DoofQuest- a Disney Villains Victorious CK2-Style Quest
- Thread starter Made in Heaven
- Start date
- Crossover
- Location
- Everywhere
We don't need Doof himself directly overseeing it. Just a group of competent, loyal people to run the network for us and follow our orders to propaganda shit up.
- Pronouns
- Female
That just makes me imagine a version of that Samurai Jack episode where Aku tries to be hip with the kids by telling propaganda stories about Jack being evil XD
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Votes closed!
Lord Ultimus
Beautiful...
- Location
- Undisclosed Warehouse
- Location
- Somewhere nearby.
I could see Lawrence being a big fan of what DEI does and thinking it's all satire.
- Location
- Germany
Before that, we really need to finish that dumb jingle...any ideas?
View: https://youtu.be/mHtq-mlzY7s?t=128
Well doof does have a single extra line....
Which gives us something to work with writing the rest
Quest: The Best is Yet to Come- Mambo Italiano
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Judge Doom sits down without further ado and leans his skull-topped cane against the table. He folds his legs primly, looking up you all without a further word.
"Now that," Edna begins, "is a man with STYLE! I love it darhling, not exactly daring or unorthodox given your tastes but my god! The presence! The energy! I've seen pictures, of course, but the impact is so much stronger in person." Edna grabs Doom's sleeve and sniffs it gently. "You've even doused yourself in embalming fluid. Magnificent. Is this satin? What am I saying? I know."
"I… appreciate the compliment, madame. But you exaggerate. I have not done anything particularly impressive this evening!"
"And that is the greatest miracle of them all." Edna replies.
Marco frowns. "Why do they both talk like that?" He whispers to Lizzy.
"...Like what?"
"Wait a second." Drakken interrupts. "I thought you hated capes! The- the- actual capes, not the… people. I can't even count the number of times you've told me not to use capes. 'Drakken, we can't give Adrena Lynn a cape. Drakken, we can't give the giant robot a cape. Drakken, give your cousin a cape so he will stop bothering me.' But suddenly this guy is okay?!?"
"Mayor Doom is not a Super, dear." Edna replies dismissively. "Not rated for live combat. What, you think he's going to trip on the edge of a vat of acid while doing paperwork in city hall?"
"A very amusing image." Doom agrees humorlessly.
"Well who knows, maybe a supervillain will pull a classic kidnapping gambit. Have you ever been kidnapped, Mr. Doom?" Mezmerella interjects languidly.
"My position is not without its dangers, but so far, I have been lucky."
Involuntarily, Drakken shudders.
---
As Mezmerella draws the rest of the table into a debate on the merits of police against the realities of supervillainy, you decide to take advantage of the situation to speak to Liv as uninterrupted as possible.
Diplomacy Check: Strike up a conversation
DC 60
73+26+20+3=122
Critical Success!
Intrigue Check: ???
DC 170
19+31+29+3
Critical Failure!
"...unfortunately confidential. The fascinating phenomena are strictly covered by my non-disclosure agreement. Not that it is of much concern. I could easily replicate the effects of the discharge using my own methods. However, I can tell you about a personal project I have been working on." Lizzy sounds as close to excited as she ever does. "My own research has demonstrated a way to synchronize the thoughts and actions of thousands of ants in a swarm and direct them in a way that I see fit, effectively overriding their innate hive instincts-" Lizzy continues.
"Fascinating!" Liv gushes, and you can tell that she genuinely means it. "Now can you tell me if it's pheromone based, or perhaps something more… esoteric?"
"Pheromones are inefficient on a larger scale and still allow for individuals to act out of sync. I have developed a mechanism that transmits my thoughts as electrical impulses to any ants given the necessary genetic markers within a given radius, simulating the effects of pheromones. Thus allowing me to give them orders-"
You clear your throat. Aside from a few scribbled notes on the subject you found on the Doctor's desk, this project of Lizzy's didn't have anything to do with DEI… but that didn't mean that she should be giving her ideas to rival CEOs for free. Lizzy completely misses the implied reign-in, you probably should have seen that coming, but Liv does not.
"But of course, I should be keeping such things for the conference table, not the dining table. Tell me Ms. Peña, would DEI be interested in a broader collaboration?"
"Certainly," You begin, pleased that Amara is willing to play ball. "Depending on the subject, of course. Perhaps you'd be interested in some of our work on genetic disease, or perhaps a collaboration in comestibles? I know both of our firms have done good work ameliorating the Breadbasket Collapse."
"No." Liv said, her eyes sparkling. "I want to know more about this." She gestures to the ant perfectly perched on the rim of Lizzy's wine glass. "Your representative has suggested a method by which ants could be controlled- or even trained on a massive scale! The implications for this are astonishing, the ecological purposes alone could lead to all sorts of grants…" she trails off, allowing you to fill in the blanks. "Of course, Sycorax is already working with the government to pursue further advances in the field."
You lean back, recognizing the soft sell when you hear it. Any CEO worth their salt is going to talk themselves up a bit to sound like a good partnership.
"We've made significant progress into decrypting the metahuman genome, and our work into the mechanisms behind them has seen some developments as well. I'm sure everyone here remembers Nimble Jack, right? Uncle Sam was always happy to have him. Soon- assuming that Uncle Sam is willing to pay, of course- you might start seeing entire squads of Jacks."
Learning Check: Who is Nimble Jack?
Bypassed due to Mirage
You nod at the reference to one of the country's first supers -- an acrobatic war hero and mentor to Mr. Incredible himself -- as the universalism it is. Either Liv is supremely confident of herself or she actually has managed to figure out a reliable mechanism to grant people superpowers that the government is interested in. This would represent a rather tectonic shift even if it is as expensive as you expect it to be, so it's certainly something to keep an eye on.
"Very impressive, Ms. Amara. I'm sure DEI would be happy to establish closer relations."
"Likewise." Liv smiles.
You turn back to the larger group to see Edna in the middle of lambasting Judy on her fashion choices for the evening. "You have a look, I suppose, but I am thinking it is the only one in your closet, yes? You are no longer a rich man's secretary, Ms. Silverman, I suggest you branch out."
All you can offer is a sympathetic wince to your friend as she turns to Mezmerella.
"You darling, you are not too bad, though I would have used less peacock feathers. Swan, perhaps. Properly dyed. A Gaston Le Mode, yes? Stupid man, obsessed with necks, but not totally devoid of talent."
"He worked with what I gave him, given the short notice." Mezmerella preens. Aggressively.
"While I'm at it." She says, turning to Drakken. "We have discussed this before, yes?"
"I'm perfectly color coordinated, I think you'll find, and-"
Edna glares.
"Yes ma'am." He cringes, shyly taking the daisy boutonniere out of his lapel.
"That was the only good part." She replies acridly.
"And you." Edna finally turns to you with a slight sneer. "You look like a Bond Girl. Not ugly, I suppose, but horribly uninspired."
Edna Intrigue Check:
73+23+10+10 (SHE LIES)=116
Mirage Intrigue contest:
11+31+3+29=74
Edna Success!
You make an attempt at a smile.
Edna looks over you again with a critical eye, saying nothing. "Just what are you doing here tonight, Ms. Peña?"
Mirage Diplomacy Check: Salvage This
DC 85/105/125
33+26+20+3=82
Bare Failure
You can't help but freeze up for a moment. You're not sure what she suspects, but you know she suspects something. Unfortunately you don't have a guess as to if it's something as simple as last week's gossip, or… other things. Unable to knock Edna off her mark, you instead reply with a few soothing platitudes about supporting the SRA that are the perfect thing to say at a function like this.
Edna doesn't seem to buy a word of it. After a moment her gaze turns away from you and towards your bodyguard.
"You dear…" She pauses for a moment. "...You just really don't want to be here right now, do you?"
"No." Lizzy replies.
"Fair enough!"
While you do your best not to wilt under the woman's piercing gaze, Drakken is nattering on at the other side of the table.
"Honestly, it's just so frustrating! It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen, and I've stolen from the best of them! All metal and glass and… see through. Sorta like ehhh, tube of lipstick or something. I don't like it. Doesn't even want to interface with anything we've got. I even tried those weird plugs, you know, the ones from Japan or England, nothing!"
Judge Doom nods. "Have you been able to obtain anything useful from the processing unit?"
"I don't even know if it has one! It's full of these weird little filaments. Is an 'on' button too much to ask?!"
"Do you know if Shego would be interested in having some Bakaemono techs take a look at it? We might be able to figure out something more together." Judy asks.
"No!" Drakken says, hunching protectively over the table as if the technology was actually in front of him. "I'll figure it out on my own, and/or kidnap someone. I'm not proving Shego right!"
"Again." Edna notes.
"Again." Drakken grumbles.
You attempt to avoid Edna's gaze and accidentally meet Judge Doom's instead. His gimlet stare bores into you as you realize that he actually wishes to speak with you.
"Ms. Peña…" Doom drawls, each syllable stretched unnaturally. "I am glad to have the opportunity to… speak with you."
Mirage Diplomacy Check: Deal
DC 105
95+26+20+3=144
Success
"Despite Dr. Doofenshmirtz's… personal opinions, I am glad that he saw fit to send a liaison to tonight's event. The SRA is an antiquated piece of legislation that demonstrates the failures of the system for the past several decades. Martinez's approach to a repeal is the correct decision… and I, for one, hope that the memory of that traitorous banker will go down in history as the worst of us!"
"Yeah!" Drakken cheers, raising his glass. "What the creepy guy said!"
You manage to sit through Doom's overwhelming aura of malice with a polite look of interest. It is as if the man thinks of himself as a televised dictator at all times. Where is he going with this?
"I'll get right to the point. I'm sure you've noticed, Ms. Peña, that in days gone by your superior has had something of a spat with me. I won't deny I allowed a rivalry to develop, but by now I think the situation has all but burnt itself out. We all have more important things to be dealing with! And with the coming of a new era, the time seems right for an… adjustment. I'd be more than happy to see the hatchet dead and buried between us."
You pause for a moment to collect your thoughts. You doubt that you'd be able to convince the Doctor to change his opinions on Doom- or stop referring to him as his 'most hated enemy' in every instance- you can at least take the chance to smooth things over and ensure there are no misunderstandings between your two companies.
"Mr. Doom. You know as well as I do that the Doctor can be… unpredictable, at times, but I want to assure you that his opinion does not reflect on DEI's as a whole. I can… certainly bring the topic up with the Doctor when next I… see him."
"See that you do." Doom replied, apparently satisfied. "Time waits for no one."
Intrigue Check: Is Doom… planning something?
DC 90
70+31+3+29=133
Success!
To the best of your knowledge… no. No, he's not.
This… is just how Judge Doom speaks.
You fail to suppress a shiver.
Thankfully, any further conversations with the moribund man are cut short by the arrivals of the waiters, carrying bowls of minestrone to accompany the salmon confit, brizzola, and chicken Kiev being delivered to diners all over the hall. There is a lull in conversation as everyone turns to their food, offering you a brief but welcome respite from any further conversation. The food is delicious, meat perfectly broiled and cooked to specification. You wish you could enjoy it.
The droning background chatter of a dozen conversations diminishes to a few muffled ones amidst the clinking of silverware and shuffling of chairs. Onstage, slowly but surely, you can see tonight's speakers start to assemble. Evelyn Deavor, perpetually tired as always, takes center stage, her much more enthusiastic brother to her right and Hego to her left. Olympia-sponsored cape Voyd was sitting next to SRA proponents Governor Kevin and Ambassador Selick as Sinatron smiled disarmingly at the crowd, a twinkle in his eye. A handful of other supers gathered for the occasion sit throughout the crowd, hardly believing they are here.
"Everyone!" Evelyn says, taking to the podium with a tired smile that speaks of a great work nearly completed. "Thank you so much for coming. I'm here to say a few words, and those are: my brother has a speech for you!"
Polite laughter echoes throughout the hall as one Deavor cedes the floor to another. Winston practically floats to the platform, his face almost overwhelmed with a smile.
"Ladies and Gentlemen." He begins. "We did it!"
A loud cheer rings through the hall.
Winston Diplomacy Check: Make your big speech
DC 75
"Three years ago, Supers were an old man's story. Huge swathes of this great country actively discriminated against them, considering them costly and dangerous. People had… forgotten. What it means to be a Super."
Winston took a breath. "When I was a child, I looked up to so many of the greats. Apogee, Nimble Jack, Fironic, Elastigirl. Mr. Incredible. These people were icons. Symbols. Role models. They were… our heroes.
"But over time, our idealism faded. We put optics before reality. Profits before people. We stopped dreaming about the best we could be, and started fearing the worst. The Golden Age ended in a glut of greed and paranoia, and those among us with the greatest potential were forced to seal it away. Heroism continued, for how could it not? But it was a tarnished and torn thing, no longer loved by those in power.
"I will admit the despair I felt in bygone days was great. Like an anchor it weighed me down, making progress impossible. But we refused to take no for an answer. We strained and struggled and slowly, our chains fell away. Together, we've made such great strides. All across this nation, in the halls of power and the homes of the people, we remember what it means to dream again. To strive again. To be Super again. Many fought against us, wishing to see the age of Superheroes dead and buried, but they did not stop us. So many of you here are responsible for this day arriving. Ambassador Selick, Governor Kevin. Mayor Doom. Our friends in Drakktech, DEI, Glomgold Enterprises, and across the nation. Thank you. All of you. Tonight we prove that optimism does not mean ignorance, and the exceptional does not exclude the ordinary. For too long people whose only dream was to serve their community have been held back and halted. But now, we can allow them to serve as a symbol yet again. These people, these noble, selfless people, are an inspiration for us. Every day, when we see their faces and hear their stories and sleep safe in our beds, they inspire us to be better, to be like them. To be heroes. Now the time has come for one final push, to end the SRA once and for all and start a new golden age! Ladies and gentlemen, if we let them be Super…
"We all will be."
61+31+36+15(Trait Revealed: We All Will Be)+25(months of preparation)=168
Critical Success
The crowd erupts into raucous cheering. Dignitaries and rich men alike seem to throw off years of cynicism and remember, just for a moment, the heroes of their youth. You see Judy smile in admiration, Edna's eyes flash with the passion of days gone by, and even Drakken wells up slightly, emotionally overwhelmed. As for yourself. Well.
You learned how to hide tears a long time ago.
"Now, I'd like to turn things over to the heroes of the hour. Sponsored by Olympia, these brave Supers have been showing the world what it means to be a hero, and reminding them of why we needed them. Hego and Voyd, paragons for a new age!"
Another cheer goes up as Hego abashedly takes the stand.
"Thank you, Mr. Deavor. Winston. I… heh. I don't know if I'll be able to match a speech like that. But I will try."
He clears his throat. "When I was a young boy, I idolized Mr. Incredible. A hero without compare. Always ready to leap into action. Protect the innocent. Save the helpless. Whether it was facing down an army of automatons or saving a… kitten from a tree, Mr. Incredible never stopped working to help those around him. Even when the odds were impossible, he fought on. He fought on.
"The odds… have seemed impossible. For all of us. For myself. But I… I've fought. And struggled. And worked to make myself a better hero. This evening, tonight, comes as the culmination of my life's work.
---
In a Smarty Mart logistics hub, a gruff man paused in his schematics work, turned up his radio, and could not help but smile.
---
"I… many of you may have noticed the suit I've donned has many of the hallmarks of that great hero to have come before. I… I don't deserve the honor of being compared to him. We tried, at length, to find out what happened to Mr. Incredible after the SRA passed. Evelyn scoured company mainframes and national sources for any hint of him, in the hopes that he, like other heroes of that bygone age, might wish to come again into the light of a new day. But I still don't know. Wherever he is, I hope he can see us now. And I can dream that perhaps, if my hero knew what I was doing, he would be…" Hego's face screws up for a brief moment. "...proud of me.
---
Far away, resigned to waiting in an airport lobby, Shego watched with a dumbfounded look on her face.
---
"A few weeks ago, I happened to stop a robbery on the streets of Go City, my longtime home. And two young boys, hardly older than I was when I first learned what a hero was, they looked at me and they said: 'Wow! He's incredible!'
"Incredible."
---
You bow your head.
---
Hego paused for another moment, briefly overcome.
"I don't know if that's true. But you people… here, and across the country… have put your faith into me. And I promise, I will do everything in my power. To live up to that.
"Thank you."
Intrigue Check: Is anything wrong?
DC 100/120 needed
54+31+3+29=118
Bare Success
Say Please
Success
Liv Intrigue Check:
DC 100/120 needed
79+34=113
Partial Success
Edna Intrigue Check:
DC 100/120 needed
66+23+10+10 (SHE LIES)=109
Partial Success
Judge Doom Intrigue Check:
DC 100/120 needed
93+53+28=174
Massive Success
Drakken Intrigue Check:
DC 100/120 needed
50+8=58
Miserable Failure
Judy Intrigue Check:
DC 100/120 needed
4+21=25
Critical Failure!
Amidst the cacophony of clapping hands, you fight down your emotion as small details about the scene begin to filter into your mind. Evelyn seems a bit sardonic in response to her brother's otherwise well-received speech, but you could chalk that up to long-suffering siblings. Most of the worthies up on stage seem to be in appropriate stages of excitement, elation or nervousness in the face of the big speech of the evening. No, what concerns you is the two Supers on stage tonight; the ones who you would expect to be the most excited. Hego is distracted by something, as much as his smile is trying to mask it. Perhaps he's taken your warning to heart? Or maybe he's noticing the same things you are. Stranger things have happened. Even worse, Voyd, the media darling famous for 'fake' fighting Syndrome back at the Sands gala and showing up his Zero Point not once but twice, is clearly ill. She's holding her head in her hands as if fighting off a dizzy spell, her face in a poorly-concealed grimace.
You exchange a glance with the other members of the table to judge their reactions. Judy meets your look of concern with a shrug, as if she isn't sure what you're looking for, and Drakken is more focused on his brizzola than anything else.
"The poor dear looks unwell." Edna murmurs to Liv, her glare directed straight at you. The biologist politely nods her assent as she picks up her phone. Judge Doom's cold, hollow gaze traces around the convention hall, and when the man's posture suddenly stiffens, you can tell that he's figured out the same thing you have.
Voyd is not the only one.
Here and there, throughout the room, you notice others seemingly in the throes of pain as well. People are rubbing their temples, grimacing, and trying to hide what is obviously a disorientating spell. There are not many of them; offhand, you'd say a dozen or so across the entire, rather spacious hall.
Learning Check: Who are-
Bypassed by Mirage
Every one of them are Supers. Something is going wrong. You subtly motion to your team. Lizzy and Marco refocus their attention at your table, and Mezmerella perks up. Voyd stands up from her seat at the front of the hall, evidently intending to make a speech herself, but staggers and leans against her chair to avoid a nasty fall off the platform. A portal briefly flickers into existence for a moment before collapsing into nothing once again, shearing a few inches off the chair's leg as it closes.
Around you, several of the other bodyguards move subtly away from their meals. The air of the room has changed in an instant, the basking triumph replaced with hushed uncertainty. There is a pregnant pause in the air, the tension as palpable as the food on your plate. The entire hall is silent save for the footsteps of Sinatron as he walks up to the front of the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen-" he begins, clearly looking to calm nerves, flashing the million dollar smile that won him so many fans in decades past.
The door to the convention hall explodes in fire. As rivulets of melted metal pour onto the ground and shards of flying glass shred the potted plants, a hunched figure glares at the assembled crowd with an eerie blue gaze.
Learning check: Who is this?
DC 60
40+11+30+3=84
Success
The glowing helmet is a new addition, but the rest of the costume and his powers are unmistakable. You're looking at Warren Peace, alias 'Prince Pyrus', pyromaniac son of infamous supervillain Baron Battle. DEI had briefly considered hiring him, once upon a time.
It looks like he's decided to take up an alternate career choice.
The flames die down. But not a moment after they do, they burst to life again, great gouts of flame curling around Pyrus and licking dangerously at nearby tables.
Glomgold stands up, presses a single button on his speed dial, and waits impatiently in the expectant silence as his phone rings.
"Hello, Insuricare?"
"Now that," Edna begins, "is a man with STYLE! I love it darhling, not exactly daring or unorthodox given your tastes but my god! The presence! The energy! I've seen pictures, of course, but the impact is so much stronger in person." Edna grabs Doom's sleeve and sniffs it gently. "You've even doused yourself in embalming fluid. Magnificent. Is this satin? What am I saying? I know."
"I… appreciate the compliment, madame. But you exaggerate. I have not done anything particularly impressive this evening!"
"And that is the greatest miracle of them all." Edna replies.
Marco frowns. "Why do they both talk like that?" He whispers to Lizzy.
"...Like what?"
"Wait a second." Drakken interrupts. "I thought you hated capes! The- the- actual capes, not the… people. I can't even count the number of times you've told me not to use capes. 'Drakken, we can't give Adrena Lynn a cape. Drakken, we can't give the giant robot a cape. Drakken, give your cousin a cape so he will stop bothering me.' But suddenly this guy is okay?!?"
"Mayor Doom is not a Super, dear." Edna replies dismissively. "Not rated for live combat. What, you think he's going to trip on the edge of a vat of acid while doing paperwork in city hall?"
"A very amusing image." Doom agrees humorlessly.
"Well who knows, maybe a supervillain will pull a classic kidnapping gambit. Have you ever been kidnapped, Mr. Doom?" Mezmerella interjects languidly.
"My position is not without its dangers, but so far, I have been lucky."
Involuntarily, Drakken shudders.
---
As Mezmerella draws the rest of the table into a debate on the merits of police against the realities of supervillainy, you decide to take advantage of the situation to speak to Liv as uninterrupted as possible.
Diplomacy Check: Strike up a conversation
DC 60
73+26+20+3=122
Critical Success!
Intrigue Check: ???
DC 170
19+31+29+3
Critical Failure!
"...unfortunately confidential. The fascinating phenomena are strictly covered by my non-disclosure agreement. Not that it is of much concern. I could easily replicate the effects of the discharge using my own methods. However, I can tell you about a personal project I have been working on." Lizzy sounds as close to excited as she ever does. "My own research has demonstrated a way to synchronize the thoughts and actions of thousands of ants in a swarm and direct them in a way that I see fit, effectively overriding their innate hive instincts-" Lizzy continues.
"Fascinating!" Liv gushes, and you can tell that she genuinely means it. "Now can you tell me if it's pheromone based, or perhaps something more… esoteric?"
"Pheromones are inefficient on a larger scale and still allow for individuals to act out of sync. I have developed a mechanism that transmits my thoughts as electrical impulses to any ants given the necessary genetic markers within a given radius, simulating the effects of pheromones. Thus allowing me to give them orders-"
You clear your throat. Aside from a few scribbled notes on the subject you found on the Doctor's desk, this project of Lizzy's didn't have anything to do with DEI… but that didn't mean that she should be giving her ideas to rival CEOs for free. Lizzy completely misses the implied reign-in, you probably should have seen that coming, but Liv does not.
"But of course, I should be keeping such things for the conference table, not the dining table. Tell me Ms. Peña, would DEI be interested in a broader collaboration?"
"Certainly," You begin, pleased that Amara is willing to play ball. "Depending on the subject, of course. Perhaps you'd be interested in some of our work on genetic disease, or perhaps a collaboration in comestibles? I know both of our firms have done good work ameliorating the Breadbasket Collapse."
"No." Liv said, her eyes sparkling. "I want to know more about this." She gestures to the ant perfectly perched on the rim of Lizzy's wine glass. "Your representative has suggested a method by which ants could be controlled- or even trained on a massive scale! The implications for this are astonishing, the ecological purposes alone could lead to all sorts of grants…" she trails off, allowing you to fill in the blanks. "Of course, Sycorax is already working with the government to pursue further advances in the field."
You lean back, recognizing the soft sell when you hear it. Any CEO worth their salt is going to talk themselves up a bit to sound like a good partnership.
"We've made significant progress into decrypting the metahuman genome, and our work into the mechanisms behind them has seen some developments as well. I'm sure everyone here remembers Nimble Jack, right? Uncle Sam was always happy to have him. Soon- assuming that Uncle Sam is willing to pay, of course- you might start seeing entire squads of Jacks."
Bypassed due to Mirage
You nod at the reference to one of the country's first supers -- an acrobatic war hero and mentor to Mr. Incredible himself -- as the universalism it is. Either Liv is supremely confident of herself or she actually has managed to figure out a reliable mechanism to grant people superpowers that the government is interested in. This would represent a rather tectonic shift even if it is as expensive as you expect it to be, so it's certainly something to keep an eye on.
"Very impressive, Ms. Amara. I'm sure DEI would be happy to establish closer relations."
"Likewise." Liv smiles.
You turn back to the larger group to see Edna in the middle of lambasting Judy on her fashion choices for the evening. "You have a look, I suppose, but I am thinking it is the only one in your closet, yes? You are no longer a rich man's secretary, Ms. Silverman, I suggest you branch out."
All you can offer is a sympathetic wince to your friend as she turns to Mezmerella.
"You darling, you are not too bad, though I would have used less peacock feathers. Swan, perhaps. Properly dyed. A Gaston Le Mode, yes? Stupid man, obsessed with necks, but not totally devoid of talent."
"He worked with what I gave him, given the short notice." Mezmerella preens. Aggressively.
"While I'm at it." She says, turning to Drakken. "We have discussed this before, yes?"
"I'm perfectly color coordinated, I think you'll find, and-"
Edna glares.
"Yes ma'am." He cringes, shyly taking the daisy boutonniere out of his lapel.
"That was the only good part." She replies acridly.
"And you." Edna finally turns to you with a slight sneer. "You look like a Bond Girl. Not ugly, I suppose, but horribly uninspired."
Edna Intrigue Check:
73+23+10+10 (SHE LIES)=116
Mirage Intrigue contest:
11+31+3+29=74
Edna Success!
You make an attempt at a smile.
Edna looks over you again with a critical eye, saying nothing. "Just what are you doing here tonight, Ms. Peña?"
Mirage Diplomacy Check: Salvage This
DC 85/105/125
33+26+20+3=82
Bare Failure
You can't help but freeze up for a moment. You're not sure what she suspects, but you know she suspects something. Unfortunately you don't have a guess as to if it's something as simple as last week's gossip, or… other things. Unable to knock Edna off her mark, you instead reply with a few soothing platitudes about supporting the SRA that are the perfect thing to say at a function like this.
Edna doesn't seem to buy a word of it. After a moment her gaze turns away from you and towards your bodyguard.
"You dear…" She pauses for a moment. "...You just really don't want to be here right now, do you?"
"No." Lizzy replies.
"Fair enough!"
While you do your best not to wilt under the woman's piercing gaze, Drakken is nattering on at the other side of the table.
"Honestly, it's just so frustrating! It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen, and I've stolen from the best of them! All metal and glass and… see through. Sorta like ehhh, tube of lipstick or something. I don't like it. Doesn't even want to interface with anything we've got. I even tried those weird plugs, you know, the ones from Japan or England, nothing!"
Judge Doom nods. "Have you been able to obtain anything useful from the processing unit?"
"I don't even know if it has one! It's full of these weird little filaments. Is an 'on' button too much to ask?!"
"Do you know if Shego would be interested in having some Bakaemono techs take a look at it? We might be able to figure out something more together." Judy asks.
"No!" Drakken says, hunching protectively over the table as if the technology was actually in front of him. "I'll figure it out on my own, and/or kidnap someone. I'm not proving Shego right!"
"Again." Edna notes.
"Again." Drakken grumbles.
You attempt to avoid Edna's gaze and accidentally meet Judge Doom's instead. His gimlet stare bores into you as you realize that he actually wishes to speak with you.
"Ms. Peña…" Doom drawls, each syllable stretched unnaturally. "I am glad to have the opportunity to… speak with you."
Mirage Diplomacy Check: Deal
DC 105
95+26+20+3=144
Success
"Despite Dr. Doofenshmirtz's… personal opinions, I am glad that he saw fit to send a liaison to tonight's event. The SRA is an antiquated piece of legislation that demonstrates the failures of the system for the past several decades. Martinez's approach to a repeal is the correct decision… and I, for one, hope that the memory of that traitorous banker will go down in history as the worst of us!"
"Yeah!" Drakken cheers, raising his glass. "What the creepy guy said!"
You manage to sit through Doom's overwhelming aura of malice with a polite look of interest. It is as if the man thinks of himself as a televised dictator at all times. Where is he going with this?
"I'll get right to the point. I'm sure you've noticed, Ms. Peña, that in days gone by your superior has had something of a spat with me. I won't deny I allowed a rivalry to develop, but by now I think the situation has all but burnt itself out. We all have more important things to be dealing with! And with the coming of a new era, the time seems right for an… adjustment. I'd be more than happy to see the hatchet dead and buried between us."
You pause for a moment to collect your thoughts. You doubt that you'd be able to convince the Doctor to change his opinions on Doom- or stop referring to him as his 'most hated enemy' in every instance- you can at least take the chance to smooth things over and ensure there are no misunderstandings between your two companies.
"Mr. Doom. You know as well as I do that the Doctor can be… unpredictable, at times, but I want to assure you that his opinion does not reflect on DEI's as a whole. I can… certainly bring the topic up with the Doctor when next I… see him."
"See that you do." Doom replied, apparently satisfied. "Time waits for no one."
Intrigue Check: Is Doom… planning something?
DC 90
70+31+3+29=133
Success!
To the best of your knowledge… no. No, he's not.
This… is just how Judge Doom speaks.
You fail to suppress a shiver.
Thankfully, any further conversations with the moribund man are cut short by the arrivals of the waiters, carrying bowls of minestrone to accompany the salmon confit, brizzola, and chicken Kiev being delivered to diners all over the hall. There is a lull in conversation as everyone turns to their food, offering you a brief but welcome respite from any further conversation. The food is delicious, meat perfectly broiled and cooked to specification. You wish you could enjoy it.
The droning background chatter of a dozen conversations diminishes to a few muffled ones amidst the clinking of silverware and shuffling of chairs. Onstage, slowly but surely, you can see tonight's speakers start to assemble. Evelyn Deavor, perpetually tired as always, takes center stage, her much more enthusiastic brother to her right and Hego to her left. Olympia-sponsored cape Voyd was sitting next to SRA proponents Governor Kevin and Ambassador Selick as Sinatron smiled disarmingly at the crowd, a twinkle in his eye. A handful of other supers gathered for the occasion sit throughout the crowd, hardly believing they are here.
"Everyone!" Evelyn says, taking to the podium with a tired smile that speaks of a great work nearly completed. "Thank you so much for coming. I'm here to say a few words, and those are: my brother has a speech for you!"
Polite laughter echoes throughout the hall as one Deavor cedes the floor to another. Winston practically floats to the platform, his face almost overwhelmed with a smile.
"Ladies and Gentlemen." He begins. "We did it!"
A loud cheer rings through the hall.
Winston Diplomacy Check: Make your big speech
DC 75
"Three years ago, Supers were an old man's story. Huge swathes of this great country actively discriminated against them, considering them costly and dangerous. People had… forgotten. What it means to be a Super."
Winston took a breath. "When I was a child, I looked up to so many of the greats. Apogee, Nimble Jack, Fironic, Elastigirl. Mr. Incredible. These people were icons. Symbols. Role models. They were… our heroes.
"But over time, our idealism faded. We put optics before reality. Profits before people. We stopped dreaming about the best we could be, and started fearing the worst. The Golden Age ended in a glut of greed and paranoia, and those among us with the greatest potential were forced to seal it away. Heroism continued, for how could it not? But it was a tarnished and torn thing, no longer loved by those in power.
"I will admit the despair I felt in bygone days was great. Like an anchor it weighed me down, making progress impossible. But we refused to take no for an answer. We strained and struggled and slowly, our chains fell away. Together, we've made such great strides. All across this nation, in the halls of power and the homes of the people, we remember what it means to dream again. To strive again. To be Super again. Many fought against us, wishing to see the age of Superheroes dead and buried, but they did not stop us. So many of you here are responsible for this day arriving. Ambassador Selick, Governor Kevin. Mayor Doom. Our friends in Drakktech, DEI, Glomgold Enterprises, and across the nation. Thank you. All of you. Tonight we prove that optimism does not mean ignorance, and the exceptional does not exclude the ordinary. For too long people whose only dream was to serve their community have been held back and halted. But now, we can allow them to serve as a symbol yet again. These people, these noble, selfless people, are an inspiration for us. Every day, when we see their faces and hear their stories and sleep safe in our beds, they inspire us to be better, to be like them. To be heroes. Now the time has come for one final push, to end the SRA once and for all and start a new golden age! Ladies and gentlemen, if we let them be Super…
"We all will be."
61+31+36+15(Trait Revealed: We All Will Be)+25(months of preparation)=168
Critical Success
The crowd erupts into raucous cheering. Dignitaries and rich men alike seem to throw off years of cynicism and remember, just for a moment, the heroes of their youth. You see Judy smile in admiration, Edna's eyes flash with the passion of days gone by, and even Drakken wells up slightly, emotionally overwhelmed. As for yourself. Well.
You learned how to hide tears a long time ago.
"Now, I'd like to turn things over to the heroes of the hour. Sponsored by Olympia, these brave Supers have been showing the world what it means to be a hero, and reminding them of why we needed them. Hego and Voyd, paragons for a new age!"
Another cheer goes up as Hego abashedly takes the stand.
"Thank you, Mr. Deavor. Winston. I… heh. I don't know if I'll be able to match a speech like that. But I will try."
He clears his throat. "When I was a young boy, I idolized Mr. Incredible. A hero without compare. Always ready to leap into action. Protect the innocent. Save the helpless. Whether it was facing down an army of automatons or saving a… kitten from a tree, Mr. Incredible never stopped working to help those around him. Even when the odds were impossible, he fought on. He fought on.
"The odds… have seemed impossible. For all of us. For myself. But I… I've fought. And struggled. And worked to make myself a better hero. This evening, tonight, comes as the culmination of my life's work.
---
In a Smarty Mart logistics hub, a gruff man paused in his schematics work, turned up his radio, and could not help but smile.
---
"I… many of you may have noticed the suit I've donned has many of the hallmarks of that great hero to have come before. I… I don't deserve the honor of being compared to him. We tried, at length, to find out what happened to Mr. Incredible after the SRA passed. Evelyn scoured company mainframes and national sources for any hint of him, in the hopes that he, like other heroes of that bygone age, might wish to come again into the light of a new day. But I still don't know. Wherever he is, I hope he can see us now. And I can dream that perhaps, if my hero knew what I was doing, he would be…" Hego's face screws up for a brief moment. "...proud of me.
---
Far away, resigned to waiting in an airport lobby, Shego watched with a dumbfounded look on her face.
---
"A few weeks ago, I happened to stop a robbery on the streets of Go City, my longtime home. And two young boys, hardly older than I was when I first learned what a hero was, they looked at me and they said: 'Wow! He's incredible!'
"Incredible."
---
You bow your head.
---
Hego paused for another moment, briefly overcome.
"I don't know if that's true. But you people… here, and across the country… have put your faith into me. And I promise, I will do everything in my power. To live up to that.
"Thank you."
Intrigue Check: Is anything wrong?
DC 100/120 needed
54+31+3+29=118
Say Please
Success
Liv Intrigue Check:
DC 100/120 needed
79+34=113
Partial Success
Edna Intrigue Check:
DC 100/120 needed
66+23+10+10 (SHE LIES)=109
Partial Success
Judge Doom Intrigue Check:
DC 100/120 needed
93+53+28=174
Massive Success
Drakken Intrigue Check:
DC 100/120 needed
50+8=58
Miserable Failure
Judy Intrigue Check:
DC 100/120 needed
4+21=25
Critical Failure!
Amidst the cacophony of clapping hands, you fight down your emotion as small details about the scene begin to filter into your mind. Evelyn seems a bit sardonic in response to her brother's otherwise well-received speech, but you could chalk that up to long-suffering siblings. Most of the worthies up on stage seem to be in appropriate stages of excitement, elation or nervousness in the face of the big speech of the evening. No, what concerns you is the two Supers on stage tonight; the ones who you would expect to be the most excited. Hego is distracted by something, as much as his smile is trying to mask it. Perhaps he's taken your warning to heart? Or maybe he's noticing the same things you are. Stranger things have happened. Even worse, Voyd, the media darling famous for 'fake' fighting Syndrome back at the Sands gala and showing up his Zero Point not once but twice, is clearly ill. She's holding her head in her hands as if fighting off a dizzy spell, her face in a poorly-concealed grimace.
You exchange a glance with the other members of the table to judge their reactions. Judy meets your look of concern with a shrug, as if she isn't sure what you're looking for, and Drakken is more focused on his brizzola than anything else.
"The poor dear looks unwell." Edna murmurs to Liv, her glare directed straight at you. The biologist politely nods her assent as she picks up her phone. Judge Doom's cold, hollow gaze traces around the convention hall, and when the man's posture suddenly stiffens, you can tell that he's figured out the same thing you have.
Voyd is not the only one.
Here and there, throughout the room, you notice others seemingly in the throes of pain as well. People are rubbing their temples, grimacing, and trying to hide what is obviously a disorientating spell. There are not many of them; offhand, you'd say a dozen or so across the entire, rather spacious hall.
Bypassed by Mirage
Every one of them are Supers. Something is going wrong. You subtly motion to your team. Lizzy and Marco refocus their attention at your table, and Mezmerella perks up. Voyd stands up from her seat at the front of the hall, evidently intending to make a speech herself, but staggers and leans against her chair to avoid a nasty fall off the platform. A portal briefly flickers into existence for a moment before collapsing into nothing once again, shearing a few inches off the chair's leg as it closes.
Around you, several of the other bodyguards move subtly away from their meals. The air of the room has changed in an instant, the basking triumph replaced with hushed uncertainty. There is a pregnant pause in the air, the tension as palpable as the food on your plate. The entire hall is silent save for the footsteps of Sinatron as he walks up to the front of the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen-" he begins, clearly looking to calm nerves, flashing the million dollar smile that won him so many fans in decades past.
The door to the convention hall explodes in fire. As rivulets of melted metal pour onto the ground and shards of flying glass shred the potted plants, a hunched figure glares at the assembled crowd with an eerie blue gaze.
Learning check: Who is this?
DC 60
40+11+30+3=84
Success
The glowing helmet is a new addition, but the rest of the costume and his powers are unmistakable. You're looking at Warren Peace, alias 'Prince Pyrus', pyromaniac son of infamous supervillain Baron Battle. DEI had briefly considered hiring him, once upon a time.
It looks like he's decided to take up an alternate career choice.
The flames die down. But not a moment after they do, they burst to life again, great gouts of flame curling around Pyrus and licking dangerously at nearby tables.
Glomgold stands up, presses a single button on his speed dial, and waits impatiently in the expectant silence as his phone rings.
"Hello, Insuricare?"
I don't know why I expected anything else.
Hmm. So, Doom is looking to bury the hatchet.
Let's prove Bonkers' innocence next turn.
Let's prove Bonkers' innocence next turn.
So going by this it looks like the drugged Supers are losing control of their powers. I'm wondering if the plan was to get all the supervillains in one place, drug the supers so that they cause massive collateral, and then Warren's here for a obvious pretext so the fact that the supers were drugged is going to get buried under the "massive collateral damage fighting a supervillain" headline.
The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
God damn it Mirage. You had a +49 to this, how did you fuck it up?
Stratagemini
Totally a Fire Ferret.
- Location
- Central Park
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
Damn it! We're Insuricare!
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Because the DC was 85 so she had to roll a 36 or better?
You can't win a two-in-three chance three times out of three all the time.
The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
Mechanically true. Narratively, she's a mess.Because the DC was 85 so she had to roll a 36 or better?
You can't win a two-in-three chance three times out of three all the time.
- Location
- Germany
...Yeah, will scrutinize that update after some sleep, guys...
BlueWerewolf25
The Dreamer
- Location
- Wouldn't You Like To Know?
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Mmm, looks like Evelyn decided that goggles were too passè and went with a harder-to-remove helmet instead. C'mon Mirage, get your shit together.
You're gonna need all your intrigue to figure out whodunit before the place is surrounded in flames.
- Location
- Actually pretty lost
Mirage was party to Syndrome's successful scheme to systematically murder every super he could get his hands on. Mirage is nervous as hell about that ever getting out, and especially in front of Edna Mode, who was heavily involved in the Super scene. Edna is picking up on this nervousness.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Maybe. On the other hand, he's also a deeply closeted 'toon, so there are limits to what he can do without being outed.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
This update was a rollercoaster. I don't even know where to begin.
First things first. Liv's technology picked attention and scored us a new collaboration venture. Very nice! Something to keep in mind next turn. I kinda wish we had done her research in insect control before now.
Ouch. I already expected we would fail the Edna social, but still. Ouch.
Anyone knows who that was supposed to be?
That was beautiful. Both speeches were. I even forgot things were about to go down for a moment. I miss having Hego in the team, but this moment make me happy for him.
Okay, so it looks like the capes were drugged to nullify theirs powers. And no mind control so far. Hmm. Does that mean Evelyn isn't involved in any of this and is really on board with bringing the capes back? Or she just changed her tactics?
Well crap. I really wanted to recruit him in the future, but i guess that's not a option anymore.
Pffff. Goddamnit Glomgold, stop being so funny!
First things first. Liv's technology picked attention and scored us a new collaboration venture. Very nice! Something to keep in mind next turn. I kinda wish we had done her research in insect control before now.
Ouch. I already expected we would fail the Edna social, but still. Ouch.
Anyone knows who that was supposed to be?
That was beautiful. Both speeches were. I even forgot things were about to go down for a moment. I miss having Hego in the team, but this moment make me happy for him.
Okay, so it looks like the capes were drugged to nullify theirs powers. And no mind control so far. Hmm. Does that mean Evelyn isn't involved in any of this and is really on board with bringing the capes back? Or she just changed her tactics?
Well crap. I really wanted to recruit him in the future, but i guess that's not a option anymore.
Pffff. Goddamnit Glomgold, stop being so funny!
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I think it's Roddy