Second Age of Heroes (Mutants and Mastermind Quest)

[Oshha]

[X] [Crooks] Engage them now.
[X] [Attack] Fists. With your powers, your fists will be your best option as you can easily strike down your foes without killing them while you are powerful enough to avoid being struck down by their weapons in turn.

***​

You know what these guys are up now and even got a name of a corrupt city guard sergeant to investigate at a later date. There is no reason for you to continue to tailing them from the rooftops anymore and all that is left to do is to make your debut by stopping them.

As you leap from the rooftop, you don't bother to draw your sword. While the weapon may prove useful against more skilled and better equipped foes in the future, it would be overkill against some low level street thugs like the ones before you. Perhaps literally as you have a good chance of killing them if you wielded your blade unless you when to great efforts to hold back.

With all of that in mind, today you shall wield your fists over your blades. After all, with just some knifes and clubs, these Empty Eyes gangsters aren't going to have much of a chance at hurting you.

You land with a thud in right in front of the gangsters, rising to stand up straight as you bent your knees a little when you landed.

"Greetings neighbours," you greet them in a lower voice than you normally use, "I am Knight Errant and I am afraid that I cannot let you carry out your chosen course of action tonight."

To keep up your secret identify, you have decided to adopt a set of mannerism when you are the Knight Errant in order to keep her separate to Frederica Le Blanc. By calling others 'neighbours' and by speaking a lower tone with more default formality.

"Who the Devil do you think you are?" demands their leader Marcy as the rest gape at your sudden appearance as do the few nearby civilians.

"I am Knight Errant and I shall not let you criminal scum harm the innocent," you declare and dart forward at Marcy at superhuman speed.

You swing a fist into her gut using your superhuman strength and the woman goes staggering backwards. A follow up punch to the head leaves her out cold.

"Get her!" shouts Kevin and he charges you with his knife in hand.

You attempt to parry his attack, but the worry wort is surprisingly skilled with that blade of his. He manages to slip in a hit, just barely mind you. Unfortunately for Kevin, you are wearing armour and the knife bounces off of your plate armour.

However, the other thugs are able to make their way to attack you as well. While two of them distract you, another street tough strikes you in the waist with his club. Wincing slightly at the force of the blow, you counter-attack at Kevin.

Alas, the pain of the thug's club still has you off-balance and you easily miss Kevin. With you caught off-balanced, the Empty Eye thug stabs you via a hole in your armour. While it barely nicks you, it is enough to keep you staggered and off-balance.

With you being unable to properly respond, another thug slams his club into your gut and you stagger backwards, reeling from the pain of the blow.

Kevin attempts to stab you again, but you are able to focus just enough to slap the blade aside. Barely.

Realising that the Empty Eyes are overwhelming you with their superior numbers, you jump back, leaping into the air. Leaving the startled and shocked criminals behind, you come down further up the street, still in front of the Empty Eyes.

With some breathing room, you take a moment to assess your foes. These thugs are weak individually, but quantity is a quality of its own. While some of them keep you distracted, another will strike you unexpectedly. Furthermore, their clubs can still hurt you even if their knives and fists don't.

That said, you still have your advantages. You already feel recovered from the first strike and the pain from the second is fading as well. It seems you can heal far quicker now, something which you don't find surprising. Additionally, your enhanced strength means that a solid blow will fell one of them if it connects while your power-enhanced fighting skill means that you have an advantage when it comes to actually hitting them. You just need the opportunity to do so.

***​

How do you respond?
[] Charge them. (Move than Attack)
[] Let them come to you. (Readies an Attack against the next foe to come within range.)
[] Write-in.

Spoiler: Rolls

Initiative Rolls:
Knight Errant: 15+6 = 21
Marcy: 1+1 = 2
Kevin: 10+1 = 11
Thugs: 4+1 = 5

1) Knight Errant attacks Marcy:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 13+7 = 20, Successful Hit
Toughness, DC22: 17+2 = 19, Minion Knocked Out.

1) Kevin attacks Knight Errant:
Knife Attack, DC17: 12+5 = 17, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC18: 19+13 = 32, Knight Errant unharmed.

1) Thugs attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 18+5+2 = 25, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC19: 3+13 = 16, Knight Errant suffers 1 Damage,

2) Knight Errant attacks Kevin:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 6+7 = 13, Miss,

2) Kevin attacks Knight Errant:
Knife Attack, DC17: 20+5 = 25, Critical Hit,
Toughness, DC18: Knight Errant is Impervious,
Fortitude, DC15: 5+8 = 13, Knight Errant is stunned for 1 turn,

2) Thugs attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 11+5+2 = 18, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC19: 6+12 = 18, Knight Errant suffers 1 Damage,

3) Kevin attacks Knight Errant:
Knife Attack, DC17: 11+5+2 = 18, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC18: Knight Errant is Impervious,

3) Thugs attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 1+5+2 = 1, Critical Miss,
Knight Errant leaps away.

4) Knight Errant Assesses the Thugs.
Knight Errant readies an attack against a thug which comes in range.
Knight Errant Regenerates 1 Damage

 

[Oshha]

Sarah huddles against the wall as the leader of the bank robbers waves his shotgun about. The guards have already been dealt with along with one of the robbers while the other law enforcement have yet to arrive or are holding back as the robbers are threatening to kill the hostages.

"Move it boys!" yells the man, recklessly holding his gun in one hand as he aims it skyward, "The hostages might keep the guard at bay for now, but we gotta get the blazing hells out of it before any more reinforcements show up. We ain't fighting our way past half the guard."

"Yeah, yeah," replies another of the robbers as he marches up to bank teller, holding a revolver in his hand, "We've not stupid Rob-"

"Don't use our real names you dumbass!" snarls Rob as he turns on his compatriot, "I am not getting caught because you decided to be as dumb as a pagan."

The second robber rolls his eyes before turning on the back teller, "Lady, give me the cash or ya getting some lead in ya."

As the woman hastily compiles, the Caer City guard finally make their move.

"This is Captain Hanrold of the Caer City guard," shouts the local guard captain using a speaking-trumpet, "Release the hostages and come up with your hands up! Refusal to comply shall result in us assaulting the bank and any resistance shall be met with lethal force."

"Dumb ass guardsmen," growls Rob as he glares in the direction of the doors, "Doesn't he realise that we'll just shoot the hostages if he or anyone else tries to bust in?"

And precisely at that time, Sarah spots a figure of the corner of her eye. Glancing towards it, she sees something most unexpected there is a lean man with pure white hair wearing safety goggles, blue leggings and a white shirt with a blue upside down Omega symbol.

But the strangest part is that he is hovering and surrounded by a faint white glow.

Just as Sarah spotted the newcomer, so has one of the other robbers.

"Boss?" asks the robber nervously as he hesitantly aims his pistol at the floating man.

"What?" demands Rob before freezing as he turns and sees the flying man.

"Hi there," says the man politely and kindly, "I am Ultra and I am going to request that you cease this criminal activity and stop endangering innocent lives. If you cooperate, I will take you in to the guard peaceful. Resist and I shall take you down."

"Fire!" yells Rob as he aims his shotgun at the flying man and begins to pulls the trigger.

In a blink of an eye, Ultra is suddenly next to Rob, holding in one hand the shotgun that Rob previously had.

"I am afraid that I can't let you do that," Ultra informs Rob before squeezing the hand holding the shotgun, crushing the weapon with ease.
The robber who was threating the bank teller decides to follow his leader's orders and opens fire on Ultra.

He only gets a single shot off as Ultra aims his spare hand at the criminal and fires off a bolt of white light at the robber.

The bolt of white light slams into to the robber, throwing him backwards. He goes flying back into the bars of the bank teller's station before slumping against it as he slides to the ground, losing his grip on his revolver.

"Please surrender," says Ultra in a polite, but firm voice to Rob and the remaining two robbers.

"Screw you demon!" cries Rob and he swings a fist at Ultra.

The flying man easily parries the blow before swing on of his own, sending Rob flying back towards the main entrance as Ultra's fist connects with his face.

"Once again, please surrender," says Ultra to the last two bank robbers.

Sharing a look with each other, both of them drop their weapons.

"Thank you," says Ultra, giving the two of them a smile.

Just as the guard enter the bank, Ultra flies off, leaving the law enforcement to finish dealing with the banker robbers.

 

[Oshha]

[X] Charge them. (Move than Attack)

***​

You decide to charge your foes rather than let come to you. You run at Kevin, hoping to take the troublesome Empty Eye gangster out. Running at near inhuman levels of speed, you reach the thugs in mere second and slam your fist into Kevin's face.

The force of the blow sends the knife wielding criminal flying back over the crowd of thugs. Another of the Empty Eyes tries to whack you with a club, but you parry the attack. A third tries to strike you with a knife, but you easily sidestep her attack.

With the clubs actually proving to be a threat to you, you decided to take out the closest thug with one, but he uses the weapon in question to block your attack. Using the distraction, another thug attempts to stab you in the back, but his knife is no threat to you. A third thug tries to you in the head, but his bare fist is useless against your plate armour.

You swing another punch at the club-wielding thug, but he darts forwards, blocking your attack and bring his club down on your head. While it doesn't actually hurt you between your armour and your inhuman toughness, it is enough to stun you for a moment, a crucial amount of time in a battle such as this.

You gather enough of your wits to deflect a knife, but a punch strikes you and bounces off of your plate armour. A club comes at your side, but you intercept it with your elbow. Several of the thugs try to grab you, but you jump back, feeling pretty much fully recovered from any damage that you took earlier.

Recovering from being knocked off-balanced, you swing a fist at the closest of the Empty Eye gangsters. She attempts to brace herself against your attack, but you proved to be just too strong for a normal human like your opponent to resist.

The club-wielding thug attempts to strike you again, but you parry the attack as two more thugs attempt to grab a hold of you. You duck the attempt of one and force the other back with a couple of jabs towards him.

Putting the enemy on the defensive for a moment, you seize the opportunity to go on the offensive again. You dash forward a couple of steps at the club-wielding thug who has been a pain during the battle. You fist slams into his gut and he drops to the ground, groaning in pain. The gangster is still conscious, but is clearly in no shape to do anything for a while.

One of the remaining thugs attempts to restrain you, but you fend him off. Unfortunately, another Empty Eye uses the distraction to get a firm hold on you. For a second at least as you are easily strong enough to break free of his grip.

You take a swing at him, but your foe jumps back as another thug tries to grab you again and an additional gangster tries to club you from behind. The one with the club misses terribly while the other is unable to get a hold of you. The thug you tried to attack attempts to grab you again, but you easily bat him away.

Annoyed by how you keep missing, you get frustrated some more than you failed to hit your opponent again. It gets worse when he clobbers you on the head with his club, something which fails to even faze you, but gives two of the other Empty Eyes the chance to grab ahold of you.
Barely restraining yourself from letting a growl of frustration, you lash out with your arms, sending both of the gangsters trying to restrain you stumbling backwards as you causally out power them. Getting rather fed up, you kick the thug with the club in the groin before slamming a fist into the side of his head as he drops to his knees.

Having watched you take out a third of their number whilst taking no noticeable harm in return and displaying inhuman levels of ability, the remaining Empty Eyes decide to flee.

Unwilling to get away so easily, you charge at closer, easily being faster than him. You smash into him with your body, sending flying through the air and crashing into a wall. You switch to another of the thugs, kicking his knee to stagger him before swinging a fist into him to send him to the ground. A third thug is the last to suffer your wrath tonight as you run up to him and grab him by the back of his clothes before slamming into the ground.

With eight of the fifteen thugs down for the count and the other seven having fled, you decide that you work tonight is done and you head back to the church where Father Fionn is awaiting your return.

***​

Pick 1 Option:
[] +1 to Stealth.
[] +1 to Close Combat: Unarmed.

Spoiler: Rolls

Initiative Rolls:
Knight Errant: 15+6 = 21
Marcy: 1+1 = 2
Kevin: 10+1 = 11
Thugs: 4+1 = 5

1) Knight Errant attacks Marcy:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 13+7 = 20, Successful Hit
Toughness, DC22: 17+2 = 19, Minion Knocked Out.

1) Kevin attacks Knight Errant:
Knife Attack, DC17: 12+5 = 17, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC18: 19+13 = 32, Knight Errant unharmed.

1) Thugs attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 18+5+2 = 25, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC19: 3+13 = 16, Knight Errant suffers 1 Damage,

2) Knight Errant attacks Kevin:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 6+7 = 13, Miss,

2) Kevin attacks Knight Errant:
Knife Attack, DC17: 20+5 = 25, Critical Hit,
Toughness, DC18: Knight Errant is Impervious,
Fortitude, DC15: 5+8 = 13, Knight Errant is stunned for 1 turn,

2) Thugs attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 11+5+2 = 18, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC19: 6+12 = 18, Knight Errant suffers 1 Damage,

3) Kevin attacks Knight Errant:
Knife Attack, DC17: 11+5+2 = 18, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC18: Knight Errant is Impervious,

3) Thugs attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 1+5+2 = 1, Critical Miss,
Knight Errant leaps away.

4) Knight Errant Assesses the Thugs.
Knight Errant readies an attack against a thug which comes in range.
Knight Errant Regenerates 1 Damage
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 13+7 = 20, Successful,
Toughness, DC22: 19+2 = 21, Minion Knocked Out.

4) Empty Eye Thug 1 attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 7+5+2 = 14, Miss,

4) Empty Eye Thug 2 attacks Knight Errant:
Knife Attack, DC17: 3+5+2 = 10, Miss,

5) Knight Errant attacks Empty Eye Thug 1:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 6+7 = 13, Miss,

5) Empty Eye Thug 1 attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 2+5+2 = 9, Miss,

5) Empty Eye Thug 2 attacks Knight Errant:
Knife Attack, DC17: 13+5+2 = 20, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC19: Knight Errant is Impervious

5) Empty Eye Thug 3 attacks Knight Errant:
Unarmed Attack, DC17: 18+7+2 = 27, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC19: Knight Errant is Impervious

6) Knight Errant attacks Empty Eye Thug 1:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 6+7 = 13, Miss,

6) Empty Eye Thug 1 attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 20+5+2 = 27, Critical Hit,
Toughness, DC19: 17+12 = 29, Knight Errant is unharmed,
Fortitude, DC15: 5+8 = 13, Knight Errant is stunned for 1 turn,

6) Empty Eye Thug 2 attacks Knight Errant:
Knife Attack, DC17: 3+5+2 = 10, Miss
Toughness, DC19: Knight Errant is Impervious

6) Empty Eye Thug 3 attacks Knight Errant:
Unarmed Attack, DC17: 11+7+2 = 20, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC19: Knight Errant is Impervious

7) Knight Errant Regenerates 1 Damage.

7) Empty Eye Thug 1 attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 4+5+2 = 11, Miss,

7) Empty Eye Thug 2 grabs Knight Errant.
Grab Attempt, DC17: 3+2 = 4, Miss

7) Empty Eye Thug 3 attacks Knight Errant:
Grab Attempt, DC17: 10+2 = 12, Miss,

8) Knight Errant attacks Empty Eye Thug 3:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 10+7 = 17, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC22: 19+2 = 21, Minion Knocked Out.

8) Empty Eye Thug 1 attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 8+5+2 = 15, Miss,

8) Empty Eye Thug 2 grabs Knight Errant.
Grab Attempt, DC17: 6+2 = 8, Miss

8) Empty Eye Thug 4 attacks Knight Errant:
Grab Attempt, DC17: 11+2 = 13, Miss,

9) Knight Errant attacks Empty Eye Thug 1:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 18+7 = 25, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC22: 19+2 = 21, Minion Knocked Out.

9) Empty Eye Thug 5 attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 8+5+2 = 15, Miss,

9) Empty Eye Thug 2 grabs Knight Errant.
Grab Attempt, DC17: 14+2 = 16, Miss

9) Empty Eye Thug 4 attacks Knight Errant:
Grab Attempt, DC17: 16+2 = 18, Successful Grab,
Break Free, DC17: 17+7 = 24, Knight Errant breaks free.

10) Knight Errant attacks Empty Eye Thug 4:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 4+7 = 25, Miss,

10) Empty Eye Thug 5 attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 1+5+2 = 8, Critical Miss,

10) Empty Eye Thug 2 grabs Knight Errant.
Grab Attempt, DC17: 11+2 = 13, Miss

10) Empty Eye Thug 4 attacks Knight Errant:
Grab Attempt, DC17: 10+2 = 12, Miss,

11) Knight Errant attacks Empty Eye Thug 5:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 4+7 = 25, Miss,

11) Empty Eye Thug 5 attacks Knight Errant:
Club Attack, DC17: 11+5+2 = 18, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC19: 15+13 = 28, Knight Errant is unharmed,

11) Empty Eye Thug 2 grabs Knight Errant.
Grab Attempt, DC17: 18+2 = 20, Successful Grab,
Break Free, DC17: 20+7 = 27, Knight Errant breaks free.

11) Empty Eye Thug 4 attacks Knight Errant:
Grab Attempt, DC17: 15+2 = 17, Successful Grab,
Break Free, DC17: 14+7 = 21, Knight Errant breaks free.

12) Knight Errant attacks Empty Eye Thug 5:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 16+7 = 23, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC22: 13+2 = 15, Minion Knocked Out.

13) Knight Errant attacks Empty Eye Thug 5:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 11+7 = 18, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC22: 16+2 = 18, Minion Knocked Out.

14) Knight Errant attacks Empty Eye Thug 5:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 11+7 = 18, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC22: 3+2 = 5, Minion Knocked Out.

15) Knight Errant attacks Empty Eye Thug 5:
Unarmed Attack, DC14: 8+7 = 15, Successful Hit,
Toughness, DC22: 8+2 = 10, Minion Knocked Out.

 

[Oshha]

[X] +1 to Stealth.

***​

​

"Father Fionn," you say as you enter the church again, "I have returned."

The church is empty of anyone, but the Irish priest, something you made sure of using your superior senses before returning the building as Knight Errant.

"Welcome back child," replies Father Fionn genially, the man having stayed up to await your return, "Did your night go well?"

"Yes, it did," you inform him as you make a beeline for the back of the church in order to get changed out of your armour, "There were more than I originally expected, but I was able to deal with them."

"How did the fighting go?" inquires Father Fionn, "Judging from your apparent lack of injury, it went well for you?"

"Mostly," you reply, "I took several hits, but only a couple of them actually hurt me. For the most part, my armour either pulled through or I was just too tough to injury. The main problem was how they were able to swarm me with numbers. While I would have easily been able to handle one or two of them with ease, they were able to keep me off-guard with their superior numbers. But in the end, I was simply too powerful for them to overwhelm."

"I see," says Father Fionn, "You mentioned that you got hurt. Do you require a doctor?"

"No Father," you say back as you reach the door leading to the back of the church, "It seems that as part of my abilities, I heal extraordinarily quickly. A week or two healing took place within seconds. If you want to be concerned by anything, be worried about my armour. While it is still completely battle-worthy, it did take several hits so you may wish to take a look at it."

"I will," replies Father Fionn as you paused at the door, "I hope it isn't anything too bad, but it never hurts to check. I will wait until the morning given how late it is. What about you child? What shall you do now? Normally one would sleep for the night, but I aware that you are not like the rest of us in that regard."

"I will relax for a bit and review what information I recovered from the Empty Eyes," you answer, "While their outing tonight was a one-off, spur of the moment thing, I was able to follow them for a bit and listen in on their conversation. While most of it was useless, but I got a few useful bits out of it with the most significant being that Sergeant Gerald Arpin of the city guard is taking bribes from the Empty Eyes to turn a blind eye to their activities and help hide them from the other authorities."

"I see," says Father Fionn thoughtfully, "I assume that you are going to do something about that?"

"Yes," you tell him, "But for now, I am going to think over my next move."

And with that, you head through the door.

***​

​

What is Knight Errant's next move?
You made your debut as Knight Errant and now you have to decide your next move.
[] [Knight] Empty Eyes. Continue going after the Empty Eyes. You already made a mark on some of them and now you just have to keep at it.
[] [Knight] Corruption in the Ranks. A local city guard sergeant and his subordinates have been taking bribes from criminals. You need to expose Sergeant Gerald Arpin and his corruption.
[] [Knight] Switch Targets. There are other criminal organisations to go after and you decided to pick a new target to deal with.
-[] [Knight] The Snake Crew. A typical gang, they make up one of the three major local gangs in Orleans and answer to the Orleans Syndicate, who in turn are increasing crime and corruption under the rule of the duchess. Weakening them will hurt the duchess' power and help stem the darkness that is trying to take over the city of Orleans.
-[] [Knight] The Grey Boars. A brute-force focused gang, they make up one of the three major local gangs in Orleans and answer to the Orleans Syndicate, who in turn are increasing crime and corruption under the rule of the duchess. Weakening them will hurt the duchess' power and help stem the darkness that is trying to take over the city of Orleans.
-[] [Knight] The Silent Brotherhood. Part of the larger Silent Brotherhood organisation, the local branch is attempting to move in on the Orleans Syndicate. You ought to take them down before they can expand their power.
-[] [Knight] The Disciples. Part of the larger Disciples organisation, the local branch is relatively weak as they have low numbers and territory, but they make up for it with outside support and having two thirds of their number being elite members.
-[] [Knight] The Forces of Iron. A disciplined and hierarchical criminal organisation, the Forces of Iron are small, but relatively elite. Focusing on production of illegal goods and hiring themselves out, they will be tough to deal with, but easier to hurt when you can get one over on them.
[] [Knight] Write-in.

What will Frederica Le Blanc do?
You need to keep up your identify as Frederica Le Blanc.
[] [Frederica] Focus on becoming a part of the high life of Orleans.
[] [Frederica] Convince Father Fionn to teach you some tricks.
[] [Frederica] Focus on your church duties.
[] [Frederica] Write-in

???
[] [???] Flames and Burns.
[] [???] Spirit and Strength.
[] [???] Demons and Machines.
[] [???] Light and Darkness.
[] [???] Grinding Gears.
[] [???] Write-in

 

[Oshha]

[X] [Move] Corruption in the Ranks. A local city guard sergeant and his subordinates have been taking bribes from criminals. You need to expose Sergeant Gerald Arpin and his corruption.
[X] [Frederica] Focus on becoming a part of the high life of Orleans.
[X] [???] Demons and Machines.

***​

Your next move proves to be simple. You could go after the Empty Eyes again or one of the other criminal organisations plaguing Orleans, but you have no specific targets to go after. Meanwhile, you got a name of a corrupt city guard sergeant, giving you something solid to go on.

Furthermore, the city guard is generally uncorrupted as a rule so nipping something like this in the bud now means that not only will get dealt with by the rest of the non-corrupt city guard, but it helps prevent things getting worse by allowing corruption to go unchallenged.

But that is what Knight Errant is going to be doing while Frederica Le Blanc should be sleeping.

You also have to consider what you will be doing as Frederica. You have two main options of either focusing on your social life or on your church duties. You consider the possibility of trying to convince Father Fionn to teach you some tricks from his days in the army, but you decide to leave that alone as the Irish priest is busy enough with his own duties and has always devoted his fair share of attention and resources to you.

As for your church duties, you could focus on them more, but you do well enough regarding them already and you would benefit more from getting yourself firmly placed within the high life of Orleans.

Doing so would allow you access to the rich, the landed and the ennobled and the potential sources of information and resources that they offer. You are already receiving plenty of riches off of them.

You are already doing God's work. He would not begrudge you partaking in another activity to increase your ability to carry out his will.

Besides, you actually enjoy attending such parties and there is nothing wrong with you doing something that you enjoy.

You will attend social events when you can and you shall accept the fact that you enjoy them and like going to them,

***​

The guard tower Sergeant Gerald Arpin operates out of was easy enough to find. After all, it isn't a public secret and a few discreet questions easily got you the answers that you were looking for.

Not big enough or important enough to warrant a lieutenant to lead it, the guard tower in the centre of the 'Black Alley' neighbourhood. Traditionally a check on the black market run in the back alleys of the neighbourhood, the guardsmen and guardswomen have fallen to corruption.

And from what you picked up from wondering around the neighbourhood and putting an ear out, all of Sergeant Arpin's subordinates are in on the bribes and are regularly harassing the locals.

Combined with the Empty Eyes moving in and the neighbourhood already being a poor one, the corruption is becoming too much for the local people and many of them are turning to crime.

The whole situations sickens you and strengthens your desire to do something about it. At the moment, the best way to do that seems to be to remove the corrupt city guard as while you could deal with the Empty Eyes and the other criminals, long term solutions require law enforcement to do their jobs.

One possible option for you is to remove Sergeant Arpin and his cronies by force, forcing the city guard to replace them as they would be too injured to carry out their duties. But that has the downsides of antagonising the Orleans city guard by directly attacking their own, even if they are corrupt.

The other option would be to fine solid evidence and turn it over to someone who is capable of acting in on it. The latter part of the second option would be easier as your social life makes it easy to locate someone in that position or someone who knows a person with that position. That just leaves the difficult part of finding some evidence to make use of.

That said, you are able to acquire a lead with some noteworthy difficulty. A young lass by the name of Mina lives in Black Alley. A pretty, slender girl with black hair and blue eyes, the girl is about your age and has been harassed by a few of the corrupt city guards and a couple of Empty Eyes.

The girl was very unwilling to discuss her experiences with anyone lest doing so invite further trouble down on her head. However, you were able to use your charm and regularly practiced social skills to persuade the girl to speak with you. But even than, Mina still doesn't completely open up to you.

In the end, you are able to get the girl to open up and provide you with some useful information, much to your horror.

Since you first started talking with each other, Mina was displaying an interest in your body. While you have no problem using your body to charm a member of the other sex, you haven't exactly done with a fellow girl.

To your shock, you realised that Mina was a pretty girl and you didn't mind looking back at her and well, one thing led to another. In the end, you and Mina found yourselves in a back alley, embracing each other in a very hands on make-out session.

During that horrifying event, Mina revealed that one of Sergeant Arpin's guards wasn't as bad as the others and felt guilty about was going on in his guard tower, only going along with the bribes and corruption because he had no other option. His name is Edmond Severin.

As for when you left Mina behind, it finally hit home that you found both females and males to be attractive. The sudden desire for a set of boobs to fondle just won't leave you and heightened awareness to the matter just makes it worse.

***​

What is Knight Errant's next move?
How will you take down Sergeant Gerald Arpin and his corrupt city guards?
[] Aggressive.
[] Subtle.
[] Look for more information.
[] Write-in.

Spoiler: Rolls

Frederica looks for intelligence on the Black Alley guards.
Awareness Test, DC10: 5+7 = 12, Passed Test by 1 Degree.

Bonus Intel Gathering
Persuasion Test, DC30: 18+10+5 = 33, Passed Test by 1 Degree & using Attractive.

Bisexuality Shock.
Will Test, DC25: 12+7 = 19, Failed Test by two degrees, gained Complication: Shock (Bisexuality)

***​

​

More Holy British Empire views on LGBT tomorrow.

 

[Strypgia]

Well that was unexpected. So the Knight Errant is a bisexual....I can get behind that.

OH, GROW UP - STRYPGIA

Click to shrink...

come on This is not the thread for that. 25 points and 3 days to think about it.

 

[Oshha]

In this AU, the stance on LGBT of the Catholic Church, and by extension the Holy British Empire, is that homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism and similar conditions are mental disabilities the same way that being born deaf or blind is a physical disability.

Both mental and physical disabilities are considered to be something wrong with a person as it is considered something that shouldn't naturally happen. However, such disabilities are not considered to be the fault of the person with them as they were born with them and didn't choose to have them. As of such, the person isn't at fault and should be pitied and not punished.

Furthermore, gay and bisexual people are allowed to love and marry those of the same gender through this is primarily due to royal precedent as homosexual children of Emperor Arthur Cadarn desired to marry those they fell in love with and Emperor Arthur did supported them in this.

However, there is still a social stigma attached to being LGBT due to being something wrong with a person even if it isn't their fault. As a result, in many places, someone who is LGBT is expected to keep it hidden if they can and being in a relationship with the same gender is looked down upon as is dressing up as the other gender. However, there is no lynching or physical retaliation for the most part with it mainly being someone becoming a social outcast for openly expressing their LGBT.

With Frederica, she was straight before so because of her powers making her become bisexual, she is so upset by her powers making something wrong with her and until she comes to terms with it, it will be distracting from her focus.

On a related note, I rolled to see if she would become Bi, asexual or just remember straight when I came up with her character sheet so you had that and [Redacted] to stumble across.

 

[Oshha]

[X] Look for more information

***​

While it is possible to make your move on the corrupt guards now, you decided to take a more cautious approach and look for even more information.

Contrary to your expectations, it proves to be easier to find more information on Sergeant Arpin and the rest of the Black Alley city guards with you easily picking up a couple of leads.

***
​

"Greetings neighbour," you say as you drops down behind the pair of Empty Eyes.

"What the heck?" claims the board one in surprise as the other thin one scrambles away from you as he recongises you.

"I am Knight Errant," you declare as step towards them, "And you have something that I desire."

"W-what do you want?" demands the man who recognised you first as the other pales after you revealing your identity.

"You are carrying correspondences between Sergeant Gerald Arpin of the Orleans City Guard and the local Empty Eyes leadership," you inform him, "I wish to have them turned over to me."

"Like we're gonna-" starts the board gangster before the thin one interrupts him.

"This is load of hooey isn't worth taking her own," the thin Empty Eye informs his companion, "This lady isn't normal and we don't want to pick a fight with her."

Even as his companion glares at you, the thin gangster turns his attention to you.

"Look Knight Errant," says the criminal, "How about this? We turn over all of our stuff to you and in return you don't beat us black and blue. Sound good."

"That is acceptable," you answer.

And with that, the deal is done. The gangsters turn over their packages to you, one more reluctantly than the other, while you let them leave unharmed.

***​

"Constable Edmond Severin," you say as you stride up to the local man in the blue, yellow and white uniform of the Orleans city guard, the least corrupt Black Alley guard sat at a table in the inn.

You are Frederica Le Blanc this time, wearing a conservative dark blue dress that while it doesn't reveal much skin, it still drapes around your curves in a way that makes them hard to ignore.

"Greetings miss," replies the lonely looking man, looking at you curiously.

"I am from the Church of Saint Ceinwyn IV," you tell him, "A goer there told me that you might need someone to speak to about private matters. I came here to offer you a private ear for you discuss your problems with."

"I see," replies Edmond, looking at you hopefully.

"How about we head up to a room from privacy?" you suggest, giving him a pretty smile, "I've already booked a room."

"Yeah, I would," answers Edmond.

"Well Edmond," you reply with the smile still on your face, "Follow me then."

Grinning, the lean man gets up from his table, drink forgotten.

"Oh," you say, pretending that you just remember something, "Feel free to get an eyeful. Since there won't be any touching, consider my treat to get all of looking that you want done."

The city guardsman lets out a bark of laughter as he follows you up into the upper floors of the inn.

***​

You scream in frustration as you sit in the back alley of Orleans. The desires are becoming too much for you to just put away at the back of your mind. Tonight's party was almost the breaking point.

Lady Irene O'Neill was just so darn pretty and nice. The young noble isn't the slender little thing that Mina was, but instead has a beauty along the lines of your own with silky hazel brown hair and a rack just like the one that has been haunting your forces.

Oh, your self-discipline and superhuman reaction times allow you to mostly keep your composure for the night with the latter letting you regain it before anyone else noticed.

But you need to figure out how you are doing to deal with it lest this wrongness consume you.

***​

How to deal with the corruption in the Black Alley city guards?
You done enough snooping around. Now you just have to resolve the situation.
[] [Knight] Aggressive. Physically rendering the Black Alley city guards incapable of carrying out their duties will forced them to be replaced, revealing their corruption and sending a message out to the city.
[] [Knight] Subtle. Sneaking in and acquiring evidence to bring to an authority thing will be the best solution.
[] [Knight] Authority. You been snooping around for enough rope to hang Sergeant Arpin and his lackeys with and now you have just have to pass it on to a city guard official so the authorities can handle this situation properly.
[] [Knight] Write-in.

How will Frederica cope with her Bisexuality?
How will Frederica come to terms with your newfound bisexuality? (As you critically failed the test, all of these options are equally bad so you are picking your poison. This isn't a mechanical choice, but narrative one)
[] [Cope] Embrace It. Despite all of the problems it will cause her, Frederica will embrace her bisexuality.
[] [Cope] Embrace It/Deny It. With two identities, Frederica will embrace her bisexuality in one whilst concealing it in the other.
[] [Cope] Embrace It/Reject It. With two identities, Frederica will embrace her bisexuality in one whilst concealing it in the other.
[] [Cope] Deny It. Frederica will deny her bisexuality and not acknowledge its existence.
[] [Cope] Reject It. Frederica will reject her bisexuality and refuse to accept it as part of her.
[] [Cope] Write-in.

Spoiler: Rolls

Basically you got really good rolls and got easy tests to pass and one really bad roll that got you a critical failure on the sub-plot that you accidentally stumbled across and I'm desperately improvising to keep it tasteful, appropriate and respectful.

Frederica looks for more intelligence on the Black Alley guards.
Intimidation Test, DC10: 19+8 = 27, Passed Test by 4 Degrees.

Bonus Intel Gathering
Persuasion Test, DC5: 8+10+5 = 23, Passed Test by 4 Degrees.

Coming to terms with Bisexuality.
Will Test, DC20: 1+7 = 8, Critically Failed Test by 4 Degrees.

***
​

For the record, Frederica's views are based on what makes sense in-character for her and the setting she lives in and not on my personal views.

 

[Oshha]

[X] [Knight] Subtle. Sneaking in and acquiring evidence to bring to an authority thing will be the best solution.
[X] [Cope] Embrace It/Reject It. With two identities, Frederica will embrace her bisexuality as Knight Errant whilst rejecting it as Frederica Le Blanc.

***​

Despite having enough evidence to expose Sergeant Gerald Arpin and his lackeys to the proper authorities, you decide that you will still sneak into the Black Alley guard tower and acquire some more.

You seek to find out how far the corruption has spread and the full extent of it. The chance to practice your stealth skills is another bonus on the side.

The approach to the guard tower is simple. Barely anybody pays attention to the rooftops of Orleans at night and you never stick around when you do encounter someone. Not expecting anyone to come at the guard tower, let alone do so from the rooftops, you manage to approach the Black Alley guard tower undetected.

Remembering what Edmond Severin told you, there is a window on one of the upper floors of the guard tower that they are supposed to guard, but none of them actually do that because you would have to be capable of jumping from the rooftop up into the window or have specialised equipment to reach the window.

As the former isn't physically possible for a normal human and the former would be easily noticed, the Black Alley city guards just ignore that entrance. Unfortunately for them, you are not a normal human and are fully capable of jumping that distance.

Judging the right way to jump across the thin air in order to reach the window, you hope that your abilities will be enough to get the job done. Lacking any training or real experience in pulling off jumps, you leap up at the window.

You almost don't make it. As you reach the window, you realise that you are going to fall a bit short. Reaching out, you are able to get a grip on the bottom of the open window even as you slam into the wall of the guard tower with a thud. Using your enhanced speed and strength, you hull yourself up and through the window before anybody below can go looking for what the noise was.

Now in the tower, you have a rough idea of where to go as subtle questions to Edmond Severin the other night have given you the gist of the guard tower's layout.

Sergeant Gerald Arpin keeps most of his records up near the top of the tower, by his quarters and office with the majority of the rest being between in those two places. According to Edmond, old Sarge Arpin is very worried about someone gaining access to his stuff and using it against him so he wants to keep it all in one place as much as possible so he can kept an eye on all of it at once and high up so it is harder to gain access to.

You carefully make your way through the tower. The journey isn't that far as the window you entered through was already on the upper half of the tower. You don't have to worry about being caught too much as half of the city guards operating out of this tower are on patrol or otherwise out of the building while only a third of those remaining are on the upper levels with the rest remaining closer to the ground.

Despite that, you almost get spotted by a guard a couple of times. Fortunately, you are quick enough to get out of sight just in time so while she is suspicious, the guard is willingly to believe that her eyes are just playing tricks on her.

Making your way into the office, you easily force your way past the locked door as you are too strong for it to have any chance of stopping you. Once in, you have no chance of hiding your entry, even after you are physically gone so you don't bother being careful to hide your presence when looking for information.

Ironically, the most obvious evidence is the hardest to find, but once you do find it, you know what you are looking for and find the rest with ease. Snatching a nearby bag, you stuff the documents into it and prepare to leave. While a good portion of the stolen documents will be useless to exposing Sergeant Arpin, you don't have the time right now to search through them and find the actual incriminating ones.

As you prepare to leave, something catches you eye. A brown book that looks untouched and seems to be cast aside. Picking it up, you read the title and raise an eyebrow.

Butchers and Strangers

You decide that it is interesting enough to investigate further and put in your recently acquired bag to look at in proper detail later.

Alas, the exit out of the guard tower isn't as simple as the entry as when you leave, you stumble directly into the suspicious guard from earlier.

Before she can open her mouth to yell a warning for her fellow city guards, you act with inhuman reaction times and reflexes. Punching out with a fist, your left hand smashes into her face and send the guard flying back into a wall, out cold and hopefully with nothing worse than a really bad headache.

Moving quickly as you can before anymore guards come to investigate, you reach the window you entered though and leap out of the window.

It is too late that you realise your mistake as you go crashing through the roof that you intended to land on. However, quick reflexes allow you to shield the evidence from any potential damage.

Swiftly getting to your feet as the crash didn't hurt you and your extra tough body, you leap out of the hole in the roof, making your quick escape.

While your efforts were successful and your attempt to acquire more evidence was successful, you were not subtle at all and your latest actions will be obvious to everyone.

***​

When does Knight Errant give the evidence to the authorities?
You have all of the evidence. Now you just need to decide when you will turn it over to the proper authorities.
[] [Authority] Now. Sergeant Arpin will know all too soon what has happened and if you give him the chance, he will try to cover his arse by painting you in a bad light and turning the authorities against you while they still trust him.
[] [Authority] Later. While Sergeant Arpin will surely be making his own plans in response to your actions, you wish to review the evidence you have collected and look for any useful information.
[] [Authority] Write-in.

How will Knight Errant deliver the evidence?
You need to decide whether you will deliver the evidence in person or leave it to be found by the right person.
[] [Presence] Deliver it personally. You will personally deliver the evidence, but you will have to meet the person you are giving it to.
[] [Presence] Left it to be found. You will be able to avoid having to interact with the person, but you can't guarantee that they will get the evidence intact.
[] [Presence] Write-in.

Spoiler: Rolls

Knight Errant sneaks up on the guard tower.
Stealth Test, DC10: 4+7 = 11, Passed Test.

Knight Errant remembers a side-entrance to the guard tower.
Intelligence Test, DC5: 12+4 = 16, Passed Test.

Knight Errant leaps into the guard tower.
Athletics Test, DC10: 6+7 = 13, Passed Test.

Knight Errant attempts to avoid detection once in the guard tower:
Stealth vs Perception: 18+4(+6 & -3) vs 12+8 = 22 vs 18, Knight Errant goes undetected.


Knight Errant looks for evidence.
Perception Test, DC10: 4+7 = 11, Passed Test, Finds Level 1 Evidence.
Perception Test, DC15: 16+7 = 23, Passed Test, Finds Level 2 Evidence.
Perception Test, DC20: 18+7 = 25, Passed Test, Finds Level 3 Evidence.

Knight Errant spots useful items.
Perception Test, DC20: 2+7 = 9, Passed Test.
Perception Test, DC20: 4+7 = 11, Passed Test.
Perception Test, DC20: 17+7 = 24, Passed Test, Found Butchers and Strangers.

Knight Errant attempts to avoid detection on her way out of the guard tower:
Stealth vs Perception: 1+4(+6 & -3) vs 3+8 = 5 vs 11, Knight Errant is detected.

Initiative Rolls:
Knight Errant: 20+6 = 26
Black Alley City Guard: 17+2 = 19

1) Knight Errant attacks Black Alley City Guard:
Unarmed Attack, DC18: 20+7 = 27, Critical Hit
Toughness, DC22: 8+5 = 13, Minion Knocked Out.

Knight Errant leaps out of the guard tower.
Athletics Test, DC10: 1+7 = 8, Critically Failed Test.

Knight Errant protects the evidence:
Dexterity Test, 10: 6+6 = 12, Passed Test.

 

[Oshha]

[X] [Authority] Now. Sergeant Arpin will know all too soon what has happened and if you give him the chance, he will try to cover his arse by painting you in a bad light and turning the authorities against you while they still trust him.
[X] [Presence] Deliver it personally. You will personally deliver the evidence, but you will have to meet the person you are giving it to.

***​

With no hiding what you have done, you decide that time is of the essence. Sergeant Arpin will no doubt start running damage control once he hears about your actions and he will definitely try to cover his own arse by trying to discredit you and your evidence. You cannot allow him opportunity to do so.

Heading back to church, you make sure to be stealthy with no one spotting you as you across the rooftops. Hearing voices in the front of the church, you carefully enter by the back in order to reach the other evidence that you got from the Empty Eyes the other night.

Adding those documents to the ones in your back, you swiftly return to the rooftops. While you could just leave the evidence to be found by the right person, you feel it would make a better impression to personally deliver the documents. Doing so would also allow you make sure that nothing happens to them before they reach the right hands.

Captain Gareth Jordan will be your contact. A relatively young Captain of the Orleans City Guard at the age of twenty eight, the man is without doubt incorruptible and is one of the most proactive members of the Orleans City Guard when it comes to resisting the corruption slowly seething into it.

Furthermore, the man is in a position to take direction against Sergeant Gerald Arpin as the lieutenant in charge of the old Sarge Arpin is under the command of Captain Jordan.

With it being late at night and Captain Jordan usually working the day shift, you believe that the man show be home as evening falls. If he isn't, you can just wait around nearby until he does come home as you made sure that you had no plans for tonight in case something came up.

Fortunately for you, Captain Jordan is already home when you reach his home. Carefully sneaking in, you make your way to his home office. Having been told the details by someone who visited here before at one of the social events you attended, your perfect memory lets you remember how to navigate the place near perfectly.

Sneaking into the office, you quietly wait behind where the door opens, making it impossible for you to be spotted by someone unless they are already in the room.

You wait almost half an hour before Captain Jordan finally comes into room.

A sturdy built man with a firm jaw, scruffy short reddish-brown hair and sharp, wary blue eyes, Captain Jordan has the looks of one who fights for justice.

"Greetings neighbour," you say, stepping forward as you make the city guard captain jump in surprise.

"Who the heck are you?" demands Captain Jordan as he rounds on you, drawing a concealed semi-automatic pistol.

"I am Knight Errant," you tell him, warily eying the pistol, knowing full well the threat that the weapon proposes, "I wish to bring you evidence of corruption committed by those under your command."

"And why on Earth should I trust you?" demands Captain Jordan, aiming the pistol at you.

"Because I am blessed by God and I am using those blessings to protect others from evil and injustice," you inform him.

Acting with superhuman reflexes, you snatch Captain Jordan's gun out of his hands.

"As you can see," you continue as Captain Jordan's eyes flicker between his now empty hand and the weapon that is now in your hand, "I have been blessed with all of my natural abilities being enhanced beyond what is normally physically possible. For example, I can bend steel with ease and heal from injuries in mere minutes."

"I see," says Captain Jordan as he studies you, "And you say you are a servant of God and justice?"

"Correct," you reply.

"Then I shall take a risk and give you a chance," says Captain Jordan with a sigh, "Not like I could stop you if you had bad intentions. What do you have to show me?"

"Sergeant Gerald Arpin of the Black Alley guard tower has been taking bribes from the Empty Eyes to turn a blind eye to their activities and sometimes cover them up," you tell the city guard captain as you hand him back his pistol back and your bag full of documents, "With the exception of Constable Edmond Severin, all of his subordinates are also in on the corruption."

"I will look into," Captain Jordan assures you, "I assume this bag contains evidence for me to go on?"

"It does," you confirm, "I recommend acting on it swiftly. My attempt at retrieving this information...was less than subtle so Sergeant Arpin definitely knows that I retrieved this evidence and my past activities means that he knows I shall use this evidence to reveal his corruption. He will no doubt be attempting to run damage control as soon as possible and cover up his criminal deeds."

"I understand," says Captain Jordan before looking at you appraisingly.

You look back at him as the two of you study each other.

"So you want to help people and fight the corruption?" inquires Captain Jordan, suddenly looking weary.

"That I do neighbour," you answer.

"There is a drug ring in the Saint James district," says Captain Jordan, "The Forces of Iron are creating a large amount of combat drugs, which they both use to bolster their own thugs and sell to other criminal organisation. Normally we would have already shut this down, but certain people in positions of power are covertly blocking us. You on the other hand could take them out without the ducal bitch interfering."

"I will do what I can," you tell Captain Jordan, "Farewell neighbour. May be meet again."

"I hope we do," says Captain Jordan as you leave.

***​

Power Boost
You have 1 Point to upgrade Frederica's powers.
[] [Power] Ability
-[] [Power] Strength
-[] [Power] Stamina
-[] [Power] Agility
-[] [Power] Dexterity
-[] [Power] Fighting
-[] [Power] Intellect
-[] [Power] Awareness
-[] [Power] Presence
[] [Power] Movement
-[] [Power] Speed
-[] [Power] Quickness
[] [Power] Senses
-[] [Power] Vision
-[] [Power] Hearing
-[] [Power] Smelling
-[] [Power] Touching
-[] [Power] Tasting
[] [Power] Regeneration
[] [Power] Beauty
[] [Power] None (save the Power Points for later spending)
[] [Power] Write-in.

Upgrade 1 Skill
[] [Skill] +1 to Stealth.
[] [Skill] +2 to Persuasion.
[] [Skill] +1 to Deception.
[] [Skill] +1 to Intimidation.

What does Federica do?
What will Frederica do in her spare time? Pick 3 Options. If options have a shared number, that means they have synergy with each other.
[] [Fred] 1 (Benefit: High Life Social Connections) Spend time socialising with the high life of Orleans. Increases Persuasion & Deception. Gains Contacts or Connected.
[] [Fred] 1 Spend time socialising with others. Increases Persuasion & Deception.
[] [Fred] (Benefit: Father Fionn) Spend time doing your religious duties. Increases Expertise: Christianity, Increases Insight
[] [Fred] Tinkering and working with technology. Increases Technology skill.
[] [Fred] Stalk the criminal underground to gain more information. Gain intelligence on crime in the city. Increases Stealth.
[] [Fred] Acquire a second outfit for Knight Errant. Gains a second outfit for Knight Errant (choice of options).
[] [Fred] Acquire a shield for Knight Errant. Gains a shield for Knight Errant.
[] [Fred] 2 Train yourself physically. Increases Athletics skill.
[] [Fred] 2 Train yourself in the art of fist fighting. Increases Close Combat: Unarmed,
[] [Fred] 2 Train yourself in how to use your sword. Increases Close Combat: Sword,
[] [Fred] 2 Practice street fighting. Increases Close Combat: Unarmed, Close Combat: Knife.
[] [Fred] Write-in

Spoiler: Rolls

Knight Errant sneaks up on Captain Gareth Jordan:
Stealth Test, DC20: 16+7 = 23, Passed Test.

Knight Errant persuades Captain Gareth Jordan of her honest intentions:
Persuasion Test, DC20: 15 +10 = 25, Passed Test,

Knight Errant snatches Captain Gareth Jordan's pistol:
Sleight of Hand vs Athletics: 6+6 vs 1+12 = 12 vs 1, Knight Errant wins by three degrees of success,

Knight Errant persuades Captain Gareth Jordan to act swiftly on the evidence:
Persuasion Test, DC5: 12+10+5 = 27, Passed Test,

Captain Gareth Jordan trusts Knight Errant:
Persuasion vs Persuasion Check, DC5: 2+10 vs 13+10+5 = 12 vs 28, Captain Gareth Jordan trusts Knight Errant,