Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
And don't forget Dragon.
Overshadowed[Young Wizards/Worm]
- Thread starter CaesriusPolybius
- Start date
And don't forget Dragon.
(4) Winged Footwear
CaesriusPolybius
Worldgate Mechanic
- Location
- United States. Ish.
"Though we will get the location from them and head there shortly, we have several things we need to do first," you respond.
Armsmaster seems to be about to respond to that, but grimaces again, and mutters, "Right. Don't have time…" With that, he clips his halberd to his back, and taps one of his gauntlets. You hear an engine, likely not far away, start up and approach. He mutters something, likely to whoever's on the other end of his radio.
The spartan (Dauntless, as you now know him to be called) looks towards you. He says, with a nod, "Thank you for the assistance. We'd normally wait for the PRT to get here, but duty calls."
You nod; you've been there before.
Before anyone can say any more, a riderless, high-tech-looking motorcycle comes into view, and stops in front of Armsmaster. He gets on, nods at you, and rapidly departs. With a wave, Dauntless…
"Huh. So there really are flying humans here."
"The spontaneously winged footwear is a nice touch, if a bit much," Kit agrees.
Once they're out of view, the two of you glance around to make sure that no one is staring, and quickly deactivate the Binding. Though there had been bigger things on your mind for the past few minutes, the lack of distractions made it clear that your fifteen minute estimate had been rather… optimistic. You can keep the decency fields and temperature-control wizardries active, but you probably won't be able to do much besides.
"Okay, the wolf should be out for a while; whatever was in that dart will keep him out that long, at least," Kit says. "The other gang members are seemingly going to be out for a while as well; though I don't have much info on them yet, I have enough to see that that spear did something to their nervous system that's slowly dissipating. It won't be gone completely for at least another hour, though, barring outside interference."
You nod. "We should probably see how Arhu's doing," you say.
Kit nods, and the two of you turn around and head back to the tuxedo cat in the middle of the alley.
"Any luck, Arhu?" you ask.
"Depends on how you define luck," he replies. "I figured out that the 'gate did in fact vanish. I figured out that it did in fact somehow leave the moorings behind without leaving any trace of itself. And I figured out that it did not move anywhere within this universe. The area is in some form of dimensional flux, centered around the moorings, but the Whispering isn't giving me much info in it beyond generalities."
"I also tried to send a message to Rhiow. When that didn't work, I tried to send out a general ping to any wizards within ambit of the messaging service. Neither was answered."
You blink, and you feel a sense of dread settle in the pit of your stomach. Before you can contemplate it, however, you hear vehicles approaching the location where the fight had happened.
It might not be the PRT, but if it is, you should probably be there to meet with them. You head back out of the alley, and see the trucks approaching.
You're going to be getting the location of the PRT HQ from the PRT troopers. Do you have anything else you want to ask them?
[ ] Yes
-[ ] What will you ask?(WRITE-IN)(Note: Any vote for this will be asked unless it is specifically voted against, or no receives enough votes)
[ ] No.
What are you going to do after receiving the location(and asking any questions you may have)?
(Can choose multiple)
[ ] Gather information.
-[ ] How? (WRITE-IN)
[ ] Work with Arhu more, to learn more about what's going on with the worldgate.
[ ] Modify your spell matrix.
-[ ] Remove Wizardry (Pick one from Matrix)
-[ ] Add Wizardry(WRITE-IN; See Note for details)
[ ] Other (WRITE-IN)
AN: And we're back. For the addition of wizardries to your Matrix, any that can be cast without needing to input any large amount of data can be added, up to a total of 9 overall, but any more than 5 and your focus will begin to drop.
Wizardries that come to mind include a standard atmospheric field, a 'phasing' utility, any number of personal shield utilities(including decency, temperature, and environmental), a wizardly 'blaster'(such as the Linac{one shot and multishot}, among others), and preset translocation wizardries, among others. The matrix can be modified at any time, though modifying it when you lack the environment, state of mind, or time to properly focus on it wouldn't be the best of ideas.
Armsmaster seems to be about to respond to that, but grimaces again, and mutters, "Right. Don't have time…" With that, he clips his halberd to his back, and taps one of his gauntlets. You hear an engine, likely not far away, start up and approach. He mutters something, likely to whoever's on the other end of his radio.
The spartan (Dauntless, as you now know him to be called) looks towards you. He says, with a nod, "Thank you for the assistance. We'd normally wait for the PRT to get here, but duty calls."
You nod; you've been there before.
Before anyone can say any more, a riderless, high-tech-looking motorcycle comes into view, and stops in front of Armsmaster. He gets on, nods at you, and rapidly departs. With a wave, Dauntless…
"Huh. So there really are flying humans here."
"The spontaneously winged footwear is a nice touch, if a bit much," Kit agrees.
Once they're out of view, the two of you glance around to make sure that no one is staring, and quickly deactivate the Binding. Though there had been bigger things on your mind for the past few minutes, the lack of distractions made it clear that your fifteen minute estimate had been rather… optimistic. You can keep the decency fields and temperature-control wizardries active, but you probably won't be able to do much besides.
"Okay, the wolf should be out for a while; whatever was in that dart will keep him out that long, at least," Kit says. "The other gang members are seemingly going to be out for a while as well; though I don't have much info on them yet, I have enough to see that that spear did something to their nervous system that's slowly dissipating. It won't be gone completely for at least another hour, though, barring outside interference."
You nod. "We should probably see how Arhu's doing," you say.
Kit nods, and the two of you turn around and head back to the tuxedo cat in the middle of the alley.
"Any luck, Arhu?" you ask.
"Depends on how you define luck," he replies. "I figured out that the 'gate did in fact vanish. I figured out that it did in fact somehow leave the moorings behind without leaving any trace of itself. And I figured out that it did not move anywhere within this universe. The area is in some form of dimensional flux, centered around the moorings, but the Whispering isn't giving me much info in it beyond generalities."
"I also tried to send a message to Rhiow. When that didn't work, I tried to send out a general ping to any wizards within ambit of the messaging service. Neither was answered."
You blink, and you feel a sense of dread settle in the pit of your stomach. Before you can contemplate it, however, you hear vehicles approaching the location where the fight had happened.
It might not be the PRT, but if it is, you should probably be there to meet with them. You head back out of the alley, and see the trucks approaching.
You're going to be getting the location of the PRT HQ from the PRT troopers. Do you have anything else you want to ask them?
[ ] Yes
-[ ] What will you ask?(WRITE-IN)(Note: Any vote for this will be asked unless it is specifically voted against, or no receives enough votes)
[ ] No.
What are you going to do after receiving the location(and asking any questions you may have)?
(Can choose multiple)
[ ] Gather information.
-[ ] How? (WRITE-IN)
[ ] Work with Arhu more, to learn more about what's going on with the worldgate.
[ ] Modify your spell matrix.
-[ ] Remove Wizardry (Pick one from Matrix)
-[ ] Add Wizardry(WRITE-IN; See Note for details)
[ ] Other (WRITE-IN)
- Spell Matrix [3/9]
AN: And we're back. For the addition of wizardries to your Matrix, any that can be cast without needing to input any large amount of data can be added, up to a total of 9 overall, but any more than 5 and your focus will begin to drop.
Wizardries that come to mind include a standard atmospheric field, a 'phasing' utility, any number of personal shield utilities(including decency, temperature, and environmental), a wizardly 'blaster'(such as the Linac{one shot and multishot}, among others), and preset translocation wizardries, among others. The matrix can be modified at any time, though modifying it when you lack the environment, state of mind, or time to properly focus on it wouldn't be the best of ideas.
Last edited:
[X] Yes
-[X] Fights like that. Are they common? Policy for dealing with them if we run across some?
[X] Gather information.
-[X] Get online and look for anything on world history of the last 50 years. That should give a broad overview and major points of interest to narrow the search on.
[X] Modify your spell matrix.
-[X] Add Reflection shield(sphere applies a 180 degree angle vector change on anything approaching a one meter radius at above walking speed)
-[X] Add Extinguisher(sets the temperature of everything within the designated area to 35 degrees and keeps it that way. Causes mild hypothermia(confusion, disorientation) to people and shuts down anything that requires ignition or an energetic substance to work.)
-[X] Add Identity Mask(Something along the lines of local disguises)
-[X] Remove Wizardry (GCT Transit)
-[X] Fights like that. Are they common? Policy for dealing with them if we run across some?
[X] Gather information.
-[X] Get online and look for anything on world history of the last 50 years. That should give a broad overview and major points of interest to narrow the search on.
[X] Modify your spell matrix.
-[X] Add Reflection shield(sphere applies a 180 degree angle vector change on anything approaching a one meter radius at above walking speed)
-[X] Add Extinguisher(sets the temperature of everything within the designated area to 35 degrees and keeps it that way. Causes mild hypothermia(confusion, disorientation) to people and shuts down anything that requires ignition or an energetic substance to work.)
-[X] Add Identity Mask(Something along the lines of local disguises)
-[X] Remove Wizardry (GCT Transit)
[X] Yes
-[X] Fights like that. Are they common? Policy for dealing with them if we run across some?
[X] Gather information.
-[X] Get online and look for anything on world history of the last 50 years. That should give a broad overview and major points of interest to narrow the search on.
[X] Modify your spell matrix.
-[X] Add Reflection shield(sphere applies a 180 degree angle vector change on anything approaching a one meter radius at above walking speed)
-[X] Add Extinguisher(sets the temperature of everything within the designated area to 35 degrees and keeps it that way. Causes mild hypothermia(confusion, disorientation) to people and shuts down anything that requires ignition or an energetic substance to work.)
-[X] Add Identity Mask(Something along the lines of local disguises)
-[X] Remove Wizardry (GCT Transit)
-[X] Fights like that. Are they common? Policy for dealing with them if we run across some?
[X] Gather information.
-[X] Get online and look for anything on world history of the last 50 years. That should give a broad overview and major points of interest to narrow the search on.
[X] Modify your spell matrix.
-[X] Add Reflection shield(sphere applies a 180 degree angle vector change on anything approaching a one meter radius at above walking speed)
-[X] Add Extinguisher(sets the temperature of everything within the designated area to 35 degrees and keeps it that way. Causes mild hypothermia(confusion, disorientation) to people and shuts down anything that requires ignition or an energetic substance to work.)
-[X] Add Identity Mask(Something along the lines of local disguises)
-[X] Remove Wizardry (GCT Transit)
CaesriusPolybius
Worldgate Mechanic
- Location
- United States. Ish.
To clarify, A) where do you plan to go to access the internet? I'm going to assume a library(which means turning off the decency shields, finding some random civilian, and asking where the nearest library is).
B) By 35 degrees, I assume you mean in Fahrenheit.
If either of these assumptions are incorrect, please let me know.
Also, not going to be able to do anything with this until Tuesday evening at the earliest, so vote closes Tuesday at 4 AM UTC, for whatever difference that will make.
Last edited:
A) That sounds about right. None of the searching is particularly suspicious, and world history would give a bit of a basis of knowing what the hell is going on.
B) Celsius. 35 F applied internally wouldn't cause mild hypothermia, it'd be outright fatal. However, do clarify if the spell would find it harder to just equalize everything in an area to 35C including people, or if doing it to people makes it more complicated. I was aiming for simplicity, but if it's easier to apply externally it'd be better to just plunge the target area's ambient temperature to -30 or the like, and do it that way.
Last edited:
CaesriusPolybius
Worldgate Mechanic
- Location
- United States. Ish.
<Self-directedRight then. Nope, just flat out setting an area to a temperature in an instant is simpler than not effecting living beings, though whitelisting/blacklisting living beings isn't as troublesome, as long as you're okay with listing many descriptors, only effecting/not effecting one species/group, or not effecting/effecting odd things because something odd is described by that because of some odd reason that makes sense in hindsight.
EDIT: Clarification on how wizardry can selectively effect/not effect living beings and other such categories, rather than calling Manton limits rigged and running away.
Last edited:
CaesriusPolybius
Worldgate Mechanic
- Location
- United States. Ish.
I don't want to double post, but its my own fault for getting distracted.
Er, Tomorrow's a Tuesday? Yeah, I don't really have a good excuse this time beyond 'shit shit how do I write PRT ooh I got space engineers working on my laptop finally I'll play it and come back to this ohcrap break's over ohcrap composition project ohcrap it's been two weeks ohcrap another composition project'.
write a quest, I said. It'll help me keep a schedule, I said...
One good thing that came out of this, at least, is that I noticed that despite multiple read-overs of your post, I somehow distinctly missed 'and keeps it that way'- that is the most troublesome part of the wizardry in question. Cap the temperature at 35°C or set it there for about a second and letting it do its own thing from there, easy enough. Setting a 'lowest permitted temperature' would be considerably more problematic, but not really that much worse than 'set for a second and let go'. Holding at or near an exact temperature for any significant length of time, though, is troublesome. Not impossible, but concentration-intensive and expensive to run.
In any case, I'm writing. The default form of the wizardry that the Manual will provide is 'flash to for an instant, then cap at', which will still attain the same effects you're looking for, I'm pretty sure. If that's not what you're looking for, it's an easy enough part of the spell to change.
Er, Tomorrow's a Tuesday? Yeah, I don't really have a good excuse this time beyond 'shit shit how do I write PRT ooh I got space engineers working on my laptop finally I'll play it and come back to this ohcrap break's over ohcrap composition project ohcrap it's been two weeks ohcrap another composition project'.
write a quest, I said. It'll help me keep a schedule, I said...
One good thing that came out of this, at least, is that I noticed that despite multiple read-overs of your post, I somehow distinctly missed 'and keeps it that way'- that is the most troublesome part of the wizardry in question. Cap the temperature at 35°C or set it there for about a second and letting it do its own thing from there, easy enough. Setting a 'lowest permitted temperature' would be considerably more problematic, but not really that much worse than 'set for a second and let go'. Holding at or near an exact temperature for any significant length of time, though, is troublesome. Not impossible, but concentration-intensive and expensive to run.
In any case, I'm writing. The default form of the wizardry that the Manual will provide is 'flash to for an instant, then cap at', which will still attain the same effects you're looking for, I'm pretty sure. If that's not what you're looking for, it's an easy enough part of the spell to change.
It's close enough I think. Keeping it from dropping lower is difficult, but I believe generating heat should be simple enough that we don't need a hotkey'ed spell for that.
(5) The PRT, and Research
CaesriusPolybius
Worldgate Mechanic
- Location
- United States. Ish.
After arriving, several troopers step out of the trucks. The first thing you notice is their helmets, namely the fact that they conceal the troopers' faces. It's slightly unnerving.
One of the troopers approaches you, and introduces themselves,
"Hello, I'm Sergeant Collins, PRT. Are you the parahumans that helped to take down Hookwolf?"
Parahumans? "Er, we're the people who forced him out of his wolf form, yes," you say, uncertainly.
"Great!" he replies. Several troopers have already gone to work, moving Hookwolf into the back of one of the trucks. They set him inside, and some nozzles come to life, covering him in a white foam. "Okay, standard procedure is for us to ask you to come back to the PRT headquarters, but I understand that you have things you need to do first, so I'm to just give you the address?"
"Yup," Kit answers distractedly. He follows with a, "Uhm, what are they doing?"
"Huh? Oh, the containment foam? It's a material that sprays like a liquid, but quickly hardens into a strong, heat-resistant substance when exposed to air. Useful for containing capes that we apprehend. Permeable to air, too, so the person being contained can still breathe."
Containing 'powered' criminals in it, for short periods at least, makes sense. You do have other things to ask, though.
"Are fights like this common?" you ask.
"Not from around here, then? They happen far more often than we'd like, honestly," is his answer. In response to the next question you ask, regarding what you should do if you find another, he says, "Well, standard thing we tell people is to call 911; they can get you in touch with the proper authorities. Another possibility is the protectorate hotline. As capes, however, there are other sets of laws that effect you if you, say, join the fight. They'll go over those with you at the PRT HQ."
As he was speaking, the troopers had finished securing Hookwolf. You hear a siren - most likely police - approaching.
"What if we don't have phones?" Kit asks.
"Usually there is a crowd of people watching fights between capes. If you don't have a phone to call with, try to convince one of the ones filming the fight to be useful and call 911 instead, if no one else in the crowd has already done so."
The sergeant gives you the PRT HQ's address, and you thank him and return to the alley in which Arhu still presumably sits. You and Kit both start invisibility wizardries and drop the decency fields, and a moment later, Arhu appears as he alters his own invisibility so that you and Kit can see him.
"Okay, we should get some information about this world before we meet with them. Knowledge is power, and all that," Kit begins. "I'd say a library, but we're going to want to seem inconspicuous; that means we're going to need clothing that's mostly weather appropriate. I have a couple of changes of clothing inside my claudication that we should be able to use the auto-tailor wizardry on. You have anything in yours?" he asks, opening his Pocket.
Absently glancing for and grabbing the tab, you open your claudication and reach in. Not finding much… a few more pens than you expected, and a notebook and a few books that you've been meaning to read, and is that a vase?, but nothing made of fabric…
Your searching is halted suddenly, when Kit abruptly speaks up. "Wait, is that… Why do I have a winter coat in here? I know I cleaned this thing out in April!" With his exclamation, Kit pulls a rather bulky jacket out of thin air. "… and beach towels. I don't even remember putting these in here…"
You feel his pain; you still remember that time you reached in to yours to grab your manual, only to painfully discover a set of jacks that, for some reason that had probably made perfect sense at the time, you had decided to keep with you at all times.
In any case, a couple of decency-shield activations (and, in your case, a running of the auto-tailor wizardry) later, you're both dressed in considerably more weather-appropriate clothing(transmuted coat included, for you). Now that you're both wearing sufficiently warm clothing, you drop the temperature control wizardries.
Arhu leaves the area after setting up some kind alarm wizardry on where the gate had been, saying that he'd "try to talk to some of the local People." You tell Kit that you're going to change the wizardries in your spell matrix, and with a nod he says he's going to find someone, and ask them where the nearest library is.
With Kit and Arhu gone, you focus on your spell matrix- you don't have much use for a transit spell that can't reach the destination, so you remove it, and a quick search through your manual finds you a couple of spells that could come in handy.
The first is, effectively, a kinetic reflection shield. Anything moving over a certain speed that enters a sphere of a certain size, centered on the wizard running it, is given a 180° vector change. Relatively cheap to keep running after initialization, provided that nothing enters the field with a greater force than expected(though even then, the field simply draws enough energy from the wizard powering it to shift the field to be able to handle that level and below, provided the wizard has enough power to handle said shift. You set up a default version (you set the sphere's radius at a meter, set the speed to around human walking speed, and for caution's sake set the default initialization energy at enough to handle a shot from an average tank- you doubt you'll need that much, but you can alter that one easily enough before casting, and underestimating what you'll need in a crisis is never a good idea.), and hook it into your matrix.
The second is an emergency extinguisher- rather than the relatively complex lines of specifications most extinguishing wizardries use, though, it utilizes a much simpler, if considerably less specific, 'set local temperature absolutely to a certain point, then cap local temperature at that point, excluding a certain list'. You keep the default temperature setting (and note the notes that it will cause most traditionally-fuelled devices to be shut down, and also note the warning that it may cause minor hypothermia to creatures adapted to earthlike environments that are within the field) and default size (308.15° Kelvin and 10 meters, respectively), and set the list to include yourself, Kit, and Arhu.
Having finished those, you think back. Though Dauntless's helmet made sense as a helmet, Armsmaster's helmet seemed designed in an odd way… Perhaps it's main function was to disguise his identity, with the role of protection being sufficiently secondary that leaving the lower half of his face open to the air seemed like a valid option?
Your logic is somewhat shaky. Nonetheless, it makes you realize something- as hardy as decency shields are, there are still a number of ways in which they can fail. Meanwhile, a simple face mask could achieve the same effect without requiring a constant (if admittedly barely noticable) power input. Kit isn't back yet, so you fiddle with the autotailor wizardry a bit.
By the end of ten minutes, you've successfully kitbashed together a wizardry for your matrix that converts a newly-added, specially marked(but non-obtrusive) extraneous layer of your jacket into a generic, face-covering mask. You'll have to stand still while it's running, and if you trade the jacket for something else you'll need to add a similar layer to the new garment, but the wizardry will do for now and can be modified later.
Having stored as many spells as you're comfortable with having in your matrix on standard occasions(for a moment, you consider switching the one-shot Linac for a multishot version, but you doubt you'll need something with that level of lethality any time soon), you shift it back into its charm bracelet form.
Not too long after, Kit returns. He apologizes for taking so long(apparently not many people wanted to be out and about in the middle of a snowstorm), and tells you that he got directions to the closest library- the main one for the city, apparently, and a decent distance away on foot. This wouldn't be a large problem, but you're certainly not feeling up to a transit wizardry. So, you start to walk.
It takes you about half an hour to get there(it would've taken you longer, but after the second time the two of you got completely lost, you asked Kit to hold on for a moment and ran the Manual's Mapping utility). Once you arrive, you say you'll try and get more info on the PRT and Protectorate, and Kit claims trying to find info about things that could be problematic, like local gangs. The two of you go inside and find computers, and after opening your manual to a 'notes' section, you open the browser and begin to search.
About 2 hours later(4:03 PM, going by the clock on the computer), you lean back and glance over your notes. You managed to find a decent amount of info on the PRT and Protectorate- not a stunning amount, but you probably know enough to deal with them, for the moment.
There were two groups you had researched- the Parahuman Response Team - the organization responsible for dealing with parahuman threats in the United States (and, thanks to a treaty, in Canada), and the Protectorate, the government-sponsored 'Superhero' team for the United States(and, again thanks to said treaty, Canada).
Also, Yeah. This world has Superheroes and Supervillains. At a ratio of about one of the former for every three of the latter, and disturbingly few who don't want to use their powers for purposes other than combat or crime.
But, you didn't come to this library to research parahuman (because that's what they call superpowered people here, apparently) psychology(though you got a few notes; you're no psychologist, but you did notice a trend towards… competitiveness on differing levels that could be helpful to know for future interaction); you came to get information on the people you would have to deal with soon.
The PRT is the actual controlling force, due to various reasons. It is split into around seventy American departments and an oddly smaller number of Canadian ones(not counting the quarantined zones), with the location you're in, Brockton Bay(PRT East North-East), being one given special attention to due to the high number of parahumans present, relative to the unpowered population.
Given what you've read on them, it seems likely that they're going to try to recruit you into the Protectorate- or, more specifically, the local Wards.
The Wards are the below-18 portion of the Protectorate- in essence, Scouts with a training program to help better control the members' powers. Well, also a system meant to keep young capes from being snapped up by gangs - due to the seeming obsession with either causing or battling discord in ill-thought-out ways that many capes have when they first show up, gangs have a tendency to find them easily, and can then use various methods to convince the cape to stay with them.
For the most part, the Wards aren't meant to see combat, just patrol about and look good (and thus do the invaluable jobs of both discouraging crime and making the public feel safer), but due to the many gangs in the Bay, the Brockton Bay Wards see conflict far more often than other places seem to.
You shake your head to clear your thoughts; you've gathered what is probably enough information on the PRT and Protectorate to do you for the encounter: the local Protectorate and Wards roster, information on their recruiting tactics, information on the local PRT Director(One Emily Piggot, who seemingly either fears or distrusts parahumans), and a few other useful things. You close the browser's window and walk over to Kit.
"I think I have enough for us to deal with the PRT safely," you whisper.
He nods uneasily, and responds, "Okay. I've found a few things as well. Discuss outside?"
You nod, and closes down the internet browser, followed by his manual. The two of you leave the library, and start walking towards the address that the PRT Officer had given you.
"Find anything major that we need to worry about?" you ask.
"Found a bit about the local gangs, roving monsters that they call 'Endbringers', and for good reason, and a few others. Most of them can wait, though we do need to remember to ask the PRT if we can take a look at one of the Gray Boy's victims."
You shoot him a questioning look, and he continues grimly with, "Trapped in short time loops of usually torturous situations, but their minds are allowed to keep going. Gray Boy himself is dead, thankfully, but his victims are still stuck. But that's something to ask the PRT about when we talk to them. Speaking of which, you're sure that you have enough to possibly deal with them?"
"Pretty sure," you reply.
"Okay. We should be fine to get nearby if we use a transit wizardry; it isn't a long walk, though"
Will you teleport, or walk?
[ ] Transit Wizardry: You're feeling up to it, and the sooner you talk to the PRT, the sooner you can get various matters settled. Like where you're going to sleep tonight.
Once you get there, how much will you reveal to them if they ask?
-[ ] Honesty is the Best Policy: The situation here is considerably past the point where the world being unaware of Wizardry is a useful thing. They have superheroes and supervillains. Learning about Wizards won't be terribly damaging. Also, if you want to work with them, them knowing what you're capable of would be a Good Thing.
-[ ] The Masquerade Exists For a Reason: They may have superheroes and supervillains, but if you flat-out tell them that you're a wizard, they're going to probably think you're crazy without sufficient proof (and given what they've already encountered capes doing, that level of proof may be hard to come by. You will need to be able to tell them what 'powers' you have, in a way that is both true and matching what they've already seen.
--[ ] WRITE IN[KIT]: What powers will you tell them you have?
--[ ] WRITE IN[NITA]: What powers will you tell them you have?
-[ ] Other Choice(Write In)
What will you do about Arhu?
-[ ] Ask Arhu to Join You: Shoot him a message asking him to meet you there; he's a part of your team too, and it's best that he be included in any negotiations.
-[ ] Don't Ask Arhu to Join You: Arhu was going to try and gather information, and the PRT is likely to think him a 'projection' power. He can join you later, after he's done with his own investigation.
Any questions to ask the PRT now?
-[ ] WRITE IN
[ ] Walk: It's not a long walk, and every bit of energy not used is energy you can use later. It will also give you a chance to talk things over with Kit; you can fill him in more on the PRT situation, and he can tell you more about the local gangs and these 'Endbringers'. You are worried that you might run across a crime, though.
If you run across a crime, what will you do?
-[ ] Intervene Quickly: You have your spell matrix for a reason; Deploy your masks, and use the spells on it to stop the criminals.
What will you do about Arhu?
-[ ] Ask Arhu to Join You: Shoot him a message asking him to meet you along the way; he's a part of your team too, and it should be interesting to see what he's found.
-[ ] Don't Ask Arhu to Join You: Arhu's in the middle of his own investigation; he'll probably send you a message when he's finished up.
[ ] Other: Have anything else you think you should do first? (Write In)
[ ] Alter Spell Matrix (Independent of other choices) (Write-In)
One of the troopers approaches you, and introduces themselves,
"Hello, I'm Sergeant Collins, PRT. Are you the parahumans that helped to take down Hookwolf?"
Parahumans? "Er, we're the people who forced him out of his wolf form, yes," you say, uncertainly.
"Great!" he replies. Several troopers have already gone to work, moving Hookwolf into the back of one of the trucks. They set him inside, and some nozzles come to life, covering him in a white foam. "Okay, standard procedure is for us to ask you to come back to the PRT headquarters, but I understand that you have things you need to do first, so I'm to just give you the address?"
"Yup," Kit answers distractedly. He follows with a, "Uhm, what are they doing?"
"Huh? Oh, the containment foam? It's a material that sprays like a liquid, but quickly hardens into a strong, heat-resistant substance when exposed to air. Useful for containing capes that we apprehend. Permeable to air, too, so the person being contained can still breathe."
Containing 'powered' criminals in it, for short periods at least, makes sense. You do have other things to ask, though.
"Are fights like this common?" you ask.
"Not from around here, then? They happen far more often than we'd like, honestly," is his answer. In response to the next question you ask, regarding what you should do if you find another, he says, "Well, standard thing we tell people is to call 911; they can get you in touch with the proper authorities. Another possibility is the protectorate hotline. As capes, however, there are other sets of laws that effect you if you, say, join the fight. They'll go over those with you at the PRT HQ."
As he was speaking, the troopers had finished securing Hookwolf. You hear a siren - most likely police - approaching.
"What if we don't have phones?" Kit asks.
"Usually there is a crowd of people watching fights between capes. If you don't have a phone to call with, try to convince one of the ones filming the fight to be useful and call 911 instead, if no one else in the crowd has already done so."
The sergeant gives you the PRT HQ's address, and you thank him and return to the alley in which Arhu still presumably sits. You and Kit both start invisibility wizardries and drop the decency fields, and a moment later, Arhu appears as he alters his own invisibility so that you and Kit can see him.
"Okay, we should get some information about this world before we meet with them. Knowledge is power, and all that," Kit begins. "I'd say a library, but we're going to want to seem inconspicuous; that means we're going to need clothing that's mostly weather appropriate. I have a couple of changes of clothing inside my claudication that we should be able to use the auto-tailor wizardry on. You have anything in yours?" he asks, opening his Pocket.
Absently glancing for and grabbing the tab, you open your claudication and reach in. Not finding much… a few more pens than you expected, and a notebook and a few books that you've been meaning to read, and is that a vase?, but nothing made of fabric…
Your searching is halted suddenly, when Kit abruptly speaks up. "Wait, is that… Why do I have a winter coat in here? I know I cleaned this thing out in April!" With his exclamation, Kit pulls a rather bulky jacket out of thin air. "… and beach towels. I don't even remember putting these in here…"
You feel his pain; you still remember that time you reached in to yours to grab your manual, only to painfully discover a set of jacks that, for some reason that had probably made perfect sense at the time, you had decided to keep with you at all times.
In any case, a couple of decency-shield activations (and, in your case, a running of the auto-tailor wizardry) later, you're both dressed in considerably more weather-appropriate clothing(transmuted coat included, for you). Now that you're both wearing sufficiently warm clothing, you drop the temperature control wizardries.
Arhu leaves the area after setting up some kind alarm wizardry on where the gate had been, saying that he'd "try to talk to some of the local People." You tell Kit that you're going to change the wizardries in your spell matrix, and with a nod he says he's going to find someone, and ask them where the nearest library is.
With Kit and Arhu gone, you focus on your spell matrix- you don't have much use for a transit spell that can't reach the destination, so you remove it, and a quick search through your manual finds you a couple of spells that could come in handy.
The first is, effectively, a kinetic reflection shield. Anything moving over a certain speed that enters a sphere of a certain size, centered on the wizard running it, is given a 180° vector change. Relatively cheap to keep running after initialization, provided that nothing enters the field with a greater force than expected(though even then, the field simply draws enough energy from the wizard powering it to shift the field to be able to handle that level and below, provided the wizard has enough power to handle said shift. You set up a default version (you set the sphere's radius at a meter, set the speed to around human walking speed, and for caution's sake set the default initialization energy at enough to handle a shot from an average tank- you doubt you'll need that much, but you can alter that one easily enough before casting, and underestimating what you'll need in a crisis is never a good idea.), and hook it into your matrix.
The second is an emergency extinguisher- rather than the relatively complex lines of specifications most extinguishing wizardries use, though, it utilizes a much simpler, if considerably less specific, 'set local temperature absolutely to a certain point, then cap local temperature at that point, excluding a certain list'. You keep the default temperature setting (and note the notes that it will cause most traditionally-fuelled devices to be shut down, and also note the warning that it may cause minor hypothermia to creatures adapted to earthlike environments that are within the field) and default size (308.15° Kelvin and 10 meters, respectively), and set the list to include yourself, Kit, and Arhu.
Having finished those, you think back. Though Dauntless's helmet made sense as a helmet, Armsmaster's helmet seemed designed in an odd way… Perhaps it's main function was to disguise his identity, with the role of protection being sufficiently secondary that leaving the lower half of his face open to the air seemed like a valid option?
Your logic is somewhat shaky. Nonetheless, it makes you realize something- as hardy as decency shields are, there are still a number of ways in which they can fail. Meanwhile, a simple face mask could achieve the same effect without requiring a constant (if admittedly barely noticable) power input. Kit isn't back yet, so you fiddle with the autotailor wizardry a bit.
By the end of ten minutes, you've successfully kitbashed together a wizardry for your matrix that converts a newly-added, specially marked(but non-obtrusive) extraneous layer of your jacket into a generic, face-covering mask. You'll have to stand still while it's running, and if you trade the jacket for something else you'll need to add a similar layer to the new garment, but the wizardry will do for now and can be modified later.
Having stored as many spells as you're comfortable with having in your matrix on standard occasions(for a moment, you consider switching the one-shot Linac for a multishot version, but you doubt you'll need something with that level of lethality any time soon), you shift it back into its charm bracelet form.
Not too long after, Kit returns. He apologizes for taking so long(apparently not many people wanted to be out and about in the middle of a snowstorm), and tells you that he got directions to the closest library- the main one for the city, apparently, and a decent distance away on foot. This wouldn't be a large problem, but you're certainly not feeling up to a transit wizardry. So, you start to walk.
It takes you about half an hour to get there(it would've taken you longer, but after the second time the two of you got completely lost, you asked Kit to hold on for a moment and ran the Manual's Mapping utility). Once you arrive, you say you'll try and get more info on the PRT and Protectorate, and Kit claims trying to find info about things that could be problematic, like local gangs. The two of you go inside and find computers, and after opening your manual to a 'notes' section, you open the browser and begin to search.
About 2 hours later(4:03 PM, going by the clock on the computer), you lean back and glance over your notes. You managed to find a decent amount of info on the PRT and Protectorate- not a stunning amount, but you probably know enough to deal with them, for the moment.
There were two groups you had researched- the Parahuman Response Team - the organization responsible for dealing with parahuman threats in the United States (and, thanks to a treaty, in Canada), and the Protectorate, the government-sponsored 'Superhero' team for the United States(and, again thanks to said treaty, Canada).
Also, Yeah. This world has Superheroes and Supervillains. At a ratio of about one of the former for every three of the latter, and disturbingly few who don't want to use their powers for purposes other than combat or crime.
But, you didn't come to this library to research parahuman (because that's what they call superpowered people here, apparently) psychology(though you got a few notes; you're no psychologist, but you did notice a trend towards… competitiveness on differing levels that could be helpful to know for future interaction); you came to get information on the people you would have to deal with soon.
The PRT is the actual controlling force, due to various reasons. It is split into around seventy American departments and an oddly smaller number of Canadian ones(not counting the quarantined zones), with the location you're in, Brockton Bay(PRT East North-East), being one given special attention to due to the high number of parahumans present, relative to the unpowered population.
Given what you've read on them, it seems likely that they're going to try to recruit you into the Protectorate- or, more specifically, the local Wards.
The Wards are the below-18 portion of the Protectorate- in essence, Scouts with a training program to help better control the members' powers. Well, also a system meant to keep young capes from being snapped up by gangs - due to the seeming obsession with either causing or battling discord in ill-thought-out ways that many capes have when they first show up, gangs have a tendency to find them easily, and can then use various methods to convince the cape to stay with them.
For the most part, the Wards aren't meant to see combat, just patrol about and look good (and thus do the invaluable jobs of both discouraging crime and making the public feel safer), but due to the many gangs in the Bay, the Brockton Bay Wards see conflict far more often than other places seem to.
You shake your head to clear your thoughts; you've gathered what is probably enough information on the PRT and Protectorate to do you for the encounter: the local Protectorate and Wards roster, information on their recruiting tactics, information on the local PRT Director(One Emily Piggot, who seemingly either fears or distrusts parahumans), and a few other useful things. You close the browser's window and walk over to Kit.
"I think I have enough for us to deal with the PRT safely," you whisper.
He nods uneasily, and responds, "Okay. I've found a few things as well. Discuss outside?"
You nod, and closes down the internet browser, followed by his manual. The two of you leave the library, and start walking towards the address that the PRT Officer had given you.
"Find anything major that we need to worry about?" you ask.
"Found a bit about the local gangs, roving monsters that they call 'Endbringers', and for good reason, and a few others. Most of them can wait, though we do need to remember to ask the PRT if we can take a look at one of the Gray Boy's victims."
You shoot him a questioning look, and he continues grimly with, "Trapped in short time loops of usually torturous situations, but their minds are allowed to keep going. Gray Boy himself is dead, thankfully, but his victims are still stuck. But that's something to ask the PRT about when we talk to them. Speaking of which, you're sure that you have enough to possibly deal with them?"
"Pretty sure," you reply.
"Okay. We should be fine to get nearby if we use a transit wizardry; it isn't a long walk, though"
Will you teleport, or walk?
[ ] Transit Wizardry: You're feeling up to it, and the sooner you talk to the PRT, the sooner you can get various matters settled. Like where you're going to sleep tonight.
Once you get there, how much will you reveal to them if they ask?
-[ ] Honesty is the Best Policy: The situation here is considerably past the point where the world being unaware of Wizardry is a useful thing. They have superheroes and supervillains. Learning about Wizards won't be terribly damaging. Also, if you want to work with them, them knowing what you're capable of would be a Good Thing.
-[ ] The Masquerade Exists For a Reason: They may have superheroes and supervillains, but if you flat-out tell them that you're a wizard, they're going to probably think you're crazy without sufficient proof (and given what they've already encountered capes doing, that level of proof may be hard to come by. You will need to be able to tell them what 'powers' you have, in a way that is both true and matching what they've already seen.
--[ ] WRITE IN[KIT]: What powers will you tell them you have?
--[ ] WRITE IN[NITA]: What powers will you tell them you have?
-[ ] Other Choice(Write In)
What will you do about Arhu?
-[ ] Ask Arhu to Join You: Shoot him a message asking him to meet you there; he's a part of your team too, and it's best that he be included in any negotiations.
-[ ] Don't Ask Arhu to Join You: Arhu was going to try and gather information, and the PRT is likely to think him a 'projection' power. He can join you later, after he's done with his own investigation.
Any questions to ask the PRT now?
-[ ] WRITE IN
[ ] Walk: It's not a long walk, and every bit of energy not used is energy you can use later. It will also give you a chance to talk things over with Kit; you can fill him in more on the PRT situation, and he can tell you more about the local gangs and these 'Endbringers'. You are worried that you might run across a crime, though.
If you run across a crime, what will you do?
-[ ] Intervene Quickly: You have your spell matrix for a reason; Deploy your masks, and use the spells on it to stop the criminals.
If you choose this and come across a crime in progress, the crime will be dealt with using spells from your matrix, without breaking for a vote on what to do.
-[ ] Intervene Wisely: You are Wizards; if you get into a heated battle, you've already lost. If you come across a crime, take a moment to contemplate your actions and deliberate on a solution.If you choose this and come across a crime in progress, the segment will stop for a vote, and the next segment will continue based on said vote. Matrix spells will still be an option.
-[ ] Other(Write-In)What will you do about Arhu?
-[ ] Ask Arhu to Join You: Shoot him a message asking him to meet you along the way; he's a part of your team too, and it should be interesting to see what he's found.
-[ ] Don't Ask Arhu to Join You: Arhu's in the middle of his own investigation; he'll probably send you a message when he's finished up.
[ ] Other: Have anything else you think you should do first? (Write In)
[ ] Alter Spell Matrix (Independent of other choices) (Write-In)
- Spell Matrix [5/9]
Last edited:
Finagle007
[Verified Great Old One]
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
[X] Transit Wizardry - Time is always precious.
-[X] Honesty is the Best Policy - Especially for wizards.
-[X] Ask Arhu to Join You - Having him Speak will aid in proving the truth of your words.
-[X] Honesty is the Best Policy - Especially for wizards.
-[X] Ask Arhu to Join You - Having him Speak will aid in proving the truth of your words.
- Location
- Italy
[X] Walk: It's not a long walk, and every bit of energy not used is energy you can use later. It will also give you a chance to talk things over with Kit; you can fill him in more on the PRT situation, and he can tell you more about the local gangs and these 'Endbringers'. You are worried that you might run across a crime, though.
-[X] Intervene Wisely: You are Wizards; if you get into a heated battle, you've already lost. If you come across a crime, take a moment to contemplate your actions and deliberate on a solution.
-[X] Honesty is the Best Policy - Especially for wizards.
-[X] Don't Ask Arhu to Join You: Arhu was going to try and gather information, and the PRT is likely to think him a 'projection' power. He can join you later, after he's done with his own investigation.
-[X] Intervene Wisely: You are Wizards; if you get into a heated battle, you've already lost. If you come across a crime, take a moment to contemplate your actions and deliberate on a solution.
-[X] Honesty is the Best Policy - Especially for wizards.
-[X] Don't Ask Arhu to Join You: Arhu was going to try and gather information, and the PRT is likely to think him a 'projection' power. He can join you later, after he's done with his own investigation.
[X] Transit Wizardry - Time is always precious.
-[X] Honesty is the Best Policy - Especially for wizards.
-[X] Ask Arhu to Join You - Having him Speak will aid in proving the truth of your words.
-[X] Honesty is the Best Policy - Especially for wizards.
-[X] Ask Arhu to Join You - Having him Speak will aid in proving the truth of your words.
- Location
- va
[X] Transit Wizardry - Time is always precious.
-[X] Honesty is the Best Policy - Especially for wizards.
-[X] Ask Arhu to Join You - Having him Speak will aid in proving the truth of your words.
[X] Ask for diplomatic status and help opening communication to further continued diplomacy.
-[X] Honesty is the Best Policy - Especially for wizards.
-[X] Ask Arhu to Join You - Having him Speak will aid in proving the truth of your words.
[X] Ask for diplomatic status and help opening communication to further continued diplomacy.
