GM WhtKnt's Forge of Heroes

Game Master WhtKnt

Chosen ones check in here, please.

/me salutes.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLORADO
Glenwood Springs is a fairly large city of about 10,00 or so people. It is a real-world location, though we are going to make a few modifications here and there to better suit the DC Universe. Why did I choose a real-world location?

Well, first, I have always wanted to live in Colorado. Second, I now have a ready-made map of the city that I can draw upon. Third, I didn't want to slight anyone who might actually be from Colorado by replacing one of their cities.

Location
More information

OK, given we're in Colorado, then Straightjacket is from Pueblo where there's the only steel mill in the state. At least I know the area well since I live in Colorado. Driven through Glenwood Springs a fair number of times. 10k is not a fairly large city, that is tiny (though I suppose it depends on perspective). The town is pretty much purely a tourist oriented place centered around a hot springs and hunting season. Quite a beautiful place though.

Hmmm, my hometown has a population of 17,500, so I guess you're right. I thought that Ocean Springs was small. Okay, so not so big, but a well-known location that isn't far from Aspen (41 miles) or Denver (150 miles). In any case, it will be a great place for new heroes to make a name for themselves.

Hello! Thanks for having me. :)

You might be better off setting things in Grand Junction. That's the biggest city on the western slope at about 55K, and would act as pretty much the aggregate of what happens on that side of the state. Glenwood Springs is pretty sleepy to be honest.

Okies, I'm easy, and not familiar at all with Colorado (outside of Google Maps and Wikipedia). Grand Junction it is, then. Everyone okay with that?

Okies, I'm easy, and not familiar at all with Colorado (outside of Google Maps and Wikipedia). Grand Junction it is, then. Everyone okay with that?

A-ok by me.

Black 5 standing by.
Grand Junction also has Colorado State

Actually that's Colorado Mesa University. Colorado State has it's main campus in Ft Collins, with a branch down in Pueblo. University of Colorado has branches in Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver. Then there's School of Mines in Golden.

"Compliance."

I'm OK either way. NOTE: You can always say that the Justice League has a small facility hidden in Glenwood Springs, masked as a high end spa of some sort? You said its only a few miles from both Aspen and Denver. Both of which are major towns for tourism and...just rich people. Villain fodder if I've ever heard of it!

"heh. This guy's a riot." thumbs at MINO

"Yes I have anti-riot capabilities from my original programming. Do you need lessons Mr. Netic?"

"Nah. I'll just plug this in..." holding up a cable socketed into the side of his neck. "and download the programming directly."

"Not to be rude Mr. Netic, but I'm not sure I am comfortable with you slotting anything anywhere near me, much less into my private...well hidden...data ports. Thank you."

With a somewhat exaggerated look of revulsion, a translucent and slightly glowing young man chimes in with, "I hope you've got protection if you're going about interfacing with that thing."

"Hey! I'm not a thing...." Qnetic intones "I'm a real boy."

"I meant your dongle thing. Good thing it's not about size, isn't it?" Electron laughs.

MINOTAR's head turns slightly in an almost human-like motion.

"Size? My ports can handle almost any configuration for interfacing. THAT is not in question. Is it?"

"One good plug in from my system, and I guarantee your Outlook improves. Once you go Q, it improves your point of view. " he cracks.

MINOTAR shakes his 'horned' head sadly.

"Soft-brained people sure have a funny way of looking at things.

"Only half my brain is software. The other, hardware."

Either place sounds good to me. We just need to put a Wayne Enterprises office there for my backstory to make sense - or connect our base to the Zeta-tube network.

Shaking his head, the black and dark grey-clad man says, "Minotar, we're going to need to teach you to understand sarcasm and innuendo. Or else these guys are going to have a field day with you."

"Best way to learn is by doing, they say." offers his plug again. "Eh?? Eh?"

David will be attending Mesa University as that's the appropriate age for him. When he's not partying and blowing off his studies, he will be doing the superhero thing.

Let's see if Tim and David run in the same circles at Mesa University. The higher rolls, the closer they are.
1d100 ⇒ 65

With a 65, I expect we probably have had a few classes or study groups together. We'd recognize each other, but probably not know too much.

Turning to 'Ghost' MINOTAR responds.

"I know what they are: 'Sarcasm: It is the recourse of the weak-minded.' and 'Innuendo' is an album and song title by a band called 'Queen.' Correct?"

"Best. Straightman. Ever." Q smiles.

Turning quizzically back to the cyborg, MINOTAR nods slowly.

"Thank you Mr. Netic. I think?"

Ghost opens his mouth...closes it...opens it...closes it...opens it and says, "You are technically correct, although neither reference is what I was referring to. I was referring to the use of sarcasm and innuendo in everyday speech. Taking the dictionary definitions and applying them to real-world use."

MINOTAR nods again and gestures with a small wave of his massive metal hand, as if wiping a slate clean.

"Understood. Then you are correct: Such things require experience, which I lack of course. I will attempt to gain such as you suggest."

Right, now that everyone is here...

MONDAY, APRIL 10, 0800 MDT

Exactly where are each of you and what are you up to on this fine spring morning?

Local friendly neighborhood Justice League facility? 'On Lockdown' and 'In Observation,' not that MINOTAR has anywhere to go really.

Mostly he goes places with the best view of the surrounding cliffs and bluffs, and does as he is told by official Justice League members. He intends no harm, although he could manage quite a bit if he wanted to do so. However, right now he just sits or stands motionless while contemplating his new 'life' and what that all means.

What am I? What do I want? Where should I go? Should I have goals? Dreams? Can I dream? Can I even sleep...?

It's usually not easy to wake a teen, even when he has no normal physiology. Griffin was still in a sleepy semi-stupor as his parents argued, for the umpteenth time, about the long term implications of their son's unusual form. The latest battery of tests showed no weakening of his energy capacity, rather, his potential had grown. But that didn't stop them from their usual point/counter-point of alternative theories. Though the usual arguments bored Griffin, he knew they were well-meaning attempts to understand the accident that transformed him and its ramifications. Truthfully, he was quite aware that each of his parents blamed themselves more than they blamed the other for the incident.

But there he sat, an early arrival at the research lab for the first of the weekly tests... and bored out of his metaphorical skull.

Jim Margrove finished eating his bagel and grabbed his umbrella as he headed out the door for work. April showers bring May flowers, he thought to himself, always assuming it would rain. Locking his apartment, he headed out of the building and towards his car to drive into work.

A minute ago, Tim was at home eating brown sugar pop tarts and wondering about this whole "Justice League Colorado" idea. His phone beeped and he fell into the shadows...

...

...

...emerging a short while later in the Janitor closet off of the men's room of the John McConnell Math and Science center. There were no footfalls outside, so he slipped out under the door and returned to three dimensions. Seconds later he was walking into class.

These powers still felt weird, but they sure saved on gas money.

Q sped around the city, his mind racing even faster than his feet. As he patrolled for opportunities to help the citizens of his new home, he analyzed the trends in the stock market, consolidated crime statistics, worked out a few hundred Sudoku puzzles from a book he had flipped through before his run, and continued planning out the schematics for his next upgrades.

David will be heading to an 8:30 class at Mesa University rather on the groggy side. Appearing to be talking to himself "Why the hell did I pick an 8:30 class on Mondays?" he says fairly quietly.

and his dad answers Because stats is required for your business major and it's the only time it is offered.

"Thanks dad, I knew that. It was rhetorical. "

For those unaware, Straightjacket has a minion who is the ghost of his dad. Nobody else can hear or see him, and he limited ability to interact with the world. The fact that he always talking to someone who isn't there makes him look rather crazy.

For those unaware, Straightjacket has a minion who is the ghost of his dad. Nobody else can hear or see him, and he limited ability to interact with the world. The fact that he always talking to someone who isn't there makes him look rather crazy.

What? No bowling ball? =)

Nah, that would seem a bit more sane. Anyway, how could a character called Straightjacket not seem nuts?

This game just keeps getting better! =)

Nick's phone went off and he ignored it. He still had two miles to run, since he couldn't use the pool in the mornings and he had math tonight. Even after a year that still bugged him. He missed the guys. Coast City. But he was always going to be the guy who almost blew up the town there and seeing him freaked people out.

That was then; this is now. Nick could feel no wet prints on the sidewalk behind him. Good. That meant he still didn't need another round of STAR labs poking at him. Maybe it was unfair, but anything that meant putting electronic stuff on Nick gave him the creeps now.

The phone sounded again and Nick rolled his eyes. Ok, fine... He stopped by a bench and did a few stretches before sitting down to look at the screen.

Moms. They wanted to know if he talked to the sports medicine advisor. Like Nick was going to be a doctor.

Running. Didn't c him yet.

As soon as Nick hit Send he was back up, wincing a little when he saw how damp he left it. Shoes were a lot easier to keep water inside than running leggings. Crap. Nick glanced around and fanned over where he sat a little before he started again.

Those of you outside or near a window will notice a roaring sound, like the whine of a jet turbine. Looking up, you see that a jumbo jet has flamed out and is headed for a crash landing in the center of town! You figure that you have only a precious few minutes to do something before it hits the ground!

The lecture hall didn't have windows, but his muted phone was on the desktop. When the alert flashed, he took a deep breath. The lights were turned down to show the professor's projection and he was in the back row with nobody near him. Grabbing his phone, he slipped down from his seat into the shadows under the desk surface. Becoming a shadow, he focused on the closet in the back of the cockpit. He felt himself sliding through the shadows.

Teleporting into the plane, thus proving that I'm either very heroic or very stupid.

Do I get my hero point for missing a very important lecture?

Hearing a jet on a path too low to be normal around Grand Junction, Straightjacket runs for an alleyway to get some concealment. Once there he makes a quick change into costume and starts bounding his way in the path of the jet with his super jumping power. Likely though he will be there too late (only does 60 MPH jumping).

Sitting on the roof of the small Justice League satellite facility near Grand Junction Colorado, MINOTAR has a spectacular view of a plan in distress pass overhead.

Automatic internal alerts, and some outdated programming, kick in suddenly and MINOTAR immediately jumps to his feet.

Boosting internal transceiver power to maximum, widening bands, all frequencies transmission...radio alert transmit commencing...

"ALL CHANNEL ALERT! A Boeing 747 commercial jet airliner, or 'Jumbo Jet' has passed near my relative position and appears to be in distress. ALL AUTHORITIES ALERT! The jet passed over my relative position...12.2 seconds ago moving West at approximately 600 MPH! Estimated distance to impact is approximately 27.375 miles, which is at or near Grand Junction Colorado!"

At this point MINOTAR steps off the edge of the building while monitoring the radio chatter returning from his transmission, and begins falling down to the ground quickly. Flaring his jump jets just before striking the ground, MINOTAR begins moving on 'programmed' instinct, looking for a simple but fast response vehicle to commandeer. He knows he'll never make it to the crash site quickly enough on his own...

Well, crap. I can't fly. Let's do some calculations here. Q calculated the angle of impact and speed to determine the most likely trajectory of the crash, looking for any way to minimize the impact. Making billions of calculations, he ran to the most likely crash site, dumping the energy from his speed to boost his strength to its maximum potential. Superman made it look so easy....

Nick looked up, shading his eyes with his hand. Holy shit! That plane's crashing! He grabbed his phone and dialed 9 so hard it made a splash. Then he remembered that was his problem now.

"Ok. Hero time."

Nick let his body go wet. Water ran over his phone and it died as Nick followed the plane's descent for a breath while felt the water under pressure in the bathroom pipes. That could work. He just needed...

Oh man...better come out in first class... Nick cast about for a drinking fountain, a bird bath, anything else, but the only thing he could feel with a good outlet nearby that wasn't a fire hydrant was that muddy little creek. He ran for it full out, not caring about all the water spraying out from every footstep, climbed the rail in a quick step up, and threw himself over.

Athletics check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

In a flash the endless Blue surrounded him, so perfect he could stay there forever. But Nick had people to help. He felt for the plane's water pipes again and did a quick butterfly into them.

Found the body of water on Google Maps. :) Teleport to the plane's bathroom.

Distracted but he window (and thus anything more interesting than the inside of the lab), Electron notices the stricken jet. "omigod! What can I do?!?" initially crosses his mind, but he collects his wits and moves.

Dashing to the wall, he disappears, his electrical energy flowing through the power outlet and though the university's and then city's electrical grid. "I can't get to the plane or keep it from crashing, but I might be able to help indirectly," he thinks as he emerges from a street lamp a mile closer to downtown. He spies a set of traffic lights and is struck with an idea. He starts looking about for a traffic light control box to use...

Earlier today (or last night) I spotted that having an energy body made him immune to that energy already and didn't need the separate power for immunity to electrical attacks - so I got rid of that and picked up the Accurate extra for his teleport power - which seems to fit well anyway.
Current plan - to use the traffic light control box to hack the whole system to red light in an effort to keep panic and confusion to a minimum.