit
Kal lets out a sigh, as needles appear in her hands.

 "It is a shame to resort to violence,   when we always strive so gallantly for an alternative." 

For a moment, a layer of red thread flickers over Kal's entire form, coating her in crimson.

 "But if it is violence they seek, we shall not disappoint. Hnn, hnn, hnn." 
Zelphas
Ntombi continues to walk without looking back, seeming to anyone who hasn't just had a disturbing conversation with her to be a normal person out for a pleasant stroll in the park. The weather has turned cold and blustery in the past few days, and while today is warmer than yesterday, it seems that most had given up on the park for the season; the only sound is the crunch of Ntombi's feet on the leaves (and your own, if you were walking instead of using one of your several means of flight). Then, once Notmbi has walked a distance past the carefully-tended path that wound through the park and towards a small collection of trees allowed to grow mostly wild, another sound slowly fills the air.

The low, throbbing, familiar sound of a deep, heavy buzz.

Ntombi stops walking once the sound becomes fully audible, her back still to the group.   "As I said, Floral, you were both right and wrong about why we were having that conversation. The truth is, anyone who expressed knowledge of my true nature is supposed to be destroyed, but three of you are already on Manchineel's enemy list, and the last is a special case."   A pair of dim forms coalesce out of the dappled shadows of the little woods; humanoid, but too thin, too tall, with heads that were simply the wrong shape for their bodies. In the low light, from the distance, you could fool your eyes into thinking that they're wearing dresses.   "On top of that, I was ordered not to return until I succeeded in 'Raphael's capture. There was enough leeway there to bend my rules; enough rope, as it were."   Ntombi turns, and as she does, her human shape drops, fluttering away like a veil.

The being before you is humanoid like the Vespers are humanoid, but where they inhumanity makes them grotesque, Uriel is a testament to Manchineel's vision of beauty. Six long, flowing white veils wave in symmetrical patterns around a tall, thin body of precisely the same shade, often evoking feathery wings without ever losing their oddly flesh-like texture or form. Two constantly shift and hide the lower half of the being from view; two frame a perfect, symmetrical face that only vaguely resembles Ntombi's and create a pattern that is almost like a crown and a veil, all at once; and two reach outwards, lifting Uriel slightly off the ground. She seems to be clothed in flowing white garments beneath the veils, but the garments match her skin so perfectly that it is nearly impossible to tell where one ends and another begins. White hair, white lips, white arms, white face; Uriel opens a pair of utterly white eyelids to reveal eyes of the same texture and shade, yet somehow possessed of sight.

 
 Spoiler: Floral, Accurate Smell 
Now that whatever veil Ntombi was using is gone, you can smell that she is one of Manchineel's creatures. However, she is  not  a plant, or at least not truly. It's strange enough that it takes a moment to identify: Ntombi, or Uriel, is a mushroom, almost entirely, with only the barest traces of human within her as well.

 
 Spoiler: With Analytical 
More specifically, Ntombi smells like an extremely potent version of an  Amanita  mushroom, otherwise called "Destroying Angel". These mushrooms are infamous for causing the overwhelming majority of mushroom poisoning-related deaths, mostly because the symptoms of their poison do not appear for the first 5 to 24 hours; since the poison of Destroying Angel attacks the DNA of what ingests it directly, the delay between ingestion and symptoms is often enough to make the poisoning irreversible.
 

 

  "Very well then, Heroes of Forester's Bay,"   Uriel speaks, her voice quieter and stranger than Ntombi's normal speaking voice.   "You have your duty, I my commands. Let's see who remains."   She pauses, an odd note coming to her already-strange voice.   "I still say you should've chosen a name; it's too awkward to say the whole thing every time."  
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Initiative 

Floral:  (1d20+8)[ 10 ] 
Helios:  (1d20)[ 2 ] 
Nope:  (1d20)[ 1 ] 
Ariadne:  (1d20+4)[ 23 ] 

Vespers:  (1d20+22)[ 34 ] 
Uriel:  (1d20)[ 18 ] 

(They are only rolling separately because the Vespers got the drop on you all, technically; I'll put them at Uriel's initiative order after this round.)

 Vespers go first, but then Ariadne beats Uriel. 
 
Zelphas
 Round 1 

The two Vespers shift abruptly, leaping forward on impossible wings... but neither one aims for what was their primary target in the last confrontation. Instead, directed by an intelligence greater than their own, one Vesper shifts to stand beside Uriel. The living beehive in the rough form of a human shudders, and Uriel is surrounded by another buzzing veil, this one an oddly hexagonal veil of darting, black-and-yellow forms.  The second Vesper actually swerves around Floral in its flight before stopping in front of the indistinct form of Nope. It shudders as well, and then a flood of bees pours out of the holes in its "body" and covers Nope in skittering forms. The air quickly grows hotter and hotter within their confines...

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Vesper 1 

Move Action: Fly to X18.

Standard Action: Use  Protect . Uriel is Deflected at 1d20+12 (min 22).

 Vesper 2 

Move Action: Fly to W29.

Standard Action: Use  Overheat  on Nope.  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]  Perception Damage DC 29 + Penetrating.  +2 Penetrating; DC becomes 31. 
 Ariadne is up. 
 
Abracadangit
Kal levitates slightly off the ground, as the Vespers make themselves known and Ntombi shifts her shape.

 "I bear no love for the   vermin of this earth,"  Kal says in her distorted voice, as she begins weaving arrays of whirling thread and zigzagging string into the air.  "You attack us with pests, then   I shall have to craft a net." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Dropping a Silken Shields, centered on W27. The Deflect is Selective along with the Create, so the V2 will gain no benefit.
 
Zelphas
As Ariadne weaves her net of red threads, Uriel raises a single too-long arm.   "A net, you say?"   above the four of you, the daylight abruptly brightened, as though the lowering sun was breaking out between the clouds.   "I guess that all I can do is... burn the net."   Just before the sunlight becomes nearly too bright, Uriel sweeps her arm down. Above the four of you, dozens of sharpened pillars of burning light rain down upon the entire area where you are standing, striking everything in the area.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Uriel 

Move Action: Nah.

Free Action: Reconfigure  Reluctant Angel Array .

Standard Action: Use  Lance of Dominating Light  on everyone within Ariadne's Silken Shields, and the shield itself. The Descriptors are [Light] and [Fire], meaning that it gets +5 vs. the Deflect rather than ignoring it outright, and any Immunities to either of those two effects qualify.

Accuracy
vs. Create Construct:  (1d20+14)[ 34 ]  vs. 15 or  (1d20+5)[ 25 ]  (minimum 15); Construct Resistance (DC 29 + Multiattack):  (1d20+10)[ 21 ]   Crit hit, Crit Resistance; still full Multiattack, so Create Construct is DESTROYED! 
vs. Floral:  (1d20+14)[ 31 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+5)[ 18 ]  (minimum 15)  Hit, full Multiattack; DC becomes 34 
vs. Ariadne:  (1d20+14)[ 29 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  (minimum 15)  Hit, +2 Multiattack; DC becomes 31 
vs. Helios:  (1d20+14)[ 26 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+5)[ 19 ]  (minimum 15)  Hit, +2 Multiattack; DC becomes 31 
vs. Nope:  (1d20+14)[ 16 ]  vs. 18 or  (1d20+5)[ 8 ]  (minimum 15)  Miss 
vs. V2:  (1d20+14)[ 19 ]  vs. 24;  V1 Resistance (DC 29 + Multiattack):  (1d20+10)[ 23 ]    Miss 

On a hit, Resistance DC 29 + Multiattack vs. Damage.

 All PCs are up. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
As the smoke cleared from Uriel's attack, it had seemed to have little effect on Lily.  She was perhaps slightly burned, but even that was fading rapidly away.  However, her skin had turned a vivid shade of green.  She gave Uriel a kinda flat stare, and then said in utter deadpan,  "So this entire time...you've been the fungus among us." 

I want to be perfectly clear here, Lily  was not to blame  for this!  Uriel had brought back the freaking  Vespers !  Terrible mushroom puns are simply the proportionate response here!!

The buzzing drone of the Vespers made Lily's skin crawl, but she focused on Uriel, speaking as much to distract herself from the presence of the bee monsters as anything.   "Amanita, unless I miss my guess.  Known for its toxicity.  Treatable, though.  The milk thistle contains compounds that have proven effective against it.  And in one trial silymarin extracted from  S. marianum  seeds went sixty for sixty in preventing deaths."   Lily leveled her staff at Uriel as she said so, the flower at the top morphing into a spear-like thorn dripping with some faint whitish-goldish liquid.  She wasn't the only one who could smugly explain things to her enemies.

 "I don't expect it would actually harm you much, of course, mainly just weaken your offensive options.  For actually harming you, we'd have to get into plant-derived fungicides, of which several have shown promise.  Thyme, tumeric, ginger, even garlic.  I don't recall off-hand any studies that tried them on Amanita mushrooms specifically, but it'll be useful data, in any case.  Maybe when we're done here I'll write a paper on the subject,"  she mused, firing the poisoned thorn at the mushroom-woman.

(The poison was also laced with cells derived from balsa and linden trees, both of which were toxic to bees, just in case any of the Vespers jumped in the way of the thorn or something.  She didn't mention that bit out loud, of course.  Some things were better kept as a surprise.)

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power, and according to Zelphas this gets the staff bonus in rounds Lily's hit by one of Uriel's sunlight attacks, so: 5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 10 points to Lingering Scents, 10 points to Concentrated Scents, 10 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Floral Regeneration, 4 points to Enhanced Regeneration, 6 points to Floral Blood.  Feature to set descriptors to [Physiological] [Poison], specifically poisons effective against mushrooms and bees, if my research is correct.

Free: I'm...not sure if we currently count as in forest terrain, but if so set her Favored Environment bonus to Attack.

Move: You know sure long-shot attempt to Feint Uriel even though the Deflect will kinda mitigate it even if it does work:  (1d20+7)[ 25 ]  (after -5 for move action and +2 for Favored Foe (Manchineel's Minions)).

Standard: Attack Uriel with Floral Thorn at  (1d20+5)[ 14 ] , with an additional +2 if this counts as forest terrain.  On a hit, Resistance DC 25 vs. Impaired+Vulnerable Affliction.  On a miss, Homing.  This is a Perception attack; it'll home on the first miss, but if the Homing attack misses she'll have to resist with the Perception penalty.

End of Turn: Gain 7 RP from Regeneration to finish Regenerating the Bruise.

Current Status: Normal, Floral Blood +3 (Defense 7, Resistance 13).
 
Ridai
So while Uriel and the others trade pithy and less pithy lines, Nope is busy flailing, feeling his flesh cook and lungs burn, having bees crawl everywhere, screaming in agony, said screams often interrupted by gagging and coughing as bees crawl into his mouth, and desperately trying not to erase all insects in Forester's Bay again.

All Nope has to contribute beyond pained noises is Removing enough bees that he momentarily isn't getting cooked alive and sending a jab of wanting the one particular Vesper in front of him gone (not all Vespers! Not all wasps! Not bees! Not insects! That one Vesper!).

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing, Remove Hit Points .

 Move  Dazed, rare, and miserable.

 Standard  Attack V2 with DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged, Improved Crit 4), Weaken Resistance, Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition)
 20 on attack roll 
 
Abracadangit
As burning scarlet threads whipped through the air, hissing with sparks and smoke, Kal silently cursed that a plant enemy could have come up with a way to harness  sunlight  to attack. She had always assumed that when fighting Manchineel or her henchcreatures, she could take some small measure of relief in knowing fire was off the table.

 "No   matter,"  Kal says, weaving her threads anew, and trying to look resolute and hopeful after having much of her costume badly singed.  "What are threads, but the   fibers of plants made tame?"  As she gestures with her needles, zigzagging lines of thread begin to appear around Uriel and her accompanying Vesper.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Dropping a Thread Lash Cloud centered on Uriel, with Homing, Multiattack, and Secondary Effect. No move action, per Dazed.
Thread Lash:  (1d20+10)[ 11 ] 
 
Dorni
His wards flared to life under the barrage solar beams. That they were visibly bleeding energy was an indication of how much strain they were under, but they held.  "Hey now, the sun is my domain! Go find your own thing. Actually no, you can have it back." 

As a side effect of the solar energy barrage, the entire area had become saturated with heat and even a few small fires. With Fire aether. Helios swung a hand wide, gathering all that free Fire to condense and weave into a fiery ray barrage of his own - which he unleashed on the pair of Vespers.

He had no mercy for the Vespers, though as the barrage died down the look he gave Peters was... regretful.  "Do you have any messages you'd like us to convey?" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells array to Damage (Multi-Attack, Secondary Effect, Perception)

Move: Dazed

Standard: Cast on Vespers 1 and 2 with multi-attack. On hit, DC 25 vs SE Perception Damage
Vesper 1:  (1d20+8)[ 26 ]   Crit 
Vesper 2:  (1d20+8)[ 11 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Round 2 

Uriel's features are designed to be perfect, not expressive. Perhaps this is why it's difficult to tell whether she feels amusement, annoyance, or sheer resignation at Floral's deadpan comment.   "I suppose you aren't one for flowery speeches,"   she responds just as drily, moving her head only slightly to one side to allow Floral's poisoned thorn to disappear into her many veils.   "You were chosen as the next Raphael for your depth of knowledge and insight on the subject of plant matter, so by all means."  

Nope's removal is effective on removing all of the bees that were swarming all around him; unfortunately, it doesn't extend beyond those bees already swarming, leaving the Vesper before him untouched by his strange abilities. Uriel and the Vesper beside her are able to sway and avoid the threads that suddenly burst into being all around them, though Uriel's graceful movements to dodge make the Vesper's inhuman movements seem even more alien and wrong in comparison.   "Did you know that Manchineel tends to wear a 'dress' made of moss?"   Uriel comments conversationally in response to Ariadne's statements.   "Your comment on threads and clothing might be enough to give her a minor existential crises... and while she needs that, I'd prefer you choose a different route; she's awkward enough without adding public nudity to her list of violations."  

The Vesper next to Nope chose to release a new swarm of bees at the exact moment Helios fired off his rays of light. The bees were vaporized, but the Vesper is once again unharmed. The Vesper next to Uriel is not as fortunate; too busy maintaining the shield around Uriel, the living hive in a terrifying caricature of a woman alights in an immediate pyre, burning away in mere moments. Uriel spares the conflagration a single glance before focusing back on Helios.   "I was about to say that the four of you have a fairly solid nonlethal track record regarding your... more or less human opponents; do Floral's comments and your question mean I no longer qualify? In any case, I haven't lost this battle yet."  

With a graceful flick of Uriel's fingers, the remaining Vesper darts away from Nope, flying on silent wings to one side while a swarm curls out of it. The swarm twists and curves before descending upon the four of you, black stingers glittering in the evening light. Moments later, Uriel is directly in front of Floral. Her veils stretch out over all of you, and the air all around you is suddenly filled with falling spores and burning light.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map .

 Vesper 2 

Move Action: Shift to J27.

Standard Action: Use  Swarm  on all of you using Multiattack, All-Out Attacking for 4.

Helios:  (1d20+12)[ 32 ]   Crit; DCs are 32/27. 
Ariadne:  (1d20+12)[ 30 ]   Hit 
Floral:  (1d20+12)[ 28 ]   Hit 
Nope:  (1d20+12)[ 25 ]   Hit 

On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Damage Linked Progressive Impaired/Stunned. Floral, you have -5 on this check due to your  Bees  Complication; take a much-belated 😎 Hero Point for the Complication.

 Uriel 

Move Action: Shift to W25.

Free Action: Reconfigure  Reluctant Angel  array.

Standard Action: Use  Weakening Veil of Light  in a Burst 1, which targets all of you.

Floral:  (1d20+14)[ 32 ]   Hit 
Ariadne:  (1d20+14)[ 17 ]   Miss 
Nope:  (1d20+14)[ 27 ]   Hit 
Helios:  (1d20+14)[ 18 ]   Miss 

On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Resistance. The Damage has the [Light] and [Fire] descriptors, and the Weaken has the [Physiological] Descriptor... and is designed for animals, not plants (not that it can't affect plants, but still).

 All PCs are up. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily gave a fierce grin as Helios incinerated one of the Vespers outright, which admittedly flickered with fear as the swarm of bees descended upon them.  Lily's pores seeped nectar, modified on a cellular level the way she had before, so that the layer in contact with her skin was medicinal and the layer exposed to air was acidic.  It wasn't enough to entirely stymie the bees, but it at least minimized the amount of venom that got through.  Uriel's blast of sunlight scorched her a bit, but her super-photosynthetic cells absorbed enough of the light that the damage was minimal.  The spores had no effect whatsoever, cleansed immediately by the medicinal nectar that had replaced her blood.

 "Just because we're not going to kill you doesn't mean your ability to communicate is not going to be substantially curtailed, you know,"  she retorted.  Lily wouldn't pretend she didn't bear Uriel any ill will, but it didn't override the fact that Ntombi Peters was still a person and a victim of Manchineel just like her.

The thorn she had fired, guided by Lily's minor personal phytokinesis (her staff was forged of her own cells, had originally been a lock of her hair, which meant the thorn fired from it was too) went sweeping around to come in for another pass at Uriel's back, but Lily didn't press her assault there.  Lily's terror did not overcome her reason.  The Vespers, she suspected, worked in some way like her, producing their bees through some manner of biologically-mediated process.  The exact mechanics probably weren't quite the same, a transformation of their cells fueled by stored solar energy, but the core process probably bore some similarities.

And Lily knew well that such powers were not entirely automatic.  Producing such a swarm of bees had to have taken effort and attention.  It followed, then, that the Vesper might be at at least a momentary disadvantage.

Lily acted to capitalize immediately, pointing her staff like a rifle and firing another thorn dripping with venom (once again derived from balsa and linden trees) at the Vesper, even as she converted some of the sunlight Uriel had hit her with to regenerate the burns she had inflicted.

 
 Spoiler 
Ooh ooh ooh the Vesper gave itself a Defense penalty!  That means I can try  this! 

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Drugged Nectar, 10 points to Tactical Poison, 10 points to Photosynthetic Regeneration, 10 points to Enhanced Regeneration.  Descriptor set to [Physiological] [Poison].

Free: ...Did we end up deciding on whether this is forested terrain?  Favored Environment to Attack if so.

Move: Ready Reaction.

Standard: Aid my next attack with Overpowering Scent at  (1d20+15)[ 21 ] .   +5 

Reaction: Attack V2 with Poisonous Nectar, Power Attacking for Aid value, at  (1d20+10)[ 12 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 20+Aid vs. Weaken Effect and Resistance.  No Homing here since I didn't put full points into Floral Thorn.   For what good it does me 

EDIT:  Extra Effort for nothing. 

End of Turn: Regenerate a Bruise.

End of Turn: Homing triggers to attack Uriel at  (1d20+5)[ 16 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 25-Perception vs. Vulnerable+Impaired Affliction.   Pretty sure that means DC 15 which means Can't Fail 

End of...Helios's turn I guess?: Secondary Effect triggers.  Lily receives Healing at  (1d20+6)[ 8 ] .   Nada 

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Fatigued as of next turn.
 
Ridai
Nope really isn't feeling the banter in general, but especially not right now as his partially cooked self is being perforated and then seared so the juices come out,  I guess. 

Of course, Uriel's remark puts his last attempted panic Removal into sharp focus. Good ol' Nope and his ability to feel bad about a lot of things.

 "I dun' wan' 'o kill things. I ha'e this,"  he croaks, what with his mouth and tongue burned and stung and swolen to hell. And still wanting to retch from all the damn bees.

Back to aiming the invisible reality-annihilating railgun to not die. You know, just winging the targets a little. With the railgun. Aim for 0 HP, not negative 10. Or negative Con. Or half max HP or whatever the hell the rules are at any given moment, who the eff knows.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Same as last round, really. Aiming at the remaining Vesper.

 Move  Can't.

 Standard  Attack the Vesper with DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged, Improved Crit 4), Weaken Resistance, Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition)
 (1d20+8)[ 10 ] 
 
Abracadangit
As the swarm of bees coats Kal from head to toe, she lets out a distorted roar of anguish; first fire, now clouds of angry insects. Every one of Uriel's tricks seemed expertly designed to ignore her threadwork defenses that had worked (fairly) well on every other opponent up until now. To make matters worse, her own thread attacks were being effortlessly evaded or deflected with terrifying precision. This was shaping up to be one of the team's toughest fights yet, but without her strongest defensive spell, Kal feels like dead weight.

 "E   nough,"   Kal bellows, as she conjures a spinning cyclone of scarlet twine around herself, shredding the bees as they attempt to swarm. Granted, she still receives a modest share of stinging welts, but the maneuver affords her some measure of protection. She doesn't think she can pull a spell like that out of her needles too many more times, though -- already, her magic is beginning to fray.

Just as Uriel's veil begins to glow with strange iridescence, Kal weaves herself into a cocoon of crimson, with an eerie replica of her masked face at the top of the shroud, as though a giant Ariadne encases her. She feels the sickening warmth of the searing radiance as it washes over her, but is otherwise unharmed. Her barrier trembles for a moment, its threads twitching strangely -- then it suddenly explodes, into a volley of enormous, ruby-red weaving spindles, each one generating garnet thread in their wake as they arc and zigzag through the air towards Uriel.

Kal lets out a smirking laugh, while Uriel handily maneuvers around the threadwork projectiles. By projecting her voice through the thrumming threads of her attacks, her voice seems to echo from everywhere around Uriel at once.  "She needs an   existential crisis? You speak as though   you wish her defeated, but here   you stand. You alternate so quickly, between   botanical thrall and rebellious lieutenant." 
 "But it   matters not."  Kal flicks her wrist as the final spindle bursts in midair, into a barrage of even smaller red sewing needles that envelop Uriel's form.



 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move Action: Dazed.
Homing Thread Lash from last turn, plus another Thread Lash because we gotta start somewhere.
Homing Thread Lash vs. Uriel:  (1d20+10)[ 17 ] 
Thread Lash vs. Uriel: (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
 
Dorni
 "Foolish. If we saw in you a beast the question wouldn't have been asked."  He raised a hand to strengthen his wards against the oncoming swarm. The runes flared to life again, absorbing the stings and bleeding off the energy. The wards weakened slightly, but held firm.

 "As Flora says, we'd prefer not to kill you. But neither can we allow you to assist or warn Manchineel until that confrontation is over. I guess you could say I extended the offer as a kindness. But if you would rather not, then perhaps you could answer this. We know Manchineel didn't arise from a tree or forest spirit. You've interacted with her perhaps more than anyone else. Forgive the limitations of the word, but how much of her humanity remains? Could she ever give up her crusade?" 

Once again, he wove Fire. Sheets of flame engulfed the remaining Vesper.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells to Penetrating Secondary Effect Damage Linked Penetrating Weaken [Resistance]
Move: Gotta figure out something to do with this
Standard: Cast at Vesper at [roll]1d20+10[/roll.   30  .  Crit  On hit, DC 25+/20+ vs Pen SE Damage / Pen Weaken [Resistance]
 
Zelphas
 Round 3 
  "Fair enough,"   Uriel replies to Floral and Helios just as Floral's thorn skids across her cheek, glancing away without making a mark.   "My combat banter is somewhat lacking; I suppose being designed for espionage, I can't expect much better."   There is a wry twist to her lips as she speaks, which stretches into a momentary but real wince the moment Ariadne's threads tangle through and shred one of her shifting veils.

Meanwhile, the final Vesper dances silently away from Floral's fired thorn, somehow asserts itself in a way that foils Nope's attempt to un-assert its existence, and then promptly bursts into another pillar of flame from Helios' onslaught. It burns, the too-long arms reaching to the sky as if beseeching; and in answer, a flood of bees swarm out of its burning husk, many catching fire themselves as they descend upon Helios in a smothering cascade. Moments later, it is also ash and smoke.

Uriel watches the Vesper burn, an odd sort of discomfort on her face.   "I didn't tell it to do that; one thing Manchineel has never quite understood is that life is living, not just functioning. I do wonder what the Vespers would be, if they were free from their directives."   A soft shudder passes over her veiled form.   "Then again, we've already seen what happens when bees are engineered to be stronger. Perhaps they shouldn't be allowed greater intelligence as well. But I digress."   Looking towards the tower of burning bees that is Helios, Uriel pauses a moment before addressing Floral instead.   "In answer to his question: if you see her, just let her talk. She'll tell you. She wants to talk to  you . It'll sound like the ravings of a madwoman, because that's what she is. A mad woman. A mad woman given powers she doesn't understand, impulses she doesn't realize aren't really hers... or, aren't who she was, whoever she was. Humanity she has, but that may have made all she did worse. But on the note of powers..."  

Turning back towards Helios, Uriel lifts one long hand, and a spear of light appears between her fingers, followed by another, and another.   "I'm afraid I must agree with the Vesper, such as it was,"   she comments, before casting all of her spears at Helios' hidden form. Meanwhile, her own form glows with the backlash of the light.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Vesper 2 

Move Action: Staggered.

Standard Action: Use  Overheat  on Helios.  (1d20+10)[ 23 ]  Resistance DC 29 vs. Perception Penetrating Damage.  Hit, no Multiattack. 

End of Turn: SE triggers, and the Vesper is destroyed.

 Uriel 

Move Action: Dazed.

Free Action: Reconfigure  Reluctant Angel  Array.

Standard Action: Use  Lance of Unrelenting Light  on Helios.  (1d20+14)[ 27 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29 + Multiattack vs. Damage.  Hit, +2 Multiattack; DC becomes 31. 

Uriel Heals herself (Temporary) at  (1d20+14)[ 34 ] .  Good grief; full healed and then some. 
 All PCs are up. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily clenched her teeth in frustration as her thorns flew by harmlessly.  She knew what the problem was.  She just wasn't fast enough.  Her wings could propel her body at tremendous speeds, but she wasn't actually a speedster, and she didn't actually have the combat training to make up for it.  What she did do to make up for it was what she did to make up for all of her deficits of power - she  cheated , releasing stored solar energy as kinetic energy to propel her body and her attacks as a sort of "personal phytokinesis".  This went pretty far - it allowed her to fly at superhuman speeds with her wings, and to dodge and strike fast enough to more-or-less keep up on a superpowered battlefield.  It was just that against Uriel and her Vespers she was mostly coming up "less".

Yes.  Surely that's why she had gone zero for three on attacks, an insufficiency of power and speed.  It definitely wasn't that she was unnerved by the Vespers and it was throwing her off her game.

Well, whatever.  If Lily's powers were not up to the task, Helios's sure seemed to be, the sun mage nuking both of the Vespers outright one after another.  No muss, no fuss.  Lily's mind was her greatest weapon, but to be fair, it didn't actually take a genius intellect to realize that it was time to adapt her tactics.

First things first.  Uriel seemed to have followed the same line of strategic thinking.  Conveniently, she also went ahead and announced that fact, which gave Lily plenty of heads up.  By the time she had fired her lance of sunlight at Helios, Lily was already leaping into its path, her skin turning bright green as she absorbed the sunlight.  Her photosynthesis didn't quite work fast enough to keep it from burning, but it took the edge off at least, relegating it to nothing she couldn't take.

That done, Lily shot another thorn at Uriel, strafing just slightly right as she aimed and fired.  It wouldn't be hard for Uriel to dodge - her reactions were more than fast enough, and Lily's aim was a bit too far right thanks to her movement.

Which was the point.   Superhumanly  fast reflexes were a wondrous thing, and Uriel clearly had them to spare.  But they weren't a perfect defense.  They remained, at the end of the day, reflexes.  Great for fast reactions, not so hot for complex tactics.  Having just jumped between he and Uriel, by moving right, Lily would open up a path for Helios to aim left - which would hopefully be right where Uriel's dodge would carry her.

Meanwhile, since the thorn only needed enough poison in it to serve as a credible threat, Lily focused the majority of her power onto producing healing nectar, using the sunlight she had absorbed from Uriel's attack went to fuel more curative power in her blood while also splashing some curative nectar onto Helios.

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Dazed.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  5 points (attack bonus ranks) to Acidic Nectar, 2 points to Floral Thorn, 3 points to Petal Wings, 10 points to Floral Blood, 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Photosynthetic Regeneration, 10 points to Enhanced Regeneration.

Standard: Aid Helios with Acidic Nectar at  (1d20+15)[ 25 ]  Linked to Healing Nectar on Helios at  (1d20+10)[ 30 ] .   Actual rolls!  +5 to Helios's next attack and CRIT on the heal for 25 RP 

End of Turn: Regenerates a Bruise.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Fatigued, Floral Blood (+5 Res/-5 Def).
 
Ridai
Nope is still stuck desperately trying to get his crap together, and it's looking like an uphill battle in that regard. Still this close to heaving from bees having gone where bees are not supposed to go and all the burns, he just tries to incapacitate Uriel. The nasty part is the whole it never being certain whether it might even work part of his powers, even if it... "connects". And the universe being dead-set on trying to  erase  his targets at the moment, it feels like. This is not a good state of affairs.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
You probably guessed it, same thing as last round.

 Standard  Attack Uriel with DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged, Improved Crit 4), Weaken Resistance, Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition)
 (1d20+10)[ 11 ] 
 
Abracadangit
Kal makes a sort of accidental growling noise, as she watches Uriel regenerate the paltry damage that had already been inflicted. Ok, direct approach isn't paying off, Kal thinks to herself. Time for a new plan.

The red thread spirals around Uriel, but instead of striking at her, it aims to wrap around and encircle her limbs.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Action: Snaring Strands on Uriel, Immobile + Vulnerable/Stunned + Defenseless, Cloud Area.
Snaring Strands:  (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 
Also, Secondary Effect from Thread Lash last turn procs.
 
Dorni
The burning, dying bees assaulted Helios' wards, all the more desperate to fulfil their purpose before the fires finished claiming them. They managed to inflict some damage on his wards as they died, though no small part of it came from their combined scorching heat. Then the swarm was no more.

 "You sound as if you pity her. Even after what she's done to you?"  Helios eyed the glowing lances Uriel had conjured. They contained a significant amount of energy, and that energy had come from somewhere. Lily had more than once mentioned that her abilities were powered by stored solar energy. He wondered if it was the same for Uriel. She certainly teemed with enough Life aspect.

So he wove a working to gather Life, to pull it away from Uriel and leave her weak and exhausted.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells to: Progressive Affliction [Fatigued &amp; Impaired &amp; Vulnerable / Stunned &amp; Disabled &amp; Defenseless / Incap] {48; Limited Degree becomes Quirk 2}, Healing 1.

Move: dazed
Standard: Cast Enervation on Uriel, Aid + PA/AoA 5.  (1d20+15)[ 24 ] . On hit, DC 25 vs Progressive Affliction.  I think that's a miss? If so rerolling 
Healing  (1d20+1)[ 4 ]  on self.  4 RP 
 
Zelphas
 Round 4 

Through thorns, threads, enervation energy and the power of negation, Uriel glows, slipping through every strike. The world shivers and puts on a coat, but while that might eventually have some effects, Nope's most recent attack does not do anything to Uriel at this time. The white, veiled figure dances through Ariadne's grasping threads, the red lines chasing her light without being able to grasp it. A veil falls away, torn by Ariadne's earlier strike, but it is replaced just as quickly, and the threads do not touch it. Uriel shifts to avoid Floral's thorn just as Floral had predicted, leaving her open to Helios' life-stealing magic--but instead of fading, her light grows brighter, the Life within her growing to face the draining force until she simply overloads Helios' spell.

A veil shifts, and Uriel's face is seen, the mouth twisted in a small, sad smile.   "Do you rage at the rabid dog that attacks you, or the wounded tiger that claws your arm to ribbons in fear and pain? What would be the point? She is obeying her nature, as horrible as it is."   Her voice shifts abruptly, and she is in the midst of the four of you, out of the cloud of Ariadne's threads. The air grows warm, and a too-sweet smell like rotting fruit or meat reaches your nostrils.   "I seek only to survive her, and then to help her."   Lances of light, shrouded with motes of green-purple dust, rain down among you once more.

In the middle of their fall, Uriel murmurs quietly,    "Though I do not know if I am capable of either, anymore."   
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map. 
 Uriel 

Move Action: Shift to U29.

Free Action: Reconfigure  Reluctant Angel Array .

Standard Action: Use  Lance of Toxic Light , which targets all four of you.

Helios:  (1d20+14)[ 23 ]   Hit 
Nope:  (1d20+14)[ 25 ]   Hit 
Floral:  (1d20+14)[ 22 ]   Hit 
Ariadne:  (1d20+14)[ 31 ]   Hit 

On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Damage linked Vulnerable &amp; Impaired/Unaware &amp; Disabled. The Damage has the [Fire] and [Light] descriptors, the Affliction has the [Poison] descriptor (which is physiological).

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Uriel rained more solar fire and toxic spores down upon them, neither of which were particularly significant threats to Lily.  She flew to cover Nope, taking the full force of the blast and...coming out maybe a little bit charred.  Neither light nor poison had much of any effect at all.  If anything the sunlight only allowed her to heal most of the damage the heat might have otherwise inflicted.

 "We all have our inherent natures, Ntombi.  What separates people from beasts isn't that we lack base drives and impulses.  It's that we have the capacity to act differently.
 Manchineel is no dog, she is no tiger." 

Ariadne and Helios seemed to weather the blast fine as well.  Even so, her team had taken a bit of a beating, getting this far.  Both Vespers were down, but Uriel was more-or-less fresh, and outclassed them in power.  They couldn't just trade blows for blasts like that indefinitely.  Not if they wanted to win.

 "You're living proof of that.  I don't know what it's like inside Manchineel's head, but the evidence offered by her actions shows that she is capable of seeing that others don't agree with her.  I assume, given your description of your role, that you've explained to her why that is, that you've told her how what she is doing is wrong." 

So as she had many times before, Lily reached for the sunlight stored in her cells, to unlock its power and turn it to curative purposes, transforming some of the vegetable cells in her staff into vines that would extend out to her friends and splash medicinal nectar upon them, enhanced by the solar energy to the point that it would soothe their burns and treat their wounds in seconds, hastening the natural healing processes of their bodies to superhuman levels, if only for a few seconds.

 "Maybe she really can't understand, maybe she really can't stop herself.  I can't rule it out conclusively.  But all the evidence I've seen so far suggests that whatever may be driving her, she still has the fundamental capacity-" 

Only this time, perhaps due to the stress of the encounter with the Vespers, perhaps due to all the biochemical poking and prodding she had been doing to herself, perhaps due to having absorbed so much of Uriel's own Manchineel-gifted sunlight, or perhaps just because a process that had already been begun was now starting to catalyze in earnest-

 "-to  choose! " 

-when Lily reached for that power, she touched something else.

White light laced with motes of sparkling green exploded from Lily in a torrent.  It was nothing like her usual powers, no clever manipulation of plantlife or tactical transmutation here.  It was raw energy, and not solar energy either.  A pure, undiluted outpouring of Life.  It would not speed cellular regeneration, would not provide a superhumanly potent medicinal salve.  It would straight-up wipe away wounds on contact, healing them on the instant as if they had never been.

To Helios's mystic senses, it would appear absolutely identical to the healing blast of Life mana that Raphael had cast upon Lily, those weeks ago, albeit on a larger scale.

The blast of energy was entirely unexpected and uncontrolled, healing everyone nearby without regard to Lily's wishes on the matter, including Uriel.  However, that was not necessarily an entirely bad thing.  Partly, this was because Uriel was not, in fact, meaningfully injured at the moment.

Mostly it was because it would consider Manchineel's control over Uriel to be an external malady to be healed.

When the wave of Life energy faded, Lily looked down at her hands in shock, horror slowly dawning on her face.   "Wh..." 
 
 Spoiler 
Well I was gonna do some mass healing this round anyway and I checked with Zel that this made sense so!

Extra Effort - Power Stunt off of Flower Power (+10).

 Reborn Angel:  Healing 14 (Burst Area, 12 ranks Persistent, Limited [Full Action]) Linked Affliction 10 (Vulnerable/Compelled/Controlled; Ranged 2, Extra Condition, Concentration, Limited [Full Action], Limited [First degree single condition; Compelled and Controlled can only force targets to act in accordance with their own will without regard to external compulsions]); Enhanced Resistance 4 (Reduced Defense 4).

Move: Charge Reborn Angel.

Standard: Use Reborn Angel.  Everyone in 30' receives Healing.  Uriel is attacked by the Affliction, All Out Attacking for 5, at  (1d20+15)[ 28 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 20 vs. [Mystical] [Spirit] Concentration Vulnerable/Compelled/Controlled; the Compelled and Controlled can only force her to act in accordance with her own will, effectively treating Manchineel's control over her as a malady to be healed (well, suppressed, since Affliction, but whatever).  Healing rolls:
 Floral:  (1d20+14)[ 31 ] .   21+6 RP.  Heals both Bruises, gonna put the remaining 7 RP towards my Recover. 
Nope:  (1d20+14)[ 17 ] .   Gonna spend the first of my two Healing Rerolls from Growing a New Future here. 
Uriel:  (1d20+14)[ 17 ] .   7 RP towards actually-healing her suppressed Bruise, I guess. 
Ariadne:  (1d20+14)[ 33 ] .   23+6 RP 
Helios:  (1d20+14)[ 20 ] .   10+6 RP  
Current Status: Fatigued (7/10 RP), Exhausted as of next turn, Floral Blood (+4 Res/-4 Def), AoA -5, Freaked, Just, Totally The Flip Out You Guys.
Growing a New Future: 1/2.
 
Ridai
There is a short moment of panic, Nope wondering if he subconsciously removed his (many) injuries, which would rank very highly on the "potentially stop living on accident" chart of developed involuntary behaviors. But there is no headache, no reality getting confused, just the... light from Floral. And she doesn't seem happy about it. So things may be about to go further sideways.

No longer being riddled with agonizing pain of burn wounds (which let him know burning to death is indeed among the more horrible deaths), Nope has to try and finally, actually, put a dent into Uriel's ability to fight. Focusing as hard as he used to on offensive Removals has become much more difficult after the insect incident. It is not like a wall or blockade preventing it from happening. It is more like too much effort getting dispersed, distracted, undermined. So considering that, Nope just desperately tries to make as much happen as he can to incapacitate Uriel.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Yeah it's this again. DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged, Improved Crit 4), Weaken Resistance, Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition)

 Standard  Attack Uriel with AoA -2/+2  (1d20+12)[ 19 ] 
 EE Standard  Do it again  (1d20+12)[ 30 ] 
 
Dorni
Uriel rained down more lances of light interspersed with toxic mist, but in dividing her mode of attack neither one had the potency to defeat Helios' wards. He emerged unscathed, waving a bit of Air to carry him away, taking up a flanking position. He backed off a bit - Uriel had been able to catch his entire team in her attacks at once. There was no sense to keeping close together and making it easy for her.

Helios was in solidarity with Floral. Uriel described Manchineel as simply obeying her nature. But Uriel's very existence was a testament to Manchineel's desire to learn. Manchineel had encountered resistance and chosen to respond by creating Uriel. Not running away, not attacking. She'd chosen to try to better understand the world around her.

That Manchineel had a set of instincts, he had no doubt. He'd thought her as more a force of nature than a being when they'd first started investigating her servants. He wasn't sure exactly when, but at some point he'd come to understand she wasn't entirely ruled by instinct.

Granted, that didn't mean Manchineel would listen to them, or even if she did that her goals allowed for peaceful coexistence. Or that her crimes were forgivable.

But those were questions for later. Helios gathered aether and wove fire.

Just as Floral burst into veritable fountain of Life energy. He felt it wash over the battlefield, restoring everything it touched. Just as Raphael had. In fact, it had the same signature.

Hastended by dread, Helios redoubled his focus on weaving his spell. He needed to end this quickly. Maybe it was the battle itself, or a personal epiphany and Floral was tapping into power an order of magnitude beyond what she'd displayed since he'd known her. Or maybe Uriel was doing something sneaky and pushing her towards Manchineel's goal of turning Lily into the next Raphael. He didn't want to risk losing her.

He finished his spell.

A massive pyre erupted around Uriel.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Set Spells array to: Penetrating Secondary Effect Damage
Linked Weaken [Resistance]
Linked Affliction [Vulnerable &amp; Impaired / Defenseless &amp; Disabled]

Move: To K24
Standard: Cast on Uriel at AoA 2.  (1d20+12)[ 26 ] . On hit, DC 25+Pen/20 vs Pen SE Damage / Weaken &amp; Affliction
 
Abracadangit
[fluff pending]

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Move to AB24.
Thread Lash 1:  (1d20+10)[ 26 ] 
Thread Lash 2: (1d20+10)[ 29 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Round 5 

Uriel's eyes widen slightly as Floral's burst of sudden power washes over her. When it fades, she hardly seems to notice the effect it's had on her opponents, her eyes on the other person changed by Manchineel in front of her.   "What a lovely  choice  you just made, to even attempt to heal your enemy,"   she says softly, even as one of her many veils fizzles out like static on an ancient television, courtesy of Nope's efforts. She waits calmly for Helios' pyre to subside, hardly seeming to notice the flames that still dance over her veils and seek to burn at her.   "Choice means nothing, if you don't know what you are doing. But then, if anyone is at fault for Manchineel, it would be me; after all, she made me in part to inform her choices, and I have failed."  

Ariadne's threads lash across Uriel, binding and biting, and she winces as more of her veils are shredded away.   "But I think the problem with Manchineel is more complicated than that. Have you ever heard of the mantis shrimp?"   She summons a sword of light to her hand, already beginning to glow brighter.   "Human eyes have three photoreceptors; we can see red, blue, and green light, and all the other colors come from there. Dogs only have two--blue and green--which is why dogs are colorblind."   Another sword, brighter, follows the first.   "Mantis shrimp have 16 photoreceptors. Even if you could talk to a mantis shrimp, could it explain to you what it saw? We don't even have the right words."   A third sword appears, and Uriel begins to braid them together.   "Manchineel.... lacks something, I think. I don't know if it's dormant, or gone, but when she speaks, when she tries to reason... it is like she can't see what is obvious to you and me, clear paths to get what she wants without causing the problems she causes."   Somehow, in the middle of her braiding, a fourth sword has joined the increasingly-bright bundle in Uriel's arms.   "That is why I compare her to a dog, or a tiger. A tiger doesn't know the difference between a human pointing a camera at it and one pointing a gun. A dog doesn't understand how a veterinarian makes it healthier, and would avoid them if it had the power to choose."  

Uriel hefts the braided, shining bundle in her hands, as though testing its weight.   "All of this might be pure speculation on my part; maybe I'm giving her too much of the benefit of the doubt. None of it matters at the moment, anyways. Shall we continue?"   Uriel throws the spear into the air, where it explodes into multiple shards, hammering the space all around her--where Nope and Floral still remain--while bathing her in beatific light.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Uriel 

Move Action: Dazed.

Free Action: Reconfigure  Reluctant Angel Array .

Standard Action: Use  Sword of Dominating Light , Power Attacking for 3. Nope and Floral are caught in the radius.

Floral:  (1d20+11)[ 27 ]   Hit, full Multiattack; DC becomes 37. 
Nope:  (1d20+11)[ 25 ]   Hit, +2 Multiattack; DC becomes 34. 

On a hit, Resistance DC 32 + Multiattack vs. Damage.

Uriel heals at:  (1d20+14)[ 30 ]   20 RP; 1 Bruise healed, 6 RP towards healing 2nd Bruise 
 All PCs are up. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
That explosion of pure Life energy was unlike anything Lily had ever done before.  And she could feel it, still, lying ready within her.  She could unleash it anew, or maintain its effects.  She wasn't sure how to do anything else with it, yet.  But that didn't mean she didn't know what she  could  do with it.  Healing, yes, of course, and growth.  Those were the purposes Raphael had put the power to.  Those were the purposes Life energy went to naturally in all manner of fictional and mystical traditions.  Clerics and white mages, healers and protectors, all wielders of power along a similar vein.

But that was only one piece of it.  Lily Woods was who she was, and though she may be no mage, science had its own understanding of Life.  Viruses, bacteria, parasites, microbials of all sorts were living things, however invisible they might have been, and all but omnipresent.  She didn't know  how  to do it, off the top of her head in the heat of battle, but she didn't doubt that she could.  Used the right(?) way, Life could be one of the deadliest weapons of all.

To say nothing for simple energy output.  Chi blasts were a classic for a reason.  Part of her mind was already running down paths of possibility for using that energy to fortify her own body.  Though gentle at heart, Raphael had been incredibly strong, likely beyond what would have been expected even of her size.  Certainly, her toughness had been all out of proportion to anything a mortal ox could achieve.  Maybe Hannah would stop being quite so overprotective of her if she could shatter concrete with a single punch, and take a hail of military-grade weapons fire without a scratch.

It was everything she had been missing.  Power with a capital P, enough to stand alongside Ariadne, Helios, and Nope on raw strength, which could then be refined with tactics and cunning.  She wouldn't be dependent on sunlight, or the limits of how much energy she could store in her cells.  Plants were living things too.  And it wasn't like her powers weren't already fundamentally derived from Manchineel's.

She could have all the power she had been yearning for.  She could wield it to heal her people and strike down her foes.  She could be ten times the superhero she ever envisioned Floral to be!

And all it would take would be embracing the power of the Menagerie.

Lily was still staring down at her hands, as dozens of thoughts whirled through her head at the realization of what she had done.  She didn't react quickly enough to Uriel's attack.  Beams of light lanced through her body in a dozen places, a barrage that even her supernaturally powerful photosynthesis could barely blunt.  The scent of woodsmoke filled the air as the plant fibers that had replaced her flesh smoldered and charred.

But Lily didn't scream, even though a tear of nectar rolled down one cheek.  She didn't know if wielding Raphael's power would make her subject to Manchineel's control.  She didn't know if refraining from using it would offer her any protection.  She didn't know if it was already too late.

She knew the risk existed.

Which meant she knew what she had to do.

 "I didn't choose any of this,"  Lily answered Uriel quietly, as the nectar that was seeping from the half-dozen charred holes in her body transmuted to a medicinal salve, as plant cells began to divide and multiply, her injuries beginning to close, supernaturally swiftly, and yet more slowly than they probably needed to.   "But Uriel, I can understand that a mantis shrimp can see colors I can't, even if I can't understand what those colors are.  If someone warns me that what I'm doing is wrong because of considerations I don't fully comprehend, I can still take their warning of that into account.  And if I choose to ignore their warning just because I don't fully understand it, any harm caused is still on me." 

Because at the end of the day...

 " Ignorance  is not the same thing as  innocence !"  she finished heatedly, thrusting her spear at the humanoid mushroom, the haft elongating to lash at her like a striking snake, before snapping back and shooting out again, and again, a barrage of attacks that was nonetheless nowhere near fast enough to hit her, as fast as she was, and probably wasn't powerful enough to do more than scratch her, as powerful as she was.

But the spear tip still dripped with some sort of toxin, so she couldn't necessarily afford to just take that scratch, which would hopefully offer an opening to one of her friends.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  Power stunt expires.  5 points (attack bonus ranks) into Acidic Nectar, 1 point into Floral Thorn, 3 points into Petal Wings, 3 points into Photosynthetic Regeneration, 3 points into Enhanced Regeneration, 20 points into Healing Nectar, 10 points into Solar Nectar, 5 points (Limited SE) into Utility Nectar, 10 points into Floral Blood.

Move: Staggered.

Standard: Aid Ariadne's next attack against Uriel (+5 for Teamwork, -2 for Exhausted) at  (1d20+13)[ 33 ]  with Acidic Nectar, Linked to Persistent Secondary Effect Healing on self at  (1d20+8)[ 24 ] .   +5 to Ariadne's next attack.  14+5 RP.  Heals the Bruise, 9/10 RP towards reducing Staggered to Woozy. 

End of Turn: Regenerate 3 RP to finish triggering Recover condition, removing Exhausted.

Current Status: Staggered (9/10 RP), Fatigued, Floral Blood (-5 Def/+5 Res), SE (Persistent Healing +8).  Recover used.
Healing Rerolls: 1/2.
 
Ridai
While Uriel and Floral are having lengthy existential debates in the middle of mortal combat, Nope is racing towards the point of exhaustion (and once again getting burned for several minutes straight!). Head is pounding, thoughts getting hazier and more erratic. Just keep focusing.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Doing the same thing as last round. AoA -2/+2

 Standard   (1d20+10)[ 24 ] 
 EE Standard   (1d20+10)[ 26 ]   Crit 
 
Zelphas
  Round  End 

Uriel weaves her way through Floral's many jabs, turning each motion into a sort of dance. She is able to confuse the attacks by fading into and out of her veils, even as she begins to glow once again, her mouth opening to continue the debate--

And then, Reality blinks twice and scratches its nose, and when it focuses back on the situation, all of Uriel's veils are gone.

  "You... whatever you can do, it really is beyond her, isn't it? She has been trying so hard to grow a proper counter..."   Uriel murmurs, her elongated head turning towards Nope. Without her veils, her ethereal beauty is twisted and odd, every limb stretched beyond where it should be and slightly off kilter. Even as she speaks, her form begins to wither, wrinkles racing out from her extremities to cover over her entire form.   "I don't have much time before I lose consciousness. When Manchineel bound me to her, she bound herself to me as well; she claimed that it was so that she could not 'forget to listen' to me. I honestly don't think she realized that she could simply make another form to fit her, or eliminate the dependency that she had created within herself, but she'll consider it soon."  

Behind Uriel, a line of grass springs to abrupt, verdant life, before crumbling to dry winter brown before your eyes. The line reaches the nearest tree, which abruptly bursts into glorious spring flower.   "The reason I'm still conscious is because of Manchineel's signal; she put a burst of growth in me, which will find its way back to her when I take more damage than I can handle and warn her that her Uriel has fallen. The connection feels more like hunger than thirst, and it might have a similar time limit; if so, you have a week before she does everything she can to find me, or makes another Uriel in my place."  

The tree's flowers fall, replaced by thick, dark green summer leaves. Uriel, so withered that she has shrunk to nearly half her height, closes her eyes for a moment. A moment later, Ntombi Peters opens her deep brown eyes, straightening up as much as she can. She looks utterly and completely human, just as she did before.   "Ignorance is not the same as innocence. But it's not the same as malice either. If an ignorant person is waving a gun, they need to be stopped, with force if necessary, but there's no need to--"  

Ntombi's eyes roll back, and she crumples to the ground without a sound. Her silent fall is underscored by the crackling rush of leaves as they are shed from the nearest tree, whose bark is now withered and cracked as if with great age.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Battle over! Everyone take a  Hero Point !

In addition, everyone gets  2 Downtime Actions  before the next Scene; I'll post the Scene choices once all Downtimes are in, as usual.
 
Ridai
At Uriel's question/musings towards Nope, he just groggily shakes his head with a shrug.  "I don't know,"  he says, his indistinct speech still notably slurred. He promptly collapses onto a knee, redirecting things haphazardly to sit in the grass instead. He is retching again at the memory of bees crawling down his throat and being cooked and burned. The experience is going to haunt him for a while. It also doesn't help that he is barely staying conscious, alongside a pounding head and his limbs feeling shaky and sluggish.

Ntombi collapsing the way she did really doesn't help. Any considerations whether she is some sort of angelic dryad mashup can wait as Nope tries to get back on his feet to check if he did something terrible. It takes a few attempts to get anywhere.

 "Are you all alright?"  He asks his team, Floral especially, voice riding a wave of distress.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily's flurry of spear thrusts halted...fairly quickly when Uriel's veils just vanished and the readiness left her stance.  A more skilled, more experienced,  cooler  version of Floral might have halted on a dime with her spear hovering a bare millimeter from Uriel's cheek, or something.  Lily mostly just lucked into her spear being retracted at the moment it happened and managed to stop herself from actually extending it again.

One day, Lily.  One day.

Lily was definitely 100% completely smug about Nope being so powerful that even Manchineel was concerned about facing him, and unable to find a counter for him.  Yes, definitely smug and not in any way gritting her teeth in wounded pride at the gulf in their powers.  So what if she was the only member of the team who hadn't so much as managed to scratch a single enemy and the biggest contribution she made to the entire battle was by using Raphael's powers rather than her own?  Probably nobody had even noticed.  She sure hadn't.  This is just general unbiased narration and not anything like a direct output of the thoughts running through her head on a loop, and neither I nor any of my characters have ever protested too much in my  life! 

The corner of her lip did twitch in the slightest hint of a smirk when Uriel warned them that Manchineel would likely replace or seek to find her in about a week.  She still had some experiments to conduct and tests to run, but she was pretty sure her Blight would be complete before then.

Lily just sighed - the ability to do so wasn't really any part of the reason she retained at least the capacity to breathe normally, but to be fair it was a convenient side-benefit - when Uriel got halfway through her final remark and collapsed.  Lily could figure out the rest easy enough.  It wasn't even wrong, but it was largely irrelevant.

Maybe a sufficiently good person could have found it in themselves to forgive a man who had shot them - and several other people, some of whom they knew - because he hadn't really been aware that shooting off a gun in a public place could hurt people, and was wrong.  Sure, she'd grant that.  Forgiveness was a virtue.

Lily Woods was not  that  good a person.

In the aftermath of the battle, for all the power she had output and healing she had done, Lily actually wasn't as tired as she might have been.  Not completely fresh by any means, but a lot of the energy she had spent had been subsidized by absorbing Uriel's sunlight-based attacks, and Raphael's power had come from a different source - it had been a strain to use it, but it hadn't really depleted her reserves.  While she was still leaking nectar from several scorched holes in her body, they were already rapidly closing.  So her answer to Nope was a gentle,  "All good, give or take a nap.  You okay?" 

She sniffed about some to try and figure out where Watcher's nearest bird was.  It occurred to her that maybe they should invest in a somewhat more convenient method of contacting him.  Seemed weird that it had taken her this long to think of that, but she supposed when the guy's whole schtick was "probably about half the birds in the dome are my personal drones" it really wasn't all that big of a priority.

 "Oh um, the light thing,"  she said, her voice casual, as if it were just some random tactical consideration worth addressing.   "Probably not anything to worry about relative to our existing knowledge.  I'm fairly sure it's a Raphael thing and may or may not mean some level of increased vulnerability to Manchineel's control, but we were already operating on the assumption that that would be an issue and I don't see any reason to believe it should invalidate my existing plans for dealing with it.  Triggered it unintentionally, but I'm not going to try to use it intentionally going forward, just in case.  Might try experimenting with it once Manchineel's off the board, maybe." 
 
 Spoiler: Insight DC 20, 25 if Lily's Attractive advantage applies 
She's playing it cool, but it's a bigger deal to her than she's making it out to be.  She's definitely more than a little shaken up by it, though she does believe her tactical assessment to be accurate.  And while she sincerely doesn't intend to try to use it, you get the sense that there's a pretty big part of her that  wants  to.
 
Ridai
 "Removals hard. Failed a lot until 'lucky hit'. Brain doesn't like Removals. Reality doesn't either."  There is much in Nope's slurred words that screams for  "I need a very long nap". With Ntombi... hopefully... okay-ish (?), Nope tries to get onto his feet. "You're not- you're not Raphael. Gonna beat Manchineel. Then figure things out." 
Abracadangit
 "I agree with Nope,"  Kal says to Floral, as she weaves a mesh of threads behind Nope to help buoy him to his feet.  "These 'angels,' they speak as though Manchineel carries   some profound truth. We are awash in a   sea of truths, are we not? I do not think hers will be so special, hnn, hnn, hnn."
 
 "Exceptional work, Nope, against   a foe my thread   could not..."  The words catch strangely in Kal's throat; Ariadne always swerves away from admitting vulnerability, almost like magnetic repulsion.  "...against a formidable opponent. You   have my thanks." 
Ridai
 "Y-you all did the- the heavy lifting. Vespers and Uriel ignored most of what I tried. No idea why that last one got through. While they cooked me and shoved bees down my throat."  There's another, stronger retching sound. That experience is going to haunt him.
Zelphas
Watcher's pigeon drone becomes unnaturally still as Lily speaks, watching her with an unblinking gaze that for once, seems slightly mechanical. But the moment passes, and Watcher doesn't press the issue; he simply prepares to transport Uriel's unconscious body as he has for all of the other various and sundry superpowered enemies you've all taken down.   "I'll keep renovating as needed; maybe I should make a visitor's lounge..."   Watcher comments idly to himself, the pigeon preening one wing as he does so.

---

 Belling the Cat 

September 21st, 2018.

With the clock running down on the time before Manchineel makes a drastic move, the four of you decide to act quickly to neutralize the last member of Manchineel's Menagerie: Michael, the enormous leonine figure that seems to act as her bodyguard. Manchineel can be seen without Michael from time to time, but the only times Michael has been reported without Manchineel are when someone decided to hunt in the Manitou Forest--a much more common occurrence in the earlier days of the Dome, but there was still the occasional story of the headstrong or desperate person who grew tired of the nutritious paste made by Watcher and went hunting for their own food. Lily's connections within her family allowed her to procure a hunting rifle fairly easily, and so now you are in the woods in the early afternoon, waving a gun around in an attempt to look like you're hunting for something, and hoping that Michael will pay you a visit.

You've been wandering the woods for more than fifteen minutes now. The air is still, the forest quiet. Maybe you need to fire off a few shots to call the cat?

 
 Spoiler: Perception DC 32 (DC 27 if you are using enhanced senses; Mystic Sense does not apply) 
You noticed him only a minute or two ago, but he may have been there far longer. A flash of gold that could be mistaken for the reflection of the sun; a tree branch, swaying slightly, but in the wrong direction from the wind; a tree that gives off its own scent and one of a tree like it, but not the same; the lightest whisper of noise, like a bird shifting in its nest. All of these separate things come together to reveal that Michael has been stalking you from the treetops, staying downwind and leaping from tree to tree too fast for your eyes to follow.
 
Abracadangit
Kal watches the foliage uncomfortably; this entire setup is very alien to her usual process. Subterfuge, being stalked on purpose, and  guns. 
  "Be not afraid,"   Ariadne echoes from within, in an uncharacteristically supportive tone of voice.   "This is not so different from the Minotaur, that dogged my steps in the Labyrinth. There is always some beast, that dreams himself your hunter. But you are not prey, are you?"
  
 "No -- I   am Ariadne,"  Kal says out loud, under her breath. She turns to Lily, and nods.  "Ready when you   are. Let us be done with this business." 
Ridai
Making sure he stays well out of the way of wherever the barrel of the gun may or may not get accidentally pointed at, Nope additionally resigns himself to another coming nightmare scenario. Namely Michael suddenly being in their face and actively wanting to murder them very dead. Normally, Nope likes to  stay out of sight  when entering the forest (or any enemy territory, that is). Can't be helped. Hopefully there won't be any bees involved.

 "Please let's do this sooner than later." 
Quellian-dyrae
 "No, I'm not,"  Lily agreed with a serene smile.

  Yet,   a thought echoed in her head.

--

For somebody whose big brother was a Navy SEAL and whose big sister was a SWAT sniper, Lily could not have looked more awkward carrying a gun around.  She was, at least, significantly cognizant of the existence of trigger discipline to not have her finger on the trigger and to avoid accidentally pointing the weapon at any of her friends, although she'd be honest she was just as glad that they all had various means of superhuman-level defenses  just in case .  But she had it aiming mostly at the ground in front of her and her grip on it seemed to shift every couple minutes.  She was also holding it out fairly far from her body; a weird side effect of the League all having various modestly-superpowered minions and such was that in her time as a hero she hadn't actually faced many  guns  before.  She knew logically that they weren't any particular danger to  her , but she hadn't really had a chance to internalize that fact, so she handled the weapon with the same wariness she would have a year ago, if a year ago she had had any reason whatsoever to pick up a gun.  Anyone with any actual firearms experience could tell you that it was a bog-standard hunting rifle, but Lily was not such a person and was entirely convinced that Andrew had gotten her the bulkiest, heaviest, most awkward gun he knew of as some big-brotherly form of teasing she could not rightly parse.

It probably didn't help that she was holding the hunting rifle one-handed, with her staff in her left hand.  Because she didn't want to be deprived of her actual weapon, you see.

She had originally described this plan as "getting a gun from somewhere, going into the forest, and shooting it off a few times".  She had not in fact actually shot it off yet, for a couple reasons.  The first was that even though she was aware that recoil was a thing that existed, she wasn't entirely certain how to properly adjust for it and was completely convinced that if she actually tried to fire the weapon she would be knocked flat on her butt  in front of her teammates which would be the most embarrassing thing ever  and knowing her luck Michael would pick that exact moment to attack them and she needed to make sure she didn't begin combat at a tactical disadvantage.

The second reason was that she had picked up the strange scent.  There wasn't any need to fire the gun.  Michael was already stalking them.

The question was how to alert her teammates to that fact without revealing to Michael that he had been detected.  Michael was created from a cat and might not understand English, but the Saplings seemed to and if they could there was no reason to assume Michael couldn't.  Cats were known for their hearing so she didn't think whispering would do the job.  She could transform the back of her costume to display a written message, betting on the idea that the guardian created from a housecat hadn't been instilled with the ability to read, but the fact  of  the transformation would still be visible, and might alert him that something was off.  They really needed some sort of telepathic mindlink.  She wondered if Helios or Ariadne could pull off such a thing with their magic...

Fortunately, Ariadne and Nope's prompting gave her the opportunity to, well, sort of do it, anyway.  She would have preferred more of an opportunity to inform them clearly and coordinate a combined opening attack, but this would have to do.  Better than ceding the initiative to Michael, anyway.   "Yeah okay.  Get ready; Michael presumably has super-speed so it's entirely possible he'll be able to zip over here from wherever he is basically instantly." 

She'd give the team a couple moments to prepare for battle, raise the rifle up a bit, put her finger on the trigger...and then her hair would suddenly elongate and snap up and back, shooting towards the hidden Michael dripping with a debilitating venom.   "He's there go go!"  she shouted to her team.

 
 Spoiler 
Flower Power (+10, since I'm assuming it's daylight since we're the ones who chose when to do this) begins on full Olfactory Clarity [10], Scent Processing [5], Commune with Nature [5], Scent Intensification [10], Floral Blood [10], Petal Wings [10], annnnnd I dunno let's say Transmute Plants [10].  Favored Environment begins on Defense.

Deception to help sell her not seeming aware of Michael in case that helps get me some surprise or something (+5 for Attractive with Humanoid Plant, +5 for Scent Intensification, +2 for Favored Foe [Manchineel's Minions]):  (1d20+22)[ 33 ] .

Assuming I can initiate combat with an attack/get a surprise round/whatever:

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  5 points to Olfactory Clarity (Ranged Acute Accurate Analytical Smell), 10 points to Scent Intensification, 5 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Floral Blood, 5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 10 points to Potent Scents, 10 points to Concentrated Scent.  Descriptor Feature set to [Physiological] [Poison].

Free: Set Favored Environment (Forest) to Attack.

Move: N/A since this may or may not be a surprise round.

Standard: Attack Michael with Poisoned Hair, All Out Attacking for 5, +2 for Favored Environment, at  (1d20+12)[ 20 ] .  Resistance DC 25+Penetrating-Perception vs. Impaired+Vulnerable Affliction.

Current Status: Normal, AoA -5*, Floral Blood (-5 Def/+5 Res).
*Assuming action is valid.  Otherwise no AoA and +2 Defense from Favored Environment.
 
Ridai
 "Wha-  oh shi-"   Nope was expecting sudden violence soon, but not this soon and them getting to strike first. Okay okay okay got this somehow, whip around, think hard and fast at Michael!

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switch to  Remove Second Guessing , and  Remove Hit Points 
 Standard  Try to subdue Michael with DC 27/22/22 Damage (Ranged, Improved Critical 4), Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition), Linked Weaken Resistance. All-Out Attack -2/+2
  (1d20+12)[ 15 ]     Rerolled to 29  
 
Abracadangit
 Like Nope, Ariadne hadn't expected Michael to arrive so quickly, but that didn't change her plans by much.

 "Another of Manchineel's   potted plants, hnn, hnn,"  she says, sourly. Red threads begin to twine and twist around the group, as her needle flickers and thrusts. "Let us give   this cat a proper scratching post."
  
 [post nullified, turn taken out of order] 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Action: Dropping a Silken Shields on the party, to start things off.
 
Zelphas
Floral's hair-spike launches backwards, piercing into a nearby tree canopy. It is followed by a yowl that is... pretty much identical to that of a housecat that has just been inconvenienced, if you downshifted the sound an octave or two and overlaid the creaking of heavy branches in the wind. A moment later, Michael leaps down from the tree.

It would be easy to believe that the massive figure falling towards the ground was made entirely from plant matter with only the shape of an animal, at first glance. Thick plates of roughened, deep golden bark held together by dark brown tree roots form the body of an enormous cat, the plates shifting smoothly like muscles as Michael drops towards you. More dark brown roots form tangles of claws, a nest of teeth in the creature's snarling mouth, a long lashing tail, and a thick, writhing "mane" pouring between the plates in the back of his head and coiling around his shoulders like it has its own consciousness. It is only a moment later that the golden, slitted, angry eyes, the hints of pink in the depths of the mouth, and the simple, fluid elegance of Michael's pounce--still graceful, despite Floral's hair embedded between two plates and dripping poison--confirm to you that there is indeed still something animal within Michael, buried under layer after layer of plant-life made to mimic flesh.

Michael lands upon the forest floor with another aggrieved yowl, his claws digging deeply into the cold earth. Brown roots rip out from the point of contact, tearing from the ground and attempting to crush and ensnare everything nearby--which, at the moment, includes the four of you.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Map is  here .

Initiative was rolled in the OOc.

 Michael 

Move Action: Leap down from the tree to Z21.

Standard Action: Use  Root Crush . All PCs are in range.

Nope:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ]   Hit 
Helios:  (1d20+10)[ 16 ]   Miss 
Floral:  (1d20+10)[ 11 ]   Hit 
Ariadne:  (1d20+10)[ 23 ]   Hit 

On a hit, Resistance DC 31/26 vs. Damage Linked Immobilized/Stunned.

 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily's control over plants was greatly diminished when those plants were not composed of her own cells.  Without the massive stored solar energy that her cells contained, she couldn't produce any kinetic force, and she couldn't perform fast large-scale transformations.  Faced with Michael's massive phytokinetic assault, two pounds per second just wasn't going to cut it.

It mattered little, though.  Lily leaped between Michael and Nope, crossing her arms defensively before her and taking blow after blow from the roots and vines.  Her flesh was more-or-less as tough as wood and much less brittle.  Between it and her self-healing powers, she came out of it little worse for wear, the charge of Life magic that Helios had imbued her with already going to work to repair what damage did manage to get through.

Lily tossed the gun aside and charged the enormous cat unhesitatingly.  There was something different in her movements today.  More...confidence?  Determination?  ...Honestly it was more like recklessness.  Seeking to burn down the enemy as quickly as possible, heedless of any risk.

Manchineel was next.  The Blight was nearly complete.

And Michael was in her way.

She rushed him, heedless of his enormous claws and deadly teeth, lunging her spear, dripping with even more poison, at his throat, even as her hair lashed forward with a nest of serpents, more poison dripping from its tips.

 
 Spoiler 
Triggered: Helios's Healing triggers at  (1d20+10)[ 16 ] .   6 RP 

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 10 points to Miasmic Scent, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Potent Scents, 10 points to Tactical Scents, 10 points to Tactical Poison.  Descriptor feature set to [Physiological] [Poison].

Free: Favored Environment set to Attack.

Move: Into AB22.

Standard: Aid my next attack against Michael, All Out Attacking for 5, +5 for Teamwork, +2 for Favored Environment, at  (1d20+22)[ 38 ] .   Can't fail to provide +5. 

Reaction: Since Michael has both an attack roll penalty (Impaired) and a defense penalty (Vulnerable), Reactions trigger.  Attack Michael with Tactical Poison, +5 since AoA remains on, +5 for Aid, +2 for Favored Environment, Power Attacking for 5, at  (1d20+17)[ 35 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 25+Penetrating/25 vs. Cumulative Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Affliction Linked Weaken Resistance.   Pretty sure that's a hit with full Penetrating after the Vulnerable. 

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: Aid my next attack against Michael, +5 since AoA remains on, +5 for Teamwork, +2 for Favored Environment, at  (1d20+22)[ 25 ] .   Still can't fail to provide +5. 

Reaction: They trigger again.  Attack Michael with Tactical Poison, +5 for AoA, +5 for Aid, +2 for Favored Environment, Power Attack remains active for 5, at  (1d20+17)[ 19 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 25+Penetrating/25 vs. Cumulative Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Affliction Linked Weaken Resistance.   Pretty sure that hits thanks to Vulnerable, and if he's Defenseless at this point from above it will auto-crit with +2 Penetrating. 

Current Status: 1 Bruise (6/10 RP), Fatigued as of next turn, AoA -5, SE (Healing 6).
 
Dorni
Helios reached for Fire. Michael was Manchineel's bodyguard. Unlike the other members of the menagerie, who while certainly capable in battle were still shaped for other primary purposes, Michael's primary purpose  was  battle. And to top it off, Michael was never too far away from Manchineel herself. They had to hit Michael hard and fast.

And so he readied Fire to put the monster down. At first sight Michael was exactly what he'd imagined. A mountain of armored bark, wicked roots for claws and teeth, powerful vine muscles.

The eyes stopped him. Golden, slitted eyes. He knew those eyes. Feo could be a real brat sometimes. Well, she used to be. She'd mellowed out over the years. But those were unmistakably cat eyes. The animal Michael had used to be was still there.

Helios hesitated. Then unwove his Fire.

Instead he reached for Life, forming the familiar spell to drain the cat's vitality. He'd painlessly put it to sleep. It had a mixed track record against Manchineel's creations, but he had an idea that gave him hope. Though he hadn't called the fey, he could still feel his connection to Ila Sith. In ways he still didn't completely understand, Ila Sith was bound to the changing nature of the seasons, his own aetherial aspect rotating almost by the day. Today he bore the aspect of winter. Death.

Helios reached through his connection to Ila, borrowing a bit of that Death. Death and Life didn't get along, so he didn't even try braiding them together. Instead he wrapped it around his working like a glove. Death, to drill through the Life-aspected Michael's defenses, to deliver enervation spell draining the creature's energy into its core.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells to Progressive Affliction [Fatigued / Stunned / Incap], Penetrating Weaken [Resistance]

Standard: Cast on Michael, AoA/PA 5.  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] . On hit, DC 25/25+Pen (+5 to both if not crit immune) vs Progressive Affliction &amp; Penetrating Weaken [Resistance]

Fine, Triggered Healing, Death aspect, -5 AoA
 
Ridai
Michael appears, Nope is not prepared, but Floral evidently was, not only attacking the giant terrifying tree-cat, but also keeping the Surprise Roots from mulching Nope. All while not looking much worse for wear. So since he was mostly pinned in place last fight, Nope tries to learn and moves into... well the approximation of cover in the form of a tree, but there is no real cover fighting any of the Menagerie, let's be honest.

It feels like doing Removals has gotten  harder  recently, and he struggles trying to keep the focus on Michael intact to incapacitate the beast. There's substantially less fire and bees used against him this time around, but he really doesn't want to be the guy who stands around for minutes accomplishing nothing  again . And Nope has to work quick, because if this is basically a buffed up cat, said cat is going to act and react  fast. 

No pressure or anything.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Move  from AE22 to AF18

 Standard  Attack Michael with  Remove Hit Points . DC 27/22/22 Damage (Ranged, Improved Crit 4), Linked Weaken Resistance, Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition)
  (1d20+8)[ 10 ]    Rerolled to 19 
 
Abracadangit
Kal feels the snarl of entangling roots wrap around her legs and her waist, twisting, coiling, crushing--

--and then promptly decides this will not do. In a strange maneuver, red thread coats her entire body in an instant, then Kal herself  becomes  a bolt of thread, zigzagging away from the roots and landing in a patch of grass some distance back, quickly reforming into herself as the roots begin to pursue.

With flicks of her needle left and right, the remaining roots are either bound or minced by thread, moving fast as lightning. Kal fixes her masked gaze on Michael next, limping and hurting from the team's combined assault.  "Cats operate under the same principles, big   or small. Relentlessly confident..." 

A ball of red yarn appears, not too far away from Michael's front paws. Michael looks at the yarn, then looks at Kal, with an acerbic sort of " You've got to be kidding me " energy. Irritably, Michael swats the ball of yarn away.

Just as his paw connects with the yarn, the ball explodes with the sound of a million rustling strings, into a cloud of arcing thread bolts that encircle Michael completely. There's a roar of desperate frustration as the threads continue to twist and twine, securing Michael's limbs, then torso, then head.

 "...and insatiably curious,"  Kal says, as she waggles her fingers, and her sewing needles vanish.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 

AoA/PA for 5, on Thread Lash (Multiattack, Homing, Secondary Effect) twice, using Extra Effort.
Thread Lash 1 against Michael:  (1d20+10)[ 21 ] 
Thread Lash 2 against Michael:  (1d20+10)[ 16 ] 
 
Zelphas
 This is technically Round 1 

Michael's yowl of anger turns into a mewl of dismay as Floral stabs him in the mouth with a spear and in the face with several of her hairs, his dark brown roots blackening as the blight's effects spread through them. He manages to chomp down on the spear and break it away, but the poison is still clearly working.

  Yesssss....   A voice hisses in Helios' mind as he weaves Death and Life carefully over one another, pulling away even more of the large cat's vitality. The golden plates of bark dull to a muted gleam, greying in some patches, and Michael settles into a more braced stance to keep his footing.

The world contemplates a donut shape before deciding it would be too ostentatious, and when it returns Michael has settled even lower to the ground, his yellow eyes flickering, the pupils dilating and dilating again.

And then Ariadne tosses a ball of yarn at the large cat, who seems to bat at it on impulse, receiving a cocoon of entangling threads for his efforts. The large cat falls to the ground, barely even struggling before settling into unconsciousness.

Several feet away, a Sapling appears, seeming to simply pop out of the roots of a nearby tree. The roots of said tree writhe and shift around it, raising up steadily into angular formations that do not seem entirely natural. The Sapling takes a moment to get its bearings, then freezes as it sees the four of you standing over the bound and unconscious form of Michael, none of you being all that much the worse for wear.

It looks like it didn't expect to be noticed so soon.

Still, the roots stop their odd movements, remaining exposed to the air in an unnatural formation, and the Sapling immediately bounds backwards into the tree, disappearing into the tree's bark in mere moments.

 
 Spoiler: The Roots 
From where you're standing, the roots look odd, but don't seem to have any other meaning. As you approach them, you begin to see the shape of letters, until you stand above them and can read what's written there:

 SEE YOU SOON
MY NEW MENAGERIE 
 


 


When Lily gets home, Andrew lets her know that her information network really helped out; with them on the lookout, they were able to round up most of the cultists involved and get back the majority of the stolen inventory. Odd thing, though; the Suneaters had apparently only been interested in grabbing audio supplies, and then only more "retro" or outdated models. It probably wasn't that important. What could the Suneaters really do with a couple of boomboxes and a portable CD player or two?


 


There isn't much direct information you can get from Lockdown's contest--it seems like those people who want to leave the Chain Gang mostly opted out of the contest out of fear of proximity to Lockdown himself--but the winners make themselves known fairly quickly. The first is a woman who seems to have taken the place of Pride, ivory skin and all, and is working towards recruiting the Chain Gang once again; she calls herself Vanity. The second has not been seen directly, but his presence has been felt, especially by those business owners in the Industrial Block who have still been holding out against the Chain Gang's "protection" demands. It seems that he goes by Fear.
Quellian-dyrae
In a lot of cases, Lily might have been surprised to see Michael go down so quickly.  Or at least elated that her poison had done so well - granted, it hadn't taken him out on its own, and it had taken three separate doses to really do the job, but it had definitely weakened him significantly.  At the very least, she should have complimented Ariadne on taking him down with a ball of yarn, because that was just perfect.

Instead she just eyed the fallen cat, nodded, gave a little kinda-birdish whistle (she'd been practicing) to signal Watcher, and basically just turned around and started heading for home, telling the team,  "I should be ready in about two- uh, two days." 

The little stutter in her speech came as she caught sight of the message in the changing roots.  That should have worried her.  Manchineel didn't just want her to replace Raphael.  She was after all of them, now.

In the back of her mind, the train of thought played out.  She spreading Manchineel's forests wielding both Raphael's powers of life and her own vegetative transmutation, extending her dominion everywhere the sun touched.  Helios, another outsider like Ntombi, advising her on matters tactical and magical, infiltrating the populace the same way he had the Cult, his already powerful magic only enhanced by Uriel's command of solar fire.  Ariadne replacing Michael at Manchineel's side, her tremendously powerful defensive threadwork woven with catlike agility, halting any possible threat.  And Nope to replace the treacherous Gabriel, not to seek out weaknesses in the Watcher's barrier - but simply to remove it outright.

It was a horrifying vision...but it caused no more than a momentary stutter in her speech, as she took one more look at the fallen Michael and thought,   Yeah.  Good luck with that.  

And then unless any of the others stopped or wanted to speak with her, Lily Woods headed for home, to go put the finishing touches on her Blight.
Ridai
Nope is just glad the fight is over so quickly. He is not going to dwell on it, he'll just take it. He calls over a quick  "Thanks"  to Floral for the interpose, before he sees the message. He stares at it for a moment, followed by  "Yeah no, nope, mh-mh."  Aaand the mental images are already there. Great.

As Floral leaves, Nope says  "Hey um, keep us posted. If we can do anything or... something..."  A way with words still eludes Nope to this day.
Abracadangit
 "I wish you only good fortune, in   your research,"  Kal says to Lily, as they talk briefly following Michael's defeat.  "If I can be helpful in some way, do not   hesitate to contact me. As for Manchineel..." 

Kal regards the roots, with a measure of scorn.

 "...she tries to speak bravely, for   a gardener without her plants. I detect fear; let us seize on it." 
Zelphas
 Manchineel 

September 23, 2018. Sunday.

One by one, Manchineel's Menagerie has been stripped away. Raphael fell first, practically the opening action of the little group the four of you have made together; a simple heifer going about what her Manchineel-crafted instincts bade her to do, she was pacified and taken in by Watcher into his Obelisk. Time passed, and then Abel was next. You discovered Abel's past life--Zephyr Magro--freed his family from the twisted actions of his would-be murderer, and returned to Abel his speech and some scraps of his memory. In return, he has promised to remain far away, to ignore the siren call of Manchineel's pheromones and let you take your chances with his 'creator'. More time, and you battled eldritch forces in an unexpected place to uncover the identity of Gabriel: Cosme Muto. She also shook free of Manchineel's influence under your guidance, but where Abel wished for avoidance, Gabriel swore revenge. You uncovered Manchineel's hidden angel and subdued her, placing her in Watcher's care as well. Finally, you hunted the hunter, Michael, who fell with a whimper rather than a roar. Now, Manchineel is alone.

Or, at least, without her Menagerie.

According to Watcher's pigeon-bots, Manchineel had not moved from a location in the southwest of the Manitou Forest for the last two days. She has been waiting, it seems; perhaps expecting you. You all meet at a tumbledown little coffee shop that seems to have misplaced its name even before the Dome came down on the southern edge of the Industrial Block, just past noon. The shop has few patrons, and a few discreetly leave shortly after you arrive; possibly Bronze Links (word from your sources is that Lockdown's ordered a hands-off approach for the four of you for the moment), possibly just normal people going about their day as best they can. The day is overcast with intermittent bursts of sunlight, and warm for the season, in the low to mid sixties; the last breath of anything like summer before autumn and winter roll in entirely.

There are five members of the League of the Future. One claims to be your ally. Four still oppose you.

For now.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
All right, go ahead and prepare! I'll note right now that this is  the final Scene for this arc. Your Hero Points will reset after this Scene, so use 'em or lose 'em!  (or save 'em for Downtimes I guess, I can't tell you what to do)
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily stood up from her computer desk, and wiped a tear from her eyes.

Since she first took up the mantle of Floral, she had rarely really  felt  like she was in particular danger, save that one time with the Vespers.  Oh, sure, she  logically recognized  that what she was doing was dangerous, because she wasn't an idiot.  But deep down, emotionally, it hadn't really impacted her much.  Partly that was because of her powers, partly because of her teammates.

And partly it was just because no cultist or robot or undead monster, no Link of any color, no minion or servant the League of the Future could throw at her, could ever possibly be worse than  Manchineel .

Well, today they were going to fight Manchineel.  They had prepared well, had isolated her from her most powerful minions, had learned her weaknesses and developed methods to exploit them.  They were ready.

And Lily's room was thick with the smell of honey (tinged some by cinnamon and just a hint of mint).  However much they may have prepared, this was still Manchineel.  It was still the next best thing to trying to overcome a volcano or tornado in personal combat.

(As she had several times so far today, Lily glanced over at the simple wooden spear leaning against the wall, drawing calm from the memory of its new contents.)

This was different than every other time.  This was  dangerous .  She was all too aware of the fact that she could die today, or worse.  It wasn't certain, they had prepared well, but the possibility was still too high not to prepare for.

She had written emails, that would be sent out in three days if she didn't cancel them before hand.  One to her teammates.  One to her parents.  One to...

Well, one to her siblings.  Strictly speaking it had been supposed to be to her brother, with a separate one to her sister.  In the end, she had just made a couple tweaks to the first and addressed it to both of them.

When she tried to write one to Hannah specifically, the only words that seemed to come to her for it were, "Well.  If you're reading this, I guess you were right."

Whatever.  She had duties to attend to.  Lily turned decisively away from her computer and strode to her door, grabbing her spear and a little cotton bag that was hanging on the doorknob beside it.

As she headed out of her house and took to the air, inside the bag, there was a little jangling sound of metal clanking against metal.

--

Lily arrived at the coffee shop in full costume, game face on, spear in one hand, a cotton bag undoubtedly containing something biochemically devious in another...and a perfectly normal swimming-pool style noseplug on her nose.

It did not escape her notice that she was literally going to be fighting her  archnemesis  like that.  One day, she promised herself.  If she managed to survive this, then one brave and glorious day, she was going to become  cool .

But it was not this day.

 "Hey guys,"  she said, once the others had arrived (and...most of the rest of the shop had cleared out, I guess).   "Okay so, I've been working on stuff!"  she told them with a cheery excitement that almost certainly wasn't being forced at all.   "First, logistics."   She reached into the bag and pulled out what looked more-or-less like four test tubes, only made of metal, each one stoppered with a cork.  She stuck one in her belt, and handed the others out to them.   " These  are in case of emergency.  You know, on the off chance that the pinnacle of olfactory defense technology I've got here somehow manages to fail when faced with one of the most powerful supervillains in the Dome."   She gestured with the test tube she was currently holding at her noseplug.   "No judging, by the way.  Anyway, we're still not certain whether or not I'm actually subject to Manchineel's control or whatever, so I wouldn't say to use them like immediately if the noseplug comes off.  But if I start acting weird and you don't have a better or faster way to neutralize me, just uncork the test tube and as long as I'm within about fifty yards it should knock me out pretty much instantly.  It's-"  a biochemical solution which releases scented particles into the air that, when they interact with olfactory cells, catalyze a reaction that produces a powerful herbicide derived from a variant on bee venom that also induces severe desiccation when introduced to living plant cells  "-basically super-chloroform for plants.  Um...just, one tube should be sufficient.  No need for all of you to do it at once.  Although two doses shouldn't cause any long-term damage.  Probably."

"Those probably won't have much effect on Manchineel though.  For her I've got  this !"   The tip of Lily's spear kinda unfolded almost like a blooming flower itself, revealing held within it was a kinda elaborate-looking device almost like a syringe but bigger and more complex, connected to a tube of kinda purplish-green liquid that seemed to extend all the way down the spear's haft.   "It's an herbicidal poison, optimized for debilitating creatures with both plant and human DNA.  I'm thinking it should pack a punch even against Manchineel, and it's plant-based itself, I used my nectar for the base, so I should be able to enhance it with my powers.  I didn't...really know how to get it in a format that would apply easily to, you know, arbitrary hit point removal and magically conjured threads and solar fire magic..."  is it weird that she kinda sounds disappointed with herself because of that?   "But the delivery mechanism is connected to the spear tip so if I'm unable to fight for whatever reason...just grab and stab, I guess!" 
 
 Spoiler 
The test tubes are basically just fluff for the Herbicide benefits that if Lily gets Compelled or Controlled, anyone can spend a Hero Point to change her to Incapacitated.

Current Status: Olfactorily Unaware.
 
Abracadangit
 "This is incredible work,"  Kal says, looking at the vials and the spear.  "At some point, science truly becomes a magic of its own. Laws that must be observed,   wonders to behold. Hopefully, it will not come to us forcing you to sleep." 
 "We have waited a long time for this, and with one   of them felled, the others may be soon to follow. I trust in your abilities, and I also   trust in our team. Let us be rid of this loathsome weed." 
Ridai
Remy sits down with Uncle Bruno and Nora, lets them know that the group will be fighting Manchineel soon. It's the most dangerous thing they've attempted thus far. And if he is not going to be back soon, if he looks or acts different than before, if Manchineel has a new Menagerie, it'll mean they'll have lost. And there won't be a Remy as they knew him anymore, just a monster. They have tackled bad odds before and won. But he can't say how this one will go down. All Remy can say is that he loves his family very much and that he will be back as soon as he can.

-----------------------

At the coffee shop, Nope enters as a normal person would, sitting down and waiting as the shop clears out. Hands in hoodie pockets, staring out at his worn sneakers on his legs stretching beneath the table. Pants are feeling pretty baggy at this point, and so does his hoodie. Used to fill them out a bit more a few months ago. He's been noticing things like this more frequently recently, his current state now significantly apart from how he started. He can see how his appearance is scrambled for people on the outside and it feels like it is slowly going more "cryptic". Being in the calm before the storm, he doesn't feel nervous right now, just having this weird empty feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Once everyone else arrives, he listens, quietly takes the vial, and looks at it. He doesn't like it. He listens to the explanation of the spear, and he nods. Afterwards, he is quiet for a while. Something's been nagging at him for a while, never really found the courage.

 "You need to promise me something, for once we get through the fight. You're brilliant and committed. Cut this bull**** of apologizing or talking down about what you can do. Take it from someone who's spent a good chunk of his life with low self-esteem, no real achievements prior to all this starting, and no idea what to even do with his life, who knows what that **** does to you. Stop it."  He still remembers Lily from the D&amp;D games Uncle Bruno ran, before all the crap with the Dome went down, before Manchineel did what she did to Lily, even if it was just contact and he doubts he left much of an impression or saw many facets of her. She's not the same woman as she was before as well, after all that happened. But he can't just watch a good person slowly break herself down. Maybe he can at least help prevent that from happening.
Quellian-dyrae
Lily gave Ariadne a little appreciative smile.  Although if she were honest, sometimes she wished science worked more like magic (even counting the fact that in some ways her powers let her apply a fair measure of what most people would probably call magic to her science.)

The look she gave to Nope was, at first, confused.  For a second she was about to wave his concerns off.  "Low self esteem" was not a phrase that had been used to describe Lily much - ever at all, really - in her life.  If anything it was the opposite.  Back before her parents had let her move ahead in school, day after day and year after year of breezing through her classes had instilled in her a burning sense of pride that bordered on open hostility to anything that would dare try to present a meaningful challenge to  her .  When she had finally demanded it at eleven years old, she had challenged her father - a brilliant and experienced attorney - to a challenge of law if they didn't get out of her way, and to this day she still thought she could have won.  When asked her childhood ambition, she had declared it to be solving world hunger, and developing superpowers that would be a tremendous asset in that goal didn't make her think it was now suddenly possible - it merely shortened her timelines.  If she was disappointed in herself that she couldn't somehow manage to create a poison that could be efficiently applied in the heat of battle to literal magic and arbitrary reality-alterations, that was just because she felt like she  should have been able to do that .  Generally speaking, Lily would expect herself to be overconfident rather than underconfident.  (Well, more precisely, she would expect herself to have  properly calibrated high expectations , but close enough).

At the end of the day, her internal experience wasn't one of low self-esteem.  Her internal experience was...

Was...

...Come to think of it, her internal experience these days was, often and explicitly...

   That of a constant war between an idealized version of Floral, the image of a badass confident warrior-scientist that you don't actually believe you can live up to.   
   And the panicky, helpless Flower Girl that you constantly worry you actually are.  Yeah.   
   Nice of you to   finally notice.   

The realization swept though her, tearing down little obfuscations and justifications as it went.  Lily had long taken it as a given that what you said you believed, even what you  thought  you believed, wasn't strong evidence.  What provided strong evidence of what you actually  believed , what you actually  expected to happen , was the actions you took.  Lily hadn't sat down with her family, hadn't told them that they were about to take the fight to Manchineel.  She had written emails and set them on a timer.  Lily had been poking and prodding and agitating her own biological weaknesses, making sure there were ways to neutralize her easily if she turned...and having developed a way  to  neutralize herself easily, she hadn't undone the damage.  She had tried...but she could have tried harder.  She had spent the entire past week building a weapon to fight Manchineel, a substance to take herself out if she fell to her control, but the sum total effort she had put into  defending  herself against Manchineel was buying a  noseplug  at the  dollar store .

And most damningly, she had hidden almost all of it.  Her team knew she was working on stuff, but they didn't know how she had been doing it, didn't know that she had cut eating and sleeping and showering entirely out of her schedule, had cut back dramatically on her hero work, had basically been avoiding communicating with her family by anything other than single-word text message for a week.

And there were reasons for all of it.  Lots of good reasons about how Manchineel needed to be stopped, how she was hurting people, how if this time leading up to the fight needed to be spent on preparation, how she was powerful and one had to be prepared for the worst and on and on.  But if Lily looked back on her actions without using that reasoning as a shield, without assuming it correctly justified them rather than merely excusing them...

They were clearly the actions of somebody who did not  expect  to survive the coming battle, and was merely trying to weaken Manchineel enough before she died that the real heroes would be able to stop her.

  ...**** that.  

It didn't look like much, outwardly.  It didn't take much time.  Lily's brain was not superhumanly fast, but it was still about as fast as an unenhanced human brain could be.

(Somewhere in there, the flicker of a thought, the seed of a question.  Lily noted it consciously, and set it aside for later consideration.)

She closed her eyes, but only for a few seconds.  There was a whiff of mint, and a fainter hint of cinnamon in the air.  And then it all faded back into the normal scent of lilies that always seemed to hang around her like a perfume as she opened her eyes.

 "Right,"  she finally replied to Nope, with a slightly awkward smile, but sincerity and...perhaps somewhat more sentiment than maybe on the face of it the exchange would seem to deserve, to someone who was not privy to the full effect his words had had on her thoughts, and her outlook.   "I'll work on that.  Promise." 
Dorni
Flint, as Helios, tried to banish his unease. Part of him wished they'd skipped the short break they'd taken to prepare for their battle against Manchineel. It wasn't that he'd squandered it. He hadn't - he'd built on the principles of manipulating Life energy and, with a few hints from Iala Sith, had developed and practiced a spell to conjure a toxic cloud that he hoped Manchineel's plant-based physiology would be especially susceptible to. He wished he could do more, but if he tried for more it might end up slap-dash and be useless against Manchineel. If the amount of aether in Rapheal and the rest of the menagerie were any indication, half-measures weren't going to have much effect on their progenitor.

No, it wasn't his preparations. It was the waiting and the wondering. Wondering how the fight would play out. Wondering if they'd prevail. Wondering if he should have said more good-byes. But who would he say good-bye to? His familiar would be there beside him, and probably be banished should he perish. Sarah would probably want to help if she knew, but she was still trying to master her summoning spells. She had a real knack for it, but he wasn't sure if the beings she called obey her in a crisis, or if they'd be reliable if she commanded them to obey him. And Dante, well, he couldn't tell him.

Which hurt more than he'd expected. He'd been so close with his brother before coming to Forester's Bay. Now he was constantly lying to him, to his face and by omission. It was ironic, in a way. In stories and movies the heros might struggle but at the end of the day they stood for virtues, truth, the right thing, and all that. Flint had never lied and deceived as much as he had since he'd gained his powers.

He banished the thought. It wouldn't help.

 "Yeah Floral, don't be so hard on yourself. You've done all you could. Its far more than any of us could in your situation. We're going to be fine." 
Zelphas
With a plan in place, and various levels of apprehension in your minds and hearts, you leave the coffee shop without ordering anything--which may be for the best, since where exactly a nameless hole-in-the-wall is still finding coffee beans after nearly three months of total supply cutoff is perhaps a question that no one would like the answer to.


 


Watcher's birds can guide you to within a mile of Manchineel's location, but by the time you're maybe two miles away from her, you no longer really need his guidance. The ground beneath you, uneven and sometimes  treacherous as any forest floor, has slowly leveled and flattened, carpeted with eerily similar leaves in repeating patterns of yellow, orange, and red. The trees have steadily grown straighter, taller, their branches beginning higher on their trunks; soon, it is nearly impossible to tell one tree from another of its kind, and the trees repeat in a pattern, forming columned paths, their roots tracing another, harmonious pattern beneath the fallen leaves. The canopy above, only lightly shifting from the autumn wind, is spaced far too evenly, the branches obliging one another and leaving careful, symmetrical gaps between the similarly-sized leaves. When the sun makes its brief forays behind the clouds, it reveals a third pattern on the forest floor, drawn in the dappled light that glimmers through the leaves and outlined by the spaces between.

In a painting, or a picture, or even a movie or show, the effect would be beautiful. Standing in its midst, disturbing the even leaf-fall as you walk or causing it to tremble in your flight, it feels alien, nature filtered through a strange mind rather than allowed to grow as it wishes. The sense of alienation builds as you move farther towards its source, and it is clear that you are intruders to this space--or perhaps it is life that intrudes upon this space, life that is messy and unchecked and random, trampling the patterns and tossing the leaves. Whatever it is, Manchineel has stamped her pattern heavily into this place, showing her picture of Nature clearly, repeatedly, again and again.

The unnatural woodland before you opens, the colonnade of straight, still trees bowing outwards, then inwards in eerie unison, leaving an open space in the heart of the symmetrical world. At the far end of this perfect clearing stands an enormous boulder, covered in a thick bed of clover. All of the stalks of clover seem to have four leaves. As the four of you arrive, the boulder shifts, turning towards you and revealing the wrinkled, clover-clad head of a tortoise, which observes you with flat calm, chewing a mouthful of dried leaves. An odd skittering sound reveals a second occupant, scrambling down the side of one of the unnatural trees to the forest floor. The shape of the creature is oddly difficult to discern, for a moment, too many limbs and abdomens and trailing feelers, but it at last resolves itself into a creature that could not, naturally, exist. The bottom section of the creature is the circular body and eight long limbs of a spider, grown somehow to rival a human inside, made of plates of chitin and cords of dark, root-like wood. Where the spider's head should be, there is another bug-like abdomen, this one long, thin, and upright, surmounted by a triangular head with two bulging, milky yellow eyes. Another set of limbs branch out from this abdomen; oddly flat and wide, the sun gleams off of these limbs like metal, flashing as the creature fixes its gaze on the four of you. The entire put-together beast is covered in thick, damp-looking moss, which floats lightly in the air and follows its limbs as they twitch; the rich, wet scent of rainfall reaches you as the creature makes itself known, shivering and shuddering with odd convulsions.

  "She'll die by sunset, I'm afraid."  

Manchineel is here.

The smell of rainfall is soon overpowered by her, a sweet scent containing just too much sour to be pleasant. She steps out of the same tree the spider-mantis crawled down from, and the air shivers with her presence, a shimmer that is strangely unhealthy even as it bespeaks nature and power. Manchineel lays one reddish-brown hand atop the creature's head, the touch of the rough bark stilling the creature's twitches for just a moment.   "I didn't have the time to perfect her, and even nature needs perfection."   Her green-white eyes, pupilless, without iris, are sad as they gaze upon her creation, noting it beginning to twitch and shudder once more.   "I would rather she live, and find her place--spiders are so useful, and the praying mantis is endangered, so why shouldn't they find a place to be, together? But I do not have the time. Or, perhaps the skill."  

Her hand still upon her newest creature, Manchineel turns her head, the pale green arrow-shaped leaves that make her long-long hair whispering about her. The soft, greyish mold that forms a sort of dress around her pulses and shifts as she looks upon the four of you--or, especially, on Lily.   "I was foolish, with you, I think."   Her voice is barely above a whisper, but the woods are silent to hear her speak.   "Foolish, and short-sighted, and arrogant. I only saw the hurt, the pain, the anguish of the plants as they came to me--they speak, but you know that. I thought that the Woods spoke through me, that their voice was clear, powerful--foolish, arrogant. Even nature needs perfection. If I claim to speak for nature, how can I exempt myself? Join me, my Raphael. Teach me, show me where I have gone wrong. Let me perfect you, so that you may perfect me, on and on, until the world is right once more."  

Manchineel drops her hand from the spider-mantis, walking towards the center of the clearing, her bare, bark-like feet making no sound and disturbing no leaves on the forest floor. Those green-white eyes move, looking upon each of you in turn. She smiles at Nope.   "My Uriel. So fearful, so strange, unknown to even yourself. Let me give you a body that you may know, and people who will always know you. All I ask is that you go unknown to those who would deny perfection. I can... I can give Ntombi her rest, this way, which is better."   She shakes her head, leaf-like hair rustling, then looks at Ariadne.   "My Michael--or Michaela? You are a stalwart defender, a spear and a shield, a weaver of nature, though what you weave is stripped of much of its true power and form. Let me strengthen your shield and sharpen your spears, perfect them to Nature's true form. Let me shelter behind your shield, my protector."   Helios is next.   "Gabriel. Trumpeter of light, caller of the new world. This Dome is... unknown to me, but you delve in mysteries many do not understand. Let me grant you the means to dive deep, deeper, to break this Dome, so that we all may breathe the clean air outside of it and grow, grow, grow."  

In the center of the clearing, Manchineel spreads her hands, her tiny, slim five-foot frame at once astonishingly frail and looming with leashed power. The sun appears behind the clouds, outlining her form in light. The picture is as perfect as it could manage to be.   "My first Menagerie will be given glory and rest. They will choose their forms and live in them, at peace, honored by Nature and protected for all of their natural lives. But you... with you, we will perfect it. Everything, even nature, needs perfection. With you, it can be done."   Manchineel stands still, a small smile on her face, the picture of serenity, sincerity, and natural conviction. The spider-mantis creature shudders behind her. The clover-leafed turtle chews its leaves.

 
 Spoiler: Perception DC 29 (Scent counts as well... if it's available) 
And in the trees behind the clearing, one--and only one--familiar figure lurks, and hums, and smells faintly of honey...
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Map is  here . Place yourselves wherever you like.

Manchineel has not made any move to attack--not even with pheromones, as far as you can tell! That being said, she knew you were coming, and she hasn't let down her defenses. You can attempt to bluff her to get a surprise attack, you can try seeing how she reacts to what you know about her... or you can do something I haven't considered. The ball's in your court!
 
Ridai
Nerves are acting up much more once they are in the completely disfigured forest. There has been practice with the sense of the most dangerous fight coming interfering with his concentration. But it's just going to be bad anyway. "Natural" environment like a liminal space image gallery. One of the big bads at the center. The spider-mantis and its tortured existence doesn't help either. Or that everything around them is silent.

Nope shakes his head, looking at the ground that may as well be a carpet as Manchineel announces her plan to make him the new Uriel. Once the dryad is done, he says  "Lucia, you think you can make me "know myself" and make others "know me" with a new body. You don't know what you're talking about. If you did, I wouldn't ever have gotten here." 
 "I, too, would like the world to make sense. But it doesn't. And nature doesn't care, it just is, all the competition, suffering, and killing its fauna inflicting on itself included. The universe doesn't give a **** about us and what we think. Millions of little rules under the hood making everything in nature work and adapt, and we barely know a tiny fraction of 'em. And there's something like that for humanity as well. I saw it once. And it refuses to make any goddamn sense or care. Or follow any little rules we try to make up. The moment you make me Uriel, you will mess with forces you don't know anything about and will not understand. And if you are lucky, they will just wipe you from existence. If not, you might end up like that one."  Nope points to the spider-mantis enduring its agony-filled last few hours of existence.

 "And you might take whatever is around you with you. I don't like this country very much. I think it is ******* insane and hostile, the way it was made what it is today. Plenty of bad people too. It's well on the way of ruining itself. But I don't wish bad things on others. It's not ideal, but I am fearful for a reason. The alternative is much worse. You remember when insects stopped being a thing in the Dome. That was an accident. Same time, you are well on the way of wiping people out, unintentionally or not, in the name of whatever the hell this is."  He gestures to Symmetry Grid Forest.  "Can't let that happen. Can't let you make me Uriel either. 'Cause that might be even worse. Don't like doing any of this, don't want to be here and fight, but it is what it is."  Hands go back into his hoodie pockets. He thought about appealing to Lucia's humanity, maybe finding some common ground in how insane the world seems. But he honestly just doesn't know how. She already did so many things that are so far beyond any sort of moral compass he can comprehend. So he at least wants her to understand where he is coming from. This isn't personal vendetta or some pre-destined crap. Just Manchineel's pressure creating counter-pressure.

At least the talking helps Nope acclimate to his nerves a little bit. He sure doesn't sound like the most confident human on Earth.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Perception DC 29  (1d20+10)[ 27 ] 
 
Quellian-dyrae
As they entered the grove, for the first time since that terrible day almost three months ago, Lily beheld the specter of Manchineel.

And froze.

She didn't go still, in the way she sometimes did.  Every so often, when something sufficiently caught her attention, Lily went as still as a wooden mannequin.  Nectar flowed through her veins, but not according to a heart's pulse.  Oxygen went to provide fuel for her cells, but her chest did not rise and fall with breath.  Even the tiny unconscious shifts of position a human might make, for balance or comfort or just from the occasional twitch of muscles she didn't really...do.  It rarely lasted long enough to be a noticeable factor, but in those moments, she didn't even blink.

Lily did not go  that  still, when she laid eyes on Manchineel.

Because though her feet felt rooted to the ground, her entire body shook like a leaf.  The tip of the spear she held wavered wildly.  The smell of honey filled the air around her at an intensity just barely short of cloying.

It was funny.  They had hunted down every member of her Menagerie.  She had been obsessing over this moment, this coming battle, for a week straight - an entirely sleepless week at that.  Preparing for it, planning for it, assembling whatever weapons she could all with the single and specific intent of defeating Manchineel once and for all.

So  how in the world had she somehow managed to overlook the fact that that meant actually facing flipping  MANCHINEEL!?  

Well, no.  That wasn't entirely fair, no matter how accurate it may have seemed to her in the moment.  It wasn't like she hadn't known that was exactly what they were doing, hadn't worried and fretted over it.  It was...it was just the flip side of what she had realized at the coffee shop.  This entire time, she had been subconsciously assuming that dying here was more-or-less a foregone conclusion.  It would not be correct to say she had accepted that.  Mostly she hadn't noticed or consciously thought about it at all.  But that's where all her fear of Manchineel had really been going.

And now?  Now that she had realized what she was doing, consciously noticed it, and decisively rejected it?

It turned out she was just as terrified as Manchineel as she had been when she had first attacked her lab.

Manchineel spoke, and Lily, still shaking, boggled.  She was...well, no, she wasn't  apologizing .  But she said she had been arrogant, short-sighted.  Lily's mind literally went blank there.  She did not know how to respond to that.   Foolish!?   Manchineel had, if not ruined her life, come  terrifyingly  near to it.  Had very probably ruined her coworkers' lives.  And had certainly  changed  her life indelibly, and not necessarily for the better, even if she were generous enough to give her credit for the powers.  Her tension with her family, her all-but-broken relationship with her sister, was more than proof enough of that.

And it had been...what, a  mistake?   An  oopsie-daisy? 

Lily Woods was far from perfect, and in particular was far from perfectly forgiving.  Her relationship with Hannah would have been in a much better place if she had been.  But you know, sure.  She could recognize when bias was influencing her thoughts.  It was not actually rational that she should find this claim  more  offensive than she felt she would have found M. Bison's "For me it was Tuesday" line in the same circumstance.  Maybe,  maybe , she could have found it within herself to offer forgiveness, had Manchineel followed up on that with a heartfelt apology.  Maybe she could have empathized with a person new to their powers, making a terrible mistake with abilities they did not truly understand how to use, or control.

Manchineel did not ask for her forgiveness.

Manchineel asked... for  a DO- OVER!   

The shaking didn't stop.  But the smell of honey started to burn away under the scent of freshly-baked bread.

 "Per fect  us!?"  Lily spat, with enough venom behind it that it should have taken up 20 PP out of her dynamic array.   "You mean turn us into more of your  MONSTERS !?"   The dam broke.  Months of fear, and pain, and hate, and blinding rage started spewing out from Lily's mouth of a vindictive torrent.   "You perfect  nothing !  Look at this place!  Picturesque identical trees!?  They'll all get wiped out at once if even one of them gets a disease!  Roots forming a pathway?  Brilliant, you made them bigger so they need  more  water to survive, and then made them  less  efficient at collecting it!  Look at those poor creatures!  They'll die by sunset because you took a pair of insects, smooshed them together, bulked them up to like a thousand times their previous size, and didn't take the time to cheat away the mess it made of their biology or probably even the damage done by the freaking  square-cube law!   Look at what you did to Zephyr Magro!  He couldn't even speak when you were through with him!  Look at what you did to Cosme Muto!  Overwrote a brilliant mind with a literal bird-brain, and then cursed her to fear the ground as an afterthought!"   Tears of faintly golden nectar started falling from Lily's eyes, then.   "Look at what you did to Ntombi Peters!  A lover of nature just like you  profess  to be, and you turned her into a fungal horror and bound her in chains of biology!" 

And then, with a faint green-gold sparkle as stored solar energy was released from several dozen places on her body, the lovely young woman with flower petals for wings was gone, and in her place stood a monster.  It was almost nine feet tall, but didn't really look  big , for its body was more narrow in profile than even Lily's small, slim form had been, a more-or-less cylindrical green stamen.  It had no legs, just a tangle of roots that undulated like a tentacular nest of earthworms.  It had no arms, but two broad leaves extended out from its sides, pliable enough to wrap and grasp, but with edges sharp enough to serve as blades.  Thorns jutted out from all over its stamen, shaped like the thorns of a rose but far larger, the biggest nearing a foot in length and sprouting smaller secondary thorns of their own, a toxic green substance dripping from their tips.  At the top was a "head" that seemed a bulbous orb of yellow pollen, a rough outline of Lily's face vaguely visible in the motes of it, as if she were pressing it against one of those little bed-of-needle toys, veiled in four large flower petals - pink at their base, gradiating to white at their edges.  Hilariously, the little plastic noseplug, not being constructed of vegetable matter and so not within her power to transform, remained pinched incongruously over the roughly nose-shaped protrusion in the pollen.  The flower monster bent its pliable stamen so the vague outline of its face could fix Manchineel with a rage-filled glare, and it roared in a voice that was neither masculine nor feminine, but a horrible wavering buzzing, like an entire hive of bees vibrating at precisely the right frequency to produce sounds that could just barely be recognized as human speech.

   "LoOk At WhAt YoU dId To Me!  YoU cAlL tHiS  pErFeCt !?"   

The energy maintaining that momentary transmutation expired - for as always, Lily's tactical transmutations, fueled by stored solar energy, were only ever short lived.  It was only using her base power, at its base speed of two pounds per second, that she could transform vegetable matter to another form permanently.  The next instant, she was back in her normal form, a thin line of nectar running down each cheek.  The shaking had stopped.

 "Guess what, Manchineel?  Humans are part of nature too.  We evolved the same way every other plant and animal on this planet did, and after over three and a half  billion  years of blind trial and error, our brains are the single most wondrous thing to ever come out of the entire process, by orders of magnitude.  And sure, we may not be  perfect .  But I'll take evolution's blind chaos over your oh-so-intelligent design ANY DAY!" 
 
 Spoiler 
Hero Point!  HERO POINT!   AND ANOTHER HERO POINT!   Manchineel shares Lily's Weakness to effects that specifically affect plantlife!

Initiative:  (1d20+8)[ 12 ] !
 
Abracadangit
Kal hears out Manchineel's chilling speech, and the threads making up her costume bristle in discomfort at the mention of being added to the Menagerie.

  "Hnn, hnn, hnn, hnn,"   snickers Ariadne, at the end.  "I think to myself, where have I heard something like this before? And of course, the spider reminds me. You are the latest in a long line of Arachnes, fools who have a taste of power or skill, and dream themselves to be equal with the gods." 
 "But you are more a gardener than a goddess, hm? You do not like it for your oaks and elms to grow beside each other, so you arrange them in tidy little lines. You cannot bend allies to your cause, so you infect them with madness that dissolves who they are. You think you are an aspect of nature? Hnn, hnn, hnn. You are an aspect of trowels and trellises."  The crimson thread begins to weave and twist around Ariadne, forming enormous pruning shears, poised to strike.

 "Let us not tarry, hm?   There is much thread to be spun." 
Dorni
Helios wore a scowl while the team passed through the perfectly spaced forest. It reminded him of a plantation forest left behind after a logging crew came in. Those trees were planted in unnaturally even rows as well, but the root and branches at least were allowed to grow wild and they provided a shelter for the shrubs and creatures below. This was just eerie, like some artist had heard about a thing called a forest and decided to make one pretty while completely missing its soul.

By the time Manchineel finished her big speech, Helios just felt tired.  "Lucia, that's your big pitch? Join me and we'll perfect nature? I'll admit I at least expected a 'join or die'." 

He gestured held a hand out toward Lily.  "What she said. But... you never had a pet, did you? You don't love an animal because they're perfect. You love them for who they are. All their quirks and habits. You smile when they hide under a pile of blankets when it storms. You grumble about how they never let you sleep in on the weekend. She could be such a brat sometimes. If you 'perfected' all that away you'd be left something no different from a robot." 
 "You don't need a new menagerie. You're that boss who needs people around them that can tell them 'no' and stop them before their terrible ideas cause more harm." 
Zelphas
 Round 1 

An odd, strangled sort of expression appears on Manchineel's face as Nope begins to speak, though she smooths it quickly behind a mask of smooth calm, almost concern. She listens, her body just a little too still, but does not respond to Nope's statements, her pure-green eyes boring into him with something remote behind them. Then Lily speaks, and Manchineel barely shifts to look at her. She nods at seemingly appropriate moments during the rant, even making a sound that could almost be considered a  noise of concern  when she sees Floral's monstrous form. Lily finishes her speech...

And Manchineel laughs and claps her hands like a little child.   "Yes, yes! I knew you were the right choice, when Uriel brought you to my attention. I hear the music, but you... you know how to  write  it. Once you can hear it, too, how beautiful this world will become! A beautiful garden--for the world is a garden, and what is a garden without its loving gardener?"   Manchineel raises one hand as if to brush off Ariadne's comments, her eyes fixed on Floral.

That strangled, strange expression appears on Manchineel's expression again for a moment in response to Helios' words, stronger, and more strongly pushed away.   "But that is just what I'm asking, dear Gabriel! I know the goal, but I've stumbled on the path, made errors and mistakes. Who better to tell me, to guide me and be guided by me, than you? All of you? But you will not listen."   Abruptly, anger clouds Manchineel's dryadic visage.   "I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, but you have elected the way of pain. So be it."  

With a flash of green, Manchineel sinks into the geometric pattern of roots all around her. A few seconds later, she steps out of the tree next to Nope, reaching up with a hand. At its touch, Nope would feel pain--pain and weakness, as the toxin leached his strength from his limbs. Moments later, the Spider-Mantis has lurched across the field, one long, bladed arm flinging drops of poison as it slashes down. From behind in the similar grove, a low buzzing heralds the approach of one more enemy, this one hauntingly familiar. A Vesper floats from behind a tree, flying on its silent wings directly up to Floral and reaching out one not-hand, it's motions disturbingly similar to Manchineel's.

On the other side of the clearing, a large tortoise covered in clover tries to see if it can find anything but dead leaves to eat on the ground.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
If the Vesper hits you, you take a -5 to your first (and only first, if Progressive matters) Resistance check vs. the Affliction. Take a  Hero Point  now because I refuse to let them die.
 

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map .

 Manchineel 

Move Action: Teleport to AB41.

Standard Action: Use  Toxic Touch  on Nope.  (1d20+14)[ 22 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 33/28 vs. Secondary Effect Damage Linked Progressive Weaken Resistance.  Hit 
 Spider-Mantis 

Move Action: Shift to AA44. (Ariadne, if you'd like to start elsewhere, move the Spider-Mantis to directly above you when you move.)

Free Action: Reconfigure  Abomination Weapon  Array.

Standard Action: Use  Overpotent Delayed Paralyzer Slash  on Ariadne.  (1d20+12)[ 25 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Secondary Effect Damage Linked Progressive Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled.  Hit 
 Last Vesper  (I promise, unless Manchineel wins)  

Move Action: Fly to Y40.

Standard Action: Use  Touching Sting  on Floral.  (1d20+10)[ 28 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 29/24 vs. Penetrating Damage Linked Progressive Impaired/Stunned/Paralyzed Affliction.  Hit, full Penetrating; DCs are 34/24. 
 Raskovnik 

Actions: Try to find something tasty to eat.  (1d20)[ 12 ]   Just the leaves... 
 All PCs are up. This is the last battle of the arc: Hero Points are use 'em or lose 'em! 
 
Quellian-dyrae
If you asked Lily which she were more afraid of, Manchineel or the Vespers...well, she'd probably be too proud to give you a straight answer and launch into an elaborate discussion of various capabilities along with their both general and personal threat levels in an effort to bury you in details and numbers and comparisons in the desperate hope that you would give up and go away.

But not counting that, she'd say Manchineel without hesitation.  It was simply and intuitively obvious.  Manchineel was vastly more powerful than Vespers, and also could  create Vespers!   It really wasn't a question, from any sort of rational threat-assessment standpoint.

It wasn't that Lily didn't  know , didn't  understand , that fear wasn't actually a matter of rational threat assessment.  She just wouldn't have seen how else to answer to question.  She was pretty freaking terrified of both of them.  She could reflect back on her past encounters with them and try to evaluate which had  felt  more frightening, but both situations had resolved to a sufficiently intense fear that she couldn't really accurately judge relative degree.  She couldn't quite say with confidence that they had been  equally scary , but she was fairly sure the felt fear amount of fear would not have appeared meaningfully different if graphed on a log scale.  It definitely wasn't statistically significant.  Failing that, the only way she could think of to answer the question was by reframing it as which she believed presented the greatest total threat to her.  It was a proxy for the true answer, but she would have figured, a fairly reliable one.  And on that assessment, it was Manchineel hands down.  Absent some manner of  empirical  evidence of her relative emotional response, it was the best answer she could give.

So, good news!  Now she had that!  Because when the Vesper popped out and started reaching for her, and Manchineel popped up and started reaching for Nope, she didn't just try to dodge, she literally  hurled herself away from the Vesper and straight into Manchineel's reaching grasp!   Empirical evidence obtained!  Update made!  She is officially more afraid of Vespers than Manchineel!  Yay science!

The last time Lily Woods had felt the touch of Manchineel's hand, she had experienced the sudden bending, twisting, writhing agony of being transformed against her will into a hideous flower-monster, her body, her cells, her very  DNA  altered on a fundamental level.  She had cried, and she had screamed, and she had begged, and she had  changed .  Bees may have come closer to killing her, but that was and remained the most viscerally  awful  experience of her life.

This time...she came out of it with her arm feeling just  slightly  damp.  Poison didn't...it didn't work  great  on a person whose body was filled with healing nectar rather than blood.

In Lily's head, Lucia Urquhart and Manchineel were two different people.  She had never really been able to integrate them into a single mental model.  Lucia was...the raw materials that had been reconfigured to become Manchineel, to her.  While she could switch back and forth between say Uriel and Ntombi, she would not, by natural inclination, call Manchineel anything other than Manchineel.

...But that was just her baseline impulse, not some hard mental block.  She didn't go without noting Manchineel's reactions to Lucia's name being spoken.  If there was any chance that calling Manchineel Lucia could distract her even slightly, that was more than enough reason to do it to overcome a slight cognitive preference.   "Sorry, Lucia.  But it turns out I'm not just another pretty flower for your garden." 

And she whirled her spear in hand, gripped it firmly, and thrust it- straight into the ground, impaling a single yellow leaf amidst that fractal carpet.

Lily's power rushed out of her, passing through that leaf and into the others it was in contact with, and from them to the ones they touched, and on and on.  Not in a Raphaelan blaze of brilliant green-white light.  Not even in a sparkling shimmer of stored sunlight.  It didn't come with the concussive blast of a bomb, or a sudden shockwave, or even a light breeze.  It wasn't a flood, or a wave.  It was barely a ripple, a gentle surge of energy noticeable more for its effects than for itself.  It wasn't subtle on the level of Nope's power.  The sky did not sneeze, trees did not rotate 360 degrees, and the fundamental concept of North did not dance a quick jig.  For the power Lily unleashed was not the power to heal grievous wounds, or scour a foe with searing acid, or cripple them with poison.  She wasn't even smelling good especially hard.

In the face of Manchineel, her greatest personal enemy, one of the most powerful villains in the Dome - and perhaps in the world, as rare and uncertain as superpowers were, or at least had been, until the Watcher had arrived in their time - Lily opened up combat with her single weakest power.

The power to transform vegetable matter into other vegetable matter, precisely down to the cellular level, at the rate of two pounds per second.

Over the course of the next six seconds, that power would ripple gently out among the mass of leaves making up Manchineel's fractal carpet.  Lily's base power was incredibly weak, but that didn't  necessarily  mean that it was small.  Its limit was mass, not volume.  Twelve pounds wasn't a lot in most contexts...but it could be a lot of leaves.

She didn't change them all in one space, surrounding herself with a thousand leaves in garish colors, creating a single blighted mark on Manchineel's working.  It was more subtle than that.  In any other forest in autumn, you never would have noticed a difference, unless maybe you had been paying close attention when a particular leaf changed.

But here, it would be all too obvious when Manchineel's perfect pattern...broke.

She didn't change one leaf in ten, even one in a hundred.  One in several hundred, maybe.  She changed their hues, mostly just to the other colors making up the pattern, but not  in  the pattern, placed wrongly.  A thousand individual pixels out of place, spread out randomly - not in a pattern of their own - making the entire picture look ever so subtly but clearly noticeably  wrong .

That wasn't all she did.  She threw in a few random green leaves out of nowhere.  Many of the leaves she changed were darker or lighter than the base colors of the pattern.  Many of them became different  types  of leaves, leaves that didn't match the location, that made no  sense  to be here.  Some ceased to be leaves at all, becoming acorns, or twigs...or flowers, creating tiny gaps in the carpet, like dead pixels on a computer screen.  She removed too much yellow and created too much red, offsetting the color balance ever so slightly.

 "I'm a  weed !"  she told her, and fired a vine - really, an elongating weed - tipped with poisonous thorns first at Manchineel, before it curved around to go slashing past the Vesper, and finished off thrusting a thorny tip at the spider-mantis.

 
 Spoiler 
Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  10 points to Transmute Plants(!), 5 points to Overpowering Scent, 5 points to Overwhelming Scent, 10 points to Poisonous Nectar, 10 points to Drugged Nectar, 10 points to Floral Blood, 10 points to Floral Vines (Affliction+Weaken).  Descriptor set to [Physiological] [Poison].  Her Blight power is also active, adding its Penetrating extras to the Affliction and Weaken against plants only.

Free: Set Favored Environment bonus to Attack.

Move: Charge Floral Vines.

Standard: Transform about a thousand leaves in a way that subtly but obviously ruins Manchineel's pattern while Linking an attack on Manchineel, The Last Vesper, and Spider-Mantis (oh I see what you did there XD) with Poisonous Nectar.  On a hit, Resistance DC 20 vs. [Physiological] [Poison] Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Affliction Linked Weaken Effect and Resistance.  The Blight makes this especially effective against Plant targets, adding the Penetrating extra.
 Manchineel:  (1d20+12)[ 26 ] .
The Last Vesper:  (1d20+12)[ 25 ] .
Spider-Mantis:  (1d20+12)[ 30 ] . 
Current Status: Normal, SE (Damage DC 33@+5), Floral Blood (+5 Res/-5 Def).
 
Ridai
Nope balls his fists and grits his teeth as Manchineel disappears and the fight begins, pressing breaths through his teeth at an increasing rate. Mental state transitioning from a level surface disturbed by ripples to the adrenaline-fueled spiky ball of tension, where control takes a hit, but Removals get pushed out faster (whether Nope likes it or not).

He doesn't even register Manchineel appearing beside him until it is too late, or rather until Floral intercepts the attack, seemingly just straight up ignoring it. The moment kicks Nope into action, simply throwing himself in the way of the Vesper, very much feeling the poison, very much removing as much of it as he can before it can paralyze his heart and lungs. Instead, he is just left with a great deal of pain.

A grunt presses out of Nope. Focus. Focus. Vesper, Spider-Mantis,   Manchineel.   Aw heck. No time to think about how more powerful beings seem to be able to resist the Removals more easily (...sometimes). Just... just try to incapacitate what he can.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  We are once again on  Remove Second Guessing  and  Remove Hit Points, Mass .

 Move  Dazed.

 Standard  Attack The Last Vesper, the Spider-Mantis, and Manchineel. DC 27 Damage (Shapeable Area 2 [Limited [6"x6"x240' bendable line]], Penetrating, Improved Critical 4, Multiattack, Ranged). Power Attacking -2/+2, All-out Attack -2/+2. Penetrating to punch through resistances. Multiattack set to single-target.
Attack vs The Last Vesper  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] 
Attack vs Spider-Mantis   (1d20+10)[ 13 ]    Rerolled to 22 
Attack vs Manchineel  (1d20+10)[ 27 ]   Crit, but not getting my hopes up 
 
Abracadangit
The Spider-Mantis' claw rakes out towards Ariadne, and for a moment, looks as though it connected. But Ariadne's double explodes in a cyclone of red thread, and she weaves herself back into the world a short distance away.

 "Hnn,   hnn,   hnn,   stitching together beetles and bugs. Reminds me of minotaurs. Why are   bloated tyrants always guarded by monsters made of different beasts    put together, like wooden dolls?" 

The needle in her hand flickers coldly in the sunlight, as a salvo of threads coils around her like springs.

 "It matters not. For the tyrants,   it always ends the same." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Moving to AA49.
Standard: Dropping a Thread Lash Cloud on AA42. I think that hits everyone, but please correct me if I'm wrong. Homing, Multiattack, Secondary Effect, Penetrating to get through resistances.
Against Spider-Mantis:  (1d20+10)[ 30 ] 
Against Manchineel:  (1d20+10)[ 27 ] 
Against The Last Vesper:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
 
Dorni
Helios barely reacted at the sight of the Vesper and the tortoise-thing coming into view, merely making a mental note. Then taking a mental note that he'd only taken a mental note. He was no warrior. Or, rather, he didn't think of himself as one prior to this vacation. But that was weeks ago and now in the face of what should have been his most terrifying enemy yet he found himself calm.

Or maybe the unreality hadn't set in yet. Blame the magic. Either way, worry for later.

 "I guess there was a Join-Or-Die here after all. This is exactly the problem here. You make an offer. We say no. You immediately try to force us to serve you anyway. That's rather the opposite of showing that you're willing to listen to others. Consider that test a failure." 

He'd come prepared with spells worked out just for Manchineel, but put that aside and seized on the opening Floral had created, weaving an old favorite. Helios knew he was taking a risk weakening his wards to pour more power into the spell, but it struck him as worth it to take down out one of their enemies early. And the spider-mantis deserved mercy rather than being slowly crushed by its own mass. He snapped his fingers and the spider-mantis erupted in flames.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells to Penetrating Secondary Effect Damage Linked Penetrating Weaken [Resistance]

Move:
Standard: Cast Combust on Spider Mantis. AoA/PA 5.  (1d20+10)[ 13 ] . On hit, DC 30+/25+ vs SE Damage and Weaken [Resistance]

Fine, AoA 5. All characters begin combat with a Triggered Restorative SE 6 Healing effect.
 
Zelphas
 Round 2 
  "You--"   Manchineel seems to freeze, staring at a leaf out of place in the ground directly in front of her. Floral's weed disappears into her arrow-leaf hair, and then out the other side, somehow without touching Manchineel. All around her, Nope twists the world, Ariadne sends out stinging threads, and Helios brings forth his fire. The Last Vesper catches Floral's poisonous weed with one hand, holding it tight for a split second before letting it tear out and slam into the Spider-Mantis. The extra force cracks some of the Spider-Mantis' glistening green chitin, causing the misbetgotten creature to keen weirdly in pain. The world shudders comfortably, and the crack is twice as wide as it was, the Spider-Mantis seeming almost more confused than pained by the change. Threads meet bees and warp into a hexagon around the Last Vesper, not touching its inhuman surface, but the Spider-Mantis is not so lucky; it lets out another low, keening cry as the threads find its new weakness and tear the chitin more, spreading the cracks. Fire meets moss in a hiss of steam, and then the Spider-Mantis reappears, slightly blackened, wounded, twitching--and still alive.

Nothing touches Manchineel. Nothing breaks her concentration on the single leaf. Reaching down with one small, delicate hand, the so-called spirit of the forest touches the leaf with a single finger. The air shivers unhealthily, and the pattern is restored.   "I accept the title of gardener with pride, my dear weed,"   Manchineel says, rising back to her feet and looking directly at Floral.   "What is a gardener but a perfecter of nature's beauty? Say what you will about weeds at large, but a gardener verses a  four  weeds is not even a tale worth telling."  

The Spider-Mantis shudders, curling inwards on itself. The pale green chitin darkens, moving from grass, to bottle, to deep forest, spreading out from the... is it shrinking?... crack until the entire Mantis is this darkened color. Straightening, the Mantis bares mismatched fangs, then reaches up to wipe both of its long, sharp blade-arms across them, leaving trails of budding poison. It flicks its blades once, twice, sending arcs of bubbling poison towards Helios nearby.

The Last Vesper, for its part, simply spreads its too-long arms, and bees flood from every gap in its hive-body to sting and bite at the person before it.

In the back of the clearing, the great tortoise lifts up its head, observing the battle with uninterested eyes before going back to its forage.

And Ariadne feels the earlier blow from the Spider-Mantis suddenly slam into her anew, and Floral feels the damp poison of Manchineel on her arm begin to burn...

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map .

 Manchineel 

Move Action: Seethe.

Standard Action: Use  Perfect Nature  on the forest floor; the pattern is restored.

End of Turn: SE activates. Floral, Resistance DC 33 vs. Damage.

 Spider-Mantis 

Move Action: Dazed.

Free Action: Reconfigure  Abomination Weapon Array 

Standard Action: Use  Destabilizer Slice  on Helios.  (1d20+13)[ 29 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 21 vs. Weaken Attack Bonus.  Hit 

End of Turn 1: save vs. Impaired &amp; Vulnerable (DC 22):  (1d20+6)[ 25 ]   Recovers... 

End of Turn 2: Regenerate 1 Bruise, heal 1 Resistance and 1 Effect.

End of Turn 3: SE activates. Ariadne, Resistance DC 29 vs. Damage.

 Last Vesper 

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Use  Swarm  on Nope.  (1d20+12)[ 21 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27+/22 vs. Multiattack Damage Linked Progressive Impaired/Stunned.  Hit, no Multiattack. 
 Raskovnik 

Maybe this time?:  (1d20)[ 19 ]   Is that--nope, more leaves. 
 All PCs are up. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
 "For a normal gardener, maybe.  But you seem to kinda suck at the job, Lucia."  Lily said, pointing behind Manchineel at a patch of leaves that, with another pulse of Lily's power, turned dry, brown, and withered.  Oh, sure, it wasn't anywhere near the scale of disruption to the pattern that her previous attempt had been.  But when you were dealing with somebody who was sufficiently obsessive, sometimes the size of the disruption wasn't everything.   "You missed a spot." 

While learning how many licks it took to get to the Temper-roll center of an Obsession-pop was a noble scientific experiment, the Spider-Mantis seemed to be shrugging off a lot of the damage it had received.  The traces of Blight she had added to her poisoned weed had seemed effective against it.

Time to see how it did against the real thing.  Lily pointed her spear like...well, I'd say like a rifle, but we've seen now how she handles a rifle and this was much better than that, growing a thorn from its tip, filling it with Blighted venom, and firing it at the Spider-Mantis.

Manchineel had avoided all of their attacks almost effortlessly.  Defeating her through force of arms would require their full concentration; that meant taking out the lesser foes first.  But it didn't mean they could just leave Manchineel completely unengaged.  So even as Lily brought her powers and her invention to bear against the Spider-Mantis, she continued striking not at Manchineel's body, but at every psychological weakness she knew about, or could imagine her having.

 "There is something I've been wondering, though.  When we talked to Abel, he called Michael your second child, and the rest of the Menagerie his brethren.  When we talked to Uriel, she also said you referred to them as your children, and that you loved them."

"But Helios is right, it's not like you made them an offer and they accepted it.  And they certainly didn't serve  you  out of love.  Uriel was terrified of you.  Gabriel despises you.  Michael and Raphael were just animals following their instincts, and by the time you were through with him Abel wasn't much more than that - although to be fair, that one  particular  case wasn't actually your fault."

"You sing, and they dance, is how Abel and Uriel both described it.  That's why they served you.  And I could go into a whole rant about how that's not love, but you know, maybe in your twisted up head it makes sense.  Maybe you think that singing to your children is just what a mother is supposed to do.  I could at least understand that, all things considered."

"But the moment we arrived, you launched right into offering to make us your new Menagerie.  We took Michael down two days ago, and he went down so easy it almost makes me wonder if you sent him to get himself captured just to open his slot.  Heck, Gabriel's still technically active, and here you go offering Helios her job."

"So here's my question: what kind of mother is so eager to replace her own children?" 

She let that hang for a beat or two, and then added, her voice softer, more gentle, sounding almost sympathetic.  There wasn't really any particular reason to believe this line of attack would amount to anything.  Nothing they had learned about Manchineel suggested it should have all that much of an effect.    "Lucia Urquhart had a mother too, you know.  You turned her friend's daughter into Gabriel."  

But when it came to psychological attacks, Lily Woods, of all people, knew there was no harder punch to throw than one that hit you in the  family .
 And she threw that punch as ruthlessly as she would swing her Blighted spear.  She would leave no weapon lying idle that might give her any even incrementally better chance at defeating her nemesis.

 "Do you think she's replaced you yet?" 
 
 Spoiler 
Non-Action: Blight remains active.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  10 points to Transmute Plants, 10 points to Floral Blood, 10 points to Floral Thorn, 10 points to Miasmic Scent, 10 points to Drugged Nectar, 10 points to Lingering Scents.

Free: Set Favored Environment to Attack.

Move: Long-shot attempt to Feint Spider-Mantis (+2 for Favored Foe) at  (1d20+7)[ 16 ] .

Standard: Use Transmute Plants to transmute a bit of Manchineel's pattern to dry dead leaves, and Link an attack on Spider-Mantis with Blight, All Out Attacking for 5, Power Attacking for 2, at  (1d20+15)[ 20 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 22+Penetrating/22+Penetrating vs. [Physiological] [Poison] Limited to Plants Cumulative Secondary Effect Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Affliction and [Physiological] [Poison] Limited to Plants Weaken Effect and Resistance.  On a miss, Homing 1.   Pretty sure that just misses unless the Feint succeeds. 

Free:  Talk. 

Current Status: Normal, AoA -5, Floral Blood (-5 Def/+5 Res).
 
Abracadangit
 "Hrr  rm,"  Ariadne hrrms, upon realizing that some of her foes have been bred specifically to be resistant to magic. In that case, she had other patterns to weave.

Buoyed on wings of thread, she zooms over to the center of her teammates' formation, just as quilted shields spin into existence around her allies and herself.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Move to Z44.
Standard: Silken Shields Cloud on Z43, should get everyone inside.
 
Ridai
Manchineel turns out to be as OCD as rumored, which is good.

The Last Vesper, meanwhile, engulfs Nope in bees. As their kind is wont to do. Nope would sigh, but he doesn't want bees down his throat again. He found way too many bees in his clothes after the last fight against Vespers. And some stuck in burned skin sticking to clothes. So being able to Remove much of what the bees are trying to do is okay. But he is still covered in bees.

So, while the  member of the League  is still busy with getting the floor just right and the bees are currently not invading his orifices, Nope tries to focus on the Spider-Mantis, to maybe also put it out of its misery.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Free  Switching to  Remove Hit Points 
 Standard  Attack Spider-Mantis. DC 25/20/20 Damage (Ranged, Improved Crit 4), Linked Weaken Resistance, Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition)
Attack  (1d20+10)[ 18 ] 
 
Dorni
Helios frowned. His spell had set the spider-mantis chimera on fire, so that wasn't nothing, but he'd felt a... resistance to his spell. Manchineel had figured out how to imbue the spider-mantis with magic resistance. Great. Yet the chimera hadn't fully recovered from Lily's spear and the flames were still burning. Now wasn't the time to let up.

So instead of conjuring fire, he wove another spell. This time the spider-mantis was engulfed by a purple, acrid-smelling miasma. Leaves and vines alike withered and died where the toxic herbicidal mist touched them.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: activate Ritual: Bio (Concentration Damage (Limited to Plants) Linked Concentration Weaken [Resistance] (Limited to Plants) [Poison])
Free: Set Spells to Damage gains Penetrating, Perception. Weaken gains Penetrating.

Standard: Cast Bio on Spider Mantis.  (1d20+7)[ 12 ] . On hit, DC 25+/20+ vs Penetrating Damage / Penetrating Weaken [Resistance]

End of turn: Recover 1 attack bonus
-2 Attack, SE Healing 6, Deflected
 
Zelphas
 Round 3 

The Last Vesper, seemingly forgotten in the melee, covers itself in a thick carpet of bees, while more bees flash out to surround the Spider-Mantis in a hexagon shape of protection. It buzzes quietly, waiting.

Meanwhile, the Spider-Mantis hardly seems to notice Floral's thorn piercing its armor, the world warping inside out and sideways near it, or the fog of poison that wilts some of its moss. A secondary flare of Fire bursts around it, increasing the burn on its moss, but already new moss is growing, spreading, dying, as its accelerated lifespan cures its wounds and pushes it further towards its final end. Seeing one of its foes obligingly appear in front of it (just before vanishing behind a shield of cloth), the creature lifts its scythe-arms and slashes again, poison foaming from all along the blade.

The giant clover-turtle wanders a little closer to the clearing, still browsing through the leaves.

Finally, Manchineel goes through a whole host of emotions in a matter of moments. Rage, as a new patch of leaves ruin the freshly-remade pattern, transforming into vindictive anger as she looks back at Floral. Then confusion blossoms, followed by chagrin, and finally haughty pride.   "They would not be 'replaced'; I would give them peace, rest, their own places to--"  

Then Floral said a name. First and last. And for a moment, Lucia Urquhart stared out of pure-green eyes, horrified, terrified beyond belief, perhaps beyond sanity.

  "No. No!"   Manchineel put her hands to either side of her head, crouching down as though expecting a blow. A strange medley of scents--honey-dipped mint, cinnamon and maple syrup--permeates the symmetrical grove, sweet smells grown harsh by their strength.   "I'm not--she didn't--Lucia died. She died--at Camp, when everything--no! Stop. STOP!"   All the other scents are overwhelmed seconds later by an indescribable scent, something that attempts to overpower the mind as well as the senses: the desperate, primal urge to freeze in place.

Mere seconds later, the final Vesper vanishes with a crash as Gabriel lands directly on top of it, oversized talons extended. Bees crawl up and over her legs, stinging and stinging; she staggers under their assault, but barely keeps herself upright, and the screech that splits the air is filled with pure, simple rage.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map .

 The Last Vesper 

Move Action:  Nope --er, not moving.

Standard Action: Use  Guard  on the Spider-Mantis. The Spider-Mantis is Deflected at 1d20+11 (minimum 21).

 Spider-Mantis 

Move Action: Dazed.

Free Action: Reconfigure  Abomination Weapon  Array.

Standard Action: Use  Delayed Overpotent Paralyzer Scythe  on Ariadne, All-Out Attacking for 5. The wall is in the way.

Accuracy vs. the wall:  (1d20+18)[ 34 ]  vs. Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 21 ]  On a hit, wall Resistance vs. Damage DC 27:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ]   Hit, but only Bruised! 
 If that at least Breaches the wall, Accuracy vs. Ariadne:  (1d20+18)[ 37 ]  vs. Deflect:  (1d20+10)[ 12 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 27/22 vs. Secondary Effect Damage Linked Progressive Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Dsiabled. 

End of Turn: 1 Bruise Healed (Temporary), Heal back 1 Resistance and 1 Effect.

 Raskovnik 

Move Action: Shift to W7.

Standard Action: Anything good here?  (1d20)[ 13 ]   This is the problem with making a pattern of only leaves. 
 Manchineel 

Move Action: Flashback.

Standard Action: Use  Pheromone Overload  on everyone within Perception Range (Smell), which is everyone but the Raskovnik.

vs. Spider-Mantis:  (1d20+6)[ 8 ]  vs. 26; on a failure, Resistance (DC 26):  (1d20+14)[ 16 ]   Compelled to Stop 
vs. The Last Vesper:  (1d20+14)[ 33 ]  vs. 26; Onb a failure Resistance (DC 26):  (1d20+14)[ 26 ]   Fully Dodged. A True Champion, right until... 

Everyone else, Defense roll (DC 26) to negate, and then Resistance DC 26 vs. Cumulative Entranced/Compelled/Controlled. Right now, the only order given through the Compel/Control is "Stop".

Floral: You are Olfactorily Unaware, which makes you immune to this attack. However, since you are directly in front of Manchineel  and  have been made to be susceptible to these pheromones specifically, you may choose to say that some of the pheromones get through to you. If so, take a  Hero Point  for your  Plant-Based Biology  Complication and roll the Resistance check without any Weakness or Resistance modifiers.

 Gabriel 

Move Action: Arrive dramatically at Y40.

Standard Action: Use  Thwack  to completely splatter the Last Vesper. Guard activates, and Gabriel takes 1 Bruise and is Staggered from the Vesper's Reaction Damage. All rolls were rolled in the OOC.

 All PCs are up! 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily kept her mouth closed as Manchineel's pheromones washed over the area, ensuring there was no path for them to get up into her nasal passages through her throat.  With her nose plugged, she didn't smell a thing.

Gabriel's arrival might have drawn a smile and a wave, in most other circumstances.  Or maybe a cheer and a hug, given she freaking swatted the Vesper down like a fly!  But here, now, in this moment, she drew little more than a glance, because Lily didn't have the emotional bandwidth for joy, or hope.

The smell of fresh baked bread warred with the remnants of Manchineel's pheromones, as Lily's vision practically went red from rage.

 "Stop?"  she demanded once the wave of pheromones was passed.   " Stop!?   I  begged  you to stop, when you were transforming me into a monster!  I  pleaded  with you to stop, and you didn't even slow down!  Didn't so much as hesitate!  No!  I am  not  your minion!  I am  not  a part of your Menagerie!  You don't get to command me!  I don't care what traps you laid in my biology!  I don't care what pheromones you throw around!  You get stymied by a two-dollar piece of  plastic! "

"Lucia Urquhart isn't dead,"  Lily said, not actually believing a word of it and not caring in the slightest, if it gave her even the tiniest advantage against Manchineel.  She didn't have to believe a conclusion to present a convincing argument in its favor.   "Lucia Urquhart is the part of you that left Raphael's base nature in-tact, rather than twisting her entirely into something she was not.  Lucia Urquhart is the part of you who apologized to Abel when you were unable to repair the damage done by his brother.  Lucia Urquhart is the part of you who sought someone who wanted to find a weakness in the dome to become your Gabriel.  Lucia Urquhart is the part of you who realized you needed a Uriel to explain to you all the things you were doing wrong, all the ways you were hurting everybody around you.  Lucia Urquhart is the part of you who chose an animal instead of a person, to become your hunter of hunters Michael."

"It's called  humanity!   Learn to love it! "  Lily screamed, and rammed her spear straight at Manchineel's stomach, Blight already shooting from its tip even as she struck.

 
 Spoiler 
Alright.  Turtle's hungry, Mantis is Stopped, Vesper is splattered.  Time to take a swing and see what I can get for a double-Complication trigger.

Free: Maintain Blight.

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  10 points to Floral Blood, 10 points to Concentrated Poison, 10 points to Concentrated Scents, 10 points to Lingering Scents, 10 points to Lingering Poison, 10 points to Acidic Nectar.  Descriptors set to [Physiological] [Poison].

Move:  Very  long-shot, probably-mostly-Complication-fishing attempt to Feint Manchineel at  (1d20+5)[ 23 ] .   Huh, that might actually have a ghost of a chance of success if she doesn't have Uncanny Dodge. 

Standard: Attack Manchineel with Blight, All Out Attacking for 5, at  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] , with +5 for purposes of the Damage due to different attack tradeoffs.  On a hit, Resistance DC 25 vs. [Physiological] [Poison] Damage, and regardless of hit or miss DC 25+Penetrating-Perception vs. [Physiological] [Poison] Secondary Effect Limited to Plants Impaired+Vulnerable Affliction and [Physiological] [Poison] Secondary Effect Limited to Plants Limited to One Degree Weaken Effect and Resistance.   So 27 to hit for purposes of the Damage, 22 for the Affliction/Weaken but those are Perception.  Note also that the Damage isn't Limited to Plants so that Weakness won't apply, though her Poison Person Complication still might. 

If she is not affected by the Affliction, either due to making her Resistance check or an Interpose:

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: DO IT AGAIN! at  (1d20+10)[ 21 ] .   Likewise this is 26 to hit for the Damage, 21 for the others, IF it happens. 

End of Turn: Secondary Effect triggers.  Spider-Mantis gets Resistance DC 22 vs. [Physiological] [Poison] Limited to Plants Cumulative Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Affliction and [Physiological] [Poison] Limited to Plants Weaken Effect and Resistance.

Current Status: Normal, possibly Fatigued as of next turn, AoA -5, Floral Blood (-5 Def/+5 Res).
 
Ridai
Nope's indistinct face twists as he is hit with the pheromones, and them immediately trying to worm into his mind. The biological sledgehammer version of what happened inside the Proxy Suit, his brain associates with just about every bit of alarm it can scrounge together on short notice, and that is a lot of alarm.

  "Nope!"   The reflexive Removal briefly renders the area within one meter (or so) of Nope entirely scentless. He had explicitly warned Manchineel. He doesn't care if the first order was to "stop". She went and tried messing with his mind. No. No no no. Nope's not having it.

And thus, as Gabriel suddenly crushes the Vesper (!) and gives a deafening screech, he immediately fires back at Manchineel to rob her of consciousness, reality briefly overexposing the visuals and distorting the sound of what is happening as if things evidently needed to be even more disturbing.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Standard  Attack Manchineel. DC 27/22/22 Damage (Ranged, Improved Crit 4), Linked Weaken Resistance, Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition). AoA -2/+2, PA -2/+2
  (1d20+10)[ 17 ]     Rerolled to 25  
 
Abracadangit
Ariadne lunges behind one of her woven barriers, helping it to catch the Spider-Mantis' chitinous claw. A wave of nausea and numbness washes over her, as Manchineel's pheromone cloud wafts by.

 "Let's not chance that one,"  Ariadne says, while a mesh of thread weaves itself over the lower portion of her mask.  "Much better. And let us not   waste such a lovely pause, hm?"  Her threads coil menacingly around her, and then all dart forward to strike at once.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Change Threadworks array to Defensive Thread, gaining Immunity to gas-based attacks.
Standard: Thread Lash on Manchineel. Homing, SE, Multiattack, AoA +2/-2, Power Attack +2/-2.
Thread Lash vs. Manchineel:  (1d20+10)[ 28 ] 
 
Dorni
( Short on time, will edit description in later )

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Maintain Ritual: Bio (Concentration Damage (Limited to Plants) Linked Concentration Weaken [Resistance] (Limited to Plants) [Poison])
Free: Set Spells to Damage gains Penetrating, Weaken gains Penetrating, Linked Restorative Healing.

Cast Bio on Manchineel.  PA 4/AoA 5  (1d20+10)[ 16 ]     25  . On hit, DC 29+/24+ vs Concentration Penetrating Damage / Concentration Penetrating Weaken [Resistance].
Heal self at  (1d20+10)[ 22 ]   Restorative cures the remaining weaken 

-5 AoA
 
Zelphas
 Round 4 

The giant tortoise appeared in a flash of green, fouling Floral's first strike... but the second attack struck true, and the Death-empowered poison seeped into Manchineel's body with a visible blackening of veins branching out from the strike. The rest of you were quick to capitalize upon Manchineel's sudden weakness, unleashing a barrage of spell, string, and strange twists in reality. Manchineel kept herself together well enough, and the tortoise snaked out its neck to entangle Ariadne's threads, but Helios' wave of poison settled on her with painful intensity.

  "FINE THEN."   The voice that came out of Manchineel was twisted by pain, by confusion, by rage, but somehow most of all by terror.   "You think that humanity is so great? Take it, then!"   She lifted up a hand, reaching towards Floral with a horrifyingly familiar gesture--before a spasm caused her hand to twitch, and the gathering biochemical force flew just past Floral and struck Gabriel behind her. Gabriel shrieked, her body visibly twitching and twisting under the change, but kept her current form, even as the power tried to remake her once again.

Responding to an unheard signal from Manchineeel, the Spider-Mantis shook itself out of its stupor, then continued to shake, pale green liquid frothing out from all over its body. With one titanic convulsion, it spread the liquid in an arc all around it, attempting to drench all of you with potent, dangerous toxins. The giant tortoise, its neck wrapped in cutting red thread, let out a low, piteous cough, before nosing at the ground once again.

Gabriel, shaking with anger, fear, and pain, shot a burst of pinions at her hated foe.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Manchineel 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Genetic Warp  on Gabriel, All-out attacking for 5. Rolls are in OOC, because this could've potentially knocked out Gabriel's entire turn and made a lot of changes; Gabriel got out with 1 Bruise, Dazed, and Impaired.

Free Action: Drop the Compelled on the Spider-Mantis.

End of Turn: Regeneration kicks in; Manchineel gains 14 RP.

 Spider-Mantis 

Move Action: None.

Free Action: Reconfigure  Abomination Weapon  Array.

Standard Action: Use  Overpotent Paralysis Bomb  as a Selective Burst Area 1.

Ariadne:  (1d20+11)[ 16 ]  vs. 18 or  (1d20+8)[ 27 ]   Miss 
Helios:  (1d20+11)[ 18 ]  vs. 15 or  (1d20+5)[ 13 ]   Hit 
Floral:  (1d20+11)[ 26 ]  vs. 10 or  (1d20)[ 5 ]   Hit 
Nope:  (1d20+11)[ 25 ]  vs. 16 or  (1d20+6)[ 9 ]   Hit 
Gabriel:  (1d20+11)[ 23 ]  vs. 26, Gabriel Resistance (-2 for Impaired, DC 23):  (1d20+10)[ 25 ]   Miss 

On a hit, Resistance DC 23 vs. Progressive Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled. This is a [Physiological][Poison] Effect.

End of Turn: Temporary Regenerate 1 Bruise.

 Raskovnik 

Move Action: Any luck?  (1d20)[ 11 ]   Forgot to add +4; not yet. 

End of Turn: Regenerates 1 Bruise.

 Gabriel 

Move Action: Staggered, Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Debilitating Pinion  on Manchineel, All-Out Power Attacking for 5.  (1d20+16)[ 35 ]  vs. 18.  Hit 
On a hit, the Raskovnik will Interpose.  (1d20+13)[ 23 ]  vs. DC 27/22 Damage Linked Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled.  Raskovnik takes 1 Bruise 
 All PCs are on turn. 
 
Ridai
 "What the- you're human, damn it! And you need therapy! Stop playing god instead of getting therapy! Hell,  I'm  gonna need therapy!"  Freaking supervillains.

The turtle will get in the way  somehow,  but Nope has to keep the pressure up. More thinking at Manchineel, while moving a bit away by pushing off the floor to not keep getting everyone blown up by the Spider-Mantis.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 Move  from Y41 to X29

 Standard  Attack Manchineel. DC 27/22/22 Damage (Ranged, Improved Crit 4), Linked Weaken Resistance, Linked Affliction (Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless/Incapacitated; Extra Condition). AoA -2/+2, PA -2/+2
 (1d20+10)[ 30 ]   That's a nat 20 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily basically just ignored Spider-Mantis and its poison.  But for a moment, as Manchineel began to invoke her transformative power, the fear in Lily overcame her rage, and she quailed back,  "Wai-"  she gasped out.

And then Manchineel unleashed that power...upon Gabriel.  Cosme.  The monster she had made out of one of Lily's friends.  And the rage came back two-fold.   "Leave her  ALONE! "  Lily screamed.

She wanted to give her another stab of her spear.  But the Spider-Mantis would intervene and, regardless, her friend needed help.  The Blight was inside her; Lily could afford to take a moment to let it do its work.

She reached out with her left hand, her arm extending towards Gabriel, growing gradually greener as it went, becoming less like a human arm and more like a vine.  She smeared healing nectar over Gabriel, over the bee stings, to cure some of the damage she had taken, or possibly reverse Manchineel's partial transformation.  Lily would have been content to let Gabriel be returned to her human form, if it were just a matter of tactics, but it wasn't.  The transmutation hadn't fully taken, she was still part-way between her current form and her intended new form.

That was the worst part, in Lily's experience.

But even as she used her nectar to heal Gabriel, some of it dropped to the ground, landing in clumps around her.  And it smelled delightful...

 
 Spoiler 
Okay, trying something that might be stupid and we'll see what happens!

Free: Reconfigure Flower Power (+10).  8 points to Floral Blood, 1 point to Tasty Nectar Feature from Utility Nectar, 1 point to Floral Vines, 20 points to Healing Nectar, 10 points to Medicinal Nectar, 10 points to Solar Nectar, 10 points to Pheromone Scent.  Descriptor is...huh, [Mental] [Pheromone] apparently, I guess Lily's power descriptions were from before I did that descriptor write-up.  In the descriptor write-up sense it should probably be [Sensory/Mental] [Urge].

Move: Attempt to...I don't even know what this is.  Feint?  Trick?  Whatever.  But it's a Deception check to try to make it more likely that Raskovnik gets affected by my attack!!  I have Animal Empathy and the will to use it!  -5 for move action, +2 for Favored Foe (Manchineel's Minions).   (1d20+7)[ 23 ] .   It smells so good and it's so tasty and nutritious!  How can you pass it up!? 

Standard: Heal Gabriel with Solar Nectar (Persistent Restorative Healing) at  (1d20+10)[ 13 ] .  If this fails to produce at least 14 RP, spend a Growing a New Future reroll for  (1d10+20)[ 24 ] .  If it gives her enough RP to recover, my suggestion is triggering her Recover action to get rid of the Staggered, or using the Restorative to remove the Impaired.  Linked attack Raskovnik with Pheromone Scent at  (1d20+10)[ 20 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 20 vs. Entranced/Compelled/Controlled Affliction, Limited to One Command which can't get him to work  against  his goals for the scene.  The command would be to do nothing but keep eating the nectar.  It is both nutritious and tasty, and can fertilize plants!   Reroll spent, Gabriel gets 14 RP plus another 7 for Persistent. 

End of Turn: Secondary Effect triggers.  Manchineel gets Resistance DC 25@+5 vs. [Physiological] [Poison] Limited to Plants Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Affliction Linked Weaken Resistance and Effect.

Current Status: Fatigued, Floral Blood (-4 Def/+4 Res).
GaNF: 1/2.
 
Abracadangit
[fluff pending]

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Moving to AB47.
Action: Thread Lash, against Manchineel, with Homing, Multiattack, and Secondary Effect. AoA for +3/-3, PA for +3/-3.
Thread Lash vs. Machineel:  (1d20+10)[ 25 ] 
 
Dorni
 "Are you  insane !?"  Helios' cry was cut off by the spider-mantis' poison blast, forcing him to juggle aligning his wards while maintaining his hold on his own poison spell.

 "The Deathwell didn't just kill Lucia and the other campers, it raised them as shades!"  He didn't know how or when she'd done it, but he recognized the concentrated Death embued in Lily's spear. His teammate was a genius, but Lily wasn't a magic user. She'd had to have dipped the spear in the deathwell or taken material from it. Probably more than once. It was a wonder she hadn't harmed herself. Or perhaps she'd hidden it well.

 "Manchineel's spirit is already more loosely tethered to her body after having been raised once! The more Death you inject her with the easier you make it for her to rise again. And next time she might possess something more dangerous than than a tree!" 

He needed to put Manchineel down quick and contain her spirit before too much Death built up. His poison spell had already sunk into her, so he fed more aether into it. He could see Manchineel's veins turning black as the corrosive poison spread through her.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: One day going to make this useful
Standard: Maintain Concentration. DC 29 vs Damage &amp; Weaken [Resistance]
 
Zelphas
 Round... 5? 

The giant tortoise somehow interposes itself between Manchineel and the terrible concept of chartreuse, and comes out of the situation only a bit worse for wear (perhaps its non-human mind allowed it to comprehend chartreuse more easily). It looks down at Floral's spread of golden nectar, head ducking down with greedy speed to consume the tasty treat while ignoring everything else. The Spider-Mantis, still trailing pale green poison, leaps between Manchineel and Ariadne's cutting threads; its blades win out against the cutting edge of the threads and tear the mystical threading to pieces, though the cloud still swirls around it, ready to strike. Manchineel, untouched by any strike, gathers herself for another burst of power--

And gasps. Shudders, as veins turn black beneath bark-like skin. steps backward, as if to flee, then falls to her knees, then her face.

A moment later, she begins to rise again--wait, that's not right. Manchineel remains laying on the ground; her body is still visibly breathing, though the breaths are shallow, laced with pain. What rises up from the head and shoulders of Manchineel is wispy, translucent, and seemingly human, lacking the woodland elements of Manchineel's normal form.

Colorless, holding a still shape, The head, neck, and shoulders of Lucia Urquhart look around frantically, her ghostly eyes filled with real terror.   "It's still after me,"   her voice, still the voice of Manchineel, is somehow very far away.   "I lost myself trying to escape, and I thought I had, but its claws are on my skin again. Please, I'm sorry, none of this makes sense. I want to be a biologist. Biology doesn't work like this, it shouldn't, but I found it within me. I didn't know it would take... what did I do? What do I... do I have to run again? Please, do you know what's happening? Is it close? What should I do?"  
 
 Spoiler: Helios, Mystic Senses Perception DC 25, nested 
This series of events unfolds itself to you according to your Mystic Senses in a unique way. What's going on here is ludicrously complicated, but you sense powerful Life and Death energy coming from Manchineel as she is now, twisted together and interwoven in a form you're not really sure what to do with.

 
 Spoiler: DC 30 
Lucia Urquhart is connected to Life in a way that is both deeply powerful and somehow deeply limited to your senses; she isn't a magic user, but her Life power would manifest itself in certain very specific ways that you can only speculate on based on what you've seen. Calling her a shade possessing a tree is not  incorrect , but not the whole story; she would likely have manifested powers similar to Manchineel's regardless, by your estimation. The Death power seems more like an infection--and you can guess where it came from--but it has both aggravated her natural Life powers and intertwined with them, to the point that separating the two is a task you can't even be sure is possible at all, let alone doable by someone with your level of magical knowledge.
 

 


The Spider-Mantis shrieks, seeing its maker and mistress fall, a high warbling noise. Unable to sense the magical power Helios used to bring down Manchineel, it leaps towards the last thing it saw attack her: Ariadne. Without any pretense of self-protection, it swings.

Meanwhile, the four-leafed clovers on the back of the giant tortoise begin to glow a deep, soft green. The glow spreads out in a wave, washing around Helios, Gabriel, Ariadne, and Floral--but somehow washing  through  Manchineel and the Spider-Mantis. Wounds are closed and pains healed by this strike, and the glow remains over them both, a comforting wave of warmth.

A moment later, Gabriel shrieks, shattering the tableau once again. She wheels around and fires a barrage of pointed pinions at Manchineel's downed form, even as Manchineel's flesh-warping power continues to work on her.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map .

  Manchineel  Lucia 

Turn: Life and Death are in balance. No turn.

 Spider-Mantis 

Move Action: Shift to AB46.

Free Action: Reconfigure  Abomination Weapon  Array.

Standard Action: Use  Destabilizing Enervating Delay Scythe  on Ariadne, All-Out Attacking for 5.  (1d20+18)[ 24 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 28/23 vs. Secondary Effect Damage Linked Weaken Defense and Attack Bonus.  Hit 

End of Turn: Full Regenerate 1 Bruise.

 Raskovnik 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action:  Unlock Potential  activates! Since it was only a 20, it activates  once . Since the last effect that struck the Raskovnik was attached to a Healing effect, it becomes  Unlock Healing .
Healing check on Manchineel:  (1d20+12)[ 15 ]   5 RP; 1 Bruise Healed. 
Healing check on the Spider-Mantis:  (1d20+12)[ 26 ]   16 RP; last Bruise Healed. 
Manchineel and the Spider-Mantis also gain +12 to their Regeneration Ranks for one full round.

 End of Turn:  Regenerate 1 Bruise.

 Gabriel 

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Use  Debilitating Pinion  on Manchineel, All-Out Power Attacking for 5.  (1d20+14)[ 23 ]  Manchineel is Incapacitated, so Defenseless, which makes this an auto-crit.
The Spider-Mantis will Interpose, if Floral doesn't want to beat it to the punch:  (1d20+15)[ 16 ]  vs. DC 32/27 Damage Linked Dazed &amp; Impaired/Stunned &amp; Disabled (Cumulative, Secondary Effect).  DC should have been 33/27 to account for the Bruise, which means Gabriel INCAPACITATES the Spider-Mantis. 

End of turn 1: Roll to remove Impaired (DC 24):  (1d20+10)[ 27 ]   This is what I get 

End of Turn 2: Secondary Effect vs. Affliction (DC 24; add 2 if Impaired is removed):  (1d20+10)[ 28 ]   For basing this character off of Fen. 
 All PCs are up. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
When the Spider-Mantis swung at Ariadne, Lily moved simultaneously, getting between the two and taking the scything swing across her stomach.  Had she been a normal human, she'd have been disemboweled.  But with wood-strong flesh reinforced by stored solar energy it was merely a deep cut.  Ehh...make that a shallow cut, actually, as the stored energy in her nectar instantly healed about half of it.

(Somewhere in the back of her mind, some part of her brain that didn't seem to have any connection to reality whatsoever chimed in that she should have played more dwarves at Bruno's table growing up, because resistance to poison was actually pretty great.  Thank you, random part of brain.  That is extremely helpful information.  Quiet time now, grown-ups are busy.)

Feeding the turtle...triggered it to heal the enemy team.  Well okay then.  An experimental result is an experimental result.

She didn't really have much time to do much more about the Spider-Mantis than body-check its attack, because the next moment  it  went to body-check Gabriel's attack and got basically turned from half spider half mantis to one-third spider one-third mantis one-third feathery pincushion.  ...Maybe more like 25%/25%/50%, actually.

She moved, then, to get between Gabriel and Manchineel,  "Cosme,  stop! "  she said, not loudly, more so she could read her lips than anything.  She also held one hand out, palm forward.  She wasn't...actually sure if that was the actual official ASL  sign  for stop, but it was a pretty universally recognized sign for it so she gave it a shot.   "We have a way to contain her, and it sounds like killing her won't actually stop her anyway so let's please not do that."   She couldn't even begin to sign all that short of spelling it out one letter at a time so she'd just go with lip reading.

Lily moving to  defend  Manchineel might have seemed strange, given she was the person who had, you know, concocted a virulent poison specifically tailored to target Manchineel's unique biology and then infused it with Death magic energy  just to try give it a bit of extra kick  in her efforts to defeat her.  But  defeat  was the key word there.  Yes, Lily feared Manchineel.  Yes, Lily hated her.   Yes , Lily was angry with her, furious with her, would never forgive her for what she had done.  Lily would grasp at any weapon, take any risk to herself, to see Manchineel stopped.  And yes, if she were entirely honest, there was a part of her that wanted nothing more than to see Manchineel dead.

Lily Woods was not perfect.  She certainly wasn't perfectly forgiving.

But she was still the sort of person who had decided as a child to end world hunger, and had only become more determined to do so as she grew up.  She was still the sort of person who drew the ticket for "Anthropomorphic Flower" in the Superpower Lottery and still said, "Yep, I'm going to become a superhero and use that power to help people."  She was still the sort of person who when she wasn't out fighting the League of the Future and their minions, was devising new medicines, new ways to better feed the people in the Dome, repairing damage, healing injuries.  She was still a hero.  And she was not a killer.

It wasn't an ultimate an inviolable fact.  She would take a  risk  with Manchineel's life, absolutely.  She had calculated that incorporating the power of Camp Bubble Brook into her spear might risk making the Blight deadly to her.  She deemed the odds reasonably low, just on Manchineel's sheer power, but did not pretend they were negligible.  She had considered the possibility, acknowledged it existed, and consciously decided to do it anyway, because stopping Manchineel was important enough to take the risk of killing her.  Because she wasn't perfect.

But there was a vast gulf between that, and actually  intending  to kill her, if killing her was not necessary to stop her.

She glanced at Helios.  She didn't know magic like he did.  She could admit that the death energy causing Manchineel, or Lucia, or whoever it actually was, to possibly wander free as a ghost and possibly rise anew, had not strictly occurred to her.  Lily still had a hard time wrapping her head around notions of souls and spirits on an intuitive level.  That all said, she  had  considered various possible ways this could go wrong.  She didn't have Helios's understanding of magic, but from what she was seeing and hearing...this seemed to fall in comfortably higher than her worst expected case scenario.  (Which was some shade about as powerful as the one they had fought would pop out and start attacking both them and Manchineel indiscriminately.)

 "That...sounds like it only matters if she dies?  So we just...heal the Blight out of her and it should be fine?" 

(She kinda didn't acknowledge Lucia's shade at all.  She didn't have the bandwidth for that.  She chalked that one up as "leave it to the mages".)

 
 Spoiler 
Persuasion to try to get Gabriel to stand down:  (1d20+10)[ 22 ] .

Lily's setting Favored Environment to Defense and setting Floral Blood to full.

Just to cap off my run of using insanely niche abilities in this battle, I actually have Precise Healing, so I can make sure to only heal the Blight and stuff without waking her up.  Also Stabilize Healing for whatever that's worth here.
 
Ridai
Nope is heard going   "What?!"   from the distance as he hears about the whole Deathwell energy poison bsuiness, quickly moving back in again.

Seeing Manchineel topple over feels weirdly surreal. More alarming is the spirit of Lucia rising out of the body. Cosme exploding the Spider-Mantis. The turtle doing a healing wave. Helios and Floral starting to discuss what to do.

Nope feels like there is no time left. There is the slightest chance he might be able to fix the core issue. He runs over to Lucia.

 "Lucia, focus! Even if it doesn't make sense, tell me what is coming after you! Now!" 

If Nope can conceptualize what is coming after Lucia, he can Remove it.
Abracadangit
Ariadne watches everything unfold, with a skeptical sort of attention. She wants to believe that there's a way to extract Lucia from Manchineel, but she's not sure where one entity ends and the other begins.

She turns her attention to Gabriel, approaching quickly.

 "This one may be saved, yet,"  Ariadne says, uncharacteristically soft.  "We need more time."
 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Dropping a Silken Shields on Manchineel, while people do their stuff.
 
Dorni
Helios held out a hand for Nope to stay back. He appreciated the effort, but...  "Its more complicated than that."  he replied, not-quite under his breath.  "Too many elements are entwined in her. If you try to remove pieces her spirit will collapse." 

They could destroy Lucia, but there was no guarantee manchineel wouldn't rise again. They always had that option, but while he had no qualms about destroying Manchineel, Lucia was different. He wasn't sure the frightened camper who died in the forest deserved that. On the other hand, stabilizing Lucia would be difficult work. He wasn't sure if fully untangling her spirit was even possible. But every effort had to start somewhere.

 "Its alright!"  He called, raising both hands for peace as he approached the spirit.  "Its alright. Calm down. We're here to help."  First off, it would be a lot easier to help her if she cooperated.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Move: Nah
Standard: Talk down Lucia. Persuasion  (1d20+15)[ 17 ] 
 
Zelphas
 Round 6... ish 

Gabriel glares at Floral's outstretched hand, golden eyes bright with hate. With an enormous flap of her wings, she disappears into the air, dwindling quickly into a speck in the sky. For a moment, that seems to be all, until--

With a shriek of fury, Gabriel drops towards the cocooned shape of Manchineel, her wicked, oversized talons outstretched.

Heedless of the danger, Lucia's translucent gaze slips over the four of you as though she is looking at you from a distance.   "You can't see it--feel it? That's... that must be good,"   she says to Nope, looking through him.   "I tried to--or wanted to--make a place where it wouldn't want to go. Maybe I did that. That would be good, wouldn't it? Or maybe it would go wherever I am. It's claws--I don't know if they went away."  

Her eyes move towards Helios next, and she frowns faintly.   "I don't know what to do,"   she says, her voice oddly petulant.   "Calming down isn't doing, it's not doing. That isn't helpful. I need to hide, and I don't know where... can I go back? Maybe losing myself was the only way to lose it too...  
 
 Spoiler: Expertise (Magic, "Magic", and/or Metaphysics) DC 20, nested 
All right, given what Helios has seen/expressed and what Lucia is saying, you can understand that her makeup, or essence, or what have you, is currently so intertwined with whatever is chasing her that separating the two isn't a straightforward task... but that only rules out the direct route. The person of Lucia and the power that welled up at Camp Bubble Brook are still two separate things; maybe, with some more prodding, you can find a way to... emphasize that difference by removing something else.

 
 Spoiler: DC 25 
Or you can be clever and come up with a concept immediately. If Nope can define and negate the  relationship  between Lucia and the power at Camp Bubble Brook, without negating Lucia or the power  itself , he could free her from that influence without negative effects to either side... in theory, at least.
 

 


To one side, the giant, clover-colored tortoise continues to happily munch nectar.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Lucia 

No attacks (pending below), so Life and Death remain in balance. The Persuasion roll isn't enough for her to take any particular action. She moves slightly closer to returning to Manchineel in form and personality.

 Raskovnik 

Keep on chewing.  (1d20)[ 12 ] 
 Gabriel 

A 22 is a little low for her blind rage, I'm afraid--but it's enough to keep her from AoA/PAing this round.

Move Action: Dramatically fly up, and then down to AB42.

Standard Action: Use  Thwack  on Manchineel.

Accuracy vs. Silken Shields:  (1d20+12)[ 17 ]  vs. 20 or  (1d20+10)[ 26 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 31 + Penetrating vs. Damage:  (1d20+10)[ 17 ]   Miss 

If that at least Breaches, Manchineel (or Floral, since she's Interposing) needs to roll DC 31/26 vs. Penetrating Damage Linked Multiattack, Secondary Effect Weaken Defense.

 All PCs are up. 
 
Quellian-dyrae
Lily kept her focus on Gabriel.  Sparing Manchineel was about as far as she was able to go; she would leave it to the others to actually help her.

(Because Lily Woods was Lily Woods, she  did  admittedly have a thought on the subject, one that in just about any other circumstance she would have suggested eagerly purely on its value as an interesting experiment.  Whatever, Nope understood his powers better than she did and Helios and Ariadne had a better grasp of magic.  They'd either figure it out or come up with something even better.)

She wasn't getting through, although that was kinda okay because neither was Gabriel getting through Ariadne's shields.  Gabriel had splattered Manchineel's minions like the insects they were made from, but her diving strike had failed to so much as scratch the barrier.  Not for the first time and not for the last, Lily couldn't help but marvel some at the defensive power of Ariadne's thread magic.

But she also knew that the threads were not impenetrable.  Give Gabriel enough chances to get through them and she would eventually.

 ~Cosme,  stop! ~  she sent, once again opening herself to that strange communion with nature, the single least-understood ability she had.  As before, she pushed it into forming a psychic link, though one that could only work between her and someone else with a connection to nature.

But that wasn't the only power she pushed, in that moment, although I maintain it was her least-understood one.

She may have had it longer, and used it more, but she still understood it  less  than the other power she called forth, then.

Because scientists had their own understanding of Life.

Lily's body began to glow.  White light, with occasional sparkles of green.  It did occur to her that Raphael's power might perhaps be of use in helping Manchineel.  But that wasn't the purpose she called upon it for.  Again, sparing her was about all the goodwill that Lily had to offer.  Someone else more deserving had need of it.

 ~Listen to me.  I understand.  She hurt me too.  I know...I know that it would not be so sad a thing, if Gabriel killed Manchineel.~ 

The glow only grew brighter, intensifying, as with a beat of her wings she hurled herself at Gabriel, arm's outstretched.  It probably looked like she was trying to grapple her, or something.  To physically restrain her.  Hah.  She could not have even if she wanted to.  Gabriel was far, far stronger than her.

But she did try to throw her arms around her, in as tight a hug as she could give.

 ~But Cosme Muto should not have to live with that.~ 

And if she could get her arms around her...she would start dumping Raphael's power into her, wave after wave of it.  Everything that she had.  To heal her, yes, but that wasn't all there was to it.  To a scientist, Life wasn't really a force of healing and renewal, although certainly healing was a capability that seemed mostly unique to life.  A force of growth, perhaps, but even that was only one small aspect.  It wasn't a power of chi or of spirit, for at least until recently there had been little enough evidence of such things in the physics of the universe.  That mages and the mystics might even recognize Life, as the scientists did, as part of the fundamental nature of animals and plants, but the scientists went deeper than that.  And not just to the viruses and bacteria, and all the ways that Life could be wielded as a deadly weapon.  Even those were just one facet of what science understood.

To a scientist, Life was the process of cells growing, dividing, and replicating.  Consuming energy and spending it.  Bonding together into organs, and bones, and muscles, and skin.  Reproducing, and passing along their genetic information to the next generation, keeping what worked and discarding what didn't.  Evolving, mutating.   Changing. 

Scientists had their own understanding of Life.  They also had their own word  for  their understanding of it.

They called it  biology .

And few in all the world had a more thorough understanding of it than Lily Woods.

 ~It's time for you to come down, now.~ 
 
 Spoiler 
Extra Effort: Power Stunt off of Flower Power (+10).

 Repair Biology [Transformative] [Transmogrify] [Healing]:  Mental Communication 1; Flight 5 (Wings), Enhanced Resistance 5 (Reduced Defense 5); Affliction 10 (Entranced/Stunned/Transformed [Original Human Form]; Cumulative, Concentration, Feature [If used as a Finishing Attack in lieu of killing, or target is willing, Transformed can be made permanent, but doing so sacrifices all of Raphael's power within Lily]); Enhanced Extra 10 (Extra Condition 2 [Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless]; Limited [Only against this power]).

Free: Set Favored Environment to Attack.

Move: Attempt to Feint Gabriel at  (1d20+7)[ 21 ] , including +2 for Favored Foe (since while Gabriel is no longer a minion of Manchineel in terms of loyalty she is in terms of like creature type/power source, which I would figure is what matters in terms of Lily better understanding them).

Standard: "Attack" Gabriel with Repair Biology, All Out Attacking for 5, Power Attacking for 2, +2 for Favored Environment, at  (1d20+15)[ 23 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 22 vs. Cumulative Concentration Entranced/Stunned/Transformed [Original Human Form], and also Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless for purposes of this power.  Descriptor-wise this a painless healing effect (although still registers as an attack if the target is not willing), with Entranced and Stunned simply being from the fact that it's kinda hard to do anything while your entire body is part-way through the process of being restoratively transformed.   Ehhh...might land if the Feint succeeds I guess? 

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Fatigued, Exhausted as of next turn, AoA -5, Floral Blood (-5 Def/+5 Res).
 
Abracadangit
Ariadne maintains her webwork of magical silken barricades by flicking her needle through the air, in elaborate stitches and figure-eights. She keeps an eye on Lucia, and listens to her reflections and her response to Helios.

"  Engoní,  " says Ariadne the Elder internally, with a gentleness that Kal has never heard before. "  Let me speak with her, hm? There is something I would like to say.  " Kal's mind slips into the back of her consciousness, still aware of her surroundings, and Ariadne takes over in full. The red thread flows over and coats Kal's body completely, almost like a liquid, and a red replica of her golden mask appears on her face.

Ariadne drifts over to Lucia, hovering above the ground by way of red threads buoying her like wires on a stage actor. As she approaches Lucia's unmoored spirit, she meets her gaze.

 "A very, very long time ago, I was in a situation not entirely different from yours. I was trapped in a maze, you see. The largest one that had ever been built. 'The labyrinth,' maybe you have heard of it, hm? Awful thing. A million winding passageways, leading to a million dead ends. All while something lurking in the shadows hunted your every step. The story goes that the Minotaur found everyone and gobbled them up quick, but such was not the truth for many of the people condemned to that miserable hell. Some people spent weeks, months,  years  trapped in the maze, every waking moment a nightmare as they hid from a demon they could not see."
 
Ariadne looks down at the body of Manchineel, still lying on the ground.  "You are lost in a labyrinth of your own, I fear. Also stalked by something that dances at the edges of your eyes. It takes such courage to continue on in that wretched place, to keep peering down corridors with the hope that escape is near, to keep hiding when a part of you wants to be caught so the nightmare can finally come to an end. My tenure in the maze was brief compared to many. And I was equipped better than most."  A pattern of red thread skitters through the air by Ariadne's face, as if aware of being mentioned.  "But my greatest resource was not my magic, it was the people that were thrown in beside me." 
 "There is a strange power in being surrounded by friends, in times of suffering. I cannot explain it, yet I know that it is the reason I survived the horrors of the labyrinth. My magic was no small comfort, but what kept my  mind  intact was knowing that when I reached a dead end, I would turn and see not just yawning darkness staring back, but the faces of my companions, anguished but hopeful that we would survive. You have been alone up until now, but no longer. We can be your allies, Lucia. We can be the faces staring back at you from the dark, so you know you are not alone in this maze of dream and doubt."
 
 "The end of your labyrinth draws near -- this I know to be true! You mustn't despair, when the exit lies just before you. Let me be your red thread,  to paidí mou . Let me guide you back to the warmth of day."
 
Ariadne extends a hand towards Lucia's wraithlike spiritual form.

 "Sing in me, O Muse! And through me, tell the story of this woman, Lucia Urquhart." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Persuasion check to soothe Lucia:  (1d20)[ 3 ] 
 
Ridai
Nope feels very out of his depth in regards to the problem of separating Lucia from whatever necromancy stuff happened at the camp. He had to get into metaphysics to make sense of the forgotten doors, but it's not like he has a decent grasp on how the hell those happen. His knowledge of magic is more rooted in fantasy stories where they seemingly relate kinda-sorta to what is actually happening. Camp too far away to get there quickly and check things.

So... Nope has to rattle off thoughts in hopes of something forming that might help, muttering as fast as he can in an instance of rubber duck debugging.   "Lucia: life, soul, human, powers emerging, possessed/tainted/submerged. Death well: death, darkness, capturing souls, siren banshee, malevolent, hijacking host with powers. Death well keeps souls from afterlife, is there an afterlife, doesn't matter, doesn't actively spread, does it feed, if it doesn't, tied to universal concept of Death, does Death include souls leaving or not, just biological death, absence of life, souls untethered from bodies, doesn't make sense, why infest living, is it soul magic, is it negative energy, does it have agency, does it want to spread death through Lucia, is it all an accident because of her powers, consuming force, but it has presence, dumb animal god consuming life, does it have intellect, Lucia wanted place it doesn't want to go, place is Order, is Death entropy, losing self being hope of making Death go away, does it feed on order, erode, but why keep shades, camp still exists, is Death Order, unchanging stillness, everything repeats, cosmic hamster wheel, full entropy means no life, no life no death no order, humans and nature in flux, creatures of entropy, humans trying to bring order, does Death like buildings and right angles, internet fan raging at original being changed, capture all that is and preserve the eternal soul without decaying body, was siren willful creation or force of nature, but ghosts were twisted, is this undeath, the Dark Souls of camps, Dark Lord ending, no fire left, all is still, decay and dementia, does it hate life or want order or both, Manchineel wasn't spreading death, converted rather than destroyed, siren imprisoned souls against their will, leftovers of siren instantly ate through floor, is it entropy after all-"  

Nope shouts over to Lucia.  "Lucia, did you create Order because it hates it, or did it make you create Order?"  Axiomatic and chaotic forces are opponents, humans are neutral in nature, pure axiomatic and pure chaotic does not mesh with human.
Zelphas
 Round   7   

Now, Gabriel has been without human contact--and especially without human  touch --for several months. It's possible that she is just touch-starved enough to--no, no, she jumps away from Floral's attempt to hug her as though it's the most dangerous thing on the field, flapping slightly into the air as she did so. Even as she runs, however, her eyes are tracing around, following the red threads back to their source. An instant later, she rockets towards Ariadne, aiming to knock the thread-weaver away from Manchineel's side and possibly free up Manchineel's form for a finishing blow.

Before that strike lands (if it lands), the wavering shade holding Lucia's form looks up at Ariadne, her translucent shape becoming vaguely clearer.   "Um..."   her brow furrows.   "Do I... know you? I don't understand..."  

Nope's shout draws the figure's attention more clearly, and Lucia grows slightly clearer even as she speaks confusing words.   "Order... order, no, I... the diagnosis was given to me on a Monday, which meant it was good--or could it be a diagnosis? Is that a diagnosis? It was an even time--2:12--a palindrome and an even time, so it was good, it should have been good, but it wasn't, it was bad... You hear the jokes, the lines about it , but OCD isn't really like that, she promised, and promised there were steps we could take. That's right... but it wasn't so bad, the world wasn't so disordered, before..."  
 
 Spoiler: Nope 
You're not quite correct, you can tell, but there's still information here: whatever is affecting Lucia  enhanced  something about Lucia that she considers  bad . That might be a thread to pull.
 


At Manchineel's side, the Raskovnik continues its peaceful forage.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 Map .

 Lucia 

Continued conversation brings continued clarity, but no direct action as of yet.

 Gabriel 

Move Action: Shift to AB46.

Standard Action: Use  Talon Kickback  on Ariadne, All-Out Attacking for 5.  (1d20+17)[ 26 ]  On a hit, Resistance DC 31/26 vs. Penetrating Damage Linked Launch (down and away from the battlefield). Gabriel shifts back up to AB42, next to Manchineel.  Hit, not enough for Penetrating. 
 Raskovnik 

Eat?:  (1d20)[ 8 ]   Not much... 
 Keep going, PCs! 
 
Quellian-dyrae
 ~Darn it, Cosme, you're the one who asked me if I could turn you back!   Let me turn you back! ~  Lily sent exasperatedly as Gabriel dodged her.  Gabriel's power came from a different sourceShe didn't give up though, her wings launching her after her friend as she made another attempt to lay hands upon her and deliver a wave of Life-aspected transformative power.

 
 Spoiler 
Move: Into AB45.

Standard: Attack Gabriel with Repair Biology, All Out Attacking for 5, Power Attacking for 2, +2 for Favored Environment, -2 for Exhausted, at  (1d20+13)[ 22 ] .  On a hit, Resistance DC 22 vs. [Transformative] [Transmogrify] [Healing] Cumulative Concentration Entranced/Stunned/Transformed [Original Human Form] and also Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless against this power only.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Exhausted, AoA -5, Floral Blood (-5 Def/+5 Res).
 
Dorni
Lucia was talking. Good. As long as they kept her talking he could help her. Even better, she was making at least a little bit of sense.

A berserk Gabriel dive-bombing Ariadne was less good.

Helios wove Air, shaping it into a net and flung it at Gabriel with a gesture.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Free: Set Spells to Strength 10, Affliction [Impaired &amp; Fatigued / Disabled &amp; Stunned] (Cumulative)
Move: -
Standard: Attempt to Use spell to Grab Gabriel. AoA 5.  (1d20+15)[ 16 ]  On hit, DC 25/20 vs Grab/Affliction.
 
Ridai
Completely off the mark, god damn it. But at least something else came up.  "I'm trying to figure out the steps to help you with what's going down right now, Lucia."  It's probably obvious, or maybe not in Lucia's current state. Maybe saying so doesn't do much either, it's unclear how much Lucia does and doesn't really hear or comprehend. But he can at least try.

Nope looks down, bent, hands near face, fingers moving occasionally, erratically, fists sometimes balling, sometimes opening, just anything to somehow facilitate a useful train of thought.   "Wrong assumption, already had OCD, wrong guess, Death made it worse, why make that worse, is it better senses, see more stuff, camera pans out, objective view, makes no sense, why make senses better, frickin pun, is it evil, does it skew perception, Mr. Frodo, why would Death do that, what's connection with Death, what definition of Death, frickin' fantasy bull****, attack angle change, heighten negative parts, is it negative energy in the downer meaning, from bad to worse, you always crit against yourself, know how that feels-"   Gabriel comes screeching down at Ariadne, battering her away, bird lady Cosme lands next to Manchineel/Lucia. Keeping the intrusive thoughts out of the stream of consciousness is getting more difficult.   "-Death the evil mirror you, does it point out all flaws, does it heighten  all  flaws,  does  it heighten all flaws, does it heighten suffering, aim for maximum damage or low hanging fruit, does it speak, evil inner monologue, just evil by presence, does it infest everything or just OCD, does it infest, is it the OCD now or deeper level, is OCD the open gate, are other things attack vectors, is it already inside, does it need to keep going inside, said she feels the claws  again , is Death riding on stress, do satisfying experiences close gate, visual ASMR, Death negativity, too broad or off the mark or right, personal lens skewing analysis damn it-"  

He looks to Lucia again.  "Lucia, do you remember being here in this place, nothing else being there, everything being in order, did you feel the thing's claws?"    Why did the average loser get saddled with the Dwarf Fortress destructo power for the 160+ IQ and EQ crowd?!  

A connection is made. And it just leaves Nope more confused.  "Death-energy makes more Death-creatures, but not if you make it part of you?! Extra Death-energy from Floral brought Death-infection back?! But Death-energy was already there- Death-energy needs to get out of Lily, because bad, but can't go out of Lucia- Remove extra but that reverts things back to square one, but Remove  relationship  between Lucia and Death is better- how, what, what relationship, do you gaslight fundamental energies into thinking they aren't what they are, does that work, why does that work, how, what relationship between Deathwell and Lucia,  how does this magic bull**** work, I don't understand-"   Nope is yelling at this point, trying to get his stupid brain to find something, anything remotely like a solution.
Abracadangit
As Ariadne sails through the air, she thinks to herself that pep talks aren't really her strong suit.

With a great deal of lightning-quick weaving, Ariadne creates a threadwork trampoline to cushion her fall, which unravels the instant she steps off of it. She knows there's no time to waste, as she flies back to where she'd been standing before and starts weaving anew.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Add 1 Bruise, and Dazed.
Action: Move back to her position from last turn.
 
Ridai
Another realization hits. At the same time, the very dangerous moment of having had enough hits, which is when action becomes the most decisive, but also the most unshackled by deliberate consideration and vulnerable to intrusive thoughts.

 "OKAY! IT'S NOT ENERGY, IT'S MAGIC NANOMACHINES! SLAVE DEATHICHLORIANS PHONING HOME TO THE MASTER GOTH FORCE! LUCIA DEATHICHLORIANS, YOU'RE GETTING YOUR CERTIFICATES REVOKED!" 

And Nope hits it. The identifying property of the Deathichlorian transmissions allowing it to do the handshake with the home base Goth Force and thus be allowed to communicate and do whatever necro BS is happening with Lucia is getting removed. Nope is imposing HTTPS-only rules on the necromantic forces if the Deathwell insists on having oh so special gluten-free all natural sustainable Death-energy, so no plebian mass produced Death-energy can mess with it. Magic isn't the only thing that can just decide to do things differently. Open a support ticket, Mystra!

Nope's head hurts. He doesn't feel so good.
Zelphas
Gabriel's kickoff from Ariadne limits her movements, allowing Floral to grab her in a healing hug. The giant bird-creature freezes at the touch of healing light, her feathers and muscles twitching oddly once more while her body is once again rewritten (though this time it is seemingly without pain). The touch of hardened air from Helios' spell breaks Gabriel out of her healing-induced reverie, and she manages to dodge the wind-fist trying to grab her. Her fierce golden eyes swing around to track Ariadne leaping back into the scene, and she opens her mouth to screech her displeasure--

--When the loudest dial-up screech any of you have ever heard suddenly tears the air into little fluttering bits, shaking apart everyone's plans. Sometimes, when you tried to use dial-up internet and someone was already on the phone, you'd accidentally be able to eavesdrop on their conversation; something similar happens now. The four of you hear incomprehensible growling and chilling scrapes, which are then cut off by an unintelligible voice speaking in the toneless flat voice of an operating service. There is the distinct sound of a phone line disconnecting.

  "...Oh."   Lucia's shade sounds... surprised, relieved, and deeply confused, all at once.   "The claws... they're gone. I don't... I don't think they're coming back. ... I'm going to go back now. Maybe I... maybe I can take some of me with me, this time."   Moments later, the shade sinks back into Manchineel's prone form and vanishes fully from sight.

 
 Spoiler: Helios, Mystic Sight 
The Death energy in Manchineel changed profoundly in those few seconds. If you hadn't already sensed it before, you would swear that the Death-energy in her has nothing to do with the Deatrhwell--they're utterly unrelated. In fact, as time goes on, it becomes harder and harder to distinguish the traces of Death magic from the traces of Life magic, or simply the life-force of Manchineel itself. You think it's still theoretically possible to separate the two, but it's a much more difficult task now.

That being said, the Life-energy and Death-energy in Manchineel seem... healthier, somehow. They are no longer in conflict, but seem to be in harmony, which part of why it's harder to distinguish them.
 


Perhaps it's because of her longer exposure to Nope, but Floral recovers from... whatever just happened much faster than Gabriel does, intensifying her healing magic. In less than half a minute, Gabriel's form shrinks and changes, revealing a petite young woman with short, light brown hair, curled up on the ground.

...Er, make that short, light brown  feathers , making up a hair-like crest on the top of her head. And... humans normally don't have long, curved yellow-and-black talons at the ends of their fingers and toes... right?

Ah well. She's definitely much, much more human than she was just moments ago.

 
 Spoiler: Floral 
Take a  Hero Point  for me fiating that Cosme retains some of the animal portions of her Menagerie transformation, since Lily is much more accustomed to working with plant-transformative powers.
 


For the first time since you entered it, the unnaturally symmetrical grove falls into full, quiet stillness... except for a giant clover-colored tortoise munching at leaves, but he seems to be harmless.

Manchineel has fallen.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Battle over! Everyone take a  Hero Point !

More than that: Manchineel Defeated! Everybody take  5 PP !

More's going to happen now that a League member has fallen, but here's the important stuff for now:

First, due to the League now seeing you as a threat and time passing to complicate matters:  The DC for all Downtimes increase by 5 .

Second, Everyone gets  5 Downtime Actions .

Third, the next Scene will be a Lull, so start thinking of ideas!

Well done, everyone! One League Member down!
 
Quellian-dyrae
The sparkling light...didn't fade from Lily, quite.  It rushed out of her and into Gabriel as she put everything she had into healing what Manchineel had wrought, permanently.  Or most of it, anyway, but what little traces remained could definitely be filed under "take the win".

She swayed on her feet, as the last of the energy left her.  She felt tired and...strangely empty.  Not  hungry , just...like something inside of her wasn't there anymore, something that had grown too slowly for her to even really notice it, until she felt the difference caused by its absence.  She burned it all, she realized, every last drop of Raphael's power.  To excise the power of one member of the Menagerie had taken the full strength of another.

For a moment there Lily almost wanted to cry, or scream.  She hadn't realized it would take all of it!  She hadn't known!  With Raphael's power she could have...she could have been, could have  done ...!

Lily took a deep breath, something she could still do for its psychological benefits even if she had no physiological need for air, and looked down at Cosme lying on the ground, back in her human form - and hopefully freed of the awful biological chains and phobias that had been inflicted upon her as part of her transformation.

  Worth it,   Lily told herself.  It was fine.  She didn't need Raphael's power to be a hero.  Humans hadn't reached where they were by having the sharpest claws or the strongest armor.  Lily had always believed that her mind was her greatest weapon, and if anything this battle had proven that she had been underutilizing it.  Her attempts to play on Manchineel's weaknesses and obsessions, to provoke and disorient her, had done at least as much here as any of her powers or even the Blight she had prepared for her specifically.  And now through their efforts, here she lay, defeated.

...Wait a minute.

It was funny.  With the whole thing with Lucia, and needing to stop Gabriel from actually killing her, and trying to heal Cosme, Lily hadn't actually had a chance to really let her brain  notice  but...

  😁   😁 THEY HAD DEFEATED MANCHINEEL!!!!! 😁   😁  

As tired as she was and as belated as it was Lily didn't care!  She let out an exuberant whoop of triumphant glee and literally  launched  herself at her nearest teammate (which according to the map appears to be Ariadne) in a massive hug!   "We did it!"  she said in an almost dazed tone of astonished joy and relief.   "We actually did it!  We got her!  HAHAHAAA!" 

Lily released Ariadne and pulled the noseplug off of her nose.  No danger now.  In fact, a valuable opportunity.  She made it a point to take several deep breaths of Manchineel's scent, and that of whatever traces of her previous pheromone attack still lingered in the air, analyzing the scent and committing every detail of it to memory.  She wasn't sure what the effects of Manchineel's defeat and capture would be on her minions, but she'd bet knowing what Manchineel and her pheromones smelled like would be useful in making sure they ceased to be a bother to anyone.

 "Oh man,"  Lily said, a bit breathlessly between both excitement and fatigue.   "One down, you guys.  We can do this.  We can actually,  actually  do this!"   The air around Lily was filled with the scent of daisies and poppies, with some hints of sunflower and jasmine.
Abracadangit
Ariadne remains awkwardly still as Lily hugs her with glee. Almost in a state of shock, she can't believe they actually managed to take down one of the League. What was once a nice thought but felt unattainable, is finally starting to come sharper into focus.

 "We... really did it,"  Ariadne says, when Lily releases her.  "Soon, things will   become harder, this I know to be true. But for now, let   us enjoy a triumph. A battle won, souls spared."  Explosions of thread above them emulate fireworks, as Ariadne basks in the feeling of a job well done.
Ridai
That... actually worked.

Nope feels the adrenaline withdraw, leaving behind shaking limbs and flopping onto his rear in the grass.

They actually beat Manchineel. And saved Lucia from... whatever the hell the Deathwell is. D&amp;D magic has been replaced with IT problems in Nope's mind now, and he should probably quickly figure out how to fantasy those up before the next session to not entirely shred immersion/funtime with real life-ish things.

Oh man. They went to fight Manchineel and now he'll get to go back to play RPGs and visit Nora again. Damn.

First part of a marathon done, his brain informs him. Things are only going to get tougher from here. It's only done once the League is no more. Regardless, Nope's brain, at the same time, decides to also produce the happy juices over no one dying, and having been able to save Lucia.

Remy honestly doesn't know how to handle this feeling of accomplishment. So he sits there, one thin-fingered hand going through a mess of short-ish(?) hair, while the other gives a shaky thumbs up.
Zelphas
  "Of course you did it! You're heroes!"   A familiar voice joins the fray as a pigeon flies out of the odd sameness of the nearby forest, landing on the trampled leaf litter with a slight puff of feathers.   "I always knew you could do it! Fantastic! That's one down! Okay! Oh, I need to tell you!"   The pigeon, hopping around aimlessly on the leaf litter, suddenly paused, fixing you all with a non-birdlike stare.   "I've been watching you all--wait, that's creepier than I thought. I mean, it's in the name--does that make it worse? Back on topic! I think at least a few of my 'guests' here in the Obelisk deserve more than simply being locked away. I've been keeping my identity and their location a secret as much as I can--if my failure to contain things when I came here taught me anything, it's the value of at least thinking of backup plans--and so they could use more, if you're up to it. And so, I made some meeting rooms! Now, I know what you're thinking."   The pigeon flaps its wings, avoiding an errant snap from the giant tortoise. It seems the tortoise was more interested in the leaves, so after a pause, Watcher continues.   "If you were seen walking into the Obelisk all the time, this whole 'secretly working together' thing would fall apart. So, I thought about teleporting you--I even have a working model all set up, ready to integrate into the birds--but then I thought, well, you all might not like that much? So I got it! If you want to talk to someone in the Obelisk, talk to a bird. I'll get them to a meeting room, and then the bird will transmit your picture and voice to them, and transmit their picture and voice to you."   The voice paused and the pigeon ruffled up its feathers.   "I reinvented the picture phone. Right.

"Okay! Congratulations again; I always knew you could do it!"  
 
 Spoiler: Only for Story Purposes; PCs, Read if you wish 
Watcher blew out a breath, pushing away from his many, many screens. spinning once in his chair aimlessly, he snapped his attention to one particular screen. On it, a grim-faced woman with blond hair stalked towards a large patch of overgrown lilies, her arms melting into pistols while her body hardened into a flexible protective mesh. And older Greek woman stood behind her, spinning threads into tiny doll-like figures with scythes to chop at red grasses that sprouted up at every moment. Another woman, younger, seemed to be directing something alien and disturbingly faceless towards a sunflower with fire instead of petals. Finally, a fourth woman, compact, with dark circles under her eyes, fired an array of improbable weaponry at an ever-shifting patch of what was  almost  empty air.

Only the most basic of projections, and even he didn't know where the computer got all of the readings; still, Watcher was glad to put  that  particular near future to rest.

Watcher said softly,   Screen 2245, end current program and run one-year projection,"   and the images fuzzed to nothingness. Moments later, a new image popped out; a wide view of Forester's Bay. The buildings were cracked and broken. Large patches of the ground were piled high with red sand. A few fires blazed, seemingly untouched. And the entirety of Lakeside was charred husks and melted glass. In the center, the Obelisk still stood tall, untouched.

Watcher frowned. The ivy was gone, and some of the damage seemed much less, but the majority... He shook his head again and dismissed the image. He'd put his trust in them. They'd figure it out.

His only job this time was to watch, after all.
 


 

 The Calm Before 

Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

Forester's Bay is quiet. For the past several days. No one seems to know what to do with the news that Manchineel is no longer a threat. Even the other League Members have gone quiet: Lockdown hasn't been seen since then, nor has Apophis; Doctor Proxy is seen so rarely that their absence is pretty much par for the course, in any case. Even outside the Dome, the world feels as if it is holding its breath, uncertain of what will happen next.

It's the perfect time for a relaxing game night.

Uncle Bruno (He certainly has a last name, but he very quickly becomes "Uncle" Bruno to those of you who haven't met him) seems to take the fact that he's dealing with superheroes in stride incredibly well. He doesn't ask about your identities if you don't tell him (he knows Nope's, of course), inviting you all in with a jolly smile and a wave of his hand.  "I've got all the classics, of course,"  he says, leading you all to what he affectionately calls his "game space" and the ludicrously overstuffed game shelf there.  "As well as a lot of the stranger ones! I thought you all might like something a little calmer, so Catan is on the table, but we could also go to something more intense. It's a few days early, but I can't let the Halloween season go by without playing  Betrayal at House on the Hill  at least once..."  He trails off hopefully. Nope and Lily would know that he's up for anything, no matter what he's leaning towards at the moment.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Okay, this is up, finally! Sorry for the delay. If you have an idea for a game, suggest it!
 
Quellian-dyrae
 Speeches and Shouting 

Lily stepped up to the lectern, taking a brief steadying breath.  She was in costume, although of course, that did little to conceal her identity from those who knew her, ever since she had dispensed with her veiled hat after the first Vesper attack.  Lily's social skills were well-developed, but she wasn't especially used to public speaking.  She kinda idly realized she was actually feeling a bit of stage fright here.  Silly.

 "Almost two months ago, I joined forces with three other superpowered people* - Nope, Ariadne, and Helios - with the intent of doing what we could to protect Forester's Bay from the League of the Future.  If I'm honest, it had not at the time been my goal, to actually defeat the League.  I hadn't believed such a thing could be possible, for just the four of us.  The League of the Future outnumbers us, outpowers us, has virtual armies of loyal minions and de facto control of the city.  I didn't really set my sights any higher than mitigating the harm they would cause in the service of their goals." 

*If other PCs are present this gets edited to account.

 "...But I've learned a lot in the past two months."

"First, I've learned that these so-called armies of ostensibly loyal minions are anything but.  It's a sham!  The Watcher could not truly command the rest of the League, and cannot even secure enough loyalty to keep them from operating at odds with each other!  Lockdown compels obedience through supernatural contracts!  Doctor Proxy programs his robotic minions, and any task that requires a person to accomplish he achieves through direct mental control!  Apophis doesn't direct his cult at all, and they enlist and control their members through threat and fear!  All of them have so-called minions who  actively  want to disband, or even oppose them directly!  Let me be very clear to anybody who is considering joining with any member of the League - they are not offering you safety, or community.  They are offering you slavery under threat at best and direct supernatural compulsion in the average case!  To anyone listening to this who has already been forced to join them against their will, or come to realize the mistake they've made, don't lose hope!  There is a way out, and we will help you!"

"To anyone who believes themselves to be a loyal minion of any member of the League, operating of your own will and in your own interests...I predict you'll learn the truth soon enough."

"I did not mention Manchineel, there.  To be clear, she is no different.  Her forces were controlled by mind-altering pheromones and instinctual chains transmuted into their biologies.  One of her most powerful 'minions' actively hated and betrayed her; a second clearly opposed her aims and only obeyed her out of a mix of compulsion and fear.  A third showed no loyalty to her and willingly chose not to come to her aid if called.  The other two were built from animals and lacked the freedom of will to act against her in any case.  Abel, Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, and the spy she named Uriel, her Menagerie, her most powerful minions, and not a  single one of them  held any  actual  loyalty to her.  They were her victims as much as anybody subject to her Punishments."

"But it's also a moot point.  Because the  second  thing I learned is that we are  not  outpowered!  Because this past Sunday we  took the fight to Manchineel directly and  defeated her!  " 

Lily's not a professional orator, but even she knows that's probably the sort of place that you pause for a reaction.

 "Manchineel is no longer a threat to this city, and will create no more minions and no more Punishments.  Her Menagerie has mostly been captured or disabled as well; the only one who remains active, Abel, we believe not to be a threat as long as he is not threatened.  It is my current hypothesis that without her direct control, what remains of her minions will no longer be a particular threat to anybody, but that isn't confirmed.  I would nonetheless advise informing a professional of any encounters with Saplings or other lingering minions of Manchineel, and to continue avoiding Manitou Forest until it has been confirmed safe."

"That's big game, but I want to make clear: the four of us did not accomplish that on our own.  People have been calling us the Heroes of Forester's Bay and I mean...okay, sure, maybe.  In a comic book sense.  We're the ones who dress up in silly costumes and go dispense the superpowered beat-downs to the bad guys, I'll cop to that."

"But everything we've been able to accomplish is because we've had the support of this community.  Helping us learn where we're needed, giving us opportunities to learn about our foes or neutralize their minions, keeping us informed of the biggest problems so we can react to them when they come up, and even working to solve several of them directly, freeing us up to act in the ways that get the greatest advantage.  We could never have come this far without that support, guidance, and assistance."

"So be it known to the League of the Future!  You are  not  in control!  You do  not  rule this city, whatever districts you may purport to claim for your own!  You can't even command the loyalty of your own forces!  You're not fighting four newbie supers!  You're fighting the collective will and heart of the  strongest ****ing town in the Midwest!   You can  try  to threaten us!  You can  try  to hurt us!  You can  try  to enforce your will, on power alone!  But it won't work, because  we're Forester's Bay!   You can't  stop  us, and now we've seen you bleed!"

 "WE'RE NOT TRAPPED IN THIS DOME WITH YOU!   YOU'RE TRAPPED IN THIS DOME WITH US!"  

"One down, everyone.  Th-  Four to go." 

Lily turned, took a step away from the lectern, paused, and then stepped back up to it.   "Oh, um.  One more thing,"  she said.   "Just, kind of, on a personal note?"

"The  name , is  Floral ." 
 
 Spoiler 
Spending that last Hero Point I saved to Edit Scene.  Between everything in that whole speech about loyalty and such, that last "slip of the tongue" at the end gets generally taken by the League to mean that one of them are working in opposition to the rest, but they have no evidence as to which.  Basically the Hero Point is meant to ensure that Watcher doesn't get any undue suspicion cast on him, it gets distributed evenly among them.
 
Ridai
 In the forest 

Watcher bringing up possible rehabilitation of... well, effectively their captives does touch on something that has been bothering Nope.  "Thank you. I've been wanting to do something about Wrath and Pride's condition. If what just happened is possible, maybe that's also in the cards." 

-----------------

 Speeches and Shouting 

Nope is present, but honestly, he is not one to get into speeches or posturing. Hell, he hated doing anything in front of the class back in school. His only really public appearance was after his major screw up with the insect Removal, and that was... yeah, that entire situation is going to haunt him until the day he dies. Thus, he hangs out in the back, more or less. People seem scared of him anyway.

-----------------

 The Calm Before 
 "Hey guys,"  Remy greets the others as they arrive. He is still looking bordering on dangerously thin, even if much of it is hidden by the baggy hoodie and sweatpants, but he seems to be in good spirits still wishes Nora could be there as well, which dings things a little) and like he has actually been able to get some sleep.  "I managed to scrounge together enough to make pull apart bread."  The flat sure smells like it.

 "Maybe Catan first as a primer, that's relatively simple to explain and doesn't take  that  long. Maybe then Betrayal? I can do setup pretty quick. Kind of wish we could get Fantasy Realms in here."  "In here" meaning "the Dome". Meanwhile, he is already snacking on the snack bread, especially after he has been told he should be eating more, damn it.
Abracadangit
 Speeches and Shouting 

Kal can feel Ariadne's contempt for their public display, crackling through her mind like electricity.

  "I do not understand why we must announce this,"   Ariadne thinks, irritably.   "Perhaps we should send letters to our enemies from now on, hm?"  
  "It's not always about the mission,"   Kal thinks back.   "Sometimes, it's about giving people hope. Alien concept to you, I know."  

---------------------------------------------

 The Calm Before 
 "I didn't know you could bake!!"  Kal says, as she tries some of the snack bread.  "We'll have to trade recipes later. I can really only bake two things, and not very well." 
 "I'm not really a board game person, but those both sound fun."  Kal picks up the Settlers box and turns it over.  "So it's like Monopoly, but with trading goods instead of money or property? I understand Monopoly." 
Quellian-dyrae
 In the forest 

Lily released Ariadne after only a moment, with an awkward,  "Uh, sorry."   Okay she was maybe a little bit overly excited but could you blame her?  She nodded to Watcher's bird (yes the fact he was watching them was kinda creepy but fortunately Watcher had pretty much maxed out Lily's creepiness meter when he told them something like half the birds in the dome were his drones, and that hadn't actually diminished over time because  Lily was reminded of it every time she smelled one  which happened rather often given the whole  half the birds in the dome were his drones  thing.  She wasn't sure off the top of her head what she could do for the prisoners, just over comms, but there might be something.  Lily did have a pretty strong conviction at this point that many of the League's so-called minions were as much their victims as anyone else.

 The Calm Before 

Lily's demeanor was different than normal when she arrived.  Partly that was because she was still kinda riding the high from their victory over Manchineel, but mostly it was because Lily was in fact more relaxed and casual when hanging out and gaming with friends than she was when adopting the persona of Floral.  Even though she had given up on her secret identity, she still acted somewhat different in costume.  She took things more seriously and was just generally...tenser, more concerned about missing something, messing something up, or doing something embarrassing.

Or at least that had been the case.  Defeating Manchineel had helped her see that not only was defeating the League as a whole a real possibility, but that living up to the image of the Floral in her head was possible too.  She wasn't quite ready to say she had fully  become  the Floral she imagined, yet, but she at least felt she was on the path to growing into her, rather than just pretending to be her.

Regardless, now was not the time for that, now was the time for hanging out and playing games!   "Rockin'!  I brought fruit salad, brownies, and garlic-and-onion flavored potato chips,"  she reported cheerily, setting her contributions by Remy's, because you couldn't have game night without lots of snacks that was why!  She hadn't done it this time but next time Bruno started up a D&amp;D campaign she was totally going to bring mead.  Lily didn't drink much but mead was a total classic and it was literally fermented honey so she had to try that eventually!

Lily's baseline vegetable transmutation power may not have normally been of much value in a heroic capacity (although it had proved itself valiantly against Manchineel), but for day-to-day life in the Dome it had proven one of her most important, because it let her transmute  any  vegetable matter into various forms of  edible  vegetable matter.  Two pounds a second wasn't much on a tactical scale, but on a logistical scale, it meant Lily could produce a pound of plant-based food a day for every person under the Dome with less than an hour of her time, conditional on availability of raw materials (while using stored sunlight to fuel a tactical transmutation Lily could create more mass than she started with, those were as always subject to sharp limits on duration; with her base power she had relatively little wiggle-room in terms of changing the total amount of mass).  Early on the availability of materials had been a pretty sharp limiting factor, but the fast-growing plants that could be nourished by Watcher's gruel had helped a lot.  She still wasn't actually hitting a pound per person per day - she needed to do more logistical work on getting additional materials from like composting and such, and on improved distribution logistics which were probably the more important bottleneck - but it was still a solid supplement to the town's food stores.  And while the people of Forester's Bay wouldn't actually go hungry without it and were a tiny population in any case, she could admit that it was still satisfying to the part of herself that wanted to solve world hunger.

Anyway, point was, when it came to plant-derived foods, Lily could cheat cheat cheat and did not hesitate to do so.  While she couldn't produce animal-based products like milk and eggs, there were enough plant-based substitutes for them to work in baking.  (The chips were unsalted; there were some plant-based substitutes for salt too but Lily hadn't really been experimenting much with them yet).

Lily's own experience around Bruno's table centered more on table-top RPGs than board games, give-or-take the odd chess tournament.  She'd never played any of the ones that Bruno had mentioned and Settlers of Catan was the only one she'd actually heard of, so she answered the question of what to play with  "I'm good with whatever!"   Lily's approach to new games was basically to read through the rules, maybe get some clarifications from people who had more experience with the game, and then try to derive the optimal strategy and play it hard.  She'd often come across as highly competitive as a result, and to be fair she a little bit was, but mostly it was just that she kinda looked at games as a puzzle and got at least a third of her fun from trying to solve them.  Once she was more experienced with a game she'd start experimenting with less-obvious strategies to see which ones worked out better in practice.

 "You know I still kinda can't believe that I never met the nephew of my local GM of the past, like, decade or something until we ended up on a superhero team together.  I'm guessing you're more into video game RPGs than tabletop RPGs?"  she asked Remy.  He literally attacked his enemies by conceptually removing their hit points, so he had to play games that involved hit points, and she assumed if they were tabletop games she  would  have met him at some point in the past decade.  This was a pretty good assumption given she had in fact "met" Remy at at least  six  different points in the past decade.  Lily did seem to be able to remember him since he had revealed his identity, but evidently even seeing him at Uncle Bruno's house in the context of a game night was not enough to retroactively get her to remember having met him before.  Possibly if they reminded her of it now it would actually stick though?
Ridai
 The Calm Before 

Remy did not expect Kal being excited about being able to bake. That's a first.  "I cook and bake with Uncle Bruno, yeah. And I guess I also was the main cook at home at some point."  And Remy made himself sad again. But trading recipes came up!  "Sure! I have a few that amount of using whatever cup you have around, using it to dump everything into a bowl, mixing, then putting the dough onto a baking sheet. Really easy, turns out really well, very versatile." 

He is in the process of wanting to try one of Lily's brownies when she brings up never having seen him before the Dome went up. Though he does not like the fact, Remy has plenty of experience infiltrating various groups under various identities. Something about him lets him easily blend into the background noise of groups, plus some things he actually picked up from roleplaying (and internet dives that spiraled out from there). He has become pretty good at keeping a kinda-sorta pokerface-adjacent. Lily's words, however, remind him of his intense loser energy and thus deal a critical hit to Remy, visibly hitching in his motions.  "Y-yeah, I guess, crazy huh."  The thoroughly unkind, reflexive part of his brain informs him that, congratulations, he managed to leave zero impressions on the girl with the 18+ Int and Cha throughout all of the seventeen sessions they played together, and that fact changed only once he got horrible monster powers. Just... just take the L, don't make this awkward for the rest.

Back to Kal, quickly.  "So, uh, there are some concepts like in Monopoly in there, like for example you frequently trade resource cards with other players, and you can build settlements and upgrade them into cities with those resources. Those also let you get more resources in turn. You are trying to be the first to gain ten victory points and have a number of ways to get them. Like settlements and cities give you points, whoever has the longest road gets two, whoever has the biggest army gets two, some special cards give you some, that sort of thing. The rules are pretty easy to learn, but you can do a lot with them, and you have multiple ways to win,"  Remy explains as he puts down the beginner scenario with the expansion for five to six players.  "What color do you want?"  Pointing to the red, orange, green, blue, brown, and white little settlements and roads.
Zelphas
 The Calm Before 

Bruno takes whatever's left of the colors, letting everyone pick first, and then settles into his usual "strategy" when playing with brand new players: starting his first two towns as far apart on the board as he can make them, and then spending the rest of the game trying to connect them via the most winding, convoluted road you can imagine. It's definitely not a winning strategy--even if he gets the "longest road" points, the resources involved and the singular attention on roads simply can't keep up with more standard methods of play--but it's entertaining to him, and it keeps him active without interfering with the learning curve of the rest of the group.

Throughout the game, Bruno keeps things moving with bits of small talk, generally avoiding personal lives and the larger state of the Dome unless the conversation is pointedly pushed that way by anyone in the group. He does keep circling back to the D&amp;D campaigns he's run before, asking Lily and Remy occasionally if they remember this or that event in this or that campaign a few years back. It's a little odd, for those who know him; maybe he's looking for more players, and is trying to tempt Kal or Flint into joining a group (or bring Lily back to the table)?

 
 Spoiler: Lily 
You know, it's odd; if you didn't know any better, you'd say that Bruno was talking about the  same  campaign when he asked you and Remy if you remembered certain events. But that can't be right. Right?
 

 Speeches and Shouting 

In this momentary period of calm and quiet, the response from the League of the Future to Floral's speech has yet to materialize. They're still biding their time, it seems, before they'll make their response known.

Someone  else  makes her response known in the meantime, however.

 "Was your goal to unify the League and paint the target on you?"  Hannah's voice cracks out like a sniper shot nearly the instant Lily enters the room with her, her hard eyes and tense, angry posture belying the attempt at sarcastic congratulation in her words.  "If so, then good job. Because that's what you just did. Or has grandstanding as a 'superhero' gone fully to your head?"  The sarcasm fades almost as quickly as it appeared, leaving only anger (and to Lily's enhanced senses, fear).  "There are  procedures  for taking down a large criminal organization. Some of them are useless, absolutely, but there's a  reason  they exist. And one of the reasons is because no matter how bad they are normally, career criminals  will get nastier  when you try to drive them into a corner. I  know  you were thinking, obviously, but  what  were you thinking? I can't--"  Hannah seems poised to continue without a pause for as long as you'll let her.
Quellian-dyrae
 The Calm Before 

Lily didn't have an eidetic memory, but her memory was pretty good.  Remy being uniquely immemorable may have been enough to dodge it, but she had a pretty clear memory of Bruno's various campaigns.  She was also entirely capable of reasoning under uncertainty, had pretty good people-reading skills, and could literally smell feelings.  All of which was to say that she did pick up on something of a vibe from Remy when she mentioned not having been in a campaign together, and it only took two of Bruno's anecdotes before she put two and two together (strictly speaking it took  one  before the realization became the dominant theory in her hypothesis space; she waited until the second merely for confirmation.)

Lily Woods was not, in the general sense, slow to update.   "Wait a minute.  You were there for that?  How was I not aware of this?"   And why hadn't they just  said anything ?

 Speeches and Shouting 

It was important to distinguish your hopes from your expectations.  And your fantasies from your hopes.

Fantasies could be pleasant to imagine, but they weren't theories, weren't credible hypotheses of how the world might turn out to be.  Indeed do many things come to pass, but just because the probability is not literally 0 does not mean it is high enough to be worth bothering to assign a number to.  The idea that having proved herself against Manchineel, her team having taken down a full member of the League of the Future, Lily's sister would come to realize that she actually did know what she was doing with this whole superhero thing, admit she had been wrong, and put an end to this whole fight, was nothing more than fantasy, and it proving indeed to be false did not have any particular impact on her feelings.

The  hope  had been that Hannah would recognize it as the  strong probabilistic evidence  that it in fact was and approach their next inevitable argument in a more tempered fashion, at least grudgingly accepting that Lily was, in fact, no longer just her helpless baby sister who it was her responsibility to keep safe.  Lily did not expect this to be the way reality was, she had the idea flagged in her head as having been generated by optimism.  Still, it  could  have happened.  She would have been (pleasantly) surprised, but not shocked.  The evidence was in fact fairly clear, and Hannah was in fact smart enough to recognize and update on it.  It only hurt a little to watch that hope die.

But she had, at least, considered defeating Manchineel to be a big enough deal to expect that even Hannah would at least take a moment to congratulate her on it before starting in about how she was an idiot and insane and going to get herself killed.  Like, that just seemed  polite , you know?  She'd given that one solid two to one odds.  That Hannah wouldn't even give her that much was, if I'm honest,  kinda  infuriating.

 "The League of the Future isn't a  large criminal organization! "  Lily snapped, spitting back the description with contempt.   "They're hostile invaders!  Enemy warlords!  Your protocols are as useless against them as your guns are!" 

She was so sick and tired of being underestimated, especially the way Hannah did it, where it wasn't enough to just call her weak, she had to insinuate she was also being  stupid .   "Think about it, Hannah!  You're supposed to be the tactical genius, right?  The League of the Future isn't going to just  not notice  that Manchineel's been taken off the board.  And it's not like there's anybody else in the Dome who could have taken her out.  We were going to shoot to the top of their threat assessment list either way.  But if we keep quiet about it, that just signals to them that we're  scared  of them, that we hope they don't notice us.  They're  predators . Hannah!  They sense fear, and they target weakness!"

"And they don't trust each other.  If they think we won because we flew under the radar until we could properly prepare and got lucky, then yeah, it's clearly in their best interests to work together and crush us before we can do it again.  If they think we won because we're  just that good , and possibly have the backing of one of them?  Then it becomes in their interests to wait for one of the  other League members  to take us out."

"So no, I wasn't thinking about police protocols for dealing with large criminal organizations.  I was thinking about how to  win! " 
Ridai
 The Calm Before 

Remy tries to give Kal and Flint small little pointers to help them learn the rules and what they can do, just to get the brain going without telling them what to do. Catan is a relatively simple game, rules-wise (well, the 5-6 player expansion with the extra turns complicates it a little, but still), but people might not realize how things fit together or how many paths to victory there are. Remy himself keeps to a small area (but with okay resources) and focuses on building tall, so the others have some more room to build. Trading is pretty chill, people tend to be pretty open to trading with people who are nice and non-threatening.

Then Uncle Bruno started dropping a hint towards that one boss fight against a necromancer called Dagon Daggerdark. The boss sidestepped a trap built by Lily's wizard, only to be semi-accidentally get pushed into it by Remy's thief Wind trying to the Orb of the Twice Dead Stars via what passes as extremely necrogoth chandeliers. That natural 1 for trying to secure a rope from the bone chandelier ended up quite funny, even if it broke the at the time mayonnaise-filled alchemy jug (Wind's most prized possession) over the necromancer's head and nearly all of Wind's bones, which earned the character the nickname "Breaking Wind" for the entire rest of the adventure.

Remy could feel the danger and awkward rising.   Why have you forsaken me, Uncle Bruno? I always wrote the campaign journals...  

So Remy tries to just keep his head down, but then the anecdote of the Grand Cheese Heist came up. Lily was busy planning for all eventualities of getting into the vault to get the Astral Cheese Wheel to trade to a library dragon for the needed McGuffin. The plan went mostly without a hitch, except for Boot's side of things, getting caught infiltrating despite the odds. However, again due to a natural 1, Boot was mistaken for a vermin exterminator by the staff, there to eliminate some mice. Remy thought he might be safe. Until the rats were revealed to be cranium rats, wanting the mind-expanding Astral Cheese. So while Lily and gang were doing a professional heist movie, every now and then Uncle Bruno went "Meanwhile on Secret Boot's side of things", where the cat was increasingly panicked and trying to get the plan work done while getting harried by psychic mice.

Before he could even react to that second anecdote, Lily already figured it out. Remy is hit critically by the awkward, knocking over a settlement he wanted to replace with a city, and one of his roads. Naturally, nothing is coming out of Remy for a few seconds, lack of social skills for chill and friendly environments kicking in (he only got practice for infiltrating really nasty ones).

 "B-because people always at most remember the characters,  not me. "  People remember the concept of Nope, but nothing of how Nope looks like.   Remy would be lying if he said he was not used to reintroducing himself all the time after gaining his abilities. It just became more frequent/severe. Daily checking in with people has become a daily activity, in hopes of not being forgotten.

And thus, awkward silence follows.   Thanks, Uncle Bruno. Good job.  
 "So I'll upgrade this to a city. Another victory point and two resources from a roll,"  Remy says, trying to somehow keep things from getting worse. Ending his turn, Remy helps himself to some more of his bread.
Abracadangit
 The Calm Before 
 "Uh, I dunno about Dungeons &amp; Dragons, guys,"  Kal says, a little sheepish.  "I'm all for game night, don't get me wrong, but like -- don't you have to dress up for D&amp;D? I don't really have the wardrobe, and I wouldn't know my lines. But you guys could play and I could watch!" 

Meanwhile, she tries to follow along with Catan, but feels like she's missing the point somewhere. How are all these people so good at these games?
Ridai
Kal with the distraction! Remy has heard this kind of thing a lot (well, the perception of needing to dress up is rare, but still), and he jumps on it to make the awkward go away and replace it with nerdiness.  "Nah nah, that's live action roleplay, or LARP for short. Regular tabletop roleplaying like D&amp;D, everyone just sits at a table with their dice and character sheets, players describe what their characters do, the Dungeon Master handles all the non-player characters, the world, enemies etc. No need to dress up."  A beat.  "And yeah, you just imagine what's happening, even if some groups have miniatures or maps or handouts and whatnot."  That last bit seems to confuse people.
Abracadangit
 "Oh, ok!"  Kal says, breathing a sigh of relief that she won't have to design crazy costumes for her friends that were into some kind of theater fantasy game.  "So it's kind of like a board game, but without a board. That could be fun! What do I have to do to make a character?" 
Ridai
 "Think about what your character is like as a person and what their motivations and goals are to go on adventures. And ideally making them want to work with a group and not randomly kill people. Pick a race, like human, elf, dwarf, halfling, the works. Pick a class, fighter, barbarian, rogue, paladin, cleric, wizard, warlock, druid etc. If you don't want to deal with the rules all that much, someone can help you put something together quick. If you want to do it yourself, you can do some more customization. Just think of what you want to be in broad strokes, go with what fits that. I played an awakened house cat shooting magic lasers from its eyes due to an angel going 'you're a good little bean, you're getting powers to help people'."  Remy shrugs in a very "just go for it" kind of way.
Quellian-dyrae
...That was  so weird , but Lily did pick up on the fact that Remy seemed uncomfortable talking about it, so she didn't press the matter.  She mostly managed to keep a straight face at Kal's questions about D&amp;D, although the air around her did begin to smell faintly of poppies.   "I don't think she ever mentioned it 'on screen', but for the record Nourmea spent about half that campaign trying to figure out if there was a way to get Boot as a familiar,"  she chimed in with a laugh.  (Lily of course would never seriously attempt to do such a thing without working it out with the other player first, it had just amused her to have her character trying to do that in the background.)
Zelphas
 The Calm Before 
 "It is a shame that D&amp;D isn't what you could call a pickup game--though I have plenty of premade characters..."  Uncle Bruno says, before shaking his head and laughing.  "No, I think we have plenty to play tonight for a relaxing evening. Still, the door's always open; I don't travel much in any case!" 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Feel free to suggest other games that you'd all play, or put up little vignettes; I think this is nice as a quiet little group bonding scene, so it doesn't need to worry too much about the structure.
 

 Speeches and Shouting 
 "'Win'? Is this a game?"  Hannah's voice is hard, her eyes harder.  "For the past three months, the League has been operating under the belief that the only threat to them in this Dome was each other. Now, you proved them wrong, and you think that their next 'move' will be to run and hide? You expect  Apophis  to act according to your logical expectations? Or Doctor Proxy to respond at all to what we've done? For all you know, Watcher already knew this was going to happen, and has something prepared? And Lockdown, he's a career criminal, so at best he'll see you as a dangerous rogue factor now, to be recruited or crushed directly.

"And what if you're right? What if the League starts suspecting each other more? What if they decide to go on the offensive against each other? We're stuck in this  snowglobe  with them, and the only reason most of our buildings are still standing is because the League thought they had a handle on things! If two of them come to blows, what happens to everyone else close to them? Do you think any of them care about bystanders? Do you think any of them will hesitate to use whatever they need to in order to 'win'?" 

Hannah runs one hand through her hair in frustration, her anger giving way to tiredness just for a moment.  "The problem, little sister, is that you expect people to think and act like  you . You think they'll calmly assess the problem, find an angle that works best according to their knowledge, and work that angle. But most people aren't you. They never have been. And sometimes the least 'optimal' choice just needs surprise to work against you." 
Quellian-dyrae
 Speeches and Shouting 
 "'Win'? Is this a game?" 
 "No.  It's a  war !"  Lily shot back.

...

 "You know, Hannah, you say words that are supposed to convey some amount of respect for my intelligence and reasoning ability, but it's clear from your apparent  model  of me that you think I'm an idiot.  Of  course  I don't expect them to run and hide!  What is your notion of what I am trying to do here, exactly?  Do you think I perceive myself as a brilliant puppetmaster who can perfectly model the thoughts and reactions of the entire League of the Future, manipulate their actions flawlessly, and drive them into a trap from which there is no escape?  I AM NOT THAT STUPID, HANNAH!"

"No, I don't know exactly how they'll react, and most of my probability is on 'they'll do something I don't expect, and it will predictably suck'.  SO WHAT!?  That doesn't change the fact that looking weak  increases  the probability that they act more aggressively and looking strong  reduces  it!  I don't have the luxury of outpowering my opponents by orders of magnitude  and  catching them by surprise like you get in SWAT!  I have to act in ways that maximize my chance of success  despite  being outpowered and outnumbered by enemies who are aware of my existence!"

"And guess what.  Giving up?  IT DOESN'T DO THAT!  Cowering doesn't do that!  Playing defense doesn't do that!  Yes, there's some risk that if the League conflicts with each other, people will get hurt in the crossfire.  What do you think happens if nobody steps up to fight the League?  What do you think happens if they coordinate and work together?  Everybody's just totally fine and stay fine forever?  It's soooo easy to just point out all the ways what I did can go wrong, but that's meaningless!  It's noise!  It only matters in comparison to the potential harms from other possible courses of action, including no action at all!"

"I don't have the luxury of being certain.  But when I envision possible worlds developing from my choices, the ones where I don't call out the League after beating Manchineel, the ones where I don't try to sow discord among them, the ones where I don't try to inspire the populace, the ones where I don't fight in the first place, all look worse in expectation than the ones where I do.  Standard heuristics for dealing with bullies and predators don't change just because they have superpowers.  You think I erred?  Tell me what you think I should have done instead.  Or stop acting like you think I don't know how to reason under uncertainty!" 
Ridai
 The Calm Before 

To Lily:  "Really? I mean, Boot used to be a druid's animal companion before the druid ascended, so... seems appropriate?... Boot was really bad at intentionally working toward Nourmea's plans, but great at failing towards the goal regardless, wasn't he." 

To Bruno:  "I mean, Betrayal at House on the Hill's like a mini-RPG. Characters and all." 

And speaking of  Betrayal,  it seems like Catan is wrapping up quick. True to his Secret Boot luck, things are not going well for Remy, between the resource rolls and the attempt at trying to avoid the awkward having led to weird nonsense moves to Kal's benefit. That and Lily seemingly being out for blood. Well, the purpose was to get people into boardgames, so it's probably not that bad that Remy... mostly crashed and burned.

 "So uh, how about Betrayal now?"  he squeaks out from behind a hand, ducked halfway behind the table, after seeing just how bad his final Catan result was.
Abracadangit
 "Mini-RPG sounds like fun!"  Kal says, thinking it might be better to try a mini version before a larger one. It's like a spoken-word game, but also a boardgame sometimes? RPGs  could  be a good idea, but at least in the abstract, they still sound sort of intimidating for her.