Adventures Assemble S3E3: The Great Brain Robbery!

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Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Ysariel »

All
Metapower Research (G.A.S. subsidiary) -- Campus

By the time you emerge from the facility, the sky is already completely dark. The research facility is completely surrounded by a police cordon, emergency services, and beyond that, the media. There, you can see Regina, the G.A.S. CTO, being swarmed by reporters.

One reporter raises his hand. "Are the rumors that G.A.S. has been researching power-boosting technology to give to the Anarchy Command true?"

"Absolutely not," Regina says. "G.A.S. has never knowingly funded research into technology to create or boost superpowers. This unauthorized research is the work of a small number of rogue employees, who have commandeered company resources without permission," she says. "Rest assured that G.A.S. will fully cooperate with law enforcement to bring the offending persons to justice."

Another journalist brandishes her recorder. "As Chief Technology Officer, how could this have happened under your direct oversight?"

"G.A.S. is a large and complex company, with many top-secret projects and sequestered resources not known to every member of top management. As the person in charge of overall strategy for our research efforts, it was still possible for

However, stronger central oversight and more authority over company resources would certainly have helped prevent such an incident. I shall be petitioning the board for such shortly."

More mics and cameras jostle for attention. "What is Mr. Richards' involvement in this incident? Is he aware of the attack?"

"Mr. Richards is currently inconvenienced. At the advice of the board, he is taking a step back from management duties for the time being to attend to... personal issues. I will be stepping in as interim CEO effective immediately."

A news chopper from Channel 6 thunders overhead, and the buzz of its rotors momentarily drowns out the media. You escort General Havoc, whom you have securely bound hand and foot in bulky, super-alloy restraints, with an AEGIS power-nullifier collar about her throat. The expression on her face is unreadable. As you emerge from the facility, armed AEGIS agents in MAX powered armor run up to take custody of her from you and bring her to the armored transport that will take her to Deep Six.

Before they can load her into the transport, though, a taxi screeches to a halt just before the cordon, and three disheveled figures pour out -- one woman attended by two men. They are wearing old-fashioned, Victorian style coats and jackets, and carrying staves and walking-sticks, although their clothing is tattered and in disarray and the woman in the lead still has a chain wrapped about one ankle, which clatters noisily as she stomps towards you. The police maintaining the cordon scramble to block their path.

"MAKE WAY!" you hear the woman shriek, and Spellbinder immediately recognizes the voice of Grand Dame whatsherface, who attempted to take him into custody for his 'protection' earlier. "I, this very moment, DEMAND that you surrender Jason Maxwell to us. He is in possession of critical secrets of the Order of Merlin, and he CANNOT be allowed to WANDER around in broad daylight--"

"Friend of yours?" Beatrice asks with a raised eyebrow.

Amethyst looks right as Spellbinder. "Do you want to deal with this yourself, or should I take out the trash?"

OOC

This is the final scene, a little wrap-up before the adventure ends. If you wish, you may interact with any of the NPCs, or attempt to question General Havoc, Regnina, or anyone on scene. You can also do whatever else you wish, within reason, before leaving the Daka Crystal Vault and the interior of the facility.
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kenseido
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by kenseido »

Spellbinder

Once again, Jason is quiet and stays out of the way. He lets the Champions and all the government people handle everything. If any of the journalists even look like they might approach him, he just vanishes.

When the Grand Poobah of Space arrives, he groans and rolls his eyes.

"That's it. I'm out of here."

"This is your," he says as he pulls the commlink out of his ear and hands it to Michelle.

He turns and looks at Genie. "I'll see you around, Ge..." Jason stops himself and looks around. "Nightbird. he corrects himself. "I'll see you around Nightbird."

He makes the practiced hand movements to take him away from this place.

"Portare!"

Then Jason vanishes from the scene.
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Gilliam
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Gilliam »

Nightbird


After spending the final fight checking how dusty the floor was, Imogen was feeling a tad embarrassed that she wasn't any help in seeing off the Demon of Hate although she wouldn't be at all surprised if it turned up again. While she found little to agree with Knightfire it was correct that there will always be hate.

On the way out of the building Imogen walked beside General Havoc "So who was your person on the inside at GAS? You know they left you to take the fall for them?"
OOC wrote: Depending on the response if any, Imogen will continue to ask questions otherwise wew will move to the scene outside.



Imogen didn't know what to say to Jason about him running ahead without waiting for any of them, she was going to wait until they were back at their base before she raised the issue and then he disappears into thin air after the new arrivals demand Jason to be handed over to them.

"Just who are you?" Imogen asks her voice sounding both annoyed and cold.
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Psistrike »

Moonlight
Aranel worked the kinks out after everything they had been through, she felt like a mouse who had survived a fight against a rabid rat. But what was with the attempt at creating an Incarnation of Hate from General Havoc? Are the forces of darkness on the rise and seeking to gain a stronger foothold or was this an attempt to replace one defeated Incarnation with a new one as some twisted balance?

And darn it! The new guy who helped them out, who without they would have lost, has up and left already. Will he be back any time soon, Gaia knows they need all the help they can get. For now, she went over to Gelert and gave him a good pet. "We dodged a colossal meteor today, who knows how mighty General Havoc would have been if she became an Incarnation of Hate? Or how her mere presence might have affected the people of Earth. Let's head home, we have earned a nice time loafing in front of the TV."
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stavaros_the_arcane
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by stavaros_the_arcane »

Ysariel wrote: Fri Aug 12, 2022 9:50 pm All
Daka Crystal Vault
stavaros_the_arcane wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 1:54 am "NOPE! None of that!" Gelert says before blasting Knightfire.
At that moment, one of the grates on the ceiling behind Knightfire pops open and clatters to the floor, revealing Gelert's head. Knightfire has no corporeal form and the corgi's beam of blue light passes straight through him to blow up a rack of Daka crystals in the background.

But as the light of Hope passes through him, Knightfire screams. To hope, you see, to believe the best of others, to have faith, to trust that tomorrow will be better, that whatever darkened today's sky is only a passing thing, and that light and stars and possibility abound in the infinite space above, and that goodness and kindness will prevail, is something so utterly anathema to the cold, bitter cynicism that is Knightfire's heart that in this weakened state it shatters him. Knightfire screams, in a way none of the numerous beatings he has received in his long career as a terrorst have managed to make him scream, and his immaterial form gutters and extinguishes with a puff of smoke.

For a while, you sense a malevolent presence linger in the room. "No," whispers a broken voice. "You can't... can't..."

But whatever resolve powered his attempt to incarnate General Havoc just moments earlier seems to have been spent.

"You can't... get rid of me... forever," he whispers, feebly. "There will always... be hate. Always... always..."

For a fleeting moment you taste the immeasurably deep bitterness in his soul, a heart cold and hardened from a lifetime of prejudice -- and then he is no more.
"Perhaps, but I'll settle for getting rid of you for today." Gelert says with certainty.
Psistrike wrote: Wed Aug 17, 2022 1:55 am Moonlight
Aranel worked the kinks out after everything they had been through, she felt like a mouse who had survived a fight against a rabid rat. But what was with the attempt at creating an Incarnation of Hate from General Havoc? Are the forces of darkness on the rise and seeking to gain a stronger foothold or was this an attempt to replace one defeated Incarnation with a new one as some twisted balance?

And darn it! The new guy who helped them out, who without they would have lost, has up and left already. Will he be back any time soon, Gaia knows they need all the help they can get. For now, she went over to Gelert and gave him a good pet. "We dodged a colossal meteor today, who knows how mighty General Havoc would have been if she became an Incarnation of Hate? Or how her mere presence might have affected the people of Earth. Let's head home, we have earned a nice time loafing in front of the TV."
"Yeah I could do without any more Incarnations for a while." Gelert agrees. "We Corgi's are experts at the art of Loafing. And in front of the TV is an excellent place to be as loaf."
Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Ysariel »

Nightbird
Gilliam wrote: Sun Aug 14, 2022 9:36 am On the way out of the building Imogen walked beside General Havoc "So who was your person on the inside at GAS? You know they left you to take the fall for them?"
The AEGIS troops stop General Havoc so you can question her. She stands in silence for a long while.

"It is not Richards," she says at last.

"You have seen the N.O.M.U., yes? They are the victims of U.S. attempts to create synthetic superhumans in the 50''s and 60's, under his grandfather's auspices, as a pawn of S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M. The failed project -- his duping by S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M. -- is a dark chapter for G.A.S., and Richards does not want to revisit it. His forte is vehicles, tanks, jets, missiles. Machines, he thinks, are easier to control."

"No, the mastermind is someone high up in G.A.S. Someone with the power to direct research and with full access to the company's secret resources and projects. Someone careful enough to conceal their identity and keep their hands clean in their double-dealing with the Anarchy Command. I personally suspect his head of research, Regina. She may be young and ambitious enough to pull strings behind her master's back."

The General looks at you directly.

"But you cannot arrest someone on a suspicion, can you?" a thin smile graces her lips. "And since you used neither the power boosters nor Richards' robots, I conclude you and G.A.S. do not trust each other either." She leans closer, as though whispering secrets into your ear. "They fear you, my little bird. You may defend them but they fear you. They fear the alien, the mutant, the heretic who questions their orthodoxy and threatens the banality of their mundane existence. And they will never stop trying to subjugate you and every other superhuman on the planet."

OOC

You can continue talking to her if you wish. Only once you are finished will I post MacKenzie's response to you confronting her, since I assume you are only leaving to do so once you have finished talking to Havoc.
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Ysariel »

Moonlight & Gelert
Justice Hall -- Alcatraz Island

As you return to your HQ, however, you observe that it is not yet fit for loafing. Despite today technically being its grand opening, there are few facilities at the moment. Right now, it's merely the one conference room where you met earlier, the memorial to Kisai, and the restored Victory Monument out front -- impressive-looking but not really useful. Lord Steel's battleship (now floating in orbit, and under U.N. jurisdiction) actually feels comfier.

Beatrice is in the HQ, finishing up a call. As she you enter she hangs up and nods at you.

"Good job," she says. "And good news. The surviving members of the Justice Foundation, whom as you may know actually own the land we stand on and used it for their headquarters until it was flattened in the Invasion, have not only agreed to allow you use of the land, but also to provide you funds for the operation of your team. A superteam requires a proper income stream -- and if you don't want to go the merchandising/influencer/spokesperson route, then having some wealthy patrons never hurts."

She pushes forwards a few papers for you to see.

"I'll be earmarking a portion of the funds disbursed from the Justice Foundation's trust monthly to pay for expansion of your headquarters' facilities. Consider what will best serve your needs."


OOC

kenseido and I are still talking about it, but we are planning to do something where at the end of every adventure, you will get to add a facility to your HQ for free, so that over the course of the campaign the HQ reflects the team's shared history and past adventures.

This is just to introduce what will happen in an IC way, but of course you may wish to give your two cents to Beatrice directly if you already have some ideas on what the team may need.

If you have nothing else to add, that ends your scene and your part in this adventure.
Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Ysariel »

Spellbinder
kenseido wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 1:00 am "That's it. I'm out of here."

"This is your," he says as he pulls the commlink out of his ear and hands it to Michelle.
Her hand closes around the earpiece. "Wait... hey! Where are you going?"

But you are already halfway through the portal. You think you hear Grand Dame Mackenzie's voice screaming something far away -- but soon enough darkness swallows you and you leave behind the heroes, the Order of Merlin, the Daka Crystals and their mystery, and all else that has happened on this very strange day, behind.

OOC

And thus ends your part in the adventure -- at least, until you encounter the team again.
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Gilliam »

Nightbird

Ysariel wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 7:56 pm The AEGIS troops stop General Havoc so you can question her. She stands in silence for a long while.

"It is not Richards," she says at last.

"You have seen the N.O.M.U., yes? They are the victims of U.S. attempts to create synthetic superhumans in the 50''s and 60's, under his grandfather's auspices, as a pawn of S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M. The failed project -- his duping by S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M. -- is a dark chapter for G.A.S., and Richards does not want to revisit it. His forte is vehicles, tanks, jets, missiles. Machines, he thinks, are easier to control."

"No, the mastermind is someone high up in G.A.S. Someone with the power to direct research and with full access to the company's secret resources and projects. Someone careful enough to conceal their identity and keep their hands clean in their double-dealing with the Anarchy Command. I personally suspect his head of research, Regina. She may be young and ambitious enough to pull strings behind her master's back."

The General looks at you directly.

"But you cannot arrest someone on a suspicion, can you?" a thin smile graces her lips. "And since you used neither the power boosters nor Richards' robots, I conclude you and G.A.S. do not trust each other either." She leans closer, as though whispering secrets into your ear. "They fear you, my little bird. You may defend them but they fear you. They fear the alien, the mutant, the heretic who questions their orthodoxy and threatens the banality of their mundane existence. And they will never stop trying to subjugate you and every other superhuman on the planet."
"That is where you're wrong General" Imogen replies after taking a moment to digest Havoc's statement "There will always be those who hate or fear the different, the people who don't stay in the place they believe they should be and if it is not supers then it will be someone else they target because that is who they are. But for for every person like that there are 10, 100 even more who believe in what we are trying to do and support us in their own way, while they may not be as vocal as the haters I know they are there and I could feel their presence in the battle against Lucienne. We all have our own battles for me I was chased by the police here when they turned on us on a lie and then there was the Mayor actively underminding us at every opportunity but I .. we chose not to walk away and to continue to fight for what was right no matter how hard it was."

Letting her words sink in Imogen then tried to elicit anymore info about the mole "You're right we can't arrest someone on a suspicion I don't know much about Regina and honestly I haven't heard anything good about Richards either, apart from the fact he is a blowhard of the first degree. You don't owe me anything but is there anything else about this 'agent' as they are still a threat to you and to all us supers."
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by stavaros_the_arcane »

Ysariel wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 8:23 pm Moonlight & Gelert
Justice Hall -- Alcatraz Island

As you return to your HQ, however, you observe that it is not yet fit for loafing. Despite today technically being its grand opening, there are few facilities at the moment. Right now, it's merely the one conference room where you met earlier, the memorial to Kisai, and the restored Victory Monument out front -- impressive-looking but not really useful. Lord Steel's battleship (now floating in orbit, and under U.N. jurisdiction) actually feels comfier.

Beatrice is in the HQ, finishing up a call. As she you enter she hangs up and nods at you.

"Good job," she says. "And good news. The surviving members of the Justice Foundation, whom as you may know actually own the land we stand on and used it for their headquarters until it was flattened in the Invasion, have not only agreed to allow you use of the land, but also to provide you funds for the operation of your team. A superteam requires a proper income stream -- and if you don't want to go the merchandising/influencer/spokesperson route, then having some wealthy patrons never hurts."

She pushes forwards a few papers for you to see.

"I'll be earmarking a portion of the funds disbursed from the Justice Foundation's trust monthly to pay for expansion of your headquarters' facilities. Consider what will best serve your needs."


OOC

kenseido and I are still talking about it, but we are planning to do something where at the end of every adventure, you will get to add a facility to your HQ for free, so that over the course of the campaign the HQ reflects the team's shared history and past adventures.

This is just to introduce what will happen in an IC way, but of course you may wish to give your two cents to Beatrice directly if you already have some ideas on what the team may need.

If you have nothing else to add, that ends your scene and your part in this adventure.
Gelert considered the financial situation. "Hmm, I've been keeping the use of my image mostly limited to charitable causes so far. We could see about extending the licensing for a wider range of merchandising if necessary as my image is exceptionally marketable. I will insist that a portion of the proceeds continue to go towards the charitable causes but I understand the necessity of a revenue stream to get this place up to snuff."
Ysariel
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Ysariel »

Nightbird
Gilliam wrote: Mon Aug 22, 2022 7:45 am
"That is where you're wrong General" Imogen replies after taking a moment to digest Havoc's statement "There will always be those who hate or fear the different, the people who don't stay in the place they believe they should be and if it is not supers then it will be someone else they target because that is who they are. But for for every person like that there are 10, 100 even more who believe in what we are trying to do and support us in their own way, while they may not be as vocal as the haters I know they are there and I could feel their presence in the battle against Lucienne. We all have our own battles for me I was chased by the police here when they turned on us on a lie and then there was the Mayor actively underminding us at every opportunity but I .. we chose not to walk away and to continue to fight for what was right no matter how hard it was."

Letting her words sink in Imogen then tried to elicit anymore info about the mole "You're right we can't arrest someone on a suspicion I don't know much about Regina and honestly I haven't heard anything good about Richards either, apart from the fact he is a blowhard of the first degree. You don't owe me anything but is there anything else about this 'agent' as they are still a threat to you and to all us supers."
"You remind me," General Havoc says, "of my father. He, too, once believed what you do, when he went to the White House and the United Nations to protest the militarization of superhumans."

"But realpolitik prevailed. Then he thought instead: if the nations of the world will not protect us, perhaps we should found our own. But the Soviet Union and the United States feared the threat we could become, and our fledgling nation -- Utopia -- was destroyed before it could take root. Then my father decided at last, all hope gone, that if we cannot have our nation, no-one will. A world without nations..."

"I know nothing more of value," the General says. "The Anarchy Command was contacted only through intermediaries -- agents who may not even have known the true nature of what they were delivering to us. I will predict this, however. G.A.S. is unlikely to abandon its power-nullifying robots, its STARS drones, even after they have now been shown to be vulnerable to technopaths. Billion-dollar weapons projects such as those never go quietly. I hope you are good at fighting them. As for the rest what you said... Time will tell who is right."
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Gilliam »

Nightbird


Imogen walked beside the General in silence considering what she had been told, while they had differences i their view Imogen could understand where the General was coming from although she had forgotten that there was always hope no matter how bad things got.

She also resolved to keep an eye on GAS, she felt that Havoc was being honest with her about GAS and sadly she had to agree that money was a big motivator for a lot of people.
OOC wrote: Happy to end this scene here if you like.

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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Ysariel »

All

Meawhile, the shouting at the police cordon gets louder.

"I am the Grand Dame MacKenzie of the Order of Merlin and we are here to apprehend a most unruly magi of the order who has absconded and abandoned his vows and responsi-- AND THERE HE GOES! ESCAPED AGAIN!" she shrieks, gesticulating wildly at a very confused-looking Amethyst, who is now standing alone, holding the earpiece Spellbinder returned to her.

"You heroes! Good only for getting in our way! If you had not caused this--" she gestures around to indicate the damaged city-- "we may have made it here early enough to intercept him. If you know what's good for you, you'll alert the Order at once if he shows up again."

"If you show up one more time to harass him," Amethyst says, her voice the temperature of liquid nitrogen, "I will--"

What she says is very hard to make out over the din of the crowd, but the Grand Dame turns very pale.

"Y-You can't do that! You're a h-hero!"

"I also gave General Havoc a mild case of smallpox," Amethyst says. "Try me."

She watches the police escort the mages from the Order of Merlin away, then looks down at the earpiece in her hand: a missed opportunity to make a friend.
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Enemies of the State!

Post by Ysariel »

Epilogue

One week later
G.A.S. Headquarters, Silicon Alley


The marquee at the bottom of the holographic screen reads "Channel 6 -- Champions Press Conference", and its flickering screen shows a sea of mics branded with colorful logos of media organizations from all over the world.

"What will be done with the large numbers of N.O.M.U. discovered aboard the Ragnarok?"

"I'm working with genetics experts from the Navy to try and reverse their transformations," Amethyst says. "I'm no Danfield, and the process will be long and slow, but even if it's over half a century too late, we'll do everything we can to return them to normal life."

"Why do you think the Anarchy Command planned to destroy the U.S. first, when China is a much closer target to their home base?"

"Simple," Amy replies, speaking through the drones hovering about the podium. "In America, people with and without superpowers live together in peace, and protect and help each other. The United States is proof that the Anarchy Command's nihilistic vision is not inevitable. That idea is a far bigger threat to the Anarchy Command than all of the Chinese military's firepower."

"At G.A.S. headquarters, you said that you wouldn't take apart Gelert's ring to learn how it worked. Would you really not?"

"Of course I wouldn't," Amethyst says darkly, turning to leave the podium. "Humans are irresponsible enough with the technology they've already got."

"That arrogance is exactly why superhumans can't be trusted," Regina murmurs, flicking the holodisplay off with a wave of her hand. "Thinking you alone can decide what is right and wrong, what is safe and unsafe -- our entire planet's advancement is being hamstrung by your personal hang-ups. A disgrace to professor Didiza you are."

The door to the CEO's office glides open and in strides Rex Richards, a lingerie-clad young woman on each shoulder. "Preposterous!" he spits, tossing the phone in his hand. It goes flying, toppling a vase on its way. The vase shatters; the phone, being military-grade G.A.S. equipment, barely gets a scratch. His arm candy, sensing his anger, cower in fright.

"ONE superhuman happened to be a technopath," Richards fumes, "and for that, DARPA has suspended procurement of the STARS drones 'pending an analysis of tEChNiCal vULneRabiLiTieS'," he says in falsetto. "Spineless little shits. And now the board is pinning this mess on me and wants me to take a step back from running the company!"

"They're looking for a scapegoat, sir," Regina Grace says, adjusting her glasses. "The discovery that Anarchy Command sympathizers had comandeered company resources to develop illegal power boosters, and the resulting federal investigation, have got them scared. They can't see the need for your visionary leadership."

"Damn right," growls Richards. "Anyway -- you're interim CEO now. This is your mess to clean up. Deal with the feds and get us back on track; I want to be inking the billion-dollar deal that should be ours."

He turns to leave. The women in lingerie drape themselves over him in fawning adoration, one at each shoulder, and the door glides shut behind the trio, leaving Regina alone in the office. The CEO's office. Hers now, at least for a while.

She knows better than to use any of the equipment here for this particular call. Instead she taps a hidden earpiece, one broadcasting on an encrypted tight-beam transmission. A human voice picks up shortly. "Your orders?"

"Commence synthetic Daka crystal production."

End Episode 1
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Re: Adventures Assemble S3E1: Family Matters

Post by kenseido »

Family Matters

Previously on Adventurers Assemble

The team has just returned from Dakana and everyone is already back at it. Qora has flown across country to meet with UN delegates to discuss setting up special safe zones for extraterrestrials in their countries.

Amethyst and Gelert

The two of you are at the Children's Hospital where Gelert works for a big presentation. A new education center is opening today, and the highlight is new software that Michelle and Philip wrote to help teach children with disabilities. Leland McKenzie, the senior partner of the law firm that has been helping out Happy Computer's legal issues is also here, having managed to score over $500,000 worth of equipment donations from various companies.

Conspicuous in his absence is Philip, who isn't responding to his commlink. Not entirely unusual, Philip has been extremely moody since you all got back from Dakana. Even Leland has noticed.

"Is everything alright with Philip," the elder lawyer asks as you are minutes away from the main presentation.

Nightbird and Moonlight

While Philip has been extremely anti-social since you got back from Dakana, he did reach out to the two of you. Seems there is something brewing downtown. Some force is gathering together teenage girls in a Fagin-like gang. However, the leader, whoever they are, is using magic to twist the girl's minds. Philip has asked the two of you to investigate. He tried, but they have even been able to see through his magical disguises.

Nightbird, you know the area in question. Petty crime and larceny has picked up in this area. When a girl is apprehended by the police, they are usually one who has been missing for a time, and they immediately forget everything back to the moment they went missing.
As mentioned, this is a flashback scene that takes place after Dakana but before Call to Arms.
Last edited by kenseido on Sat Feb 18, 2023 10:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
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