Dawn of Heroes

The Shrouded Scions I
[X] Plan Counter
[X] [Power] Upgrade the power of Talatine.
-[X] [Power] Learn how to use Talatine as a throwing weapon against your enemies. Gain throwing Talatine as an Alternative Effect.
[X] [Power] Improve your magical skillset.
-[X] [Power] Focus on expanding your arsenal of more powerful spells. (Pick two sub-options as alternative effects)
--[X] [Power] Focus on developing a lightning-based ranged attack. Gain Ranged Magic/Electricity Damage 1.
--[X] [Power] Focus on developing a teleportation spell. Gain Teleport 1.
[X] [Power] Improve your Faerie Heritage.
-[X] [Power] Focus on using your magic to conceal your noises. Gain Concealment 1 (Normal Hearing).
-[X] [Sapphire] Empower your squire's Mystic Wardrobe.
--[X] [Sapphire] Make the clothing of the wardrobe quieter and allow for silent movement. Sapphire Squire gains Concealment 1 (Normal Hearing).
-[X] [Sapphire] Empower your squire's Mystic Wardrobe.
--[X] [Sapphire] Make the clothing of the wardrobe blend into the background. Sapphire Squire gains Concealment 1 (Normal Vision).
-[X] [Onyx] Give your squire a magical ability.
--[X] [Onyx] Use a ritual to reduce the noise that Onyx Squire makes. Onyx Squire gains Concealment 1 (Normal Hearing).
-[X] [Onyx] Give your squire a magical ability.
--[X] [Onyx] Use a ritual to make Onyx Squire harder to spot. Onyx Squire gains Partial Concealment 1 (Normal Vision).
[X] [Skill] Improve your ability to scare and terrorise others. Increase Intimidation skill.
[X] [Skill] Learn about stealth and trickery from your squires. Increase Deception and Stealth skills.
[X] [Skill] Have Sapphire Squire teach you got to accurately throw items at a target. Increase Ranged Combat: Throwing skill.
[X] [Life] Attempt to meet up with Galahad and/or Sentinel. Attempt to strengthen ties with Galahad and/or Sentinel.
[X] [Life] Learn about other influential villains and criminal organisations in the kingdom. Find out more information about other villain and villainous groups in the British Isles.
-[X] [HP Power] Spend 8 Hero Points for 2 more options
-[X] [HP Sapphire] Spend 4 Hero Points for 1 more option
-[X] [HP Onyx] Spend 4 Hero Points for 1 more option
-[X] [HP Skills] Spend 2 Hero Points for 1 more option
-[X] [HP Life] Spend no Hero Points

"And you don't remember anything from this new timeline?" you ask Brenda as the two of you sit in your bedroom a couple days after you got back from overthrowing your aunt.

"Bits here and there," replies your squire, "More if I focus. It is less that I don't remember and more that they are faded if I don't pay attention to them. Which is really weird for me because memories don't work that way for me. I remember everything clearly, which after speaking to Moira and Maeve, I believe is part of the problem. My memory is good enough that the magic wasn't able to properly change it so I've got some extra memories in my head that failed to click into place due to my other memories. Or something along those lines."

"Another re-cap?" you inquire.

"I believe I got it at this point," says Brenda, "Back in eighteen-ninety six, you were born Tamara Lyn, the illegitimate daughter of Morgan Lyn and younger half-sister to Moira Lyn and Maeve Lyn, the legitimate daughters of Morgan Lyn and her husband. You and your sisters were secretly fairy princesses, but had your memories sealed away until your mother died at the start of nineteen-twenty. Which explains why you only started being the Fairy Knight when you did in this new timeline. I'm not too sure about your, eh, romantic life or Alexandra."

"I moved to London and I got a place with Ellen Woodsworth," you tell her, "I looked for a job and I've got hired by the Wallis family to be a part time maid for them. Ben and I met there and were attracted to each other. I looked after the Nighthouse for him and after he began to be the Night, we fornicated a few times due to the secret life we had together. Alexandra got produced in September nineteen-sixteen and to keep her from being illegitimate like I am."

"Then he died in nineteen-eighteen and you took up his crusade in nineteen-twenty when you got your memories back," finishes Brenda, "Which leaves me with three, no, four questions."

"Go ahead," you say.

"First, where do I fit into this?" asks Brenda, "I'm not sure how we met in this timeline. I remember meeting first as Fairy Knight and Sapphire Squire before Christmas and then a few months later, we meet in our secret identities when Dad showed up at home with you in tow."

"When I became the Fairy Knight, I needed someone to look after Alex," you explain to her, feeling odd at remembering something quite clearly that you intellectually know wasn't always true, "Amar and Gareth were capable of doing or hiring someone, but Ben had your dad as being a clean and competent cop so I decided to hire you to do some babysitting for Alex at the weekends or in the evenings to get an in with the then-Detective Brown."

"That explains why I've got some extra cash at home," says Brenda, "This is technically a fifth question, but how does me being Alexandra's babysitter relate to me becoming the Sapphire Squire?"

"Unrelated as far as I know," you answer, "Despite being the babysitter for my kid, you becoming the Sapphire Squire was independent of that."

"Oh thank the lord for that," says Brenda with genuine relief, "Okay, onto my second question. What happened to the Consortium because I'm not sure if you noticed, but to me with my old memories, they have practically collapsed since everything changed. Not that I'm complaining, but whatever your sisters did, it definitely did something bad to the Consortium."

"I am afraid that I can't help you with that," you admit, "You bringing this up now is that first that I've heard of it."

"So another thing for me to look into," mutters Brenda, "At least it isn't a bad thing to worry about. Okay, my third question is what is up with Alexandra? Uhh, I mean nothing bad, but she is kinda of odd."

"She is part-fairy," you point out with a smile as you understand what Brenda is talking about, "But yes, I get your point. While she didn't intend to make me marry, I apparently mentioned to Moira that I would like a daughter like you so she gave me on in this timeline as a gift. The details worked themselves which has resulted in Alex, who I am happy with and she happens to be a beautiful, talented girl like you are."

"And you are okay with all of this?" asks Brenda

"I remember everything as clear as day and it is barely a drop in the bucket for me," you reply with a shrug, "A couple decades of extra memories is nothing compared to over a thousand and it is hardly the first time that I've gotten some new memories via magic. I don't mind gaining a daughter out of this. You may not realise this at your age, but that isn't a bad thing. If anything, this is all a good thing since it strengthens my secret identity, which was previously rather flimsy if I do say so myself."

"It did rely upon anyone not looking too closely," agrees Brenda, "Just why make you a part of the Wallis family? Sorry if this sounds rude with your new memories, but why did you end up married to Benedict Wallis?"

"It is a little rude," you say even as you understand where your squire is coming from, "I believe it is because it fits in with the rumours around me. People believe the Fairy Knight came to London to investigate the Night because the Night summoned her as his final action or something along those lines. Combined with the rumours of why people think Gareth hired me as a maid and how Ben was the ideal father to give me a daughter who is like you. And it isn't the first romance that I've had over the centuries and if I am honest, my feelings for Ben have faded by now. I had an enjoyable romance and got a daughter out of it, which makes it okay for me."

"Fair enough and that about covers it for me," says Brenda, "You and your sisters are established parts of the London scene, you are part of the Wallis family with a daughter and Moira is going to try and heal my family. So now what?"

"Life goes on," you say, "Nobody else remembers the changes outside of you, me and my sisters so we'll just keep them to ourselves to avoid awkward and unnecessary explanations. Agreed?"

"It wouldn't be like anyone would believe us if we did tell them," says Brenda, "Agreed. Are you really okay with this?"

"Yes, the main changes are Alex and being a Wallis," you tell her, "Ben has been dead for years and my situation isn't any less unconventional. I've got a human family, including a daughter and I am fine with that."

***​

As May becomes June, life goes on and for the better. You semi-adjust to the newish world as you are already used to it with Sapphire Squire being the one who needs to take time to properly adjust. During that time, you take the opportunity to strengthen the stealth capabilities of yourself and your squires.

You and Sapphire Squire already have some limited stealth capabilities, but you seek to improve them further. For all three of you, you take the time to give the ability to move in total silent or at least in total silent to regular hearing. Abnormal hearing could still be used against you, but it is a rare enough thing that you aren't worried about encountering that much. You also improve the ability of your squires to go unsee, strengthening Sapphire Squire's Mystic Wardrobe to grant total invisibility to the mundane eye while you grant Onyx Squire the partial invisibility that Sapphire Squire previously had.

Both of the squires take to it splendidly. Brenda is appreciative of the greater stealth now open to her; especially given how she expects to find it harder to sneak away in her secret identity. Meanwhile David is grateful to some supernatural stealth to give him an edge over his foe.

Despite being a very capable fighter, your newest squire is still adjusting to his chosen position as being a protector of London's streets and therefore feels somewhat uncertain as a result. Having some magical abilities at his advantage should do some good for improving his confident until he can raise it the old-fashioned way of being successful.

***​

"You need to throw it like this," says Brenda as she throws her boomerang at the practice dummy, "You need to put a bit less force into the throw. You are good at getting a strong hit, but less good at an accurate one."

"Throwing Talatine is a lot harder than just throwing something," you reply as you summon Talatine back to your hand.

The two of you are in the gym of the Nighthouse, using as an impromptu spot to practice your throwing skills. Lacking a proper ranged attack, you decided to change that. You initially attempted to do that with a lightning bolt spell, but the magic is proving weak enough that you are attempting to use Talatine instead.

Talatine is a weapon you always have on hand and one that you can teleport back to you with relative ease and quickness. While not a perfect throwing weapon, your sword makes for a decent one. You are able to retain plenty of power behind your throws through your aim leaves a fair bit to be desired.

Fortunately for you, you got the talented Sapphire Squire to help you out. Relying a lot on her boomerangs in the various fights she gets into, Brenda is an expert at throwing things and is more than willingly to part with that experience.

"You may need to trade off at times," says Brenda as she pulls out another boomerang, "Right now, you seem to able to get either power or accuracy, but not both at the same time. We can work on that, but for the time being, you are going to pick one or the other."

"Understandable," you reply, "I didn't expect to pick all of this up in a couple of months."

"You are doing well," Brenda tells you, "You got some natural skill at this which most people don't."

"Fairy reflexes," you explain, "When it comes to coordination and reacting to things, we are slightly better than humans. Not that a skilled or talented human can't outdo your average fairy, but your average fairy as an advantage over your average human."

"Sounds useful," comments Brenda, "Okay, watch this and try to copy it."

"I also have the advantage of a good teacher," you say as your squire throws the boomerang and she blushes at your words.

Something you have recently noticed is that after coming back from the Kingdom of the Faeries, Sapphire Squire is a lot more open with you. Maybe it is due to a greater understanding of each other or perhaps she doesn't hide as much from you now that you know her secret identity, but Brenda is a lot more willingly to display her emotions when the two of you are alone.

"Thanks," mutters Brenda before speaking up, "While you are here, do you mind if I bring something up? Something to do with your family."

"What is it and which side?" you ask in way of a reply, frowning at the idea of your sisters being up to something.

"Your mother's, but it isn't to do with Moira or Maeve," answers Brenda, "At least not anything recent. You know how I mentioned that Consortium had practically fallen apart after your sisters did their reality-changing thing a while back?"

"Yes," you say, giving your squire a look, "I haven't noticed the changes myself, but I assume you know what you are talking about."

"Well, I think they got someone important in the Consortium," says Brenda, "The Consortium only really began to fall apart in nineteen-twenty when you got your memories back and your mother died. I'm fairly certain that your mother replaced something high up in the Consortium."

"Moira said they weren't going to be involved in any illegal stuff," you say with a frown, "She wouldn't break her word like that."

"Actually, I think that her keeping her word about that is part of what caused this," comments Brenda, "Moira and Maeve only picked up the legitimate businesses from your mother so the illegal stuff, including all of the Consortium stuff, just fell wayside. People have picked them up here and there, but without whoever your mother was or a successor to her, the Consortium has suffered a major blow."

"Moira said that she didn't displace anyone I would care about," you muse, "Ranking members of the Consortium would be fair game under that. Is there anything bad to this or is it all good?"

"All good," answers Brenda without hesitation, "It means the Consortium is weaker, at least from my perspective of things and if there was anything bad to it, we would have noticed by now."

***​

"This is a lot easier when no one can hear or see you," comments Onyx Squire as he climbs up to the roof.

"It is, but the magical stealth I have given you is not fool-proof," you warn him, "It only works against mundane eyes and ears and even then, you lack the same level of invisibility that Sapphire Squire and I have."

"And while rare, there are people out there who can still through it," adds Sapphire Squire as she follows up her fellow squire up to the rooftop, using her arms and legs rather than her wings, "For more concrete example, I could whip up something to bypass all of it in less than half an hour."

"Being stealthy even when you got magical means of stealth is a good habit to be in," you continue, "You never know when you are stalking a foe with ways of seeing through your magical stealth or if you are the one being stalked by a foe with magical ways of seeing through your stealth."

"That sounds like common sense," says Onyx Squire, "Basically relying on all of your advantages rather than depending on just one and not taking chances."

"Exactly," you agree, "We need to be cautious and avoid unnecessary risks even with the magic that we have at our disposal. Some of our enemies will have their own tricks up their sleeves and none of us invincible. If we are careless, a bit of bad luck or some preparation by our foes will see us brought down."

"Both Fairy Knight and I have gone down before," says Sapphire Squire, "And that is with us being careful and cautious. Sometimes you just get outmatched or unlucky, but to compensate, you need to take every advantage you can get."

"How bad have you been defeated?" asks Onyx Squire and you think you detect a hint of nervousness there.

"A couple times early on when I went after the leadership a couple of gangs, I almost got taken out by Windstrike early in my career," you answer, "Templar almost defeated me the second time we fought. Redcoat had some back and forth where he would have defeated me or Sapphire Squire if we hadn't been a pair. An unknown foe knocked me out in January and a rival spellcaster from Manchester mind-controlled me a couple times in March. My cousin almost defeated me."

"I've had less defeats," says Sapphire Squire, "Once against Redcoat and more recently in Fairyland, but that is more due to Fairy Knight being the one who takes the blows, either charging up front or taking hits meant for me."

"The thing about that is that I have my armour," you explain, wanting to make sure that your newer squire understands why you endanger yourself like that, "What is an incapacitating or otherwise serious hit for me is often a fatal blow for Sapphire Squire. As a result of that, I will take hits for her because I can withstand blows that she cannot. Understand?"

"Yeah, I understand," replies Onyx Squire, "You should avoid getting hit, but if you can take something that an ally can't, it is okay to take it for them."

"Exactly," you confirm, "Since we have apparently decided to take a break here, let's discuss our current situation and the various. Sapphire Squire?"

"Right," says the lass as she straightens up and both you and Onyx Squire focus on her, "Long story short is the Consortium is basically gone as the top dog of Britain, well, actually, it is still the top dog, just not uncontested and it doesn't control everywhere anymore. Here in London? The Regal Ravens are holding on, but these days, London is more Golden Order than Consortium. You wouldn't think it, but the Consortium is doing really well in Ireland right now and it is basically the only place they have been increasing their reach. The locals don't like them, but with something of a blind eye from the government, the Consortium is able to do almost whatever they want so long as they aren't too blatant."

"Is Ireland doing to be their new centre of operations?" you inquire.

"Maybe," answers Sapphire Squire, "London was their central stronghold, but now that the Golden Knight has taken that from them...well, it is a bit of a tossup. Ireland is going well for the Consortium, but they retain their dominance in Newcastle up north. The east is also going well for them. They are a bit shaky in the midlands, but doing well if better in the East Midlands than the West Midlands. Norwich is another stronghold despite the work of the local vigilante and yeah, the east remains under Consortium dominance."

"And where is the Consortium weak?" you ask.

"Wales," answers your squire without hesitation, "The Consortium has ended all their operations there and basically pulled out. Not even their information networks remain intact, which makes things difficult for me. My best information comes from finding out what the Consortium knows and while we got some contacts in the governments, I have to rely on rumour and gossip without spying the Consortium.

As for where else the Consortium is weak, Xavier Crawford drove them out of Manchester when he turned on them and now he is slowly driving them out of the surrounding area. I suspect he is using the Druid to give him a magical edge over the Consortium. Scotland is another place where the Consortium is losing control as it looks like the Glasge are going to take over the criminal underworld. They've got Glasgow and Edinburgh and they are moving on the rest of the Scottish underworld. And speaking of underworlds, it is creepy up there. Between Doctor Death, Lady Ghost and all the rumours about the dead rising and spirits attacking people, I am certain something is happening up there."

"Something to look into in the future," you say, "Unless you got anything more details?"

"Doctor Death is an immortal who uses science to raise the bodies of the dead as his servants while he apparently has a rival immortal who uses magic to raise the spirits of the dead as his servants," says Sapphire Squire, "A team of vigilantes being led by Lady Ghost is fighting them and other criminals, but when it comes to the supernatural, you can't really figure out fact from fiction without being there in person."

"Fair enough," you say, "What about the rest of England?"

"Cornwall and the rest of the south-west is falling to local crime groups," replies Sapphire Squire, "Galahad and Sentinel took out the Consortium in Hampshire and that has had knock on effects. Cornwall, Dorset, Devon, Somerset are all places where the Consortium is just cutting its losses and pulling out what it can whilst keeping a foothold. Same in Yorkshire minus the involvement of Galahad and Sentinel. Something is beating the Consortium there, but I suspect it is just plucky and lucky criminal upstarts."

"What about these newer criminals?" inquires Onyx Squire before shrugging self-consciously as he draws looks from both you and Sapphire Squire.

"Well, I've don't know what is going on in Wales and I've already covered the mess in Scotland," answers Sapphire Squire, "Ireland still has the Irish Republican Army, but they are on the downturn right now. They have a lot of popular support, but that is it right now. They haven't got any equipment or a proper way to continue their revolt so they have to lie low for now. The government suspects they might try to hit targets in England and they are concerned enough about it to put the police on alert for it. They haven't explicitly been cracking down on the Irish here in London thanks to the ongoing mess and Inspector Brown's wife being Irish, but law enforcement has definitely been watching anyone from Ireland more closely."

Which includes your squire you quietly realise and wonder how she is coping with that.

"Why go after the Irish?" asks Onyx Squire with a frown.

"Government thinks that anyone Irish might be more loyal to the IRA than the Crown," explains Sapphire Squire, "It is nonsense, but the government believes what it wants to believe and we all know by now that they are corrupt enough to not let something being illegal and immoral stop them doing it."

"Indeed," you agree as Onyx Squire scowls, "What about other threats in the Isles? What are they like? Like say Xavier Crawford?"

"Crawford is basically a miniature Consortium," answers Sapphire Squire, "The only different between them is that he is independent and in opposition to them. He hasn't actually changed how he operates. Yorkshire and the south-west are the local criminal groups retaking control of their criminal underworlds while we all know what the Golden Order is like. Except I think that might change soon."

"Change how?" you demand.

"The Golden Knight has basically achieved victory over the Consortium at this point," says Sapphire Squire, "He needs to do some mopping up, but then he needs to decide what the Golden Order is going to do going forward. He might stick to his path or he might try to expand outward beyond London. He might decide to take the opportunity to strengthen his position, potentially becoming something that we can't ignore. In the worst case, he might decide that with the Consortium gone, we are now his biggest threats and go after us."

"Yes, that is a concern," you agree, "But I don't think he could end up being more troublesome than the Consortium was? Will he?"

"I consider it unlikely that he will, but I'm not willingly to rule anything out yet," replies Sapphire Squire, "Do you want more details or to get back to training?"

"Back to training," you tell her with a glance at your other squire, "We rested enough for now and that is enough information for us to process for now."

***​

"Thank you for meeting with us," you tell Galahad as the flying man drops down, carrying a smaller lad in more crude and mundane armour in his arms, "Both of you."

"You are welcome," says Sentinel without feeling, almost by reflex.

"Sentinel isn't the best at social interactions," Galahad tells you apologetically, "He prefers his inventions to people."

"They make sense and are easier to understand," says Sentinel as he looks around, "How far until we reach your base?"

"I was planning to take the sewer entrance for discreetness," you tell him with a apologetic smile, "I hope you don't mind the smell."

"Some minor discomfort is easily worth the extra security," states Sentinel bluntly, "I will make do. Will Sapphire Squire be there?"

"She will," you confirm, "Both of my squires will be there."

"Good, I am eager to meet her," says Sentinel.

"Shall we be off?" suggests Galahad.

"Yes, let's," you agree.

The trip doesn't take long. The smell isn't pleasant, but with Galahad carrying Sentinel and you shapeshifting, none of you actually have to go in the sewer water. The three of you swiftly reach the underground entrance into the basement of the Nighthouse, where both Sapphire Squire and Onyx Squire are waiting in costume.

"Galahad and Sentinel, these are my squires, Sapphire Squire and Onyx Squire," you say as you being to make introductions, "My squires, this is Galahad and Sentinel."

"It is an honour to meet you," says Galahad as he steps forward, holding out a hand.

"I am Sentinel," says his companion as he stares at Sapphire Squire, "You are Sapphire Squire correct? The inventor?"

"Yes, I am," answers Sapphire Squire as she glances at you.

"Good, I would like to discuss some things in your workshop with you," says Sentinel in that blunt manner of his, "Inventions that are both regular and magical in nature."

"Sure," agrees Sapphire Squire as she gives you another look, "It would be nice to talk to someone else about my ideas."

"Good," states Sentinel, "Please lead the way."

As the two inventors leave, Galahad turns to you.

"Sorry about that," says your fellow hero, "Sentinel is always rather direct and is more than a little focused on the job. He tends to view socialisation as a waste of time unless you get something out of it."

"Do fun and good memories not count as getting something?" you inquire.

"I think they do, but Sentinel disagree," answers Galahad with a shake of his head, "Sentinel is a genius, but it comes at the cost of being overfocused on logically understood things like his machines over harder to calculate stuff like people."

"Understandable," you say, "He is still a good person?"

"One of the best," declares Galahad without hesitation, "He seeks to use his genius to make the world a better place and to help others rather than enrich himself or earn glory. Anyway, how have you been Fairy Knight?"

"I would like to say the usual, but things have changed," you answer, "I have another squire, I helped my siblings overthrow my aunt and undo my exile and I have been successful enough that the Consortium is unlikely to be my main foe anymore."

"Merlin mentioned that last month," replies Galahad, "I can relate, well sort of anyway. We've knocked down most of the Consortium assets in Winchester and Southampton and we are moving on the rest. Their local leader, Lucius Stenham, is still the MP of Winchester, but he is being investigated and I revealed enough of his misdeeds that he is unlikely to win the next election. I do have to worry about the local criminals are rising to fill the void, but we can take them out before they get too strong."

"I wish I could say that same," you admit, "The Golden Knight and his Golden Order have risen to dominance in the criminal underworld of London now that the Consortium is gone and while they lack the national dominance, they do have the same local dominance."

"That does sound like a pain," says Galahad sympathetically, "Over in Hampshire, the Consortium hasn't had any real competition outside me and Sentinel. Even other vigilantes are wary of taking them on."

"The Consortium was feared and is still feared," you note, "And not without reason. Their defeat has only come about due to the actions of those with extraordinary powers."

"I wish I could, but I can't say I disagree," replies Galahad with a sigh, "I want to see the Consortium brought down by ordinary men and women, but without my powers, I would have definitely died at their hands."

"Same," you admit, thinking back to the likes of Windstrike and Redcoat, "I only survived the assassins that the Consortium sent after me due to my magic."

"Even Sentinel would been killed by the Consortium if he was on his own," says Galahad, "But enough about that. Onyx Squire was it? Sorry about ignoring you, do you have anything to say?"

***​

"Mummy!" says Alexandra as your daughter comes running up to you as you arrive back at the Wallis mansion.

You smile down at the black-haired girl, understanding why Brenda finds her a little creepy. She is the daughter of you and Ben and while you can pick out both of your features in her, Alex does look an awfully lot like your squire and from what Moira has told you, that is no coincidence.

"Mummy is home," you tell her, "I just had to deal with another bit of business tonight. I'll be free for the rest of it."

"Okay Mummy," says Alex cheerfully and you scope her up in a hug.

Your little girl is a quick learner and has the same sort of intellect that Ben had and Brenda has. You haven't told her what you get up to, what her father got up and or even about the magical side of her family.

You will need to sooner or later if only because Alex is smart enough to figure it out on her own. If she begins to display any inherited abilities...well, you haven't seen her do any shapeshifting and you haven't dare test how well her body can cope without the basics.

Though she never slept as much as a baby as she should have.

Of course, you need to figure out why you do what you do. When you were exiled, you did it because you couldn't go home and yet when Tiarnach became king and your exile was revoked, you chose to stay here in London. You can't keep telling yourself that you are the Fairy Knight because you can't go home and you didn't have a proper place in London until you choose to return here.

So why are you the Fairy Knight?

What is Tamara's primary motivation to be the Fairy Knight? (Pick 1 Option)
[] Doing Good. Tamara is the Fairy Knight because of her desire to help others and to make the world a better place.
[] Bringing Justice. Tamara is the Fairy Knight because she wishes to stop injustice and ensure just treatment for all.
[] Her Duty. Tamara is the Fairy Knight because she sees it as her duty to protect the innocent and to fight evil.
[] Write-in.

What other Complications does Tamara face as the Fairy Knight? (Pick 2 Options)
[] Sisterly Pranks. Tamara's sisters Moira Lyn and Maeve Lyn mean her no harm and ill intent, but a sisterly prank is normal amongst the Fair Folk and sometimes those pranks happened to be inconvenient for the Fairy Knight.
[] Culture Clash. Between her time in London and the place she was given in the human world, Tamara is adjusted to the human world yet her magical upbringing still leaves her with different expectations to those raised in a world without it.
[] Magic over Tech. Tamara is well-acquainted with the technology of the human world and has great respect for what it can do, especially in the hands of a genius. Yet when given a choice, Tamara will choose the magic she grew up with over a more technological solution.
[] Lost Lover. After she got added to the human world alongside her sisters, Tamara had a lover who she has since lost yet part of the love lingers and sometimes influences her decision-making.
[] Rivalry. Either as Tamara Wallis or the Fairy Knight, Tamara has struck up a rivalry with another individual.
-[] Moira Lyn. While they have always had a little sisterly rivalry, Tamara and Moira have more recently started competing over Brenda as Moira would like her favourite human as her apprentice while Tamara wishes to retain her squire.
-[] Golden Knight. Having both emerged victorious over the Consortium in your own ways, Fairy Knight and the Golden Knight have both begun to compete for the minds and hearts of the people of London.
-[] Imperial Lion. A new, but talented vigilante, Imperial Lion is a patriot who seeks to improve his country and sees the Golden Order and their new dominance of the London underworld as the biggest problem that the city faces.
[] Enemy. One of Fairy Knight's old enemies has decided to focus on her.
-[] Redcoat. The most infamous killer in the British Isles, Redcoat has not forgotten his defeat at the hands of Fairy Knight and her squire and now seeks revenge for his first major loss.
-[] Templar. Not forgetting his defeat and how she protects heretics and infidels, Templar has decided that Fairy Knight and her magic is an unholy threat that he must eliminate.
-[] Golden Knight. Having bested the Consortium for control of the criminal underworld in London, the Golden Knight has now decided that the Fairy Knight is the biggest threat to his plans.
-[] Prince Auraen. Prince Auraen has not forgotten his defeat at the hands of Tamara and Sapphire Squire. Escaping his imprisonment, Tamara's cousin now seeks to get revenge on her in his self-imposed exile.
[] Write-in.

Remembering the old timeline. (Sapphire Squire)
Intellect Check, DC32: 19+6+5+5 = 35, 1 DoS.

You gain 1 Hero Point from the changes to reality and another Hero Point from the start of a new adventure. You have 15 available Hero Points.

***​

A big update and I think it is the longest one yet. I was going to write some more with Galahad and Sentinel and some more stuff here, but right now, I am fed up of writing this and want to get it posted. Expect some errors given the size of the post and the fact I haven't bothered to proofread it at all.

The current vote is choosing Fairy Knight's Complications. One will be her secret identity, another will be her motivation and the last two will be chosen by you guys in the vote. The enemies of this adventure will be introduced in the next update.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
 
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The Shrouded Scions II
[X] Her Duty. Tamara is the Fairy Knight because she sees it as her duty to protect the innocent and to fight evil.
[X] Magic over Tech. Tamara is well-acquainted with the technology of the human world and has great respect for what it can do, especially in the hands of a genius. Yet when given a choice, Tamara will choose the magic she grew up with over a more technological solution.
[X] Enemy. One of Fairy Knight's old enemies has decided to focus on her.
-[X] Prince Auraen. Prince Auraen has not forgotten his defeat at the hands of Tamara and Sapphire Squire. Escaping his imprisonment, Tamara's cousin now seeks to get revenge on her in his self-imposed exile.

"Looking forward to your birthday?" you ask Brenda as Onyx Squire heads home for the night.

"Definitely," replies Brenda as she swaps out her Sapphire Squire costume for a more casual grey skirt and white blouse, "Now that she is better, Mum is going to be handling the preparations for the party, which is good because it would have been weird for me to organise my own birthday party and not the sort of weirdness that we usually find ourselves in."

"I am glad to hear that Eira is doing well," you say as you switch out your Fairy Knight form and Torlyn for your Tamara Wallis form and a nice green dress.

"I am really grateful to Moira for that," says Brenda, "And speaking of her, did you know that my birthday is now on the twentieth?"

"I thought it was always on the twentieth?" you reply, "Was that not the case?"

"Prior to everything changing, it was definitely on the sixteenth," says Brenda, "Except only I remember that anymore and I know Moira was behind it. I just don't know why she made the change."

"I believe it might have something to do with the twentieth of June being the summer solstice," you suggest, "It is just a four day difference, but gives you some more mystic weight in the right circumstances. I suspect she found it to be a minor change that gives you some benefit as a magic user."

"What sort of benefits?" inquires Brenda, making her thoughtful face.

"My sisters and I are already using in your birthday present," you say, "The mystic weight of the summer solstice, combined with your birthday, our connection to you and having some very useful ingredients means that we have been able to able to whip our a nice surprise for you."

"I would be wary of what it is, but since you are involved, I trust you to keep your sisters in check," says Brenda, "Speaking of your sisters, I want Moira to do her pranks over the weekend. I don't want to worry about any pranks on my birthday or at my party."

"I'll make sure that she is aware of your wishes," you promise your squire, "Maeve too."

"Speaking of Maeve, do we call her that or Maeryn?" inquires Brenda.

"Think of it like a secret identity," you say after a moment's thought, "Maeve Lyn is the secret identity of Princess Maeryn of the Little Court of Cornwall."

"That makes sense," says Brenda, "Speaking of my party, you will be coming to it right?"

"Provided that nothing comes up which requires the Fairy Knight to deal with," you answer, "I will do my best to be there, but I will not abandon innocents to danger for it. You understand?"

"Yeah, I understand," replies Brenda with a sigh, "Heck, if Sapphire Squire is needed, I will probably ditch my party myself."

"Hopefully, it won't come to that," you say, "Would you mind if I bring Alex or does she still creep you out?"

"She doesn't creepy me out," protests Brenda, "She just...I just need time to adjust to a timeline where she exists. Because frankly, I am in a different timeline to the one I was in a couple months ago even if the changes aren't that big and and no one else is affected like I am. So I am happy for you to bring Alex along if she wants to come. I actually like her, but I need some time to get used to her."

"I am glad to hear that," you reply, "It would make things difficult if the two of you didn't get along. Since you mentioned her earlier, how are you and your mother getting along?"

"Well-ish," admits Brenda, "Mum is doing her best and taking over running the household again, but it is sort of awkward between us. I think Mum is embarrassed about how she acted before she got better and I am more independent these days. She is still adjusting to the fact that I can take care of myself and do my own thing."

"If you need any help or advice, feel free to ask," you tell your squire.

***​

"How does the warehouse look to you?" you ask your squires as the three of you watch it from the outside.

"Seems clear to me," replies Sapphire Squire, "I can't be a hundred percent certain without going inside, but it looks fine from the outside."

"Same here," says Onyx Squire as he wears a black version of Sapphire Squire's armoured costume, "I can't spot anything either."

"I am of a similar mind," you tell them, "Unless either of you object, I suggest we look inside.

"No objections here," replies Sapphire Squire.

The three of you enter the warehouse, you and Onyx Squire on the ground whilst Sapphire Squire takes enters via a window with her wings. Looking around the warehouse, it is an oddly empty with some crates and a locked office to the side. It is not the Regal Raven outpost that you are expecting as there should be more goods here and at least one or two guards.

Even as you realise something is wrong, the enemy is already in action. A tall, bald man in a black suit comes running into the warehouse almost faster than you can react. He beelines straight for Onyx Squire at superhuman speeds and it is only by reflex that you step in his way.

The man smashes into you, leaving you both stepping back from the impact. The blow didn't come close to getting past Torlyn, but there was enough force behind it to leave you in pain. Judging from how your apparent foe is wincing, the man is also in pain.

Instincts kicking in, you give the man a quick once over before the battle is joint. Despite his appearance, this man is no mere human with durability closer to your own than that of a human while he has faster reflexes and mobility than you. A dangerous opponent far above your average street soldier, but nothing you can't handle.

The bald man makes a quick jab at Onyx Squire's head even as the lad is still realising that you are under attack. The blow would have connected if it wasn't for you as you once again forcibly block the enemy's attack with your own body. The man's fist bounces off of Torlyn harmless even as more enemies make their presences known.

A villain some kind of odd half-armour swings across the ceiling of the warehouse, making an attack at Sapphire Squire. She easily dodges the swing as a third man appears, wearing a black hooded cloak with his lower right arm replaced by a scythe.

"Fairy Knight and her little kiddies," sneers the man with a low growling voice, "I'm afraid you walked into your trap and I can assure you, you won't be walking out alive."

You blow his words with ease. You fought worse and this is far from the first time that your enemies have sprung a trap on you. This is a fight that you can win and it will take far more than mere words to cower you.

As Sapphire Squire and the swinging man duel above those of you on the ground, you watch Onyx Squire swing a fist into bald man's head. The blow connects and against any normal person, it would certainly have knocked them out. But the bald man is no ordinary human and as you suspected earlier, he has the superhuman durability to just shrug off your squire's punch.

"Deal with the hooded man," you tell Onyx Squire as you slash the bald man across the back, "I will take the bald one."

"Got it," says Onyx Squire as he charges the third man.

The bald man attempts to stop your squire, but for the third time this night, you intercept his attack. You grunt as his fist hits harder enough to leave you in pain and as Onyx and the hooded man attempt to breach the other's defences, you hack him across the side with Talatine.

Staggering backwards, the man attempts to hit Onyx Squire and this time you are not needed as Onyx Squire agilely dodges the fist. The bald man is left exposed and you leave as deepish gash across his leg. Unfortunately for you, your foe isn't the only one left exposed as the hooded man strikes Onyx Squire, who has left himself vulnerable in his dodge.

The hooded man brings down his scythe on Onyx Squire that would severely harm your squire if allowed to connect. So you do not let hit as you once again physically intercept an attack to protect your squire. You wince as the hooded man gets lucky and the curved blade of scythe strikes a weak point in your armour.

You stumble backwards as Onyx Squire darts in and slams a fist into the hooded man's chest, knocking him back a step.

"Reaper!" shouts the swinging man from above, "We need to get out of here."

"Agreed Spider," says the hooded man, who is apparently Reaper, "Apex! We've getting out of here!"

"Fairy Knight?" says Onyx Squire as your foes prepare to flee, clearing asking for instruction.

[] [Knight] You will pursue Apex.
[] [Knight] You will chase Spider.
[] [Knight] You will hunt Reaper.

[] [Sapphire] You will tell Sapphire Squire to pursue Apex.
[] [Sapphire] You will tell Sapphire Squire to chase Spider.
[] [Sapphire] You will tell Sapphire Squire to hunt Reaper.

[] [Onyx] You will tell Onyx Squire to pursue Apex.
[] [Onyx] You will tell Onyx Squire to chase Spider.
[] [Onyx] You will tell Onyx Squire to hunt Reaper.

Spotting the trap.
Perception Check, DC26: 11+7+2+2 = 22, 1 DoF.

Spotting the right target.
Stealth vs Perception Check: 10+10+5 vs 3+10 = 25 vs 13, Fairy Knight wins by 3 DoS.

Initiative Check.
Fairy Knight: 3+13 = 16
Sapphire Squire: 3+7 = 10
Onyx Squire: 6+11 = 17
Apex: 18+12 = 30
Reaper: 11+9 = 20
Spider: 4+19 = 23

0/Apex ambushes Onyx Squire.
Unarmed Charge Slam Attack, DC20: 14+10-2-2 = 20, Successful Hit.
Fairy Knight Interposes!
Toughness Check, DC27: 13+12 = 25, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.
Toughness Check, DC21: 8+10 = 18, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

Fairy Knight assesses Apex.
Insight vs Deception: ???+7 vs ??? = ??? vs ???.

Dodge = Higher
Fortitude = 10
Parry = Higher
Toughness = Impervious 10
Will = Equal
Unarmed Attack = Lower

1/Apex attacks Onyx Squire.
Unarmed Accurate Attack, DC18: 20+10+2-2 = 30, Successful Critical Hit.
Fairy Knight Interposes!
Toughness Check, DC28: 19+12 = 31, 1 DoS, Fairy Knight is unharmed.

1/Spider attacks Sapphire Squire.
Unarmed Attack, DC19: 3+13-5+2 = 13, Miss.

1/Reaper attempts to intimidate Fairy Knight.
Intimidation Check, DC11: 5+12 = 17, 2 DoS.
Will Check, DC18: 4+10, 14, 1 DoF, Fairy Knight is immune.

1/Reaper attempts to intimidate Sapphire Squire.
Will Check, DC18: 16+9 = 25, 2 DoS, Sapphire Squire is unaffected.

1/Reaper attempts to intimidate Onyx Squire.
Will Check, DC18: 8+8 = 16, 1 DoF, Onyx Squire is Impaired.

1/Onyx Squire attacks Apex.
Unarmed Attack, DC20: 17+12-2 = 29, Successful Critical Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 12+9 = 21, 1 DoF, Apex is immune.
Will Check, DC18: 10+8-2 = 16, Onyx Squire is still Impaired.

1/Fairy Knight attacks Apex,
Talatine Attack, DC20: 20+11 = 31, Successful Critical Hit.
Toughness Check, DC29: 12+9 = 21, 2 DoF, Dazed & -1 Toughness Penalty.

1/Sapphire Squire attack Spider.
Boomerang Attack, DC20: 15+10 = 25, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC21: 2+10 = 12. 2 DoF, Dazed & -1 Toughness Penalty.

2/Apex attacks Onyx Squire.
Unarmed Accurate Attack, DC18: 18+10+2-2 = 28, Successful Critical Hit.
Fairy Knight Interposes!
Toughness Check, DC28: 12+11 = 23, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

2/Spider attacks Sapphire Squire.
Unarmed Charge Attack, DC19: 8+13-5+2-2 = 16, Miss.

2/Reaper attacks Onyx Squire.
Scythe Attack, DC20: 5+11-2 = 16, Miss.

2/Onyx Squire attacks Reaper.
Unarmed Attack, DC21: 9+12-2 - 19, Miss.
Will Check, DC18: 3+8-2 = 9, 2 DoF, Onyx Squire is still Impaired.

2/Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC20: 18+11 = 29, Successful Critical Hit.
Toughness Check, DC29: 14+8 = 22, 2 DoF, Dazed & -1 Toughness Penalty.

2/Sapphire Squire attack Spider.
Boomerang Attack, DC20: 16+10 = 26, Successful Critical Hit.
Toughness Check, DC26: 12+9 = 21. 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

3/Apex attacks Onyx Squire.
Unarmed Accurate Attack, DC18: 5+10+2-2 = 15, Miss.

3/Spider attacks Sapphire Squire.
Unarmed Charge Attack, DC19: 8+13-5+2-2 = 16, Miss.

3/Reaper attacks Onyx Squire.
Scythe Attack, DC20: 18+11-2 = 27, Successful Critical Hit.
Fairy Knight Interposes!
Toughness Check, DC27: 11+10 = 21, 2 DoF, Dazed & -1 Toughness Penalty

3/Onyx Squire attacks Reaper.
Unarmed Attack, DC21: 19+12-2 - 29, Successful Critical Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 16+7 = 23, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.
Will Check, DC18: 1+8-2 = 2, 4 DoF, Onyx Squire is still Impaired.

3/Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC20: 10+11 = 21, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 11+7 = 18, 2 DoF, Dazed & -1 Toughness Penalty.

3/Sapphire Squire attack Spider.
Boomerang Attack, DC20: 3+10 = 13, Miss.

3/Morale Check. (Reaper)
Will Check, DC20: 3+9 = 12, 2 DoF.

You have 15 available Hero Points.

***​

And now you get to meet the titular villains of this adventure. You got the upper hand in this fight and now your enemies are fleeing. You get to choose who goes after who and while I would have given you an option to let them go, I figured you wouldn't want to do that and it was too much of a hassle to work into a multi-task vote.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
 
The Shrouded Scions III
[X] [Knight] You will hunt Reaper.
[X] [Sapphire] You will tell Sapphire Squire to hunt Reaper.
[X] [Onyx] You will tell Onyx Squire to hunt Reaper.

As your enemies begin to scatter, you take a brief moment on how to deal with the situation. Both Apex and Spider have displayed inhuman mobility that neither you nor your squires could match. Should it come to a match of pursuing them, they should be fast enough to leave you and your squires too far behind. No, you should focus on Reaper, the only one of your foes slowest enough for you to catch.

"Onyx! Sapphire!" you call, "After the hooded one."

Apex flees through the open door that you entered from and you glimpse for a couple of seconds before he picks up enough momentum that he has left sight at inhuman speed. Spider swings out a roof while Reaper runs out of another door on the other side of the warehouse.

You chase after him, Onyx Squire hot on your tail as Sapphire Squire, the fastest of you, flies off ahead. Yet even as the slowest of his compatriots, Reaper proves to be a troublesome hunt nonetheless.

As soon as he is out the door, he effectively vanishes to your eyes. You aren't sure what he did, but after breaking line of sight, Reaper has escaped into the urban landscape of London.

"Can either of you spot him?" you ask your squires as you call upon your healing spell to patch up the injuries that you have sustained.

"No," answers Onyx Squire as he gives you an apologetic look, "Sorry."

"I can't spot him either," answers Sapphire Squire as she flutters about, "but I can look for a trail to follow?"

"Please do," you say, "I will help you out."

Reaper may have slipped away for now, but he will have almost certainly after a trail for you to follow. Tracking prey was something that got covered in your knight training and being able to follow the trail of the criminals is just one of the things that makes Sapphire Squire so good at being your information woman.

Letting Sapphire Squire take the lead with her superior skill, you finish recovering from your injuries with her healing spell as you help out the lass. While you might have struggled to find the path that Reaper took, Sapphire Squire proves to be most proficient even if she has some difficulty.

"I'm pretty sure he went up here," says Sapphire Squire as she flies up along the side of the building until she reaches the rooftop, moving slowly in order to carefully follow the trail that Reaper has left.

It is as she reaches the rooftops that Apex makes his move. You hear him coming before he arrives, but he still moving fast enough to catch the lot of you off-guard. Thundering over the rooftops, the bald man slams into Sapphire Squire. Both your squire and your foe go stumbling and you leap into action. Both Sapphire Squire and Apex recover from the impact quick enough as your squire steadies herself mid flight while Apex lands in a roll.

Yet even as Apex prepares to run off, you have already moved with Talatine having been set in motion while Apex was still landing. Your silver blade slashes through the side of Apex, leaving the brigand stumbling with a bloody gash. The bald man gives you one glance before running off at the inhuman that he moves at.

Onyx Squire runs up to you, but Apex is already gone and while you might be able to catch him in an animal form, you don't fancy your chances against the man without Torlyn or Talatine. So instead, you turn your attention to Sapphire Squire as she flutters down.

"Are you okay?" you ask her.

"A bit roughed up by that," admits Sapphire Squire, "It has definitely left a bruise that I would like you to heal. The worst bit is that I lost Reaper's trail."

"So they got away," Onyx Squire half-states and half-asks.

"Pretty much," confirms Sapphire Squire, "Unless Fairy Knight has something else in mind, the best thing to do right now is to withdraw and plan our next move."

"I agree that it is the time where we rally and prepare for the next fight," you say, "At least we won this day."

***​

"So what did we learn?" you ask your squires as the three of you sit around a table at the Nighthouse.

"Spider was superhuman and not just because of his gear," says Sapphire Squire, "He was definitely using the suit to move about, but he had extraordinary abilities beyond that. He had agility, but also strength and toughness to go along with it. I am also certain that he has some permanent implants or something like that."

"What do you mean?" you inquire.

"He had his suit to provide a technological boost, but he also had tech built into his body that was helping grant him superhuman prowess," explains Sapphire Squire, "He wasn't able to land a blow on me, but he was definitely skilled through he struggled to hit a flying foe with his fists. I could take him in a fight, but I'm not sure I could have caught him if he fled."

"And your thoughts?" you ask Onyx Squire as you turn your attention to your other squire.

"I was in over my head," says Onyx Squire, "Reaper was terrifying and so was Apex. Reaper was hard to hit and hard to hurt when I did hit him. He didn't land a blow on me, but I don't want to see what that scythe would do to me. Apex was worst. He was too fast, too strong and punching him was like punching a brick wall and just as effective. I couldn't have taken him on my own and it was only because you that I didn't go down in that fight. Thanks for that."

"I could take the hits better than you could," you state simply, "Does that match your assessment of Apex, Sapphire Squire?"

"Apex had superhuman speed, strength and toughness," agrees Sapphire Squire, "I don't believe his enhancements are magical in nature and I suspect they are something more sciencey like Spider's enhancements."

"I concur," you say, "Fortunately, we have proven that we can take this trio in a fight and we got some leads."

"We do?" inquires Onyx Squire as he gives you a look.

"The three of them will stand out no matter how hard they hide their abilities and their sources," explains Sapphire Squire, "Reaper is down a limb and Spider is part machine. Apex might be able to hide his inhumanity, but even if he does, I expect there to be rumours out there."

"If we can interrgorate criminals or spy on them, we may be able to find out some more information our foes," you say, "The police might records on their activities and given how it was a Regal Raven warehouse, I suspect that the Golden Order might be willingly to dish out the dirt on them."

"Plus we got magical methods," adds Sapphire Squire, "Give me a few hours and I can whip up something useful."

What method does Fairy Knight use hunt the Shrouded Scions?
[] [Scion] Look for clues the old fashion way.
[] [Scion] Help Sapphire Squire whip a magical invention.
[] [Scion] Ask your sister Moira for magical assistance.
[] [Scion] Ask Inspector Brown for mundane assistance.
[] [Scion] Write-in.

***​

As David heads off to get some sleep, you are left with another matter to attend to. It has been some time since your trip home, but the matter of Brenda going behind your back and sneaking along remains unaddressed. You let the matter go at the time due to the impending fight and to avoid a potential rift between you and your squire before you went into battle. Now it needs to be address before much more time passes lest it become too distant in the past to remain relevant.

Brenda handled herself admirably in the fighting, but she went behind your back and endangered herself by involving herself in a fight that wasn't her own. The lack of communication and the disobedience are unacceptable and if allowed to happen again, it could result in serious harm. It could have resulted in serious harm the last time it happened had things gone a little more poorly. Of course, you need to be careful in how you approach the subject with your squire as the wrong tone could cause problems with your feisty and independent squire.

What approach does Tamara take with her conversation with Brenda?
[] [Brenda] Stern. Be strict and serious with your squire as you make sure that she understands the danger that her actions caused.
[] [Brenda] Understanding. Show a sympathetic side to Brenda whilst making it clear that going behind your back like that is unacceptable.
[] [Brenda] Neutral. You need to factual and unbiased with Brenda. Keep to the facts and make it clear why she can't act like that again.
[] [Brenda] Write-in.

Spotting the trap.
Perception Check, DC26: 11+7+2+2 = 22, 1 DoF.

Spotting the right target.
Stealth vs Perception Check: 10+10+5 vs 3+10 = 25 vs 13, Fairy Knight wins by 3 DoS.

Initiative Check.
Fairy Knight: 3+13 = 16
Sapphire Squire: 3+7 = 10
Onyx Squire: 6+11 = 17
Apex: 18+12 = 30
Reaper: 11+9 = 20
Spider: 4+19 = 23

Chasing Reaper.
Perception vs Stealth: 2+7 vs 11+11+5 = 9 vs 27, Reaper wins by 4 DoS.

Chasing Reaper. (Sapphire Squire)
Perception vs Stealth: 8+8 vs 16+11+5 = 16 vs 32, Reaper wins by 4 DoS.

Chasing Reaper. (Onyx Squire)
Perception vs Stealth: 5+9 vs 14+11+5 = 14 vs 30, Reaper wins by 4 DoS.

Tracking Reaper's trail. (Sapphire Squire)
Perception Check, DC20: 13+8+2 = 23, 1 DoS.

Apex ambushes Sapphire Squire.
Unarmed Charge Slam Attack, DC19: 18+10-2-2 = 26, Successful Critical Hit.
Toughness Check, DC32: 11+8 = 19, 3 DoF, Staggered & -1 Toughness Penalty. Luck Reroll!
Toughness Check, DC32: 16+8 = 24, 2 DoF, Dazed & -1 Toughness Penalty.
Toughness Check, DC23: 16+8 = 24, 1 DoS, Apex is unharmed.

Taking a swing.
Talatine Attack, DC20: 17+11 = 28, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 10+7 = 17, 2 DoF, Dazed & -1 Toughness Penalty.

You gain 1 Hero Point for the villains getting away. You have 16 available Hero Points.

***​

I meant to have this update out earlier, but thanks to a bout of illness, it took longer to write-up than I originally planned. I don't have too much to say here except the current vote is split into choosing how you attempt to find your foes and finally dealing that conversation you put on the back burner in the last arc.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
 
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The Shrouded Scions IV
[X] [Scion] Help Sapphire Squire whip a magical invention.
[X] [Brenda] Neutral. You need to factual and unbiased with Brenda. Keep to the facts and make it clear why she can't act like that again.

"Brenda," you say in a quiet, but firm voice as you march up to the work bench.

"Yes..." replies the girl as she slowly glances at you, apparently trying to assess you.

This is clearly not the first time that your squire has gotten into trouble if this is how she is reacting.

"We need to talk," you tell her as you take a seat next to her, "I know it has been some time since it happened, but we do need to discuss when you snuck along to Kingdom of the Faeries. And how it was in defiant of what we agreed would happen."

"What we agreed to was done under misinformation," counters Brenda, "If I had known the truth, I wouldn't have agreed to that."

And from that swift, thought-out response, it is clear that Brenda has been waiting for this or at least prepared for it. Actually, know that you think about it, this conversation is likely enough to occur that you would be more surprised if Brenda hadn't figured out what her defence would be.

"And your response to that was to take a dangerous action behind my back rather than talk about that miscommunication," you reply.

"If I told you how I felt, you might have tried to stop me," retorts Brenda, "I would have a lower chance of successful sneaking along if you suspected I would try to."

"And that was a good reason to break trust with me?" you counter, "We need to communicate Brenda. You can't just go off and do your own thing without telling me just because you disagree with me. Things worked out this time, but what if next time I am expecting you to be doing part of a plan then find out too late that you were doing your part because you disagreed with it."

"Communication is important," replies Brenda, "I get your point. A lack of communication can get people hurt or even killed. Proper communication is important."

"And that means..." you inquire in a leading voice.

"If I have a problem with the plan or there has been a miscommunication, I should talk to you about it rather than taking action behind your back," finishes Brenda, "But you also don't get to ditch me behind for no good reason. I can fight and pull my own weight, even if it means going behind the backs of others. Tam, I love you, but I also love Mum and Dad and when they tried to stop me living up to my potential because I was just a girl, I went behind their backs. I don't mind sitting out a fight for a good reason, but there has a to be a good reason. You understand?"

"You are a feisty little vixen," you say as you know Brenda's words to be true even if they aren't what you want to hear, "We can talk things out and discuss them, but you need to tell me about any problems."

"I will," promises Brenda, "And if you go into any fights against evil, bring me along."

"I will," you promise her back before adding a condition to it, "If I think it is a fight that you will survive."

"That's fair," agrees Brenda, "We kicked butt."

"Where and when?" you inquire.

"Fairyland, earlier tonight, just in general," replies your squire with a wave of her hand, "Fairyland could have gone better, but we pulled through as a team and won the day. I was kicking Spider's butt last night and you and David whooped the other two. They might have gotten away, but you didn't let them land a hit on David and when Apex got the jump on me, you made him pay for it."

"We have had many successful fights," you agree, "It is a shame that we had our share of failures as well."

"But we are still here and we are beating the Consortium," says Brenda, "Speaking of beating the Consortium, what is next? Will we go after the Golden Order? They've taken the Consortium's place in London and while they aren't as bad, they are criminals who hurt innocent people."

"Ask me again once we deal with our current foes," you tell her, "I am still undecided on how we will deal with the Golden Order and I don't want to make the decision whilst we got enemies actively hunting us."

"Well, two can play that game," replies Brenda with a grim grin, "We'll see who is hunting who tomorrow night."

"I look forward to it."

***​

"Did you have an eventful night?" you ask Sapphire Squire as she returns to the Nighthouse, giving the lass a small smile as it is the first time that you have seen her tonight.

"It was both quiet and informative," replies Sapphire Squire with a grimace as she puts her bag down on the table, "Is David here?"

"Yes," you answer, taking note of how unusually serious your first squire is being, "He is down in the gym."

"Good because he ought to know about this," says Sapphire Squire, "It is odd because I have faced worst supernatural threat, but because this one is...well, just mundane in nature, it seems like a bigger deal."

"How bad?" you ask as you turn to fetch your other squire.

"Pretty bad, but nothing we can't handle," answers Sapphire Squire.

***​

"Alright, we are all here," you say as you and both of your squires sit around the table that has become one you use for meetings, "Sapphire Squire, please share what you've been up to and what you uncovered."

"To start off, I went ahead with coming up with a magical way of hunting down our recent enemies," says Sapphire Squire, "I went for a modified compass that rather than pointing to north, it would point towards the closest of the trio that ambushed us. Using earlier tonight, I was able to find a base used by Apex and possibly others. I almost missed it, but you get an eye for spotting that sort of thing in this job. I got lucky because I found the place just as Apex was leaving and nobody else was home. I had free of the place and I made sure to take advantage of that.

I got plenty of documents and while I haven't had a chance look through them yet, from what I have glimpsed, it looks like they should tell us who are dealing with and what they have been up to. I will let you know what I've got from them once I finished looking them over."

"And the bad part?" you inquire.

"Apex appears to be something of a tinker," replies Sapphire Squire as she pulls out a small pouch, "Definitely a chemist, but I saw some half-built machinery in that workshop as well. The main thing he seemed to be currently working on were these so I took them with me, especially once I realised what they were."

"What are they?" you ask as Sapphire Squire opens up the pouch and lets the contents roll out onto the table.

The orbs are small and made of glass, each one tightly sealed off so the yellow-brown gas within does not escape.

"These are pellets of mustard gas," declares Sapphire Squire, "I didn't recognise them at first, but I was able to find some documentation which let me figure out what I had found. This is nasty stuff even if it doesn't exactly kill. Well, it can, but most of the time it just hurts you enough to leave you out of a fight or in an unfit condition for one. Given what we will be facing in battle, it could easily indirectly lead to our deaths or captures if it leaves us too weak."

"Would gas masks help?" asks Onyx Squire as he eyes the glass orbs.

"Unlikely," replies Sapphire Squire, "It didn't help soldiers in the war so I don't expect it will help us now."

"I don't it will affect me," you add, "Fay are already especially resilient to poisons and other ailments and I have boosted my own resistance beyond the norm."

"I can whip up some enchanted items to provide us with protection," offers Sapphire Squire, "They would be of limited use before the charges run out, but they should be good for a single outing."

"Do you think that they would be needed?" you ask her.

"I swiped all of the ones that I found, but I suspect he may have others or may make more," answers Sapphire Squire, "Hopefully we won't need them, but better safe than sorry."

"Good," you say, "Take some time off patrols to sort through the document as soon as possible. I want to deal with our latest foes as quickly as possible and hopefully before they can lay another ambush."

***​

"You got a moment?" asks Brenda, striding into the room as you wash the dishes.

"Of course," you say as you glance at her, "Do you mind if I talk and clean at the same time? Or telling me why you are blonde?"

"Talking is all I need right now and Moira played a prank," answers Brenda as she sits down on the worktop, "It should wear off before I gave

"You got news then?" you inquire, "And get your butt off the worktop. It is bad manners and a bad example for Alex. Flutter if you don't want to stand."

"Yeah, yeah," retorts Brenda, but she hops off the worktop, "I finished looking through the documents and I got information that we can make use of. The guys we fought; they call themselves the Shrouded Scions. Weird bunch, but they do black market business, mainly middlemen stuff. They've only recently started doing more violent stuff and from what Apex and Reaper have writing to each other, that is only because of their 'upgrades'."

"Interesting and good to know," you reply, "Do you have any targets for us?"

"Oh yes," answers Brenda, "Three of them. A storage site for their weapon smuggling, the place where the Shrouded Scions are producing drugs and finally, the mystery box."

"Mystery box?" you repeat.

"It seems that Apex isn't the most loyal and has been investigating his boss Reaper and whoever Reaper works for," says Brenda, "He had his own notes on what the Shrouded Scions were up to and I took them. The main thing which stood out to Apex is a location that Reaper regularly visits, but Apex is unable to get inside without tipping off Reaper."

"Our enemies aren't as united as they seem," you muse, "Can you think of a way to take advantage of Apex's disloyalty?"

"Not really," admits Brenda, "It seems like a more of a long term thing while these guys are something we will need to deal with in the short run."

"Understood," you say, "So weapon storehouse, drug workshop and mystery box?"

"Weapons is a reliable part of the Shroud Scion's money-making operations while drugs are new, but both Apex and Reaper consider them to be big," says Brenda, "Apparently one of Apex's inventions and Reaper is certain that they will put them in the big leagues. The mystery box is a mystery, but Apex seems to think big is going on there."

"So weapons will definitely hurt them, drugs might hurt them a lot and mystery box would be a mystery," you summarise.

"Pretty much," confirms Brenda, "Which are we going after?"

Which target does Fairy Knight choose to go after?
[] Weapon Storehouse. The Shrouded Scions use this place as part of their money-making operations and taking it out would certainly hurt your foes.
[] Drug Production. Apex and Reaper apparently believe this will be big, but it is new and untested so the actual harm done to your foes is unknown.
[] Mysterious Building. Apex believes this building to important and your squire agrees with that assessment so go and see what the fuss is about.
[] More Information. You won't go after a target right now and will instead focus on getting more information on your enemies.
-[] Nothing specific, just general details.
-[] Who the Shrouded Scions work for.
-[] The full extent of their organisation.
-[] Where do they get their extraordinary abilities from.
-[] Write-in.
[] Write-in.

A Squire on the hunt.
Perception Check, DC23: 7+18 = 25, 1 DoS.

Stealthy Sapphire.
Stealth vs Perception: 20+10+5 vs 5+10-5 = 40 vs 10, Sapphire Squire wins by 7 DoS.

Curious Sapphire.
Investigation Check, DC17: 11+11 = 22, 2 DoS.

Knowledgeable Sapphire.
Technology Check, DC25: 6+14 = 20, 1 DoF. Luck Reroll!
Technology Check, DC25: 13+14 = 27, 1 DoS.

Investigative Sapphire.
Investigation Check, DC20: 18+11+2 = 31, 3 DoS.

You have 16 available Hero Points.

***​

Another vote where you plan your next move now that you got some info on your foes. Sapphire Squire has gotten you some info and some targets, but you still don't know much about the Shrouded Scions such as who they work for, the details of what they get up to or how they got their extraordinary abilities.

To try and give you guys more choice on what you get up, I have given a mixture of options from going after a target right now to waiting to get some more information and letting you choose to try and get some specific information. I also gave options for write-ins in case you don't want to do any of the options that I have provided.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
 
The Shrouded Scions V
[X] Mysterious Building. Apex believes this building to important and your squire agrees with that assessment so go and see what the fuss is about.

"Is this the building?" you whisper to Sapphire Squire as the two of you approach a house in a reasonably well-off part of London, you resting in her pocket as a mouse as she flies you to the location.

"According to Apex's notes, it is," answers Sapphire Squire as she swings through the streets with her grappling gauntlets, "Not sure what to expect."

"Looks normal," you note as Sapphire Squire begins to come to a halt, "We usually hit more run down and poorer locations when we go after gangs."

"I'm really hoping it isn't just someone's home," says Sapphire Squire as she lands on a rooftop, "That would be awkward and bad for our reputation. Not that I care about our reputation more than heroics, but we benefit from people knowing we are the good guys."

"Being known for either honour or dishonour is important," you agree, "Want to call Onyx Squire for back up?"

"Not yet," mutters Sapphire Squire as you hop out of her pocket, "Still an info op for now. We don't know if Apex or anyone is here or what else is waiting for us there. If it is just Reaper, you and I could take him and given what Apex has written about this place, I don't expect him or Spider to be here."

You take the human form that you always use as the Fairy Knight as you call upon your urban camouflage spell. It may have been faster to catch a lift with Sapphire Squire, but for this infiltration, you want both invisibility and the ability to speak and that means taking a human form. The jump across the rooftops is simple enough and easily within your ability to make. Once on the roof of your target building, it is a matter of finding an entry point and it is there that you begin to have difficulties.

There are no conveniently open windows for you and forcing your way in through part of the structure seems like a bad idea. Rather than do something destructive, you shift into a spider and crawl into the building. Once inside, you return to your human form and unlock one of the first-floor windows to let Sapphire Squire in.

"What now?" asks Sapphire Squire as she glances at you.

"I heard voices below," you tell her, "We will see who is here and what they are talking about."

"Sounds good," agrees Sapphire Squire, "I might leave you to do the listening in and go looking for documents and other evidence. Both of us could listen in, but only I am good at finding useful evidence."

You let your squire take the lead as the two of you make your way downstairs as of the two of you, she is the stealthier. Yet that proves unnecessary as neither of you can be detected by mundane ears or eyes. Unable to rely upon their main two senses, no one in the building hears you coming.

"Mr Burke, while you and your men have been more than satisfactory in other areas, the problem remains that we have concerns about your engagement of Fairy Knight," says a voice as you reach the bottom of the stairs, "You and your men all suffered injuries and were forced to flee whilst Fairy Knight and her ilk ended up with what in return?"

"Apex got the girl when he successful discouraged them from pursuing us," replies another man and as you sneak down the corridor, you recognise the voice as belonging to Reaper, "Apex would have taken out the new squire too if Fairy Knight hadn't kept getting in the way."

"And yet none of that changes the fact that your only success was running away with your tails between your legs," retorts the first man as you follow Sapphire Squire into the dining room.

There are four men in there, two sat at the table facing each other while the last two stand on either side of one of the other men. The standing pair are clearly bodyguards to the man sat between them with their professional clothing and what you presume is supposed to be an intimidating demeanour. The man they are guarding is an old man with well-groomed grey hair and an expensive suit and this man is clearly not a fighter due to being clearly unfit and out of shape. The last man in the room is Reaper through he looks rather different to the extent that you almost don't recognise him.

Without his hood and scythe arm, Reaper looks awfully ordinary with short brown hair, hard blue eyes and a lean physique beneath his cheap suit. His lack of a right arm from the elbow down is unusual, but he isn't the first man you met with an injury like that. The only question is if his scythe arm is a replacement for his natural one or if he willingly took it off to make way for his weaponised replacement.

"I recognise Reaper, but I don't know who is talking to," Sapphire Squire whispers to you, keeping her voice down even through it should be impossible for the men to overhear you, "He does look a bit like my history teacher though..."

"That would be Gerald Martin," you whisper back, "He is a member of Parliament and acquaintance of Gareth. He was never the most incorruptible sort or had good moral character, but I never had any reason to suspect him of criminal activity like this. His ill deeds seemed to consist of wandering eyes and hands on top of being judgemental to anyone who isn't an Englishman."

"So a sexist, racist man who has now proven himself to be corrupt and criminal," mutters Sapphire Squire, frowning at the man in question in distaste, "Would you mind listening in as I look around the place for anything interesting?"

"Go ahead," you tell her as you focus on the men.

Neither Reaper nor Gerald Martin seem happy with each other, but neither are they hostile.

"If you want to take out Fairy Knight, then your window of opportunity is closing," says Gerald Martin, "The Secret Service is looking into recruiting her now they regain some prominence after they salvaged that fiasco in Ireland. They are already riding high on that success and if they are able to pull together a Wonder League for the Empire, then they will have something of an open hand. You do not want to bad on Fairy Knight's bad side if they do recruit her."

"The Consortium or what is left of it wants Fairy Knight out of the picture so they can take a crack at reclaiming London from Goldie," replies Reaper, "Does the Empire want me to hang them out to dry or what?"

"Hold off for now," answers Gerald, "We need time to plan our next move and we can't afford to alienate Fairy Knight unless we decide that is the best course of action."

"What about the Consortium?" inquires Reaper as he folds his arms, "They will pretty alienated if I quit their job."

"Stall them," says Gerald, "Make up some excuses to get you and us some more time. Tell them that you need more time to prepare for the next fight."

"That's truer than you realise," says Reaper, "We can't rely upon taking them in a fair fight so Apex is whipping up some toys to get us an edge. If we've lucky, we can get the drop on them before they can find us."

"Do you think they will find you and your men Mr Burke?" asks Gerald, giving Reaper a disapproving look, but Reaper just lets out a bark of harsh laughter.

"We are going up against real, honest to God magic," retorts Reaper, "Fairy Knight has a reputation of finding both information and people that she should have no idea about. She is either the luckiest bitch alive or she can use magic to find stuff out. Either way, I consider a matter of when not if she finds us."

"How you think that will impact our business?" asks Gerald nervously.

"I don't know," replies Reaper with a shrug, "It might, it might not. Stop thinking about this as a business and start treating it like a war. We don't know all of Fairy Knight's capabilities and we can only guess at what she will do next. God knows the what the bitch is doing right now."

"I will need to speak with the others," declares Gerald as he begins to stand up, "Do what you have to keep Fairy Knight and the Consortium busy Mr Burke. Just buy us some time to deal with these changing circumstances."

"As you and the bosses wish," says Reaper.

You wait for Gerald Martin to march out with his bodyguards before slinking off to find out what Sapphire Squire is up. It is a simple matter of finding her routing about upstairs.

"They finished talking?" asks Sapphire Squire as she spots you entering the room.

"Yes," you tell her as you glance at the documents she has out, "Grab what you can and let's pull out."

"What about Reaper?" inquires Sapphire Squire, "The two of us could take him while he is on his own."

"And do what with him?" you counter, "There isn't enough evidence for the police to arrest him and simply knocking him out now wouldn't gain anything for us."

"But what if we kept him prisoner?" asks Sapphire Squire.

"Logistically impossible-" you start to tell her before you remember how such matters are handled back home, "Well, I suppose the matter of transformation would let us bypass the worries of housing, feeding, clothing and other issues like that. We would just need to worry about keeping the transformation in place."

"What about trials and justice?" inquires Sapphire Squire as she finishes stuffing the papers in her bag, "Would we decide those on our own? How would the criminal get rehabilitated whilst transformed?"

"Fey justice is less about justice and more about dealing with those that have wronged you," you admit, "You generally just transform the person and leave them that way until you feel like turning them back or someone else does it. It works at dealing with a dangerous criminal but leaves no chance at rehabilitation unless you leave them aware of their current state, which is often cruel."

"Yeah, let's not do that," says Sapphire Squire, "Sounds too closer to something that we should be stopping not doing."

"Agreed," you agree, "It could work if properly done, but there are issues with it and I lack confidence that the two of us could do it alone. Nonetheless, it is an option that we should give in mind. I would never use it for your average criminal, but if there is a dangerous villain that we need to take off the streets..."

"As long as we do it for purely pragmatic purpose of dealing with someone dangerous and not as an attempt at justice," states Sapphire Squire firmly, "Involuntary transformations are the worst, especially when it comes to the ones, we are talking about doing. I would take it as an alternative to killing, but short of that..."

"I understand, but as interesting as this conversation is, we should have it somewhere else," you tell her, "I got useful information, what about you?"

"Some," says Sapphire Squire as the two of you begin walking towards the door, "Not as much as I would have liked, but this isn't really a secret base. I think it is more of a meeting place where Reaper meets Gerald Martin or whoever else shows up. I got some documents left behind from previous meetings, but that is about it."

"Good work," you tell her.

"Thanks," replies your squire, "Now if you don't mind the change of subject, it feels weird walking about like this. I know that we can't be seen or heard, but I just feel so odd walking around like this. I wish I could use this in my civilian identity. I certainly know of a few places that I would like to check out without anyone knowing."

"If you don't do such things for ill purposes, I will not rat you out," you promise her.

"Nah, I got moral principles," replies Sapphire Squire as she shots you a grin before it quickly fades, "We are doing justice, right?"

"We are," you answer, "We protect the innocent and stop those that prey upon the vulnerable and helpless. It might not full justice, but we are only a handful of individuals and society benefits from what we do. Does that help?"

"For now. I will need to think and talk more about it later, but that can wait until we aren't on a mission."

What does Fairy Knight do as her next move?
[] Weapon Storehouse. The Shrouded Scions use this place as part of their money-making operations and taking it out would certainly hurt your foes.
[] Drug Production. Apex and Reaper apparently believe this will be big, but it is new and untested so the actual harm done to your foes is unknown.
[] Gerald Martin. Gerald Martin is a member of Parliament who should not be involved in this matter like he is and therefore you should spy on him to find out what other misdeeds he is up to.
[] Stay your hand. The Shrouded Scions want to keep things quiet between you for now and with Brenda's birthday coming up, you are willingly to oblige them.
[] Write-in.

Recognising the other man?
Expertise: Politics, DC20: 19+5 = 24, 1 DoS.

Recognising the other man? (Sapphire Squire)
Expertise: Politics, DC20: 1+6+5 = 7, 3 DoF.

Investigation the building. (Sapphire Squire)
Investigation Check, DC21: 17+10 = 27, 2 DoS.

You have 16 available Hero Points.

***​

Another update which took longer than I wanted it to. I was originally going to have a fight, but I realised that you guys would have no reason to. You can't beat up a member of the government at one of the highest levels and you don't have enough evidence for Reaper to be arrested by the police. So we have spy work, using your Concealment powers and a surprise talk about justice that sort of popped up. I'm not sure why Tamara and Brenda started discussing matters of justice, but they did and I saw no reason to take it out of the update.

The current vote is the next move. Your enemies are attempting to lie low, but you have a few days before Brenda's birthday to do another thing. Time line wise, it is currently the sixteenth and Brenda will be fifteen on the twentieth.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
 
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The Shrouded Scions VI
[X] Gerald Martin. Gerald Martin is a member of Parliament who should not be involved in this matter like he is and therefore you should spy on him to find out what other misdeeds he is up to.

As interesting Reaper and the rest of the Shrouded Scions are, they are no longer the biggest prize. They haven't posed too much of a threat to the general public so far and you see no reason for that to change even if they have attacked you and your squires.

Meanwhile Gerald Martin is part of the government at the second highest level. For a man like him to be meeting with criminals and engaging in illegal deeds is a serious matter for it means that a high-ranking member of the government is corrupt. Perhaps even a traitor depending on how you look at Gerald betraying his duty and responsibilities even if you suspect this wouldn't count as treason legally speaking.

Regardless of just how Gerald Martin is breaking the law, this is a matter that you need to look into as not only is Gerald a corrupt man, but he is working with your enemies. The latter alone makes him worth investigating as the man is your only lead on finding out who the Shrouded Scions work for. You have originally thought them to be servants of the Consortium, but the meeting made it clear that this was not the case even if the Consortium is the one paying the Shrouded Scions to go after you.

With a few days before her birthday and the Shrouded Scions supposedly laying low for now, Sapphire Squire gets to work investigating Gerald Martin. You would help your squire, but you have other responsibilities to uphold and Sapphire Squire is more than capable of running a solo investigation while you and Onyx Squire carry your regular duties.

***​

"Is this all?" you inquire as you look at the report which Sapphire Squire has provided you with.

"Pretty much," admits the lass with an apologetic look on her face, "I'm not sure if I have just missed the rest or if there isn't any more to find. I suspect that it is the later, but I can't be certain."

"Maybe this is a good thing?" suggests Onyx Squire as he looks at his own copy of the report, "It means that someone in Parliament is only a little corrupt rather than majorly corrupt."

"A lesser evil is still an evil," you point out, "Something not being as bad as it could be doesn't make it good."

"Anyway, he seems to take a few bribes, does some favours in exchange for gifts or favours of his own," says Sapphire Squire, "Given his status, I didn't want to outright take the documents I found like I usually do so I just copied what I could remember. It may not be completely accurate and it won't count for evidence in a court, but it will suffice for our purposes."

"Did you find how who Gerald Martin and the Shrouded Scions work?" you ask her.

"Wait, I thought these guys were working for the Consortium?" interrupts Onyx Squire with a frown.

"They sort of are," says Sapphire Squire, "The Consortium hired them to go after us, but while they are technically working for the Consortium, they are outside actors. Mercenaries if you. I went to find out who they worked for when not on someone else's payroll and I can say that I was successful in that regard."

"What did you find?" you ask.

"The Shrouded Scions and Gerald Martin are both part of the Order of the Eternal Empire," says Sapphire Squire and you freeze as you feel a surge of anger.

"The who?" asks Onyx Squire, another frown on his face.

"Pro-British Empire group that is a mixture of the rich, the influential and the criminals," Sapphire Squire tells her fellow squire, "They are less of a criminal organisation and more of an organisation that doesn't mind engaging in crime if it benefits them and they can get away with it."

"They were also the ones hired Redcoat to murder the Night," you growl, earning a startled look from Onyx Squire.

"Urr...is that a big deal?" asks Onyx Squire hesitantly as he eyes you warily.

"The Night was Fairy Knight's husband," answers Sapphire Squire quietly, "The Night uncovered the existence of the Order of the Eternal Empire and Redcoat was hired to kill him. Also, it was the Consortium that hired Redcoat not the Eternal Empire, but the fact that the Consortium did in response to the Night discovering the Eternal Empire definitely implies some kind of connection."

"Have you figured out that connection?" you ask her and you know your answer as soon when she suddenly looks apologetic.

"No, I'm afraid," admits Sapphire Squire, "I'm not sure if I am missing some pieces or if I have just haven't put it all together yet. I am certain that is a connection, but I don't know what shape that connection takes or how big it is."

"Nonetheless, this is good work," you say, "I can't say I'm happy about all this, but I would rather know about it than not."

***​

"She looks happy," comments Eira as the mother of your squire walks up to you.

"Yes, she does," you agree as the two of you stand out of the way, watching Brenda chatting with her school friends.

It is interesting to see what sort life that Brenda has outside of heroism. Intellectually, you have always known that she has home and school amongst other things, the two of you only really interact when she either seeks you out or when you are doing work as costumed vigilantes. To see her with family or hanging out with friends from school feels off even if you know it isn't.

"I am glad that your sister let us host the party at her place," says Eira as she sips from her glass, "It is much nicer and spacious than our house."

"Brenda is good at worming her way into the hearts of people who appreciate good talent and a drive to succeed," you comment, "At least those who are willingly to look past her youth and gender."

"I'm glad she has found people like you," says Eira, "I can't say I approved of them at first, but I am proud of her for making them work. I just hope she doesn't end up being disappointed later in life."

"I doubt she will be," you reply, "She has too much talent and too strong a drive to succeed to end up on unsuccessful. Worst comes to the worst, Gareth or I will offer her a job."

And while you can't mention them to Eira, the magical abilities and skills that Brenda has are definitely something she can leverage into a successful future.

"I too would be willingly to offer her a job," says Moira as your sister slides up to the two of you, holding a half-empty glass in hand, "It would be such a shame to let such talent go to waste simply because of what is between her legs. Enjoying the party ladies?"

"Of course," says Eira, failing to conceal her nervousness at your sister's presence, "I am grateful for you letting us host it here."

"Brenda and Jordan are both family friends and it was no trouble," replies Moira before taking a sip from her glass, "It wasn't like I was going to do anything else with it today. Setting all of this up was a nice distraction from my work. Honestly, I am enjoying all this and while it won't be a party this size, I ought to invite your family again in the future. Maybe for dinner or something like that."

"I would be happy to do that," says Eira as she glances at you.

"Perfect," exclaims Moira, giving Eira a big grin, "I would love to get to know you better."

"Of course," says Eira as she glances around, "No excuse me, I need to speak with someone else."

"What did you do?" you demand, glaring at your sister as Eira marches off.

"Nothing!" protests Moira, "Eira just feels uncomfortable around me. She doesn't quite trust me and worries about me being involved in her daughter's life. Trust me, I read her mind."

"While there are some grounds to feel that way, Eira should not know of them," you say, "Or does she?"

"She remains unaware," Moira assures you, "Eira just feels that I am too good to be true and has an irrational worry that I'll take her daughter away from her."

"Irrational?" you repeat, raising an eyebrow at her.

"It wouldn't work with Brenda or at least not for long," says Moira, "The girl would either resist or break free later. Then I would have a dangerous and righteously angry foe to deal with. Don't get me wrong, I would totally take Brenda for myself if I could get away with it, but the same reasons that I would want her, I am unable to get away with it."

"And you wanting to get closer with Eira?" you inquire, "The mother of my-of Brenda is not someone to be in one of your games and there will be trouble if you attempt to teach her as such."

"Just friendship," answers Moira, "She seems like a nice human to befriend and get to know better and there is already a pre-existing connection thanks to her being Brenda's mother. Earning her trust and friendship will be a nice challenge and the reward will be worth it."

"Just don't hurt her," you warn her, "How many people have you used your magic on?"

She isn't supposed to, but you know your sister and no matter what agreements you get with her, she is going to use her magic on those around her.

"Some minor magic at times to keep people from noticing me or to nudge them into going along with my interests rather than against them," answers Moira, "Just trivial stuff that doesn't impact on anyone, but makes things easier for me. Someone who tries to commit crimes against me or gets touchy-touchy without asking ends up in my possession, usually my wardrobe. Only for a few hours and then they find themselves waking up with a really weird dream."

"I don't want to approve, but as long as you keep it tame, short and only on those that deserve it, I can tolerate," you reply.

"Good," says Moira, "I've also filled out with maids with magic in order to ensure loyalty and reliability."

"Filled out?" you demand sharply, wondering just what your sister has done.

"Oh, I just hunted up and down the isles for people had female minds, but were born in a man's body," explains Moira, "Offered to give them the right body with magic in exchange for them working to me. All consenting and all that so don't get your knickers in a twist. Not all of them took my deal, but I've got enough for my purposes."

"So what, you just gave them all bodies to suit their minds?" you inquire, sceptical that is all that Moira did.

"That, a bit of youth so they aren't old and ugly and are fit enough to do their jobs," answers Moira, "I also fixed any wounds or ailments that they had since why not. I also put a couple of extra things into their new forms. Nothing major, just knowledge and skills so they can do their jobs as my maids right off the bat and a geas to keep them from talking about magic or my other secrets."

"And how do they all feel about that?" you ask her.

"Ask them," says Moira, "They are happy with their lives and grateful to me for what I've done. It is win-win for everyone."

"I will do just that," you promise Moira.

"Now we got your heroic urges dealt with, I can't believe I am missing out on so many opportunities for pranks here," says Moira mournfully, "A shame that Brenda made me promise no transformations. Just so many missed opportunities. I could have spiked the drinks with randomised effects, enchanted the music to induce different effects in those that hear it, games that could end in the losers suffering a funny penalty...ugh, I could have set things up so nobody noticed the changes."

"I would have and so would Brenda," you point out."

"I know," agrees Moira with a sigh.

"You can transform me later and I'm sure you could convince Brenda to be a mermaid tonight," you say, "I'm not sure what it is about it, but that girl likes to swim about with a fish tail."

"I think I will," says Moira.

"And if it is magic that you want to do, try some spells which aren't casted on people," you suggest, "Switch up the lighting, change the music, transform the chairs, swap out the food for new dishes and perhaps get yourself a change of wardrobe? You said that you make it so nobody notices so with that in mind, I'm certain Brenda won't mind any of those things and will appreciate your restraint."

"Those are some good ideas," says Moira before asking a question that makes you sigh, "Speaking of Brenda, are you going to spend some time with the birthday girl?"

"That is a bit difficult," you admit, "We often spend plenty of time together, but here it is more awkward where I am an adult and she is a kid amongst other kids."

"Hmm," hums Moira with a mischievous smile that instantly makes you both curious and wary of what your sister has in mind, "You said I could transform you. How do you feel about spending the party as one of Brenda's friends and my daughter?"

"I'm not against it," you admit, "But I don't want to impose on Brenda like that. And what about Alex?"

"Alex can be my other daughter," replies Moira, "And I've already called Brenda over with a mental communication."

And sure enough, you see Brenda walking over, having disengaged herself from her gaggle of friends.

"Hi Tamara, hi Moira," Brenda greets the two of you as she approaches, "You had something to ask me?"

"Would you mind if I turned Tamara into a fifteen year old friend of yours?" asks Moira, "She feels awkward about interacting with you as an adult so I offered to make her a kid with everyone thinking that is normal, but she didn't want to go for it without your permission."

"I don't want to impose on your time with your friends," you say.

"I'm down with it," says Brenda, "But just how are you making everyone not notice?"

"I've set up my mansion as my personal domain," explains Moira, "I can basically use my reality adjustment for free here at the cost of them being limited to here. Once people leave, they will go back to normal."

"And that won't leave any wonky memories?" asks Brenda, "And will it affect my memories?"

"The human mind is good enough at sorting itself out that once everyone leaves, they will remember things in accord of how they should go," replies Moira, "If something impossible happened, they will remember it as something that is possible. Unless you are already used to magic and the impossible like the three of us where we will remember what really happened because we have a frame of reference for it. Now I can affect your memories, but that takes noticeable effort that you would pick up on. But back to the original question, can I turn Tamara into a fifteen year old?"

"If she okay with it, go ahead," says Brenda and as soon as those words are spoken, you feel your sister's magic flowing into you.

You don't resist as you let the magic change you. The changes aren't much as you get a bit younger and you get some of your mannerisms changed, but overall, you don't feel that different despite now being a decade younger. The changes are also something you can easily undone as you can just switch to an animal and then back to a human form.

Nonetheless, you are now a fifteen year old and you have a party to enjoy.

"Come on Tamara," says Brenda excitedly as she grabs you by the arm and begins to drag you along, "I got to introduce to everyone. Dorothy is great and sort of like Moira, but without the magic so you should get along. Diane is cool, but can be a bit much at times so keep that in mind. Carol is a bit odd, but neither of us have any right to call anyone else a weirdo. Gail is cheerful girl to have around and Theresa is as stubborn as an ox, but she gets results. Ah, there is everyone!"

"Everyone, this is my friend Tamara who lives here," says Brenda as she introduces you to her gang of girls, "Tammie, this is Dorothy, Carol, Gail and Theresa."

"It is an honour to meet all of you," you say, curtsying politely.

"Wow, you are a rich kid," the girl that Brenda has introduced as Dorothy, "So how did someone like you end up meeting Double-Bee?"

"Double-Bee?" you repeat, giving Brenda an inquiring look.

"A nickname between Brenda and I," explains Dorothy, "I am Dorothy Dale which makes me Double-Dee while Brenda is Brenda Brown and therefore she is Double-Bee. I'll admit that we have outgrown them a bit."

"Yeah, it sounded better when you were just kids," says Diane, "A bit weird now that you are both fifteen."

"They aren't that bad," protests Brenda.

"Let me correct myself," says Dorothy, "I have outgrown them. If you haven't noticed by now, Brenda is a big fan of pulp novels. She has tons of them and is always buying the latest ones."

"They're fun," says Brenda, "I like a nice exciting read."

"Honestly at this point, we're half-surprised that she hasn't gone out as one of those vigilantes," says the black-haired Theresa, "We got enough of them popping up these days anyway."

And with that, you look over at Brenda and the birthday girl blushes. If only her friends knew...

"Come on guys," says Brenda defensively, "I've only just turned fifteen. I can't go out and fight crime at this age."

"Actually, it isn't unprecedented for someone your age to fight," says Gail, "It isn't allowed these days, but there are historical cases of people in their mid-teens becoming soldiers.

"Gail is a big fan of history," Diane half-whispers to you.

"It is also one of the few things that Brenda isn't the best at," says Carol, "I'm not sure how she does, but she seems to know everything."

"Not everything," replies Brenda with a bit of blush.

"So you live here?" asks Dorothy as she looks at you, "Fancy showing us around?"

"Sure," you answer, glancing at Brenda, "If Brenda is okay with it. We won't be able to go everywhere as some places are off-limits. Actually a lot of places are off-limits."

"Ah, the downside of being a kid," says Diane, "Nobody trust you with anything even remotely important."

"I get trusted with important stuff," says Brenda proudly with a smile on her face.

"Mum has me do some important stuff as well," adds Theresa.

"Mine doesn't," pouts Gail, "They just treat me like I know nothing. Which is wrong because I know lots."

"And how much of that is historical stuff?" teases Dorothy, earning herself a mock-glare from Gail, "But seriously, I would like to look around. I've never been in a house as big as this."

"You don't mind giving a tour, do you Tammie?" asks Brenda as she gives you an imploring look.

"I would love to," you tell her and the rest of her friends.

You wonder how many non-booby trapped places you can show them. Maybe one of the maids know how to avoid Moira's pranks.

***​

You end up spending the night at your sisters' place. Moira didn't change you back once the party was over and you didn't make a fuss about it. It wasn't a big deal and you could resist the magic enough to break the spell if you wanted to. The transformation would naturally wear off in the morning and you felt like just waiting it out.

Thanks to her mansion being set up as her personal domain, Moira was able to create a temporary bedroom for you to stay the night in. You could have used a guest room, but Moira insisted on giving you your own bedroom. Laying that in bed, you come to the conclusion that the day was fun. You feel a bit guilty about using magic to insert yourself into Brenda's group of friends, but your squire was happy to have you there.

Being a kid is odd. You aren't sure what your age is as you have the body of a twenty-five year old as part of your life on Earth, but you have spent several centuries in the Kingdom of the Faeries. You do know that you are an adult and not a kid. At least normally, you are a kid right now even if you aren't too sure what difference it makes.

The Fair Folk have always had something of a complicated relationship with time.

Before you can do anything, you are distracted by a tapping on your bedroom window. Looking up at it from where you are lain out on the top of your bed, you spot a familiar face. Returning your squire's smile, you slide off your bed and move to let Sapphire Squire in.

"Not spending time with family?" you inquire as you open the window.

"Everyone has gone to bed," answers Sapphire Squire as she climbs through the window, "Still a teenager?"

"I am waiting for it wear off in the morning," you explain, "But if you desire, I can restore myself to normal in a moment."

"Nah, it's cool," says Sapphire Squire as she disappears her helmet-mask, "You do what you want. Are you up for some crime fighting?"

"Do you have a target in mind?" you inquire.

"I want to find out where the Shrouded Scions made their enhancements," answers Brenda as she replaces her costume with a semi-expensive dress that has the same blue and black colour scheme, "I got a lead after looking through Dad's notes before school this morning."

"We can check it out," you reply, "But first, Moira and I have yet to give you our joint birthday present. If you would like to follow me, Moira has the ritual set up in a different room."

"Sure," replies Brenda as the two of you begin to make your way down to the ritual room, "I can't wait to see what you two have gotten me. Just tell me what it is before performing the ritual on me okay?"

"I understand," you reassure your squire, "We won't have a repeat of Christmas."

"Good," says Brenda in a satisfied tone, "So what is this ritual going to do to me?"

"Bind you to the shield that Moira and I have made," you answer, "It is deprived from Talatine and Torlyn, sharing most of their properties. It will basically be a shield version of my sword and armour, but tied to you rather than me."

"Does it have a name?" asks Brenda, "Also that sound so awesome."

"Taerglas," you answer, "I hope you don't mind not getting to-"

You cut yourself off as you and Brenda find yourselves teleported. Looking around as you summon Torlyn and Talatine, you quickly recognise your new location as the room that Moira is using for the ritual.

"You two were taking too long so I just teleported you," says your sister as she leans against the wall, "Ready to go Brenda?"

"Tamara has filled me in on the details so yes, I am ready," answers Brenda as she shoots you an excited look, "Will I be able to use it tonight?"

"I would recommend some training to get used to it," replies Moira, "You're a talented girl so it should only take a few days."

"It took me a few years to fully get a handle on both Torlyn and Talatine," you add, "The trickiest part is getting their magic to do precisely what you want rather than just following your general desires. But you have a natural knack for both magic and equipment that I lack so I suspect that Moira's estimate of days is accurate even the rate at which you learnt magic is anything to go by."

"Thanks for the confidence," says Brenda, "Oh and while you're here Moira, I have decided that you can add age changes to my list of approved pranks so long as it isn't too extreme in either direction. I don't want to be a creaky old lady or a baby."

"Did I impress you that much today?" you inquire.

"I decided that after spending the evening with you as a fifteen year old, being a few years older or younger isn't bad," answers Brenda, "As long as it is only temporary."

"No babies or old ladies, got it," says Moira, "Now, if we could get on with the ritual?"

***​

"Okay, this is harder than it seems," admits Sapphire Squire as she summons her new shield again, this time as a round shield, "A round shield, but not how I wanted it as a round shield."

"You up for using it tonight?" you inquire as you sit off to the side on a chimney, having taken on your Fairy Knight form and clad yourself in Torlyn.

"So long as I keep things simple and don't try anything fancy," answers Sapphire Squire as she dismisses Taerglas, "I believe I have found the location of a workshop. Thanks to you mentioning them to him, Dad has been taking a look at these guys. He brought his notes home for more privacy and I took the opportunity to look through them. I noticed a location popping up a few times as place of interest, but there wasn't any proof of it being used for crime. I also recognised that location as being referred by Apex a few times, mostly in his oldest documents and works. Judging from the context of it in the Apex documents, I suspect it is an old workshop of his."

"And you want to investigate it," you say.

"Yup," confirms Sapphire Squire as she summons Taerglas again, this time as a heater shield, "Okay, I think I got summoning this into my hand down. But back to the subject, do you think we should fetch Onyx Squire? We could probably do this on our own, but seems rude to leave him out."

What does Fairy Knight do?
[] Investigate the potential workshop with only Sapphire Squire.
[] Go and fetch Onyx Squire before investigating the potential workshop.

Investigating Gerald Martin. (Sapphire Squire)
Investigation Check, DC15: 9+10 = 19, 1 DoS.

Sniffing out secret allegiance. (Sapphire Squire)
Investigation Check, DC25: 19+10 = 29, 1 DoS.

Putting it all together. (Sapphire Squire)
Investigation Check, DC25: 7+10 = 17, 2 DoF.

***​

This took far longer than I expected it to. I put that down to how many social elements I ended up putting into the update and how I ended up needing to re-write a couple of them. I'm not entirely happy with how things turned out, but they are good enough that I don't feel like any sections need a major re-write.

Anyway, you got some information on Gerald Martin, but Sapphire Squire has yet to put all of the clues together. You got the Brenda's fifteenth birthday done and in hinsight, I would have made her party a side-story if I knew how long it would take to write up.

The vote isn't much of one and is more a filler vote so I can stop writing this update and get posted. There is probably more I could go on about, but right now, I just want to get this posted.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
 
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The Shrouded Scions VII
[X] Go and fetch Onyx Squire before investigating the potential workshop.

"We should go and get him," you say, "Do you think he will be at the Nighthouse?"

"We can track him," says Sapphire Squire as she pulls out a map, "I make sure to keep one of these on me for everyone I care about. It is a single use and takes a minute to recharge, but we can work around those."

"Do you keep a lot of enchanted items on you?" you inquire.

"Less than I should," admits Sapphire Squire, "I make a lot of gadgets, but a fair few of them are just things I use to make everyday life more convenient for me and the actually useful gadgets just get put away in storage. I'm not sure if you noticed, but I am using one of the bedrooms as a place for all of my completed, but unused gadgets."

"I noticed," you comment with a wry smile, "I am pleased to see that you are taking to magic well."

"I like inventing things," says Sapphire Squire, "Magic is useful to that because it is easy. That said, I am looking to make more mundane stuff. Magic is cool and all, but I don't want to become reliant on it."

"Is that why you want to look at these drugs?" you inquire.

"Nah," answers your squire, "I have no interest in using the enemy's drugs or any drugs. I will admit I am a bit curious to see how it was made and how it works, but is all."

***​

Sneaking into the drug factory is easy enough. The factory isn't a conventional factory, a drug production site built in the cellar of a pharmacy. With the shop acting as an actual pharmacy, you presume that those in the know can simply ask for the less than legal drugs.

A single thug stands guard over the place and it is easy for you to knock him out without him ever realising that you are there. You have grown to appreciate the benefits of not being seen or heard. While you expect to run into someone with exotic senses capable of seeing through them, you enjoy being able to fool all of your mundane human foes.

"So now what?" you ask Sapphire Squire after you open the backdoor from the inside to grant your squires entry to the building.

You could take the lead, but you know your skills and those of your squires. While you and Onyx Squire are passable at uncovering someone else's secrets, Sapphire Squire is as skilled as her father at sniffing out evidence and useful information. It is better to let the professional do their job and help them out where you can.

Sapphire Squire quickly takes over the investigate work, directing you and Onyx Squire whilst rummaging about herself. The three of you work well as a team, efficiently uncovering the documents and other incriminating evidence that the building has to offer. Sapphire Squire stuffs them all into her bag and given how much goes into it, you are certain she has enchanted it to carry more than it should be able to.

"Now onto the real prize," says Sapphire Squire once she is satisfied with her haul of evidence for the night, "Fairy Knight, do you have any idea on what to do with the drugs or how they work?"

"Not exactly," you admit before deciding to be more decisive about it, "No, I do not."

"Okay then," says Sapphire Squire before she turns to her fellow squire, "Onyx, you help me out and do as I say. I read enough of the papers to get a decent idea of what this stuff does and trust me, we do not want to make mistakes with it. Fairy Knight, can you remain on watch while we work?"

"Of course," you tell her.

Keeping an eye on the stairs leading up into the shop from the cellar, you also watch your squires as they work. The machinery used to create the drug is beyond your understanding, but you do recognise the large cooking vat of orange-tinted silver liquid and a few of the tools look familiar.

Even Sapphire Squire struggles to understand all of it as while your squire had a solid grasp of what the machinery did, she struggled to process how it was used to create the Apex drug or what the Apex drug. In fact, you are fairly certain that without the help of Onyx Squire or having several documents at hand to reference, Sapphire Squire might have failed to understand the process behind the Apex drug.

"It boosts strength and toughness primarily," says Sapphire Squire to you and Onyx Squire, "Boosts to reflexes and increasing speed is secondary, mainly due to be side effects of the main effects. The Apex drug provides some chemicals which strengthen the muscles and dull pain. It lets you hit harder and ignore harder hits, but it doesn't provide any healing so you can't take more actual damage. It is also what limits how of the drug you take as after a certain point, the drug is definitely going to harm you. Basically muscle burnout and too much stress for the human body to endure."

"So not worth taking?" inquires Onyx Squire.

"Maybe if you wanted a quick, temporary boost," answers Sapphire Squire, "But I would rather not rely upon it, especially since we don't know if there is any long term side effects. That said, criminals and governments would definitely want to-do you hear that?"

"Yes," you answer as you hear noises above and footsteps approaching, "Let's head back upstairs."

You quickly make your way upstairs with both of your squires following behind you. You don't expect danger, but it never hurts to be wary in this line of business.

As the three of you enter the front of the shop, you get to see who is approaching. Standing tall in his suit outside the front of the shop is Apex, flanked by two men on either side with all four holding guns with large drums underneath.

"Hmm," says Apex before looking directly at you and then at Sapphire Squire, "Ore-ray-en sends his regards. I am going to kill that girl for the trouble she has caused me."

"No, you won't," you promise him and you both leap into action.

Apex may be conventionally faster than you, but you have the upper hand in the opening moments of this fight. You run forward with Talatine drawn, smashing the front door open and then slashing him across the side. Apex staggers to the side, his suit becoming stained red with blood, but the man has already thrown his bomb.

The bomb explodes inside the shop as the men begin to open fire. The shop fills with a yellow-brown gas that leaves both of your squires choking and coughing even as they attempt to leave the building. Sapphire Squire is only able to fly out and is barely able to avoid most of the bullets sent her away as the four thugs spray down both Onyx Squire and Sapphire Squire with bullets. Sapphire Squire doesn't cry out in pain as a couple strike her armoured costume and only avoids being hit by more thanks to luck. Onyx Squire attempts to change one of the gunmen, but is left stumbling to the side as bullets hit him in the side.

Quickly realising that even if these men with their guns are no threat to you personally, they are still a danger to your squires and you swiftly switch targets as you attack the ones on Apex's left. While their guns make them dangerous, the men themselves are barely better than the average street soldier even if they are slightly tougher and quicker than you would have expected.

Both of them go down as Apex goes after Sapphire Squire with the girl being engulfed by another cloud of gas thanks to a second bomb by Apex. The last two thugs continue to shoot, but none hit Sapphire Squire and Onyx Squire is able to take one down before taking a bullet to the shoulder with a grunt of pain from the last gunman standing.

Confident that your squires can take care of the final lackey, you turn your attention back to Apex. You stab at him with Talatine, but you find yourself outplayed as Apex leverages his superior speed to leave you out of position as he goes after his actual attack.

Quicker than you can react, Apex slams into the still off-balanced Onyx Squire. By all rights, he should have gone to such a blow, but one of the reasons that you chose him as your squire was his tenacious toughness and Onyx Squire stays standing if just barely.

"Go!" you call at Onyx Squire as a boomerang from Sapphire Squire takes out the final gunman, certain that another hit from Apex will bring him down.

As Onyx Squire runs for it, you dart to cover his escape by engaging Apex. A swing of Talatine and Apex is forced back as you gaze his arm, cutting his sleeve and drawing a tickle of blood. Taking your attack in his stride, Apex throws another of his bombs, once again targeting Sapphire Squire.

To your horror, Sapphire Squire begins to cough and twitch under the gas and for a moment, you find she is about to pass out before she manages to flutter out of the latest gas cloud.

"Leave her alone!" you hiss at Apex before hacking open his shoulder with Talatine.

"Make me!" retorts Apex before he uppercuts you, sending you stumbling backwards a burst of sudden pain and a sore jaw.

"I think I shall," you tell him as you watch Sapphire Squire fly away, putting as much distance as she can between her and the ground.

That changes the matter. Both of your squires have gotten away and you have no reason to continue fighting here. You could get away using teleportation and shapeshifting to throw Apex off, but you also want to punch Apex's face in. He is already injured and he deliberately targeted your squires, something he needs to regret.

What does Fairy Knight do?
[] Withdraw. You have no reason to fight him and your squires have gotten away.
[] Fight. He needs to be pay for going after your squires and is already more injured than you are.
[] Write-in.

Investigating the workshop. (Sapphire Squire)
Investigation Team Check, DC20: 14+11+5+5 = 35, 4 DoS.

Investigating the workshop. (Fairy Knight Squire)
Investigation Team Check, DC10: 15+5 = 20, 3 DoS.

Investigating the workshop. (Onyx Squire)
Investigation Team Check, DC10: 17+3 = 20, 3 DoS.

Investigating the drugs. (Sapphire Squire)
Expertise: Science Team Check, DC25: 13+6+5+5 = 29, 1 DoS.

Investigating the drugs. (Onyx Squire)
Expertise: Science Team Check, DC10: 19+3 = 22, 3 DoS.

Spotting Apex.
Perception vs Stealth = 19+7 vs 10+8 = 26 vs 18, Fairy Knight wins 2 DoS.

Spotting Apex. (Sapphire Squire)
Perception vs Stealth = 20+8 vs 1+8 = 33 vs 4, Fairy Knight wins by 6 DoS.

Spotting Apex. (Onyx Squire)
Perception vs Stealth = 13+9 vs 14+8 = 22 vs 22, Onyx Squire wins by 1 DoS.

Initiative Check:
Fairy Knight: 16+11 = 27
Sapphire Squire: 17+7 = 24
Onyx Squire: 1+11 = 12
Apex: 10+15 = 25
IRA Militia 1: 8+2 = 10
IRA Militia 2: 12+2 = 14
IRA Militia 3: 13+2 = 15
IRA Militia 4: 6+2 = 8

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 18+11 = 29, Successful Critical Hit.
Toughness Check, DC29: 10+12 = 22, 2 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty & Dazed.

Apex bombs Sapphire Squire.
Dodge Check, DC18: 3+10+2 = 15, 1 DoF.
Fortitude Check, DC18: 13+7 = 20, 1 DoS, Sapphire Squire is unaffected.
Toughness Check, DC23: 9+8 = 17, 2 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty & Dazed.

Apex bombs Onyx Squire.
Dodge Check, DC18: 13+10+2 = 25, 2 DoS.
Fortitude Check, DC14: 18+8 = 26, 3 DoS, Onyx Squire is unaffected.
Toughness Check, DC19: 12+6 = 18, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

IRA Militia 2 shoots Sapphire Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 9+6-2 = 13, Miss.

IRA Militia 2 shoots Onyx Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 18+6-2 = 22, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC19: 3+5 = 8, 3 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty & Staggered.

IRA Militia 3 shoots Sapphire Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 16+6-2 = 20, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC19: 1+7 = 3, 4 DoF, Sapphire Squire is incapacitated. Luck Reroll!
Toughness Check, DC19: 20+7 = 32, 3 DoS, Sapphire Squire is unharmed.

IRA Militia 3 shoots Onyx Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 11+6-2 = 15, Miss.

Onyx Squire charges IRA Militia 3.
Unarmed Charge Attack, DC15: 4+12-2 = 14, Miss.

IRA Militia 1 shoots Sapphire Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 16+6-2 = 20, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC19: 2+7 = 9, 3 DoF, -1 Toughness & Staggered.

IRA Militia 1 shoots Onyx Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 10+6-2 = 14, Miss.

IRA Militia 4 shoots Sapphire Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 14+6-2 = 18, Miss.

IRA Militia 4 shoots Onyx Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 18+6-2 = 22, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC19: 16+4 = 20, 1 DoS, Onyx Squire is unharmed.

Fairy Knight routine attacks IRA Militia 1.
Toughness Check, DC24: 7+4 = 11, 3 DoF, Incapacitated.

Fairy Knight routine attacks IRA Militia 2.
Toughness Check, DC24: 3+4 = 7, 4 DoF, Incapacitated.

Apex bombs Sapphire Squire.
Dodge Check, DC18: 18+10+2 = 30, 3 DoS.
Fortitude Check, DC14: 20+7 = 32, 4 DoS, Sapphire Squire is unaffected.
Toughness Check, DC19: 5+6 = 11, 2 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty & Dazed.

IRA Militia 3 shoots Sapphire Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 2+6-2 = 6, Miss.

IRA Militia 3 shoots Onyx Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 7+6-2 = 11, Miss.

Onyx Squire attacks IRA Militia 3.
Unarmed Attack, DC15: 9+12 = 21, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC19: 12+4 = 16, 1 DoF, Incapacitated.

IRA Militia 4 shoots Sapphire Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 3+6-2 = 7, Miss.

IRA Militia 4 shoots Onyx Squire.
Submachine Gun Attack, DC20: 17+6-2 = 21, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC19: 11+4 = 15 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 1+11 = 12, Critical Miss.

Apex attacks Onyx Squire.
Unarmed Attack, DC20: 13+11 = 24, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC27: 15+4 = 19, 2 DoS, -1 Toughness Penalty & Dazed.

Sapphire Squire attacks IRA Militia 4
Boomerang Attack, DC15: 15+11 = 26, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC21: 12+4 = 16, 1 DoF, Incapacitated.

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 17+11 = 28, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 19+11 = 30, 2 DoS, Apex is unharmed.

Apex bombs Sapphire Squire.
Dodge Check, DC18: 6+10+2 = 18, 1 DoS.
Fortitude Check, DC14: 6+7 = 13, 1 DoS, Sapphire Squire is Impaired.
Toughness Check, DC19: 2+6 = 8, 3 DoF, Incapacitated. Luck Reroll!
Toughness Check, DC19: 16+6 = 22, 1 DoS, Sapphire Squire is unharmed.

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 20+11 = 31, Successful Critical Hit.
Toughness Check, DC29: 17+11 = 28, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

Apex attacks Fairy Knight.
Unarmed Attack, DC18: 11+11 = 22 Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC27: 5+12 = 17, 2 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty & Dazed.

You have gotten 1 Hero Point from your Enemy (Prince Auraen) Complication and currently have 17 available Hero Points.

***​

This update took longer than I wanted it to. It would have been out sooner, but I got a bit of writer's block regarding descripting the factory and the investigation scenes. You are pretty much at the conclusion of this arc with maybe one or two more updates to go.

The current vote is mainly about if you want to continue this fight or end it. That's about all I have to say right now because I don't want to risk spoiling a couple of future adventures that follow up on events from this arc.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
 
The Shrouded Scions VIII
[X] Fight. He needs to be pay for going after your squires and is already more injured than you are.

You could get away from this fight and you have no tactical or strategic reasons to continue this fight, but Apex went after Sapphire Squire. He made this personally and you are going end this fight with Apex down on the ground. Still reeling from Apex's last punch, you flicker Talatine around and slash Apex across the non-bloodied side of his suit. Apex doesn't even flinch from your blade cutting his flesh before slams his fist into your gut.

You go staggering back, the world semi-spinning from the force of the attack. You swing out with Talatine, but while you hit your foe, Apex simply ignores your sword leaving another shallow gash in his body. He pushes his own assault and jabs you across the face.

The punch is hard, but Torlyn pulls through and you barely feel a thing as you grit your teeth and reassess the situation. You are certain that Apex is doped up on his own drug as he while he is superhumanly tough and strong, he wasn't this strong and tough last time that you fought. You could take him, but he would have a chance of winning without his juice boosting him and as he currently is, the odds are too close to a coinflip for you risk a straight up fight with Apex.

Rather than attack, you ready yourself for Apex's next punch and when it comes, you teleport away. You need to buy from breathing room to recover as one thing you noticed from your last fight is that unlike yourself, Apex doesn't heal. If you can drag out this fight long enough, your injuries will heal up while Apex will remain as wounded as ever. You run the risk of Apex deciding to just call it quits and fleeing, but against an equal foe like this, you need to fight smart.

Teleporting to just in front of the shop, you wait for Apex to realise what you have done and for him to make the next move. It takes him just a moment to realise where you are and then you teleport away again as he charges you, leaving Apex to smash into the shop window.

Teleporting to the middle of the road, you ready yourself again, keeping an eye on Apex and his moments so you can get away in time. Scowling at you, Apex charges you again and this time he is able to put some of his inhuman speed behind his movements as you teleport to the pavement just before his fist connects with your helmet. The plan is working as you feel your oldest wounds fading away while Apex is too angry at you to consider running away. Now if you could just get a moment to clear your head.

"Stand and fight me!" growls Apex as he looks around for your latest location.

"Catch me first!" you reply in a sing-song voice that you know would piss you off in his position.

With a snarl of frustration, Apex charges once again and once again, you teleport away. Before either of you engage further, a police car comes around the corner. As the vehicles comes to a halt, Apex looks like he is about to flee now that the lawmen have arrived. Having decided that he is not getting away after what he has done tonight, you charge him. Taking a moment, you channel your magic into Talatine and change your blade from something that cuts to something that will drain speed from its target.

Getting ready to flee, Apex in unprepared for the sudden attack by yourself. Your sword strikes true and you indulge yourself in a grim smile at Apex unable to run at more than an unnatural crawl after being struck by the silver blade. That grin quickly turns into a grimace as Apex slams a fist into your jugular. You stumble backwards, the world spinning as you only retain consciousness through sheer willpower.

You slash Apex across the knee, hacking open the flesh and making the man almost collapse as his leg almost gives out on him. Apex responds in an instant, striking your gut with enough force that you almost hurl up the food you ate at Brenda's birthday party earlier in the day. You bring Talatine back around before Apex can muster up his defences after his latest attack, slicing open the man's upper arm with a painful cut even if it isn't deep enough to render the arm non-functional.

Limping as some of his speed returns, Apex swings another fist at you, but you see it coming this time. You dart back this time and swipe at him with Talatine once again only to find that your own movement has left your blade out of range. Apex moves up and strikes you in the shoulder, leaving you with painful shoulder even as Torlyn protects you against any serious damage. You stab with Talatine before Apex can get away, your sword piercing the side of his chest and making Apex wince as you pull your blade out.

Apex swings at you, but you are able to sidestep it at the last moment. With Apex caught-off guard, you strike in the side of the chest again, this time with a slash rather than a stab. Apparently noticing that his speed is coming back, Apex punches you once again as he tries to put some space between you and him. With your oldest injuries healed, you are able to take the blow without too much difficulty and you seize the chance to counterattack. A swipe of Talatine and Apex isn't going down! In defiance of your best efforts, Apex is still standing.

Unwilling to let Apex get away and knowing that this is your last chance to stop him tonight, you push yourself to your limits, straining your already exhausted body. In an inhumanly quick motion, you bring Talatine back around to finish him off. Thankfully Apex goes down this time because you aren't too sure what you would have done if he hadn't.

Almost swaying on your feet due to exhaustion, you notice that the police car has been joined by some others. In fact, there is a veritable swarm of lawmen on the street through they seem to waiting for you and Apex your fight. Which you have not. That must make it time to go and get some rest. No, wait, you need to find your squires first. Then you can get some rest because that fight pushed you to your limits.

Transforming into a bird, you take off. You check the Nighthouse first. It seems the place that your squires would go.

***​

To your relief, you find both Sapphire Squire and Onyx Squire at the Nighthouse, awaiting your return with neither seeming worse for the wear. You put the latter down the used up and semi-used magical items lying about the table, all of them created by Sapphire Squire in the past.

"Are you both okay?" you inquire.

"Yes," answers Sapphire Squire, "We got burnt and strung by the gas, but neither of us was too badly hurt by it. I'm just glad that I knew about the mustard gas beforehand. I made sure to make some stuff to counter it and heal injuries caused by it. We've pretty much used up the latter along with some other stuff to fix up our other injuries. That said, the mustard gas was definitely acting far quicker than it should have. I am certain that Apex made some modifications to it to make it fast acting."

"Did you get him?" inquires Onyx Squire, "Please tell me that you got him."

"I got him," you tell him, "Left him out cold and half-bleeding to death while at least a dozen policemen were waiting for the fight to finish."

"Good," says Sapphire Squire, "I can't I enjoyed being gassed and shot up on my birthday."

"It's your birthday?" says Onyx Squire, turning to stare at his fellow squire.

"It hasn't gone midnight yet so yes, it is still my birthday," answers Sapphire Squire with a shrug, "Unless one of you needs me for something, I'm going to work on updating our records with tonight information."

"I'm going to grab some shuteye," says Onyx Squire, "Unlike you two, I still need to sleep and that fight left me exhausted."

"I too was left exhausted by that fight," you say, "I don't need to sleep, but I do need to get some rest. Taking out Apex left me exhausted."

***​

"Congratulations on becoming a national hero," says Inspector Brown as the two of you meet for lunch at the Wallis mansion, "You seen the newspapers or heard the news?"

"Fairy Knight stops an Irish Republican Army chemical attack on London," you say, remembering the news that you found being spread about in the morning, "But only four suspects in custody."

Inspector Brown winces at that and you doubt the news is good. Oh well, you won't expecting good news ever since you heard that the government claimed to only have four members of the IRA captured.

"Remember that guy in the suit?" asks Inspector Brown and you nod as you won't be forgetting Apex any time soon after what he did, "Well, we failed to understand just how dangerous he was. Actually, I did after I heard the reports of you and him going at it with each other, but the men on the scene don't know you as well as I do. They treated him like any other criminal so when he woke up, he broke out. It isn't good."

"He was throwing about mustard gas in that fight," you tell Inspector Brown and he groans at the news.

"Isn't that just the cherry on top," mutters Inspector Brown before focusing back on you, "This guy basically slaughtered the men guarding him before ripping his way out of the van carrying him with his bare hands. He tore through steel like it was paper and kill three of his guards whilst putting the last one in hospital. The only upside to the situation is that all four of the men transporting him were people I knew to be dirty. That and everyone is upset at this IRA soldier managed to not only escape but killed multiple coppers on his way out."

"The man called himself Apex and is the creator of the drug being produced beneath the pharmacy," you tell Inspector Brown, "He worked for a group called the Shrouded Scions and I have caught one of their leaders answering to a member of parliament, Gerald Martin, who is a member of the Order of the Eternal Empire."

"So this Apex is working for the secret conspiracy that controls the government," groans Inspector Brown and you give him a sympathetic smile.

"Not quite that bad," you reassure him, "Apex was never loyal and Sapphire Squire picked up plenty of indications that he was planning to go his own way. Given how he was with members of the Irish Republican Army last night, I suspect he has broken ties with his old masters."

"Well, I'm not going to be able to tell anyone about that, but I appreciate you telling me," says Inspector Brown, "Blimey, sometimes I wonder just how corrupt our country is."

"I like to believe it is less corrupt since people like us started pushing back," you reply, "Anyway, I should go and get lunch for us so we have something to eat. Given how valuable your time is these days and how busy you are, I figured you would like to get some food in you when you have a break for food."

"Some food sounds like an excellent idea for lunch," agrees Inspector Brown, giving you a brief smile before getting solemn again, "But before you go, I ought to tell you something. I mentioned to you before that the government was looking into recruiting you and was putting out feelers via me, but after last night, it looks like they have gotten serious about it. This morning I was told to let you know that His Majesty's Government wants you working for it. The Fritz have their own official hero team with a leader who has superhuman powers and there are rumours that other countries are putting together their own teams with superhumans. Apparently our government wants in on that and you are one of their main candidates for it. Money, fame, privileges or whatever you want, they are offering it within reason, but I can't deny that they are being generous about it."

"What about other supernatural individuals in the country?" you inquire, thinking about the likes of Galahad, Lady Ghost, Bull and the Druid.

"I don't know," admits Inspector Brown, "All I know is that you are being offered a very generous deal to work for the government. I can't say if I recommend that you take it or not. I won't deny that we got plenty of corruption in the government, but not all of it is corrupt. You may be able to leverage those non-corrupt parts against the corrupt parts and I would be nice to openly work with you. That said, I can't say that you wouldn't be restricted when it comes to going up against the Consortium or the Eternal Empire or other bits of corruption in the Empire and I can't say I would be surprised if you were. I certainly have found myself facing brick walls, but then I'm not you and I do know that the government considers you to be a lot more important than me."

As you head into the kitchen to finish making the lunch you half-prepared beforehand, you think about the offer that Inspector Brown brought up. You know for a while that the government was looking into recruiting you, either when they first realised you had real magic or when the Germans accounted their Wunderliga. Apparently last night made serious about the matter if what Brown says is true.

If you go for it, you could leverage some major concessions out of it. Right now the government needs you more than you need it and that gives you an advantage in any deal. If you got for it which isn't certain. You don't need the government and you can manage just fine as you are.

The British government wishes to recruit Fairy Knight to work for them as an officially sanction hero. What does Fairy Knight do?
[] Accept the offer. You will work as an officially sanction hero for the government. You can do more good with official backing and a say within the government.
[] Refuse the offer. You will continue as a costume vigilante. You don't need official backing and you will do more good as you are without any restrictions imposed by the government.
[] Write-in.

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 14+11 = 25, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 19+10 = 29, 2 DoS, Apex is unharmed.

Apex attacks Fairy Knight.
Unarmed Attack, DC18: 16+11 = 27, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC27: 4+11 = 15, 3 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty & Staggered.

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 15+11 = 26, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 15+10 = 25, 1 DoS, Apex is unharmed.

Apex attacks Fairy Knight.
Unarmed Attack, DC18: 13+11 = 24, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC27: 20+10 = 35, 2 DoS, Fairy Knight is unharmed.

Fairy Knight charges Apex.
Talatine Charge Attack, DC21: 17+11-2 = 28, Successful Hit.
Will Check, DC21: 2+10 = 12, 2 DoF, -9 Speed Penalty.

Apex attacks Fairy Knight.
Unarmed Attack, DC18: 11+11 = 22, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC27: 1+12 = 8, 4 DoF, Incapacitated. Hero Point Reroll!
Toughness Check, DC27: 14+12 = 26, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 15+11 = 26, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 3+10 = 13, 3 DoS, -1 Toughness Penalty & Staggered.

Apex attacks Fairy Knight.
Unarmed Attack, DC18: 17+11 = 28, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC27: 3+11 = 8, 3 DoF, Incapacitated. Hero Point Reroll!
Toughness Check, DC27: 15+11 = 26, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 17+11 = 28, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 14+9 = 23, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

Apex attacks Fairy Knight.
Unarmed Attack, DC18: 6+11 = 17, Miss.

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 8+11 = 28, Miss.

Apex attacks Fairy Knight.
Unarmed Attack, DC18: 10+11 = 21, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC27: 15+10 = 25, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 13+11 = 24, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 7+8 = 15, 2 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty & Dazed.

Apex attacks Fairy Knight.
Unarmed Attack, DC18: 6+11 = 17, Miss.

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 10+11 = 21, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC24: 13+7 = 20, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

Apex attacks Fairy Knight.
Unarmed Attack, DC18: 15+11 = 26, Successful Hit.
Toughness Check, DC27: 12+10 = 22, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 18+11 = 29, Successful Critical Hit.
Toughness Check, DC29: 18+6 = 24, 1 DoF, -1 Toughness Penalty.

Fairy Knight attacks Apex.
Talatine Attack, DC21: 20+11 = 29, Successful Critical Hit.
Toughness Check, DC29: 4+5 = 9, 3 DoF, Incapacitated.

You have 15 available Hero Points.

***​

And now we come to the end of this arc. There may be another update before I move onto the next one, but this adventure is over and you will soon be moving onto the next one. You beat down Apex, but the police were unprepared for keeping a superhuman captive and he escaped from custody.

The current vote is one of those major ones, mainly if you vote to take the offer. If you vote to refuse, things will continue as they have been with Fairy Knight being an independent vigilante. If you choose to accept the offer, Fairy Knight will become an official superhero working for the government as part of their new hero team. Given that she has real supernatural abilities and a track record of success, including taking down a confirmed superhuman, Fairy Knight will be able to leverage concession from the government in exchange for her service.

If offer is taken, you will have an arc where Fairy Knight gets settled into her new position and you will get to choose what concessions Fairy Knight gets from the government as part of her deal. This will address stuff like official authority, whether or not she reveals her secret identity, what happens to her squires and so on. If you refuse, I will wrap this arc up and move onto the next adventure I've got planned.

This vote is mainly about whether or not you want to work for the government now that they are trying to recruit the Fairy Knight. The details will be worked out later.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
 
The Kingsmen I
[X] Accept the offer. You will work as an officially sanctioned hero for the government. You can do more good with official backing and a say within the government.
-[X] Keep your and your Squires' personal life out of the deal however, you'd work with the government, but you don't trust their information security.

While you briefly consider keeping your independence and continue to operate as a vigilante, you ultimately decided that you could do more good from the inside the government. Official authority and backing will allow you to reach further and you have no doubts that you will find some way to make use of government connections.

You also consider it to be the first step to taking down this Eternal Empire, something you are most eager to do. You considered using this position to directly go after them, but a chat with Gareth persuaded you against the course of action. Taking on the Order of the Eternal Empire is something that will need to be done behind the scenes. Direct confrontation won't achieve anything apart from tipping off our foes due to the corrupt and secret nature of the conspiracy. If you want to defeat the Eternal Empire, there will be no easy solution even if gaining influence and authority within the government should help.

Another thing that you decide is to keep your secret identity from the government, including who your squires are. You don't trust them with that sort of information given how corrupt the government is and they don't need to know it. You can make up some story about being a fairy exile who has no civilian identity within British society and you can claim that you don't know the identities of your squires. Both have some basis in the truth and it isn't like the government has anyway of checking if you are lying or not.

Even through it took you only a little time to make your decision, you spend a fair while before giving your answer to the waiting government. After letting Inspector Brown know that he could let his bosses know that you were seriously considering the offer and needed some time to think it over, you went to the people you trusted.

Gareth Wallis was the first person you went to. The former politician knew the ins and outs of British politics and even if his knowledge was a bit dated, he still had a better idea of things than you did. For example, he have you some advice on how to negotiate with the government to get a deal from them and what sort of things to ask for if they weren't offered.

The next people you told were your housemates. The Woodsworth sisters weren't involved in your superhero life and these days you mainly hung out with Lydia rather than live with them, but you felt obligated to let them know so they wouldn't be blindsided by hearing about your new employment on the news like everyone else.

Last of all, you consulted your squires. You caught them by surprise with the news, but both Brenda and David took it in good strike, especially once you reassured them that you wouldn't be giving away your secret identity or their own. You would offer to recruit them to the hero team that the government is forming, but the government doesn't want underaged individuals like them and neither squire wants to work for the government right now.

You don't feel bad about leaving them like this. You will still get to interact with them and meet up with them in the Nighthouse. You feel confident about getting permission to work with them and other vigilantes if you push for that and regardless of how things turn out on your end, Brenda is more than capable of taking over for you. They might have to be a bit more careful without you, but Brenda can act as the brains and David as the brawn.

***​

"This isn't going to change too much is it?" asks Brenda, "Because I am capable and all, but I have only been doing this for half a year now and have only just turned fifteen. I look and act like an adult, but I am still a kid."

"We will still be able to interact in our secret identities and there is a good chance that we will still be able to interact in our heroic identities," you tell her, "I have faith in you. You may wish to be more cautious without me there as backup, but you are most capable. You already run our intelligence operations pretty much all by yourself."

"You and David do bring me information to work with," says Brenda, "But yeah, I get your point. So, do you know what you are going to ask for?"

"As much as I am going to," you answer, "I given myself a week to thing it over and talk to those I trust. There is no point in putting it off any longer."

"Good luck Tamara," says Brenda, "I'll keep an eye on Alex until you get back."

***​

Plan Voting will be used. You have 5 Points to spend and may get additional options via spending Hero Points with 1Hero Point equally 1 additional Point.
[] Fairy Knight will be given the position of team leader with other members of the team answering to her. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight will be given the authority to work with vigilantes as she deems necessary. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight will be given authority of British Army Captain over the armed forces of the British Empire. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight will be given authority of British Army Major over the armed forces of the British Empire. (Costs 2 Points)
[] Fairy Knight will be given authority of British Army Colonel over the armed forces of the British Empire. (Costs 3 Points)
[] Fairy Knight will be given limited authority over public authorities to help her carry out her duties. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight's pay will be higher than what it would have been otherwise. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight will be given a small manor house located in the countryside. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight will be allowed to build a castle out in the countryside. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight will be given a laboratory that will be funded and staffed by the government to help her with magical research. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight will be allowed to use materials and items that would otherwise be illegal to use. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight will get partial profits from use of her likeness with the rest going to the British government. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight will get total profits from use of her likeness. (Costs 2 Points)
[] Fairy Knight will be allowed to sell magical items freely rather than to the government's approved buyer list. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Fairy Knight will be given a title of Baroness. (Costs 1 Point)
[] Write-in. (Requires QM approval)

You gain 1 Hero Point for it being the start of a new adventure and currently have 16 available Hero Points.

***​

This is going to be a non-action arc where Tamara settles into her new job. It will probably be a short one where some of details are determined by vote and the rest get explained to the player. No villains to defeat or bad guys to punch.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
 
Last edited:
The Kingsmen II
[X] Plan A Knight In Name And Deed
-[X] Spend 4 Hero Points
-[X] Fairy Knight will be given the position of team leader with other members of the team answering to her. (Costs 1 Point)
-[X] Fairy Knight will be given the authority to work with vigilantes as she deems necessary. (Costs 1 Point)
-[X] Fairy Knight will be allowed to use materials and items that would otherwise be illegal to use. (Costs 1 Point)
-[X] Fairy Knight will be given limited authority over public authorities to help her carry out her duties. (Costs 1 Point)
-[X] Fairy Knight will get partial profits from use of her likeness with the rest going to the British government. (Costs 1 Point)
-[X] Fairy Knight will be allowed to sell magical items freely rather than to the government's approved buyer list. (Costs 1 Point)
-[X] Fairy Knight will be given the title Baroness of Winfield. (Costs 1 Point)
-[X] Fairy Knight will be allowed to build a castle out in the countryside. (Costs 1 Point)
-[X] Fairy Knight will be given authority of British Army Captain over the armed forces of the British Empire. (Costs 1 Point)
-[X] Write In: Fairy Knight will mentor a small cadre of law enforcement to identify and counter magical events and threats (Costs 0 Point)

"I got a good deal," you mention to Brenda as she works on her homework, "I'm a baroness now. I got a title over some land in the countryside where I also got permission to build a castle. Someplace called Winfield. I let them believe that will be my new home because they don't know about Tamara Wallis. Of course, I need to build a castle first. I will probably ask Moira for help, especially for magical defences and utilities. I could try my hand at it myself, but I'm just not as good as Moira."

The two of you are in the Nighthouse as the new month starts. This morning you and the government came to an agreement regarding the terms of your employment after an intense weekend of negotiations and now it is the evening as you spend time with your squire and arguably your closest friend.

"Would you like me to take a shot at it?" offers Brenda.

"Eh...it is an option, but I feel like keeping you separate from Fairy Knight's civilian identity," you reply, "At least for now. I haven't been able to get a handle on how my new bosses feel about you. Half the time it sounds like they strongly disapprove of you, but the other half, they desire to recruit you as another magically empowered individual."

"Competing factions with the government that have difference agendas," says Brenda as she writes down an answer, "I'm not sure how much experience you got back in your mother's court, but in our government, you got at least half a dozen different groups in positions of varying power jockeying back and forth to further their own agendas. Expect backstabbing and alliances as is convenient for the current goals of the faction."

"Hmm, sounds sort of like the feuding between lesser nobles," you comment as you take a seat next to your squire, "I never was really involved in politics like that and the local leader always kept it in check. No one would or could go against mother or whoever she assigned to rule the Little Court."

"Until they did and she was overthrown with you being exile," says Brenda as she puts down another answer and you wince at her truthful words, "Anyway, British politics are sort of like that. Nobody actually goes against the king and the royal family, but that where things start to differ because it is due to the king lacking power. The Prime Minister holds power and because of that, nobody bothers jockeying for the power against the royal family because they have nothing left to give."

"That is different," you agree, "Is that maths?"

"Chemistry," answers Brenda, "So how does your deal with the government relate to you associating with your old squires?"

"I have the position of team leader and thanks to that position, I have also managed to get the authority to work with vigilantes as I deem necessary," you tell her, "We won't be able to be all buddy-buddy in public, but we can operate together when busting up criminals."

"Excellent," says Brenda with a smile, "And we can still work together in private without anyone knowing or at least being able to prove it."

"Exactly," you reply, "As for other parts of my authority as team leader, I have the ability to order the military with the authority of an army captain or the equivalent alongside being able to order about other government agencies within reason. That last bit has been strictly defined, but it basically means I can do what I want so long as I am not blatantly abusing my authority. Beyond that, I have permission to use illegal materials in my magic and have permission to sell magical items or services to whoever I desire."

"That all?" inquires Brenda as she finishes with the answer to the last question on the page.

"I split profits from usage of my likeness with the government and got a good pay check," you answer as Brenda moves onto the second page, "I will also be mentoring some members of law enforcement in how to deal with magical stuff and I will get to decide who I teach from a government-approved list of individuals."

"That sounds interesting," says Brenda, "Will Dad be involved?"

"He has already told me that he isn't interested in it," you answer, "That said, he has offered to help me look over the candidates. By the way, why do you have homework? Hasn't the school year ended?"

"It isn't proper homework," answers Brenda as she pauses from it, "Well, it is homework, but self-assigned homework. Remember that drug production in the basement when we last fought Apex? Well, I was able to figure out the gist of what the Apex Juice did, but I got lucky doing so. I made a lot of educated guesses and assumptions to make up for a lack of knowledge on my part. And if we didn't have all of those documents and David hadn't been that to help me out, I don't think it would have figured it out before Apex and his goons showed up."

"Making up for a weak point," you comment, "Sounds like a good use of time."

"That and it gives me more knowledge and therefore more options," says Brenda, "It is interesting and I am enjoying learning more about science. Technology is cool and magic is awesome, but science is different to those two and even if there is plenty of overlap, they are difference things. Through science is technically the method so it applies to all them equally and what is commonly called science is the just the results from the three most common applications of science."

"I will leave you to handle those sorts details," you say, "Magic is enough for me and I'm content with my basic knowledge of technology."

"You actually got a pretty good grasp of modern tech," Brenda tells you, "If I do say so myself, I am a genius. You can't compare yourself to me for an accurate assessment of your skills. You're nothing special when it comes to technology, but you aren't bad either."

"Thank you," you tell, either accepting the compliment delivered in the factual statement, "So school is over for this year. What are you going to do next year?"

"I'm not sure if Mr Wallis mentioned it to you, but he is looking at getting me into a private school for girls," answers Brenda, "They are local, take day students and Mr Wallis is willingly to pay the fees for me. The school seems like one of the good ones and I would like to continue a more conventional education. If it doesn't work out, well, then private tutors are still an open."

"Things are looking up for you?" you inquire, giving her an encouraging smile.

"It is a bit harder being half-Irish these days, but things are still on an upturn," replies Brenda, "Ever since Mum and James got better-oh! Mum is pregnant. She and Dad told us this morning."

***​

"Thank you Mr Coleman," you tell your guide and new co-worker as he guides you through the new headquarters of the newly formed Kingsmen, "I believe I understand my way around the building now."

"Of course Miss Lane," says Julius Coleman, referring to your new civilian identity as Baroness Tara Lane of Winfield.

It was probably illegal to have another secret identity like this, but you always had a complicated relationship with the law. You fight to uphold it and stops those that would break it, but you break it yourself in the process. And that isn't taking into account unjust laws through you haven't run afoul of those due to the vigilante nature of your heroism.

The Kingsmen are going to be the third officially sanctioned government hero team. They were supposed to be the second, but the French announced the formation of the Knights of Marianne on the first day of the month and like the Kingsmen and the Wunderliga, the Chevaliers de Marianne will be lead by a superhuman, this one a woman called Knight Errant who has a 'perfect body'. You strongly suspect that had something to do with how the government suddenly caved to your demands.

Consisting of you, Imperial Lion, Spider and Longbow, the Kingsmen are officially charged with dealing with extraordinary threats and events. Unofficially, you are going to spend most of your time going after regular problems due to the rarity of the supernatural. That said, the supernatural is becoming increasingly common.

"Will I get to meet the rest of my team?" you ask Coleman.

You find it a bit odd to be leader of a team before you met anyone else on the team, but you suppose that is the nature of working for a government or some other large organisation. It isn't like you are going in completely blind as you had both a list of names and Sapphire Squire.

Spider may or may not be the same Spider that you fought last month while Longbow is a complete unknown. Imperial Lion is the individual with most history to them. Operating as a vigilante in Birmingham for the last couple of months, Imperial Lion is a patriotic-themed handsome brawler. Apparently a veteran of the Great War, Imperial Lion is good looking and very dangerous with his fists. You suspect that if you hadn't taken the position, Imperial Lion would have been made team leader.

"In just a moment," answers Coleman in that polite, professional voice of his, "I am currently taking you to meet the rest of the Kingsmen. I simply assumed you would like to get a rundown of the place before you got introduced to your teammates."

"Good assumption," you reply.

There is a bit more back and forth between you and Coleman as you attempt to make small talk with him that he politely deflects. You can't really get a read on him or what he thinks of you. Eventually you reach a set of double doors and it is here that your journey ends as you meet your team with Coleman letting you take the lead as you enter the room.

There are three people waiting inside and you can recognise all of them. Imperial Lion has to the tall, muscular blonde man with a charming smile and a pretty face as he is the only Kingsman that you haven't met before. Spider is the same Spider that was with the Shrouded Scions when they ambushed you as his partially machine nature gives him away. And the woman is Windstrike, the assassin that the Consortium hired to kill you over a year ago now through you suspect she goes by Longbow these days.

"Fairy Knight," says Imperial Lion as he turns his smile on you and holds out a hand to you, "I am Imperial Lion, also known as Alastair Harvey. It is an honour to finally meet you."

"Likewise," you reply, taking his hand and shaking it, "Should I be concerned that I already know the rest of the team?"

And just like that, the atmosphere in the room gets noticeable colder as everyone tenses at your words. You pause, waiting for someone else to make a move as you have already made yours.

"I am making up for my misdeeds by serving the British people," says Lucilla Verona as she looks straight at you, "I got by Longbow these days."

You meet her gaze and while she doesn't exactly turn away, Lucilla doesn't meet your look, averting her eyes.

"I'm Spider," says Spider and you note that he is the most nervous person in the room, "Because I got spider-like abilities, Well, they aren't quite spider-like, but close enough that the name fits. I did do some criminal work, but that was only because I got experimented on by a mad scientists and forced to. I couldn't exactly hide what I am."

It is moments like this that you regret not having Sapphire Squire at your back. She would have been able to figure out which parts of that were true and which were false. As it is, you have to make do with your own guesses. You know that he can't hide what he is and that while his powers aren't those of a spider, they are similar enough for his name to be fitting. As for the rest, you know he worked with criminals, but how much he did is unknown to you and while it makes sense that he got experimented on by some kind of insane genius, you don't know the details.

"I don't have a checkered past beyond my vigilantism," says Imperial Lion in what appears to be attempt to smooth things over, "In fact, all of us have had a complex relationship with the law and that is part of why we are all here. How about we try to not drag up past misdeeds and focus on the future?"

"Hmm," you muse and you wonder if you can work with this.

Windstrike or Longbow as she is called these days is a mercenary. You can work with her even if you can't truly trust her. Spider is an unknown and he could go either way. Imperial Lion is someone that you can definitely work with, but given who else is on the team, you wouldn't be surprised to find out if he had a dark side to him.

At least you will have your cadre of anti-magical lawmen to train up. If you can't get the Kingsmen to work out, you are confident that you can get a bunch of men and women trained up by you to serve your goals of fighting evil and bringing about justice.

Of course, you should try to make the Kingsmen work as a team. Work as your team.

What does Fairy Knight do? (Pick 2 Options)
[] You want to get to know Imperial Lion better. He seems like the most competent of the lot and the one that you will end up depending on the most.
[] Longbow once tried to kill you and you almost killed her in turn. Try to clear the air between you if you are going to be on a team together.
[] You fought Spider before if you count him getting his butt whopped by Sapphire Squire to be a fight. Try to get to know the former villain better.
[] The Kingsmen aren't exactly what you were expecting. Look into potential recruits that better suit your tastes.
[] The Kingsmen won't the only individuals that you will be spending plenty of time with as part of your new job. Try to get to know the other staff better.

You have 12 available Hero Points.

***​

This update took longer to write than I originally planned. You get some info on what Brenda is going to be up to and you get to make your new team, the Kingsmen. As noticed by Tamara, Imperial Lion was going to be the team leader if Fairy Knight hadn't taken the positions and the team isn't a shiny new super team, but a government team whose members have less than stellar pasts. You have actually derailed a few of my plans by joining the Kingsmen as I had originally expected you to turn down the offer and then end up facing the Kingsmen as either enemies or rivals.

Also Winfield is a fictional location that I made up and isn't based on anything in particular except being a rural English location.

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong so I know what you are referring to. Feel to ask questions for more details and information.
 
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