Scion: Hero (IC)

[Kish]

"Yes, he does feed us his blood. He is Mog! He doesn't need permission for anything. Perish? He won't perish."

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Her warped view of Mog prevents her from relating in a useful way to Brand's second and third questions, but it seems clear that whether Mog promised her power or simply forcefed her blood, she is being exploited.

[Justanotherhero]

Whispering so nobody except the group hears him Julian says:

"She cannot re-enter the building because she might tell on us. Initiating a conflict here is not advisable. I will retrieve the car and pick her up as soon as I return. Does anyone have a better suggestion?"

[DeTess]

"I can wipe her memory of this encounter, which should ensure Mog remains in the dark." Liliana replied to Julian, quietly. "Though it will mean she will be an obstacle for when we go after him."

Louder, she asked the woman. "How many of you are there with Mog? As for Mog himself, can you give me a description of his appearance?"

[Kish]

"Mog's legion is beyond number!" she tells you, but asking her for specific names and estimating from how often someone goes out for groceries, you arrive at the conclusion that there are probably eleven other people in there, plus Mog. About Mog's appearance, she continues to make implausible statements about Mog's beauty and power, with nothing likely to be accurate.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

"So I guess the question is: do we go in immediately, while we're guaranteed to have the element of surprise, have already eliminated one combatant, and our intel is still fresh... or do we try to pick them off one by one, reducing their numbers but almost certainly tipping them off to our opposition?"

The band could capture this unfortunate soul easily enough, and then perhaps whomever was sent to look for her. After that, Mog would have to be an idiot not to realize someone had found him. Though they could turn that to their advantage as well, ambushing him in the open while he tried to flee instead of challenging him in the heart of his domain.

"Alternatively, we could wait for Forson to find Mog, and try to take advantage of the chaos to seize the dagger. I like that plan least of all; it relies on far too many unknowns turning out our way."

The fourth option, a peaceful resolution to this mess, was no longer on the table for Brand. Mog was preying upon the weak, and needed to be stopped. It really was as simple as that, but even if he hadn't been morally bound to act, he'd still have to step in for the sake of his geas.

Turning back to the thrall, Brandon quizzed her for the locations in the house of Mog and her fellow victims, as much as she could remember.

[Justanotherhero]

Julian considers the situation and addresses the group:

"I suggest we take a few minutes to retrieve my gear from the car. Immediately after, I propose we enter from above and hope for the best."

If the group agrees to a brief delay:

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Julian then takes out his cellphone and calls Zahir to arrange a halfway meeting point.

In Arabic, Julian speaks to Zahir:

"This operation looks significant, with at least a dozen onlookers and one spawn. If anything goes awry and you don't hear from me, head back home and pass on the details."

Zahir, concerned, responds: "Are you sure you want to go alone?"

Julian replies „I’m not keen on it, but someone has to and Dad hasn't provided clearer instructions. So, it is what it is and someone has to be there to report to home. „

Originally, Julian had prepared a large bag for breaking into the fraternity house, but circumstances change. Now, equipped with everything a would-be cat burglar might need, he makes his way back to rejoin the group.

[Kish]

Turning back to the thrall, Brandon quizzed her for the locations in the house of Mog and her fellow victims, as much as she could remember.

"Mog stays in the basement most of the time," she says to one question, and to others, she replies that the others move between floors, beyond that Mog is usually alone in the basement. Half of them sleep on the first floor, half on the second.

[Kaworu]

- I have other problem, actually - spoke Mateusz after listening to all the stuff the woman was telling - I believe his... worshippers to be just victims. I do not wanna hurt them, and I totally do not wanna kill them. Is anything we can do to... uh... break the curse that has been put on them?

[DeTess]

Liliana shook her head. "Nothing short of killing the giant and providing these guys with a couple months of therapy comes to mind. My father or one of the other Aesir might manage it, but I don't have any of them on call."

"Either way, we shouldn't dither about for too much longer here." She turned back to the captive woman. "I'd like to confirm some final things about Mog. How many eyes does he have? Think carefully before answering. And what about the air near him? Does it feel oddly cold or warm?"

[Kish]

"Eyes? He has...two eyes." She sounds confused. "It is cold around him."

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Brand twisted his head around as Julian returned, with...

"Is that climbing gear?" he asked, in his melodic voice. "Nice! She said the third floor is unstable, but I bet we could use that to get in through a window by the stairs; there's nobody on that floor, so we might be able to maintain the element of surprise a bit longer without as much risk of a collapse. I can get you up to the roof."

Speaking of surprise, though, a thought occurs....

Brand turned to face Max, standing between the rest of them and the front door. "Don't move just yet, please. I didn't notice if that door had a peephole or not, but if it does, with the way you've been positioned they won't have been able to tell what's happening out here. Well, not unless their hearing is a lot better than mine," he allowed. "As long as you stay there, I bet they won't realize if the rest of us start breaking in from above."

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Also, IIRC, Max has the knack for breaking objects and Strength/Epic Str on par with Brand's, so he should be able to bust down the door and join the fray pretty easily.

On the other hand, he's also much better at stealth than Brandon, so maybe he should take the top floors and Brand (or someone else, just thinking as I type here) should wait below blocking the peephole and creating the illusion that we're all still outside talking.

[Kaworu]

- So, basically, a few of us should stand here as a... passive diversion? - asked Mateusz - And then you can enter incognito, right? Hm... it's my sight that can paralyze her, but also, I believe I can stand my ground when fighting. Just... I would like not to hurt some forced mental zombies? - he made a sad face - Would you like me up there, or down here? I will try my best whatever you will say.

[Benoojian]

Max addresses the group as if the lady isn't there, "I could try to choke out this old lady so she doesn't cause problems for the strike, even if she is drinking giant blood I think I can take her. I could just knock her out if we're going to try to rescue them, but that might take more time. We don't know how they got involved with the giant but benefit of the doubt they're likely mostly innocent."

[DeTess]

"If you need someone to stay out here, I'm not as much use in a dragged out fight." Liliana admitted. "I have a sucker punch or two, but that's it."

[Justanotherhero]

Brand twisted his head around as Julian returned, with...

"Is that climbing gear?" he asked, in his melodic voice. "Nice! She said the third floor is unstable, but I bet we could use that to get in through a window by the stairs; there's nobody on that floor, so we might be able to maintain the element of surprise a bit longer without as much risk of a collapse. I can get you up to the roof.

After putting down the big bag. „Climbing gear yes and a mask and gloves for everyone that wants one. Since I did not have hand sizes I went with size L for everyone. My apologies if they don’t fit. “

[Justanotherhero]

Max addresses the group as if the lady isn't there, "I could try to choke out this old lady so she doesn't cause problems for the strike, even if she is drinking giant blood I think I can take her. I could just knock her out if we're going to try to rescue them, but that might take more time. We don't know how they got involved with the giant but benefit of the doubt they're likely mostly innocent."

We have a few blankets in the car in case you need to make some people comfortable. I would prefer to atleast try to safe them.

I will be going with you upstairs.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Brand rolled his neck back and forth, producing a series of loud pops and cracks, and smiled cheerfully.

"All right, let's get this party started."

He looked over the climbing gear. "Alas, those gloves look too small for me. Luckily, I always have another trick up my sleeve. Almost literally, in this case." With his left hand, Brand reached over to his right forearm... and used a single fingernail to tear a small gash into the skin. Instead of blood, though, a drop of some golden liquid welled to the surface... and suddenly spread, covering his skin in an impossibly thin, metallic-looking coating. In seconds, every bit of skin visible to observers was protected by the golden substance, and Brand knew that the miraculous armor extended under his clothing as well.

Ichor: divinity made solid. It wasn't as protective as the armor his mother had gifted him, but crucially, it also didn't add over 20 kilograms to his weight.

Crucial for his next stunt, anyway. Kicking off his socks and shoes (he might need the extra grip quite soon), he scooped up a coil of rope and some related climbing gear. He talked as he prepared, his melodic Irish accent filling the air; unlike a stage magician, he was under no obligation to refuse to explain his trick.

"Superhuman strength, of the kind seen in comics and some Scions, defies the laws of physics. Specifically, it appears to be exploiting some loophole in Newton's Third Law, that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The opposite reaction still occurs, but it's no longer equal. When I shove a car or punch a villain, they feel much more force than I do with the arm that does it, in a way that would probably make my physics professors cry. The applications of this are near limitless in potential... but I've only really mastered one of them. That one is, however - as you Americans say - a doozy."

Brandon crouched down slightly, swinging his arms back, as though about to hop over a puddle in the road. And then did precisely that... only instead of travelling a few feet, he rocketed upwards with a whoosh of wind, a golden streak already most of the way to the roof of the dilapidated house that was the giant's lair. To have accelerated that fast should have shattered the pavement, along with every bone in Brand's legs - but as he'd noted, physics was playing favorites today, and the force required to launch him dissipated harmlessly back into the same nothingness it had originated from.

As soon as he left the ground, ordinary physics was back into play on Brand. Despite his astounding initial velocity, gravity and drag were slowing him down just like any jump. And if he'd judged it right, at the apex of his jump, when his vertical speed was zero, he'd reach the roof with no more impact than if he'd casually stepped onto it from some midair platform.

[Kaworu]

- Very nice - was all Mateusz had to say. Since it was apparently time for some special effects, he did it as well. With a little help from his divinity, he made himself float above the ground, and then floated up at a gentle pace, finally reaching the place when his Irish buddy already was.

- I believe that I don't have to explain? - he smiled kindly, looking around for potential dangerous people and situations.

[Kish]

Brand and then Mateusz land on the roof of the tenement. No one seems to have noticed them yet.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

"My, you are just full of useful tricks today," Brand told the normally timid Scion, smiling. "Could you lend me a hand with this next bit?"

Brand tied off his rope to the chimney, securing it with a quick bowline. He then lowered himself back over the edge of the roof, taking his best guess as to which window would be closest to the stairs leading down from the third floor. Holding the rope with his toes like a monkey, he tied it off around his waist so he could use all four limbs to tease the boards off of the window.

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What should I roll to attempt this as quietly as possible?

[Benoojian]

"I suppose that's my cue to take care of the old lady." Max slips one muscular arm around the woman's neck and begins to squeeze, trying to knock the woman out...non-lethally for now. "Sshh, it'll all be alright, this nightmare will be over by the time you wake up."

[Kish]

You hear bones crack as Max squeezes, and life and rage return to the woman's eyes.

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Liliana and Julian can act before she does, as can Brand and Mateusz if they want to notice what's going on and come back, though coming back is all they can do before she acts(and will cost Mateusz another 1 Willpower and 1 Legend if he wants to fly back down) ignore that part! I neglected to check first, Wind's Freedom is active for the duration of the scene.

[Justanotherhero]

Julian equipped the mask and gloves to ensure anonymity.

Standing in front of the building and realizing he did not have specific wall climbing experience to offer. Until he saw that the civilian was about to scream.

With careful consideration for her well-being, he gently as possible places one of his gloves in her mouth to muffle any noise. Doing he best not to restrict air flow to much.

[DeTess]

Liliana stepped back to let Julian and Max handle the situation. If it came down to it she could deal with the woman, but it would be either very final and loud, or expend more of her otherwordly power than she'd like in this situation.

[Kish]

The woman barely seems to notice Julian gagging her as she grabs Max's arms.

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Grapple check: (5d10)[9][2][7][4][7](29)

Now's the time for the opposed roll, Max.

[Benoojian]

Max manages to keep control of the squirming woman and give her a much weaker squeeze, "She's stronger than she looks, must have had a double helping of that giant blood, She's helpless as long as I'm holding her though, mind helping roughing her up a bit?" He is still trying to deal with her non-lethally

[Kish]

The wrestling comes to nothing immediately.

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Everyone can act again; should nothing interfere with the wrestling, this is her next roll. (5d10)[4][1][4][4][8](21)

[Justanotherhero]

It is genuinely not the divine picture Julian wanted to give of himself and unto others but for the continuation of the world sacrifices in style apparently must be made.

So wearing a ski mask and leather gloves like a questionable side character in a 90s B Crime movie. Julian tries to gently close her nose and waits until the lady passes out from lack of oxygen the second he touches the nose he starts silently counting to make sure he does not do permanent damage.

[Kish]

While Max struggles with the woman, Brand carefully pulls the boards off the window and is pleased to see there's no glass, just an opening into the dark room beyond. Some noise is unavoidable, but no one seems to be responding to it.

[Kish]

With the sound of more bones breaking, the woman is finally too badly injured to keep struggling, even with her supernatural rage driving her.