The continued adventures of Extendy Enna, esq. Picks up from Powerless and Empowered. No previous knowledge required in order to be able to make bad decisions for Enna.
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The continued adventures of Extendy Enna, esq.
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1. The adventure resumes in the Emperor's courtroom
- Location
- Across the universe
Extendy Enna, Esq.
Your ex-boyfriend Dave is henching for a man calling himself the King of Seattle; your first superpowered client, the Silent Siren, jumped bail; you were placed on extended administrative leave from your job; and Seattle has erupted into open street warfare between the National Guard, vigilante heroes, and the forces of the two rival monarchs claiming rightful rulership over Seattle – the King and the Emperor. The supposed "hero" Lady Light tried to throw you into a woodchipper; and you have a homeless teenage superhero, the Seattle Squidbat, living upstairs in your new office.
The near-death experience left you with a superpower: You can elongate parts of your body. Conservation of mass is a bitch and a half, but for some inexplicable reason, skin-tight clothing and jewelry stretch along with you. You haven't told your mother any of this. Instead, she thinks you're engaged to be married.
Who are you? Enna Deren, esquire.
Imperial-grade pectoral muscles; a good sketch of The Ring; a man wearing lace with a red cape and sword; an older and less human squidbat than the Seattle Squidbat.
Emperor Redford I of Seattle sighs deeply, shaking his head. His impossibly well-defined pectoral muscles glisten as they rise and fall, framed by alternating red and gold ruffles.
"I doubt that he has let the original out of his treasure room, but whether it is the genuine article or a decoy, I know you must have it from him," he says after a moment. "You may explain yourself, and how you have come from him."
You take a deep breath. "I haven't been able to take this ring off," you say, spreading the fingers of your right hand wide. You tug tentatively at the golden snake wrapped around your ring finger, looking carefully at its ruby eyes, the large emerald making up most of its head, and the little diamond teeth. "I woke up wearing it. He didn't give me any choice, just decided to mark me with it. He's a horrible man."
You shake your head. A horrible man with a gorgeous tenor voice. The man calling himself the King of Seattle sounds almost as gorgeous as Emperor Redford looks, you think to yourself, your eyes drifting to the exposed imperial pectoral muscles.
"He was impressed with my singing," you add, taking a deep breath before launching into song. "There was an inventor in Seattle-"
The emperor frowns, making a short sharp gesture. He's not impressed. You shut your mouth.
"Strangely enough, I believe her," Redford I of Seattle says. "He has terrible tastes. I will assign you a guard. Mateo, you will protect her from Lady Light and get to the bottom of this matter of the pretender's plans for her."
A thin dandy of a man festooned with lace steps forward and takes hold of your hand in a motion so quick and deft that he must be a super. A half-second later, his red cape settles back down over the hilt of his sword, a long basket-hilted affair that you'd assumed was some kind of costume piece.
"It is difficult to be sure if it is the original or a copy, Your Imperial Highness. The pretender is skilled in physical fabrications," Meteo says, looking carefully. "It shows enough distress to be close to two centuries old. Perhaps too much, though I have not laid eyes directly on the original."
While wearing this ring, you've been submerged in salt water for an extended period of time, run over by a motorboat, captured and interrogated by the Crimson Guard, been beaten up by both the Gray Knight and the Lady Light, been thrown into a woodchipper by said Lady Light… you even got your fingers stuck in a bowling ball and fell over while you were out bowling with Jake. You wouldn't be surprised if the ring has been damaged since it was put on your finger.
The glint of a knife appearing like magic in Mateo's hand draws your attention back to the present. "Miss, I asked if you were ready for me to remove the ring. It will be easy to reattach the finger afterwards."
You step back involuntarily, your eyes flying over to look at Emperor Redford I. You feel a strange impulse to say yes in order to please the beautiful man sprawled across his throne, but with an effort of will, you force the foreign impulse out of your head. The courtiers whisper to each other.
What do you do about the man with the shiny knife who wants to cut your finger off in order to remove the ring?
[] Tell Mateo to go ahead and chop your finger off.
[] Tell Mateo he's your bodyguard, not your surgeon. You'll stop at a jeweler's later to get the ring off.
[] Try prying really hard. It's a coiled gold ring, not a surgically implanted decoration.
[] Punch Mateo in the face.
[] (write-in)
What's your next priority now that you've got a bodyguard on duty to protect you against Lady Light?
[] Get a second date with Jake.
[] Try to start lining up clients for your practice.
[] Help Mateo get at Prince Tenor, aka "the pretender," aka "King of Seattle."
[] Try to figure out where your former client (the Silent Siren) went after skipping bail.
[] (write-in)
Character sheet and dossier
- Location
- Across the universe
Quest information
Dossier:
People without known powers:
Key items, places, and equipment
Enna Deren, J.D.
Effective power level: 5 (85 PP)
Attributes:
Effective power level: 5 (85 PP)
Attributes:
- Strength 2
- Agility 3(2)
- Fighting 3(2)
- Awareness 5
- Stamina 4(3)
- Dexterity 1(0)
- Intellect 4
- Presence 2
- Dodge 3(2)
- Parry 5(4)
- Fortitude 4(3)
- Toughness 6(3)
- Will 6
- Elongation 2 (Precise, Continuous, Quirk: Conservation of Mass is a Bitch and a Half)
- Leaping 2 (by violently extending legs)
- Strength-based Strike 2 (by violently extending arms)
- Enhanced Ability 1: Stamina
- Enhanced Ability 1: Dexterity
- Enhanced Ability 1: Agility
- Enhanced Ability 1: Fighting
- Protection 1
- Defensive Roll 1
- (Skilled) Unarmed +5 / DC 19
- Acrobatics 2 (+5)
- Athletics 2 (+4)
- Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+5)
- Deception 4 (+6)
- Expertise: Law 9 (+13)
- Expertise: Music 3 (+7)
- Insight 5 (+10)
- Intimidation 1 (+3)
- Investigation 4 (+8)
- Perception 2 (+7)
- Persuasion 5 (+7)
- Stealth 3 (+6)
- Technology 1 (+5)
- Treatment 3 (+7)
- Vehicles 1 (+1)
See:
Powerless went well for a while until I got too busy. When I picked things back up with Empowered, I made a couple of mistakes I hadn't made in Powerless – making decisions too complicated and installments too large (on average, about 3x as large as in Powerless). I'm really annoyed with my [nonfiction] publisher IRL right now and for various reasons it's a good time to start this back up.
What to expect:
Powerless went well for a while until I got too busy. When I picked things back up with Empowered, I made a couple of mistakes I hadn't made in Powerless – making decisions too complicated and installments too large (on average, about 3x as large as in Powerless). I'm really annoyed with my [nonfiction] publisher IRL right now and for various reasons it's a good time to start this back up.
What to expect:
- Action
- Adventure
- Bad decision-making
- Heroes that aren't heroes
- Heroes that are heroes
- Less than 1000 words per installment
- People trying to do the right thing
- People trying to do the wrong thing
- Steadily becoming slightly more badass
- Villains that aren't villains
- Villains that are villains
Effective power level: 10
Attributes:
Attributes:
- Strength 8
- Agility 8
- Fighting 8
- Awareness 8
- Stamina 12
- Dexterity 8
- Intellect 4
- Presence 8
- Dodge 8
- Parry 8
- Toughness 12 (Impervious 12)
- Fortitude 12
- Will 8
- Permanent Growth 4 (Size Rank 1)
- Super durability
- Regeneration 1 Persistent
- Immortality 1
- Immunity (Life Support)
- Impervious Toughness 12
- Movement array (dynamic)
- Flight 6 (Winged)
- Swimming 6
- Burrowing 6
- Permeate 3
- Teleport 3
- Dimensional Travel 3
- Tentacles
- Extra limbs 6
- Elongation 2
- Strength effects
- Affects Incorporeal 2
- Penetrating 8
- Multiattack
- Senses
- Accurate hearing
- Dimensional senses
Fought and defeated Groom-bot. Was seen near a collapsing bridge. Fought two National Guard attack helicopters armed with rockets, trashing one and getting shot down. This puts an upper limit on her toughness.
She has a voice that has an augmented fourth overtone or harmonic. She failed to die from an acute case of getting shot repeatedly by attack helicopters using rockets, so she probably has some sort of healing power or regeneration factor. High-explosive 70mm rockets "tickle," but armor-piercing anti-tank rockets can hurt her, depending on how squarely they hit.
You left tiramisu out for her while she was rummaging around in a dumpster. She then rescued you from the clutches of the Emperor's soldiers.
She is your ally now, and no longer a homeless vagrant, but a resident of the back room upstairs in your office.
She has a voice that has an augmented fourth overtone or harmonic. She failed to die from an acute case of getting shot repeatedly by attack helicopters using rockets, so she probably has some sort of healing power or regeneration factor. High-explosive 70mm rockets "tickle," but armor-piercing anti-tank rockets can hurt her, depending on how squarely they hit.
You left tiramisu out for her while she was rummaging around in a dumpster. She then rescued you from the clutches of the Emperor's soldiers.
She is your ally now, and no longer a homeless vagrant, but a resident of the back room upstairs in your office.
Real name: Unknown
Effective Power Level: Unknown
Intellect: 10+
Presence: 10
Intellect: 10+
Presence: 10
Effective Power Level: 3+
Equipment: Shock blaster thingie, minion armor, standardized loot bags, restraints, vocal simulator.
Strength: 2+
Stamina: 2+
Other attributes vary.
Equipment: Shock blaster thingie, minion armor, standardized loot bags, restraints, vocal simulator.
Strength: 2+
Stamina: 2+
Other attributes vary.
You have not seen him in person. He has a really sexy tenor voice and seems to be endowed with super-grade intelligence. Has a strong interest in finding a worthy consort. The Silent Siren was his apparent first choice until Optics Textbook Woman apprehended her, after which he decided to try to kidnap and marry Optics Textbook Woman.
He has black-armored minions who engage in various special operations (like kidnapping), a giant robot, and is probably the reason the Emperor's troops stay out of western Seattle, though he does not overtly govern "his" part of Seattle.
He has black-armored minions who engage in various special operations (like kidnapping), a giant robot, and is probably the reason the Emperor's troops stay out of western Seattle, though he does not overtly govern "his" part of Seattle.
Enna's detailed minion file:
- 1010 - something bad happened to 1010 during Groombot Fight #1.
- 1087, aka Joe, is young, blond, scarred, and not very well educated. Joe left you a pepperoni pizza and disappeared in the aftermath of Silent Siren's bail being posted.
- 1025, aka "Spare Change," was working with Joe. He seems to be smarter than Joe and gentler than 1139.
- 1121, present during your audience with the King.
- 1138, Dave. See Dave entry.
- 1139 is a sadistic brute of a woman. You don't know her name, and she doesn't like you.
- 1155 - something bad happened to 1155 during Groombot Fight #1.
Real name: Unknown
Affiliation: Supervillain. In service of Prince Tenor Claims to be engaged to Silent Siren.
Effective power level: Est. 8-9
Attributes:
Permanent Growth 8
Groom-bot thinks he was supposed to marry Silent Siren and came looking for Optics Textbook Woman. Groom-bot might not have his own independent intelligence, you're not sure though.
Groom-bot marches to the orders of some guy with a really smooth tenor voice. You haven't met him in person though. Groom-bot fought the tentacle woman and came out worse for it, so is unlikely to be higher power level than 10.
Affiliation: Supervillain. In service of Prince Tenor Claims to be engaged to Silent Siren.
Effective power level: Est. 8-9
Attributes:
- Strength: 10-11
- Agility: 4-7
- Fighting: 4-7
- Awareness: 2-5
- Stamina: -
- Dexterity: 2-5
- Intellect: ?
- Presence: 8
- Dodge 0-3
- Parry 0-3
- Toughness 10-11 (Impervious 5-8)
Permanent Growth 8
Groom-bot thinks he was supposed to marry Silent Siren and came looking for Optics Textbook Woman. Groom-bot might not have his own independent intelligence, you're not sure though.
Groom-bot marches to the orders of some guy with a really smooth tenor voice. You haven't met him in person though. Groom-bot fought the tentacle woman and came out worse for it, so is unlikely to be higher power level than 10.
Effective power level: Unknown
Known powers: Has some ability to influence minds.
Presence: 11
Known powers: Has some ability to influence minds.
Presence: 11
The Emperor openly rules a large portion of Seattle and the surrounding area. He has crimson soldiers and a giant robot. He is improbably handsome, recruits openly, and there are a lot of posters featuring him. You have been granted an audience by the Emperor.
Like the King's minions, the Emperor's troops have full-body powered armor. They look a lot more military, though they don't seem likely to be much more powerful.
Effective power level: 3+
Strength: 2+
Stamina: 2+
You have defeated and stolen from some of the Crimson Guard. The Gray Knight dislikes them and can go through them like a hot chainsaw through a butter sculpture.
Effective power level: 3+
Strength: 2+
Stamina: 2+
You have defeated and stolen from some of the Crimson Guard. The Gray Knight dislikes them and can go through them like a hot chainsaw through a butter sculpture.
Affiliation: Vigilante "hero" (see woodchipper Incident)
Effective power level: Likely 8+
Attributes:
Effective power level: Likely 8+
Attributes:
- Strength: 3+
- Agility: 5+
- Fighting: 5+
- Awareness: 5+
- Stamina: 3+
- Dexterity: 5+
- Intellect: 3+
- Presence: 11
- Dodge 5+
- Parry 5+
- Toughness 3+
- Fortitude: 3+
- Will: 5+
- Invisibility
- Illusion
- Dazzle
- Is somehow able to resist the Silent Siren's ability
She's stronger than you would expect a normal human woman to be and pretty scary in person. She doesn't really understand how the legal system works, so she beat the stuffing out of you after the bail hearing.
After the Silent Siren escaped, she teamed up with a guy in an armored suit (see Gray Knight); he brought you in for questioning, and while he was out, she strangled you to the point of unconsciousness (at which point she thought you were dead), stuck you in a body bag, and dumped you in a woodchipper, apparently because she gets her ideas on how to secretly dispose of unwanted corpses from movies.
Following the woodchipper incident, the Gray Knight appears to have broken off their partnership; it is not clear how much he knows about her perfidious behavior, but he must have noticed something. The public seems to presume that as the flashier hero more in the public eye, she was the senior partner, but the hero base belongs to him.
After the Silent Siren escaped, she teamed up with a guy in an armored suit (see Gray Knight); he brought you in for questioning, and while he was out, she strangled you to the point of unconsciousness (at which point she thought you were dead), stuck you in a body bag, and dumped you in a woodchipper, apparently because she gets her ideas on how to secretly dispose of unwanted corpses from movies.
Following the woodchipper incident, the Gray Knight appears to have broken off their partnership; it is not clear how much he knows about her perfidious behavior, but he must have noticed something. The public seems to presume that as the flashier hero more in the public eye, she was the senior partner, but the hero base belongs to him.
Real name: Lewis Cooper
Affiliation: Vigilante hero
Affiliation: Vigilante hero
Effective power level: Est. 8+
Attributes:
Attributes:
- Strength: 9 (not from suit
- Agility: 5+
- Fighting: 5+
- Awareness: 5+
- Stamina: 7+
- Dexterity: 5+
- Intellect: 5+
- Presence: 9
- Parry: 5+
- Dodge: 5+
- Toughness: 9+
- Flight 8 (not from suit)
- Super strength
- Impervious 6
- Senses 10
- Life Support System (Immunity)
- On-board computer systems
He attempted to intimidate T. Dewey & Associates into dropping the Black Seahawk as a client, and first appeared in the public eye linked with the Lady Light, patrolling the city together. Another user of powered armor, like the King's minions and the crimson soldiers, but on another level entirely. Much bigger, much scarier, and with the ability to fly at high subsonic speed. He started showing up in the company of Optics Textbook Woman and shares a base of operations with her.
In spite of status as a lawless vigilante, he seems to have some kind of moral code that prohibits him from summarily murdering powerless civilian lawyers. Since he's junior in vigilantism, you presumed he's the sidekick.
After listening to the discussion of his falling-out with the Lady Light, you've figured out that he considers himself a peer of the Lady Light rather than a junior member, and that the secret hero base the two of them shared belongs to him.
In spite of status as a lawless vigilante, he seems to have some kind of moral code that prohibits him from summarily murdering powerless civilian lawyers. Since he's junior in vigilantism, you presumed he's the sidekick.
After listening to the discussion of his falling-out with the Lady Light, you've figured out that he considers himself a peer of the Lady Light rather than a junior member, and that the secret hero base the two of them shared belongs to him.
Name: Unkwown
Affiliation: Supervillain.
Affiliation: Supervillain.
Effective power level: 8+
Attributes:
Mental compulsion (line of sight?)
She can cause mental compulsions that affect anyone who sees her. Often, these mental compulsions have resulted in criminal behavior. No known case has occurred remotely, but the police are worried that she might be able to do it through video cameras.
Attributes:
- Strength: ?
- Agility: 4+
- Fighting: ?
- Awareness: ?
- Stamina / Toughness: 4+
- Dexterity: 5+
- Intellect: ?
- Presence: 12
- Dodge: 4+
- Parry: ?
- Toughness: 4+
- Fortitude: 4+
- Will: ?
Mental compulsion (line of sight?)
She can cause mental compulsions that affect anyone who sees her. Often, these mental compulsions have resulted in criminal behavior. No known case has occurred remotely, but the police are worried that she might be able to do it through video cameras.
She is either unable or unwilling to talk. She was apprehended by Optics Textbook Woman.
There's some speculation that speaking to people would break the spell. The Silent Siren was your client, and jumped bail. She's not very nice, and when you first interviewed you, she compelled you to trade clothing with her as well as generally treating you like a puppet. You think she is a sadistic psychopath.
She has demonstrated a combination of heterosexuality and lack of impulse control - namely, she boinked an expert witness that you brought to evaluate her. Right in front of you. This was incredibly awkward but did permit you to guess at her level of superhuman flexibility, athleticism, and physical stamina.
There's some speculation that speaking to people would break the spell. The Silent Siren was your client, and jumped bail. She's not very nice, and when you first interviewed you, she compelled you to trade clothing with her as well as generally treating you like a puppet. You think she is a sadistic psychopath.
She has demonstrated a combination of heterosexuality and lack of impulse control - namely, she boinked an expert witness that you brought to evaluate her. Right in front of you. This was incredibly awkward but did permit you to guess at her level of superhuman flexibility, athleticism, and physical stamina.
Name: Bryan Cooper.
Affiliation: Supervillain.
Known powers: Flight, excessive swimming speed and underwater endurance.
Affiliation: Supervillain.
Known powers: Flight, excessive swimming speed and underwater endurance.
Effective power level: 8+
- Strength: 5+
- Agility: 8+
- Fighting: 5+
- Awareness: ?
- Stamina / Toughness: 8+
- Dexterity: 8+
- Intellect: ?
- Presence: 4+
- Dodge: 8+
- Parry: 5+
- Toughness: 8+
- Fortitude: 8+
- Will: ?
- Flight 8 (aquatic)
- Enhanced physical attributes
Currently on trial for various charges related to stolen and damaged cargo and ships. He was apprehended by Optics Textbook Woman. He has a private defense team, and not a cheap one. (T. Dewey & Associates.)
Real name: Unknown
Known powers: Claims to have the ability to open portals to hell. Known to produce fireballs.
Power Level: Est. 8+
Attributes:
Power Level: Est. 8+
Attributes:
- Strength 5+
- Agility 4+
- Fighting 5+
- Awareness 4+
- Stamina 4+
- Dexterity 4+
- Intellect ?
- Presence 4+
- Dodge 7+
- Parry 7+
- Fortitude 6+
- Toughness 6+
- Will 6+
- Claims to be able to open portals to hell.
- Can throw fireballs.
- Has enhanced durability or defenses.
We don't know much about Hell's Belle, aka Hellbitch, other than the fact that she had an Inconclusive smash-up with Armored Suit Sidekick, aka the Gray Knight, and therefore likely similar in overall power. Notable acts of villainy include a botch bank vault heist that ended up with the cash going up in smoke (literally). Has recently purchased a candy apple red iPhone.
Mateo is a minion (courtier?) of the Emperor's court. He is fond of fancy clothing, and also unquestionably a super.
Attributes:
- Strength ?
- Agility 9+
- Fighting ?
- Awareness 9+
- Stamina ?
- Dexterity 9+
- Intellect 3+
- Presence 9
- Dodge 9+
- Parry ?
- Fortitude ?
- Toughness ?
- Will 9+
- Acute senses
- Speed
What you know about Mateo so far is that he appears to be in service to Emperor Redford I and that he thinks that cutting off your finger and reattaching it is an appropriate method for removing a ring.
Dave henches for the King of Seattle.
You dated Dave in college for a little while before the first time you dropped out of school. You later decided that this was a bad idea, and that dropping out of college was also a bad idea, but what's done is done. The last you had heard before seeing him henching in Seattle, he was still living in Los Angeles.
Dave has come and hung out with some in his "minion" capacity, prefers "David" now, calls you "Ennie," still likes pineapple and anchovy pizza, and pretended to be Silent Siren's long-lost brother in order to post bail for her.
You dated Dave in college for a little while before the first time you dropped out of school. You later decided that this was a bad idea, and that dropping out of college was also a bad idea, but what's done is done. The last you had heard before seeing him henching in Seattle, he was still living in Los Angeles.
Dave has come and hung out with some in his "minion" capacity, prefers "David" now, calls you "Ennie," still likes pineapple and anchovy pizza, and pretended to be Silent Siren's long-lost brother in order to post bail for her.
Enna knows Mary from working at the public defenders' office. Mary's husband Marty is a tall accountant. The two of them have a healthy marriage and a small stampede of lovely children.
Mary is a good friend and very interested in your personal life. She has also been very helpful to you, although her distracted driving techniques are positively terrifying. She disapproves of henching and supervillainy, and doesn't want you to date a henchman or supervillain.
Mary is a good friend and very interested in your personal life. She has also been very helpful to you, although her distracted driving techniques are positively terrifying. She disapproves of henching and supervillainy, and doesn't want you to date a henchman or supervillain.
John Helfer is a recently divorced accountant that Marty knows from his work.
His hairline is starting to recede and his waistline is starting to expand, and he's not as tall as Marty, but neither the waistline nor the hairline have run away entirely, and he is taller than Enna.
Mary and Marty view him as an eminently suitable alternative to supervillains and henchmen, and attempted to set you up with John just before chaos hit. He was a little too drunk and handsy and also clearly not over his last divorce, and you had other things to deal with that were much more important. Strike one, Mary and Marty, strike one.
His hairline is starting to recede and his waistline is starting to expand, and he's not as tall as Marty, but neither the waistline nor the hairline have run away entirely, and he is taller than Enna.
Mary and Marty view him as an eminently suitable alternative to supervillains and henchmen, and attempted to set you up with John just before chaos hit. He was a little too drunk and handsy and also clearly not over his last divorce, and you had other things to deal with that were much more important. Strike one, Mary and Marty, strike one.
Dr. Ray Marble has a master's degree in theology from a credible university and a doctorate in superhuman studies from an online school you had never heard of before. He's passably handsome and looks fairly young for someone with a supposed doctorate.
You looked him up as an expert witness; he thought based on some sort of crystal thing that the Silent Siren didn't actually have powers and that someone or something else had been controlling people. You brought him in to see the Silent Siren, and to your horror she promptly boinked him in front of you.
Consistent with his belief that the Silent Siren doesn't actually have a compulsion power, he seemed to think it was his own uncontrollable impulse rather than the result of being mind-controlled by the Silent Siren and apologized to you.
He is currently a missing person, having disappeared inexplicably when the chaos hit.
You looked him up as an expert witness; he thought based on some sort of crystal thing that the Silent Siren didn't actually have powers and that someone or something else had been controlling people. You brought him in to see the Silent Siren, and to your horror she promptly boinked him in front of you.
Consistent with his belief that the Silent Siren doesn't actually have a compulsion power, he seemed to think it was his own uncontrollable impulse rather than the result of being mind-controlled by the Silent Siren and apologized to you.
He is currently a missing person, having disappeared inexplicably when the chaos hit.
Blake works at the D.A.'s office. The two of you have a fairly cordial relationship, but not a close one.
Police lieutenant working in Snoqualmie. Is cute. Like, serious rawr-cute, he really fills those jeans out well. Went on a date with you. It was nice and you decided to bring him home with you.
He's figured out that you're the same person as "Amanda Norman," though, and he seems to be getting suspicious.
He's figured out that you're the same person as "Amanda Norman," though, and he seems to be getting suspicious.
Played pool & bowling with Jake and Enna. Alice's last name is unknown.
Lewis Cooper is the Gray Knight. Shocker!
Lewis Cooper is the Gray Knight. Shocker!
Your mother is currently under the impression that you're engaged to be married, the result of your struggles to try and conceal the truth of your recent adventures from her so that she doesn't worry too much.
Mom still lives in California, she's pretty far from the craziness and you'd prefer she stayed that way. That's why you've been lying to her, you don't want her to fly up here and get herself into a war zone.
Mom still lives in California, she's pretty far from the craziness and you'd prefer she stayed that way. That's why you've been lying to her, you don't want her to fly up here and get herself into a war zone.
You have an office downtown. Midori, aka Tentacle Girl, sleeps upstairs.
Prince Tenor gave you a ring. It is a gold snake with an emerald head, ruby eyes, and a diamond mouth. Once upon a time, Prince Albert gave this ring to Queen Victoria, and then they got married. It is currently hanging on a magnet on a non-Euclidean side of your fridge in the upper floor of your downtown office.
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Voice dossier
- Location
- Across the universe
- Enna Deren: You're a mezzosoprano with pretty decent range and training.
- Midori / Tentacle Girl / Seattle Squidbat: Contralto, unearthly, augmented fourth harmonic.
- King of Seattle: Tenor. Classically trained for operatic and oration. Très sexy.
- 1087 / Joe: You're not sure his voice is all the way finished changing, but maybe tenor-ish?
- 1025 / Spare Change: Baritone. Gravelly. Probably smoked for several decades.
- 1138 / Dave: "Baritone." Should be a tenor but never really worked on his upper register when he was singing in that garage band, damnit.
- 1139: Alto. Ish. Not very melodious at all.
- Emperor Redford I: Low and powerful, but probably not much of a singer. Like Arnold with a different accent.
- Lady Light: One of those really girly soprano voices. You don't know if she has the singing range, but she likes to talk in a pretty high register.
- Gray Knight / Armored Suit Sidekick: Darth Vader voice filter. Bass with his helmet off, though, too, from what you overheard at their base. Good diction, probably could carry a tune in a bucket if he wasn't growling angrily.
- Silent Siren: Apparently mute.
- Black Seahawk / Bryan Cooper: Low side of baritone. Upper class diction.
- Hell's Belle / Hellbitch: Unknown, you haven't met her.
- Mateo: Either baritone or tenor, but he clearly has formal training in voice and talks pretty oddly, so you're not 100% sure yet.
- Mary Kowalski: Alto. Pretty loud "mom" voice when she needs it to be, which is often.
- Marty Kowalski: Countertenor. He actually was a cantor at their church for a few years.
- John Helfer: Low side of tenor. A little bit grating, honestly.
- Ray Marble: Baritone, but not trained as a singer. Sounds kind of nice in a therapist sort of way.
- Lieutenant Jake: Baritone. Rough and definitely not trained, but pretty pleasant and not gravelly at all.
- Lewis Cooper: Bass. Speaks quietly, but with clear diction.
- Alice: She sounds like she could be a fellow mezzosoprano, but you're not sure if she's a okay singer or not.
- Mom: Soprano with some classical training.
[X] Tell Mateo he's your bodyguard, not your surgeon. You'll stop at a jeweler's later to get the ring off.
[X] Try to figure out where your former client (the Silent Siren) went after skipping bail.
She was hilarious, let's see her again.
[X] Try to figure out where your former client (the Silent Siren) went after skipping bail.
She was hilarious, let's see her again.
Solarstream
Sun of the Moon
- Location
- Southern Waters
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Tell Mateo he's your bodyguard, not your surgeon. You'll stop at a jeweler's later to get the ring off.
[X] Try to figure out where your former client (the Silent Siren) went after skipping bail.
[X] Try to figure out where your former client (the Silent Siren) went after skipping bail.
2. Unwinding a snake
- Location
- Across the universe
We have a 3-3 tie on Silent Siren vs Jake. Tiebreak roll is ... Jake!
Insight (Mateo): 17
Persuasion (Jake): 15
Insight (Jake): 21
Insight (Mateo): 17
Persuasion (Jake): 15
Insight (Jake): 21
A disappointed look flits across his face. "Miss, I assure you I am a qualified chirurgeon and natural philosopher," he says. "I also paint landscapes passably well."
He's probably telling the truth, but you just can't seem to get a read on him. He's slippery.
***
"Excellent reproduction," the jeweler says. "Astonishing, really, modern cuts would do the stones better justice, but I'm impressed by your fiance and your original jeweler alike. I've seen the original at the V&A myself. I doubt Albert himself could tell the difference. Could you tell me who made it?"
"I'm not here for an appraisal, I just want help getting this off my finger," you say, shaking your head. "Without damaging it. Or my finger."
The jeweler ignores you for a moment, flashing the blacklight on his loupe and muttering under his breath as he stares at the ring. You clear your throat.
"Oh. Yes, sorry. It's just such an incredible piece to see up close and personal like this. The gems aren't synthetic, by the way. It must have cost quite a pretty penny. Your fiance must have wanted to surprise you, but with a ring like this, you really should have taken measurements." He tsks at Mateo, and then pulls out a silk ribbon and begins wrapping it around your finger. "And you'll be wanting this resized, I imagine?"
You bite your tongue for a moment, glancing over at the glowering Mateo. You decide that if you let your mother assume you were engaged, you can let a jeweler make a similarly incorrect assumption. Once the silk ribbon is between your skin and the ring, it proves easy enough to slip the ring over your knuckle. The tricky part, given the coiling-snake design of the ring, is doing so without bending the soft gold of the ring.
***
Your thumbs fly furiously as you finish a long text to Midori, filling her in on the important details from yesterday - namely, that you now have a bodyguard in tow who is apparently a high-ranking super in the Crimson Court.
>An Interpol notice just crossed my desk. Someone matching the description of Amanda Norman is wanted in connection with a series of museum heists in England seven months ago, and was sighted in Seattle yesterday.
"Amanda Norman" is the fake name that you gave the hospital in Snoqualmie after the woodchipper incident. Your stump twinges at the reminder, and you adjust your prosthetic foot. Jake is trying to warn you without getting himself in trouble. Depending on what's in the record and what his chief thinks, he might get an order to take you in for questioning... and even if he likes you, you don't think he entirely trusts you yet.
>Seven months ago, huh? That's just before the Silent Siren case got transferred to my desk.
Your alibi is ironclad. Idly, you wonder what the Silent Siren is up to now. Her crimes were fairly spectacularly public before her arrest, but she seems to have been keeping a low profile since escaping from Prince Tenor's minions when they sprang her from jail. You send another text, not waiting for Jake to reply. You need Jake on the defensive and not asking questions.
>What are you doing tomorrow night? I'd love to see you again.
>Funny you should mention it. I was having a few drinks last night with Lewis from the bowling alley. You remember him and Alice, right?
>Yeah
>He has a lane reserved for tomorrow night. I didn't want to be a third wheel, but if you're up for it?
You stare at your phone.[] Your accidental double date with Lewis and Alice at the bowling alley worked great for you last time. Let's not mess with a winning formula.
[] Bowling again? Hm, it turns out that you read your calendar wrong. Tomorrow night you have to work on a brief. How does ... the opera sound? Sunday afternoon? You'd love to see what Jake looks like dressed to the nines.
[] Interpol? Wanted? ABORT MISSION! Jake's a cop. You're a defense attorney, you know how these things work! He may not want to arrest you, but someone higher up will put together the pieces quickly enough.
[] (write-in)
What did you do with the ring?
[] Left it with the jeweler to be resized. It should be safe there.
[] Let Mateo take custody of it. The poor fellow seemed very anxious.
[] Kept it close. You want to know more about it and can't really trust anyone.
[] Handed it off to Midori upstairs in your office. You can trust her, right?
[] (write-in)
Solarstream
Sun of the Moon
- Location
- Southern Waters
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Bowling again? Hm, it turns out that you read your calendar wrong. Tomorrow night you have to work on a brief. How does ... the opera sound? Sunday afternoon? You'd love to see what Jake looks like dressed to the nines.
[X] Handed it off to Midori upstairs in your office. You can trust her, right?
[X] Handed it off to Midori upstairs in your office. You can trust her, right?
[x] Your accidental double date with Lewis and Alice at the bowling alley worked great for you last time. Let's not mess with a winning formula.
[x] Kept it close. You want to know more about it and can't really trust anyone.
Horde EVERYTHING, especially wheels of cheese.
[x] Kept it close. You want to know more about it and can't really trust anyone.
Horde EVERYTHING, especially wheels of cheese.
[X] Bowling again? Hm, it turns out that you read your calendar wrong. Tomorrow night you have to work on a brief. How does ... the opera sound? Sunday afternoon? You'd love to see what Jake looks like dressed to the nines.
[X] Kept it close. You want to know more about it and can't really trust anyone.
[X] Kept it close. You want to know more about it and can't really trust anyone.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Please remind me what Jake knows about our entire situation.
[x] Bowling again? Hm, it turns out that you read your calendar wrong. Tomorrow night you have to work on a brief. How does ... the opera sound? Sunday afternoon? You'd love to see what Jake looks like dressed to the nines.
[x] Handed it off to Midori upstairs in your office. You can trust her, right?
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- Location
- Across the universe
He knows the complete version of the woodchipper incident as you know it - so he knows you were captured by the Gray Knight, the Lady Light attempted to woodchipper you, and that you then gave a fake name at the hospital and left, basically. You also filled her in on Lady Light's habit of stalking and assaulting you before the attempted murder, and he knows the broad sketch of your work trying to be the Silent Siren's defense attorney.
You haven't told him about your superpower, the teenage Cthulette living upstairs from your office, the shenanigans with Prince Tenor and your ex-boyfriend Dave, or your audience in the Crimson Court (although he might know that last one already, because his office has some level of cooperation and communication with the Crimson Guard). He does not know that your mother thinks you're engaged to be married, or about Mary and Marty's attempt to set you up with a boyfriend not involved in supervillainy.
- Location
- Across the universe
We currently have a tie. I see the voting tools are much improved.
- Location
- The Hall of Completed Quest Fame
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[x] Bowling again? Hm, it turns out that you read your calendar wrong. Tomorrow night you have to work on a brief. How does ... the opera sound? Sunday afternoon? You'd love to see what Jake looks like dressed to the nines.
[x] Handed it off to Midori upstairs in your office. You can trust her, right?
I usually roll 1d2 in case of a tie
[x] Handed it off to Midori upstairs in your office. You can trust her, right?
I usually roll 1d2 in case of a tie
Vote closed
- Location
- Across the universe
3. The Magic Flute
- Location
- Across the universe
Will (non-Euclidean horror) 10
Investigation (rumors) 17
Expertise: Music (the opera) 23
Perception (???) 10
Perception (???) 13
Etiquette (intermission) 8
Insight (Mrs. Cooper) 11
Insight (Lewis Cooper) 12
Perception (???) 12
Insight (Alice) 16
Insight (Jake) 20
Insight (Alicia) 26
You actually have a pending critical success on Insight from the last episode of Empowered that I didn't get around to resolving yet, because I plotted too far ahead. It's being used here.
Investigation (rumors) 17
Expertise: Music (the opera) 23
Perception (???) 10
Perception (???) 13
Etiquette (intermission) 8
Insight (Mrs. Cooper) 11
Insight (Lewis Cooper) 12
Perception (???) 12
Insight (Alice) 16
Insight (Jake) 20
Insight (Alicia) 26
You actually have a pending critical success on Insight from the last episode of Empowered that I didn't get around to resolving yet, because I plotted too far ahead. It's being used here.
"Yes," you say. "It's safer if you hold onto in than I do."
"Oh," she says, putting the ring on a magnetic clip. "But it might get damaged if I get in a fight. I'll just put it on the other side of the fridge, nobody looks there."
"Not behind the fridge!" You shake your head.
"No, the other other side," she says, reaching sideways through the front of the fridge in a way that makes your brain hurt. You briefly see a field of stars and a strange flat magnetic expanse of white as she reaches further around the fridge, a hidden seventh side of what you formerly believed to be a rectilinear object. Her fingers stretch as they deftly place the magnetic clip with Queen Victoria's engagement ring between a ripped cover of Rolling Stone featuring a young man with blue eyes and a crumpled piece of graph paper covered with cryptic scribbles. Your brain hurts for a moment as you try to make sense of that, and then the whole room goes sideways. You close your eyes and shake your head.
When you open your eyes, the fridge is back to its normal dimensions. Good luck figuring that out, Interpol, you think to yourself.
***
Mateo was not happy about the disappearance of the ring, or your date with Jake. You do let him note down the seat numbers on the tickets you bought to The Magic Flute (Jake seemed unsure of the whole opera thing, so you went ahead and bought tickets yourself). He'll be following you to the opera house in a separate car. In your car, actually. Apparently he doesn't own one. Weird.
Anyway, Jake looks fantastic if a little bit stiff and uncomfortable in his suit. He probably only wears one for weddings and funerals, but someone else made sure the suit fit him right when he bought it and he's stayed exactly the same dimensions since then. He brought a flower. You've dressed in the most daring thing you can imagine wearing, which is a knee-length purple affair paired with knee-high boots to conceal your prosthetic foot. Almost more daring than wearing boots to the opera is the dress's back, which dips somewhere closer to your hips than your shoulders. Jake's eyes widen appreciatively when he sees that.
On the drive to the opera, Jake fills you in on some of the things that he's been hearing about at the station. Lady Light has been deviating from her usual patrol patterns since she and the Gray Knight stopped working together, some kind of announcement in middle Egyptian has been delivered to every city hall in King County on papyrus scrolls, and Hell's Belle melted a hole in the side of a bank vault, which would have netted her several million dollars in cash if not for the fact that printed money is ... flammable. Also, the game today at CenturyLink Field has been canceled, reportedly due to the fact that Groombot threw a Crimson Guard tank through the side of the stadium during a fight.
Several puzzle pieces click together in your head. The Gray Knight kicked the Lady Light out of his base right after your first date with Jake. A date in which, right in front of Lewis Cooper, he called you Amanda Norman and said he put corpse dogs out looking for you. Amanda Norman, of course, being the name of the mysterious woman who showed up with a woodchippered foot in Snoqualmie the same night that you disappeared from the Gray Knight's base. These things are connected. Lewis Cooper and his girlfriend Alice learned enough to connect you with the public police reports, and then suddenly the Gray Knight and the Lady Light are on the outs with each other.
***
The opera is wonderful. The star of the show being unfortunately suddenly ill, Tamino is being played by a local understudy, who is really quite good. It's a match for the mellifluous tones of the self-proclaimed King of Seattle himself, although you've never actually heard the latter sing. A faint suspicion wiggles in your brain.
You spent half the intermission making small talk with a distinguished-looking older woman while in line for the ladies' room. She was complaining about her son's date and her daughter being rude to each other. After you got back from the restroom, you found Jake laughing and talking with none other than Lewis Cooper. Alice is hanging on Lewis's arm as if it's necessary to maintain her balance, wearing a bold red dress that lets you know that she has no tan lines on her sternum, and the next thing you know Jake is whisking you upstairs to the Coopers' box. There you find Lewis's sister (awkwardly named Alicia) drinking directly from a bottle of Grand Marnier. She puts down the bottle with a loud belch, an act deliberately calculated to annoy Alice. She clearly doesn't approve of her prospective sister-in-law, doesn't even like opera, and her mother quietly left during intermission.
The view is much better from the Coopers' box. You're not sure what's going through Lewis's mind, but Jake is really happy he's found someone he doesn't feel awkwardly out of place around, and in the comparative privacy of the box, he feels free to cuddle up to you and wrap his arm around your shoulders, so that's nice. Also, Alice has invited both of you to come back to Lewis's place for drinks and dinner.
What do?
[] This is a great opportunity to snoop on Lewis Cooper and figure out something.
[] This is a great opportunity to have a fun time with Jake, and there's absolutely no way he's going to be driving back to Snoqualmie after dinner and drinks at Lewis's place.
[] No! Jake needs to go straight back to your place with you!
[] (write-in)
Okay, so that's a plan for tonight. And what are you going to do afterwards?
[] Someone needs to stop Hellbitch, she's causing too much damage.
[] Silent Siren hasn't made the news for a while, and you need to figure out what she's up to.
[] Time to try to expose Prince Tenor.
[] Just try to stay out of sight until Lady Light is in custody and Interpol has stopped searching for a ring thief.
[] (write-in)
Last edited:
- Location
- The Hall of Completed Quest Fame
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[x] This is a great opportunity to snoop on Lewis Cooper and figure out something.
[x] Time to try to expose Prince Tenor.
[x] Time to try to expose Prince Tenor.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Sooo... Lewis Cooper, Bryan Cooper. Do these guys have anything in common, or is it a coincidence?
[x] This is a great opportunity to snoop on Lewis Cooper and figure out something.
[x] Just try to stay out of sight until Lady Light is in custody and Interpol has stopped searching for a ring thief.
Edit:
[x] This is a great opportunity to snoop on Lewis Cooper and figure out something.
[x] Just try to stay out of sight until Lady Light is in custody and Interpol has stopped searching for a ring thief.
Is there anything more unsettling than a GM who makes you roll Perception and then has everything continue the same?
Edit:
A typo? I think it may have been supposed to read "almost more daring than [...]"
Last edited:
Solarstream
Sun of the Moon
- Location
- Southern Waters
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] This is a great opportunity to snoop on Lewis Cooper and figure out something.
[X] Just try to stay out of sight until Lady Light is in custody and Interpol has stopped searching for a ring thief.
[X] Just try to stay out of sight until Lady Light is in custody and Interpol has stopped searching for a ring thief.
- Location
- Across the universe
Ooh, good catch. Yes. Thanks
