real hero hours - open

[Sara Sidereal]

No posting order. No minimum or maximum post length.

Heroes always go first. When a "page" starts, anyone can post their actions and rolls, and you don't need to wait for me to resolve anyone else's actions before posting yours. Actions are considered to be simultaneous. Wherever this is impossible, I'll use your edge to determine resolution order.

I won't do strict posting frequency requirements. However, if two days elapse since the last time any player posted (and assuming it's the heroes' turn, of course), be aware that you may lose your chance to post for that page. Post delays kill games, and we all know it. As a compromise, if your turn is skipped, and you post in the next page, your hero will receive one resolve.

[ Language ] < This indicates someone speaking in a language that one or more of those present might not understand. >
[ Sender : Receiver ] { Curly braces are for telepathy and other special forms of communication. }

Of course, if you're using Mind Link, or something similar to talk to everyone present, you can just say [ Telepathy ] instead of specifying.

I'll use this post to track Edge, Health, Resolve, and any weird stuff affecting characters.

Anyr : ZEI
Health 10 / 10
Edge 12
Resolve 0

KingGoblin : SIDESTEP
Health 6 / 6
Edge 12
Resolve 0

Sizniche : MAESTRO
Health 6 / 6
Edge 12
Resolve 13

Celestra : TIDE HUNTRESS
Health 8 / 8
Edge 22
Resolve 3

Draidden : TIMBERWOLF
Health 7 / 7
Edge 8
Resolve 5

Adversity : 5

 

[KingGoblin]

Sidestep lounged on a sofa in Timber's base, using his high-tech screens and equipment to play Candy Zombie Smash Brothers against random opponents. Or possibly Mother, he really had no idea.

Either way, sending wave after wave of Cotton-Candy-Chainsaw-Mokeys into enemy armies of Tin Soldiers seemed to entertain the boy.

Victory was sweet. Defeat sour. Hm. He needed more gummy artillery.

 

[Anyr]

"Is this some kind of...training simulation?"

That voice came from above Sidestep. Zei floated horizontally, in a sofa-less imitation of her friend's lounging posture. She was staring intently at the onscreen battles. As with many aspects of Earth culture, it confused her.

"I wasn't aware that your planet had such enemies. Are you planning to face them in battle soon?"

 

[Draidden]

Sebastian walks past the game room and over hears the conversation. He laughs and shakes his head. Kids these days.

Hello. How are things going? And Zei, that is not a simulation it is what is called a video game. Just something people do for fun. You should get Sidestep to show you how to play. Maybe you will like it.

 

[Celestra]

"... chlorine makes breathing pool water uncomfortable. It doesn't hurt, but it's like being in a room with, like, a hundred scented candles going."

Sebastian stopped at the game room to check in on Sidestep and Zei. Mirada poked her head in, too, and waved. Smiling, she said, "Hey, guys. Slow day?"

 

[Sizniche]

Sebastian's phone rings. Whether it be Maestro's number directly, or a secretary forwarding the call to Sebastian, it is nonetheless a call from Maestro.

Interaction: Draidden

 

[Draidden]

Excuse me.

Sebastian walks out of the room into the hall and answers his phone.

Hello Maestro.

 

[Sizniche]

"Hey! Hello! I'm just calling to--"

You can hear a gunshot over the line.

"JESUS JENNY, MEL, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS!" It's apparent that Maestro has moved his phone away from his face to avoid shouting directly into Sebastian's ear. There's some distant murmur over the audio.

"NO, THEY AREN'T BLANKS. THE TRICK DOESN'T WORK WITH BLANKS."

More murmurs.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU KNOW OR NOT, DON'T HAVE YOUR FINGER ON THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOU'RE READY TO SHOOT!"

He lifts the phone up toward his face again.

"Sorry about that, Timber. I'm--I'm going to be running late today. The rehearsal for the show in a few days dragged on a lot longer than I thought it would. It seems a lot of people here still need versed on BASIC FIREARM SAFETY." He says, again, pulling the phone away, making it clear those last few words were meant for someone else.

"In any case, the rehearsals are pretty much over, and I can absolutely, positively... maybe possibly be there in twenty minutes. I'm sorry."

 

[Anyr]

"Ah, just a game. That's good. I've seen battles like this in reality. They're far less...cute...than the fictional version."

The multiverse was vast and varied. One world's 'ridiculous fantasy' was another world's normal. That's why Zei had trouble distinguishing Earth's fiction from fact. She was just about to ask Sidestep more questions, when a new voice distracted her. Zei rolled over in midair, to face Miranda.

"Greetings! Yes, it has been quite sedate. Pleasantly so, though."

 

[Sara Sidereal]

While on the phone with MAESTRO, TIMBERWOLF gets the "call waiting" beep - beep sound.

 

[KingGoblin]

"Hey, who says this is fake?" Sidestep asks, only semi-rhetorically. "This is training! And who knows, with Powers like they are... But yeah, humans fight for fun. All. The. Time." he continues, sending more candy warriors to their ignoble deaths in hopes of taking some strategic advantage.

"But grab another controller, Zei, after I mop the floor with this gear-brain I'll teach you how it works."

Sidestep continues building resources on the side, and starts tossing Red Hot Fireballs into the tin soldiers' forge.

 

[Draidden]

That's fine Maestro. Get here when you can. ... Gotta go. Another call coming in.

Sebastian taps the screen to switch over to the other call. He checks the caller ID to see if it is anyone he knows.

 

[Sara Sidereal]

It's Sebastian's personal assistant, passing along a message from Super Showdown, LLC., verifying his team's reservation for the match this weekend.

 

[Draidden]

Thanks. Text me the details, so I don't end up messing any of them up.

He taps his earpiece to end the call. He then returns to the game room and informs the others of the details.

Maestro is running a bit late, but is on his way.

 

[Sara Sidereal]

Your personal assistant, Terry Secra, texts you all the deets a few minutes later.

The location is the famous ultra-stadium just a short drive from here. The team (including you!) will be competing in a single 30 minute match against another super team. Transportation will be provided for any heroes that require it (though it's unlikely that will be an issue for you or anyone on your team).

 

[Sara Sidereal]

Also, you know that the organizers contribute a significant percentage of the revenue from these events to charity, if that matters to you.

 

[Anyr]

"But grab another controller, Zei, after I mop the floor with this gear-brain I'll teach you how it works."

"I'd like that!"

Zei floated down to floor level. Time for another lesson on human pastimes. She enjoyed learning from Sidestep. He taught her so many things.

 

[Sara Sidereal]

A moment later, details of the upcoming match are forwarded to the rest of the team, or at least to those who have a suitable communications device.

 

[Sizniche]

Maestro looks at the message from Terry after ending the call with Timber, receiving the details of the matchup.

"Alright, crew! We're calling it for today! I've got a place to be!" There's some grumbling in the rehearsal space before everyone starts packing away, as is to be expected from people working for an absolute prima-donna like Maestro. Maestro just brushes it off and heads for his car, driving to Timber's HQ.

 

[Celestra]

A muffled chime let Mirada know she had a new text message. She took her phone out of her sweatpants and saw that Sebastian's assistant, Terry, had sent the details of the upcoming super team match.

"Oh, wow. New bout this weekend," she said while scrolling through Terry's message. "I'm going to see if we have any film on the competition."

OOCDo we have film on the competition?

 

[Draidden]

Okay people. Finish up your video game and then gather in the training room. We will discuss our opponents and see what strategy we can come up with for defeating them.

Sebastian heads out of the room to his office.

Mother, can you pull up the details we have about the other team and put them on my office screen, please?

 

[Sara Sidereal]

"Greetings, Sebastian. Here are the files you requested."

Mother begins playback of a recent VOD :

"Another Node. Good map control by TEAM MAELSTROM. SURGE is pursuing one of the retreating defenders - pretty risky!"

"That's right Tom. She could be over-committing here. DINO-MIGHT is headed up, gonna try to shut down this attempt on their forward Node by the opposing team."

And so forth. Your opponents are TEAM MAELSTROM, as you might have guessed. Their 5-man consists of:

The STORM SISTERS : Surge, Cyclone, and Tsunami - featuring lightning, wind, and water powers, respectively.
Rounding out the team is Dino-Might, their heavy bruiser, and Krull, literally just a mind-flayer (psionic abilities, physically weak).

Powers to watch out for :
Surge can create a deafening thunderclap (Shockwave), which acts as area denial, stun, and knockback all in one. She can also turn into a bolt of lightning, gaining excellent mobility and at the same time making her dangerous to anyone engaging her in close quarters. Youngest of the sisters, she is the most cocky and reckless member of team, possibly tied only with Dino-Might.

Cyclone locks down opponents by trapping them in tornados. She also has the power to create gale force winds that can push her opponents out of position, and can use dust devils to kick up debris, blocking vision. She uses her own wind powers to fly around the battlefield.

Tsunami is known for always wearing a blindfold. It's unclear if she has some kind of sixth sense, but it doesn't seem to impair her on the field, at any rate. She can create "force fields" out of ultra-dense water, and "surfs" on waves of her own making.j

Dino-Might is a humanoid triceratops, some kind of mutant or genetically engineered organism. His power is, unsurprisingly, hitting things really hard, and jumping great distances.

Krull is the only member of the team with mental attacks and defenses. This means that his attacks are largely invisible, and thus extra dangerous.

 

[KingGoblin]

Sidestep stuck his tongue out at Timber, without taking his eyes from the screen. "You may as well go, Zei. It looks like I won't be able to show you how to play until we get this tournament out of the way," he commented, wryly.

Tossing some Hot Tamales at the remaining soldiers, Sidestep waited for the countdown on the Red Hot Fireballs, and grinned as his opponents resources dwindled. Sending in some gingerbread miners, Sidestep sat back. "The battle's basically over anyway. I'll catch up."

Almost on cue, just before the briefing began, Sidestep appeared in the room, lounging on a chair instead of the couch. One advantage of teleportation, he mused silently, You're always on time.

 

[Celestra]

Mirada was already reviewing Team Maelstrom's stats on her tablet when she joined Sebastian in the training room.

"For starters, I think we should focus-down Krull and take him out of the fight as quickly as possible. If we can limit Dino-Might's movement, he'll be pretty much shut down, too ... unless he has stuff to throw.

"Do we know what kind of arena we're going to be using?"

 

[Sara Sidereal]

From your own past experience and the VODs, you know that the big thing right now is called "Onslaught".

The elevator pitch : A match is 30 minutes. Each team has a power core at its base, at opposite ends of the arena from each other. These cores are in turn linked to nodes. The ultimate goal is to destroy the other team's core - but the cores are invulnerable, until you have captured at least one node linked to it. A node must either be linked to your core, or to a node your team owns, before it can be captured. Furthermore, taking nodes and defeating opposing heroes, along with certain other actions, reward your team with points, which can spent to gain advantages.

However, this is only the beginning. Every one to two minutes, some new element is introduced to the arena to shake things up.

The arena itself is a few kilometers in length and width - the stadium is equipped with space-folding tech which ends up being cheaper than actually paying for the real estate.