Mutants & Masterminds: Legacy - Issue #4 Challenges

[SalmonMax]

Originally Posted By: Nixx

"Not much, by way of skills and knowledge." The green man replied modestly. "I can walk and talk and and sing and make things grow, but that's all easy. It just comes naturally. I'm still learning new words all the time. Sometimes I already know what a word means, but I don't know I know it until I hear it."

"Human... you mean arms and legs and a face and such? I'm not sure I had a choice. Did you? It suits you, mind, but I've only met human-ish persons and dragon-ish persons and a few plants so far, so it feels premature to judge."

After a moment's consideration he added with some concern, "Waking up not knowing anything at all would be terribly inconvenient. That doesn't happen to people, does it?"

"It is how most beings begin their existence," Echo replies. "We are born in a state of physical and intellectual immaturity, and slowly develop our bodies and minds as we grow. In some ways it is inconvenient...but it also permits a vast number of diverging paths of maturation. Because each of us experiences different things, and our experiences are the most powerful factor in our maturation, each of us becomes a unique person. The technology exists to force-grow bodies at accelerated rates, and use cybernetic and memetic implants to create a lifetime of education nearly instantly...but if these techniques were widely used, everyone who used them would be very close to the same person, with only their very limited different experiences to set them apart from each other."

She watched the green 'man' for a moment, then added, "We should give you a detailed medical scan while you're here, so we can adjust our medical technology to work on you."

(OOC - As for the datasearch, OOC all I want is a very broad description, and perhaps the ability to do more detailed checks in the future, since she's making a local copy of relevant files.)

[Nixx]

"Mature, immature, juvenile..." He murmured to himself, dredging new concepts from the mysterious depths of his vocabulary. "This ties back to parents somehow, yes? The Princess told me most people have parents." His smile slipped, reappearing only after he reassured himself conversationally, "I must be developing too. I'm not the person I was three hours ago."

Still, he seemed happy with the change of subject. "Yes! Medical technology sounds great. Also scanning."

[z-Watchwoman]

"Well..." Serene frowned as she read on. She really didn't like this next part. "You'll be bound to Arcada itself, and therefore still a genie. You won't be subject to wishes... but the holder of the Orb of Arcada - Aina - can control you." Serene's hidden gaze was gentle as she watched for Djane's reaction.

More selfishly, she wondered if her connection to Djane would be severed. Serene had come to like that feeling, the draw between them. If felt natural to her - which probably wasn't a good thing. She'd felt something like that around her mother - a sense of connection that she'd never felt with another living creature. Then Djane had come along and Serene found another kind of connection. Arcada might threaten that link.

[Djane]

Djane swallowed, clearly nervous.

"This, uh... orb. Is it possible we could persuade Aina to part with it for the mission? I really don't know if I trust her. Certainly not as much as I trust you."

[Joani]

It had taken a bit longer than the half hour Watchwoman ordered for the young heroes to assemble but the situation was more than unusual and demanded unusual procedures. Aina tried to contain her impatience but had to start with ritual once the time was up. With Morgana’s help she was able to establish a portal large enough to let everyone pass through in one go which was generally a safer choice than going one-by-one.

Echo had managed to add Nixx’s biological scan to the Legacy’s databank and had to realize that he was truly just ´born´ or ´created´ for the lack of a better word. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to inquire about his creation. With the exception of Dawnstar everyone was present, the young heroes parents waving at them and wishing them godspeed with their mission to Arcadia.

Aina addressed them one last time before they stepped through, „Don’t forget, many things in Arcadia are different. You may experience odd changes, even to yourselves and don’t worry about that. Don’t forget everything is just a matter of your imagination and the limits you impose on yourselves – and don’t stay too long...“, the last warning was pronounced carefully. Many have heard of stories involving people abducted by faeries and never coming back or forgetting who they were. There wasn’t much they actually knew about Arcadia but it seemed that most folklore and rumors or bedtime stories had some kind of truth within.

The portal looked like a large silver mirror and they could faintly make out something behind it, a green land with fantastic wildgrowth. The portal was wide enough for everyone to step through at once, Aina had to step through last to make sure everything was under control.

As soon as they passed through all sense of time and direction was lost, one moment everything seemed to be just fine and then they got twisted through a mealstorm. Watchwoman managed to hold on to Djane but lost track of MegaGirl and the others who violently got sucked through the maelstorm – it felt like drowning and falling at the same time.

Just as sudden as the maelstorm hit them they passed through another mirror and were blinded by bright white light...

Serene and Djane

The smell of a rich green meadow was the first thing Serene could smell. She was laying face down feeling the soft ground on her cheek. Suprised she got up checking her face for her mask and Hudsy but it was... gone? Serene looked at her hands which were tinted with a rich greenish color. Her body armor was gone and though she wasn’t wearing anything underneath she didn’t feel naked either. Her hair fell richly on her shoulders or at least it felt like her hair but she still wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Looking around she found herself in the middle of a beautiful meadow. Huge trees surrounded her and there was a lovely hut not far away which was right next to a nice lake. The air was unquestionably the best air she has ever breathed, it felt rich and healthy, untainted by anything modern industry or technology inflicted on its environment.

As Serene raised herself to her full height she realized that her entire body had changed. Her body awareness was different and she felt more lively and even stronger than before. She closed her eyes and briefly concentrated as if to listen into her own essence and then simply knew what had changed. Hudsy was still ´there´, it hung by a large necklace around her neck and now spoke directly to her mind if needed, like spirit. Her mask was gone but she could still hide her face if she wanted – large green leaves which were part of her hair simply covered her face when she wanted. Oddly enough it only added to her allure and exotic appearance.

Just before she wanted to take her first step towards the small hut she saw something from the corner of her eye – it came flying towards her and stopped just short of her face.

„Oh Master..., you are still my Master, aren’t you? Although...“, the pixie-like creature looked very much like Djane – barely taller than a foot in size and covered in a small tight fitting dress made of silvery leaves. Her tiny wings glittered with magical sparkles in the sunlight and were constantly moving, like wings of a dragonfly.

Click to reveal..

Djane – you are unbound now and can fly as long as you are in Arcadia. You can’t change your size or change your appearance, that’s the only restriction, but you can create illusions if necessary.

Serene – you have changed, too. Just as we chatted about a few weeks ago

Nixx, Echo, Celestial Centurion, Morgana and Aina

The smell of lavender was the first impression Echo noticed. Her other senses quickly followed and alarmed by the short discontinuity in her internal clock she realised that things had changed. Her body felt different yet the same and her surroundings were difficult to categorize. She saw an assembly of... dragons of all kinds of colors. They were standing in a half circle obviously debating something before she and her companions suddenly appeared seemingly out of nothingness.

The lack of the constant datastream provided by the network of her creator Matrix was unsettling but odd enough something else had replaced it. Echo could her a constant buzzing in the background millions of tiny voices constantly speaking to her. Next to the dragons were two large buildings, one resembling a large tower made of ivory and opposite of it assembled in a half circle large white pillars probably made of marble. There were huge crystals adoring the area around the pillars and in the middle of it a bowl with a bluish flame was lit and quietly burning.

„Queen Aina!“, the large green Dragon Nixx and Morgana had met earlier greeted them and bowed at the Queen, who had assumed her true shape, a huge dragon, easily twice as large as all the other dragons around them with red and blue scales that shimmered magically in the sunlight. Aina bowed in respect to her assembled brethren but remained silent, or so it seemed.

The Celestial Centurion found himself riding on a proud steed which was completely covered in a similar armor as his. Most of his appearance was unchanged only shield and sword completed his imposing apparition and his armor sparkled even more in the magical sunlight. Beyond that he felt very much the same aside from the feeling of being a step closer at home. Where ever home was...

Nixx and Morgana were already acquainted with the Primogen of Dragons and were greeted accordingly, for them it seemed as if no to little time has passed since their departure.

Click to reveal..

Smax – Echo looks as if she is made from some kind of crystal but her features are unchanged. It is the same kind of crystal that grows around the Pillars.

CC – You are pretty much the same, the steed you are riding is actually a Pegasus and it is connected to your flight power. You can summon and dismiss it anytime you want, but flying without it won’t be possible. The Sword and Shield can also be summoned at dismissed at will, use of most of your powers will always work in conjunction with the Shield and Sword (your blast for example will be channeled through the sword). Mechanicswise there is no difference, it’s just an interpretation of the Fearie Realm.

Nixx and Morgana – since you are both creatures of Arcadia – no changes, you boring tourists...

Tessa, Aeonian and MegaGirl

Tessa woke up disoriented by the sudden shift caused by the maelstorm. Her eyes adjusted to the light and she could make out harmonical birdsong nearby. A slight breeze made her gown brush against the tall grass surrounding her and that’s when she realized that something was different. She looked down at herself, her Legacy uniform replaced by an elegant robe in white and blue. She was holding a staff in one hand which glowed magically and purple crystals were floating in a complicated pattern at the top of it. She reached up with one hand and found her ears were pointed and relatively long – like elven ears. Her already slender built was even more accentuated and she could swear she was standing taller than she used to.

Next thing she felt was an unusual cold from right behind her, she turned around and gasped at what she saw. The huge shape of MegaGirl towered over her, easily reaching 16 Feet. She was wearing something akin to a Valkyries armor and her skin was tinted blue. Even Karra’s hair was different now, a deep crystal bluish with white frozen highlights. MegaGirl already impressive figure was even more accentuated now, her muscles appearing larger and mightier as did her bust which obstructed her view to MegaGirl’s face from her position. She hoped that the towering ´girl´ would look down before she made her first step, else she might get crushed under her feet.

Just across on MegaGirls left stood Aeon still baffled to some extent by her attire. She was like Tess dressed in a medieval style robe which looked a bit less royal but more 'functional' in comparison. It was in dark red and brown colors and fit her perfectly. A brief check up revealed that she still was in possession of her equipment, it had only assumed a different form. While Tess was still looking up at MegaGirl Aeon noticed the hut at the forest's edge which at second glance seemed to be inhabited by someone. There was smoke puffing out of it's chimney and faint candle light shimmered through the windows. Turning to Tess she realized that she had long elvenlike ears which brushed against the highcut collar of her robe and just like Tess her features were more elegant and slender. All in all she felt more graceful and healthier than ever before.

Click to reveal..

You are standing at the edge of a forest, in the far distance (only for MegaGirl to perceive) are mountains and the landscape gets much darker there. In the other direction she can see a large ivory tower reaching up into the sky. It looks like just a step away from her position. The changes we spoke about in chat are in effect.

[z-Watchwoman]

Serene smiled to see Djane, even Sprite!Djane. When she’d been separate in the maelstrom, she’d been afraid that she’d be lost forever. While she was still lost, at least she wasn’t lost alone. The link between them was still there; Serene patted her pouches – now made of interwoven leaves and leather – to make sure the lighter was still there. She was going to have to be careful to not let it become a habit.

The link wasn’t as it was. Serene could feel it, but it felt different. Serene felt different. She felt unrestrained, as if someone had taken a leash off her, a leash she hadn’t known was there.

Shaking her head, she focused on the problem at hand. “I am your friend, Djane, right?” As the sprite nodded, Serene continued. “So we’re separated from the others; we need to get back to them so that we can help Aina.” She hoped that the DragonWitch wouldn’t see this as a failure to keep her word; Serene had every intention of helping.

That was when she noticed the scent of roses. Djane’s eyes were starting to glaze over, and Serene realized with a jolt of shock that she was releasing pheromones. Clamping down on her powers, Serene hoped that Djane wouldn’t notice. Keeping her powers under control was harder than it had been and the young woman steeled herself for an internal fight.

“Hudsy, please do a scan for me,” she requested, even as the scent dissipated.

“Ma’am, there are several lifeforms coming from the hut,” her computer’s familiar voice said in her ear.

“Right, the hut it is,” Serene said, looking at Djane. “Maybe we can get some directions. Ready?”

[Aeonian]

Aeonian walks up to Tessa, bracing herself for the unknown. "Looks like Mega's gotten some upgrades. As for you and I... we've... changed a bit as well." She says, adjusting the mask over her face. Her staff seemingly carved from a steel and wood that even she couldn't fathom of origin. It's intricate rings and gears at the top signifying some sort of reference to time or the mechanics of the universe. "I assume my Sonic weapon is now the staff while the robes I'm wearing are what was my suit and the mask is my glasses... I think this reality made analogues of our basic selves."

She straightens out her robe as she steps slightly foreward. "Megagirl!" She shouts. "Can you hear me?!?"

[Celestial Centurion]

Herak looked at the Pegasus and primitive weaponry with distaste. Sighing to himself he dismissed the creature and the objects, dropping lightly to the ground and looking around. Only half of the group was present, "Where are the others? What has happened to the rest of our group?" He asked no-one in particular, and yet it was clear he was looking for an answer from somebody who knew it.

[MegaGirl]

MegaGirl grunted, taking a staggering step from the after-effects of stepping though the Mean-Dragon-Lady's portal thing, the ground trembling under her more-than-a-ton-and-a-half weight. It didn't feel the same as the Gooey-Warp-Thing in the Hell. And she still felt... weird.

"I feel weeiiiiiiiirrrrrrd..." MegaGirl stated to no one in particular, trailing off in surprise and wonder as she turned from looking at the distant mountains and the Ivory Tower to glance down at herself.

She was different, again! Just like last time in the Bad-Word-Place, except this time, she wasn't a small, puny, funny-thinking Echo. In fact, flexing her arms, she saw she was even more muscly than before, but not in a gross, mannish way - Truly, even her boobies looked bigger, as she could well see. Someone had played a trick on her, switching her uniform for another one she had never seen before.

Now, she was wearing bits of over-burdened chain and leather, trimmed with white fur, and strategically placed, gilded pieces of shiny metal plate plate armor. And it showed off a lot more than it hid. I look like a barbarian girl from an old fantasy holovid. It's kinda neat. I hope Mom won't be mad with me wearing it.

And the 'armour' showcased quite drastically that her deep, golden tanned skin was now a smooth, cool, pale blue. It was odd... but kinda pretty. I wonder what Serene or Samson will say...

Which reminded her, she was supposed to be with the others, but she didn't see anyone else with her. She chewed on a lip, beginning to grow slightly worried that she had messed up again and gotten lost before the mission even started, when she heard a voice yelling at her from near her knees.

"Megagirl!" Aeonian shouted, "can you hear me?!?"

MegaGirl tilted her face down and forward to peer over the impressive, projecting shelf of her bust, to see two girls who came just above the knees of her shapely, muscular legs, which were as blue as the rest of her.

"Noonian? Tessa?" MegaGirl said in a deep, resonant voice, her girlish tone replaced by that of a powerful woman. She still sounded puzzled though. "I can hear you fine. I'm not deaf, you're just small."

Dark blue brows drew low over her glacial green eyes as she mused on that and other things. "How come you're both so small? And your ears pointy? And I'm blue?"

Click to reveal..

MegaGirl - and all the Shytari, actually - have notably leggy proportions for their height, which typically comprise 60+% of their height. Which means MegaGirl's legs are about ten feet long.

[SalmonMax]

Echo looked up at the Centurion jerkily, startled out of her own self-examination. The change in her body's structure was affecting her in more than just physical ways. Even in Hell, she hadn't experienced horror like this. Did this mean that there were crystal structures in her brain? The thought made her feel ill.

"I don't KNOW where they are!" she snapped at Centurion. It felt like she had to yell everything, the voices in her head made her own voice seem too quiet in comparison. "Something went wrong with the portal! Something went very, very wrong!"

She clenched and unclenched her fingers, grimacing at the feel of her crystalline 'flesh' scraping over itself.

"People are...I hear the voices of people all talking at once," Echo said, trying to make the source of her discomfort plain. "Too many people; I can't understand them all!"

[Aeonian]

"Just checking MG... Sometimes odd universes does odd things to common forms of communication." Aeonian states, plain as day. Even Anne now realizes that the changes are far more than cosmetic. Brushing back her hair and feeling her elven ears was that moment of clarity. "This is insane. I'd have expected nothing less of this reality."

Aeonian starts formulating a plan. "First thing first... get our bearings, second priority is finding the rest of the team."

She notices the hut ahead. "Everyone... who's the better diplomat here? Might need to speak to the locals. Hopefully we remember what was stated by our new 'friends' a few moments ago."

[Djane]

Djane shook the vapors out of her head, struggling to maintain eye contact with Serene the... dryad? Nymph? Whatever she was. "Yes, I'm ready, Serene. Whoog, sorry. Got distracted. Geez, and I just got done with being super-short, too..."

Djane fluttered over, landing on Serene's shoulder and grabbing onto a lock of hair to keep steady. Flying via wings - buzzing, physical wings - was more tiring than it seemed.

"Are you, you know, cold? Without any, you know..." She paused. "Forget I said anything. Yeah."

Okay. So. Still felt that tug of attraction, and she can't compel me here, so... maybe there's more to it than just the whole genie thing? See where this goes... meantime, yeah. Focus on the mission. Don't look down.

... I looked down. Holy hell, I could pitch a tent between those NO no no. Mission first. It's what she'd say.

[Tesstarossa]

"Why is it that every time we go through a portal we come out different on the other side? It's like during the process the universe breaks us down and builds us back differently."

The staff felt like an extension of her self, and she sighed. She ran a hand through her hair to discover something very strange. Her hair was cold to the touch, moreso than normal. Unless she was mistaken, it was metallic, though she'd never heard of a metal that could mimic hair so perfectly.

"I've been awake here a few minutes and already I hate it."

She looked to the others. "Take stock discreetly of what you remember being able to do. We need to find out what this place did to us other than how it altered our bodies."

[Aeonian]

"Of course, Tesstarossa. Been doing that as we stand here."

She adjusts her robes.

"Our first priority after gathering ourselves is to figure out where our team is. After that is figuring out what is the disposition of that hut over there. Finally we need some information regarding where we are in this strange world."

She adjusts her mask again, not used to having her face covered.

"I also assume that when we arrived, the reality we are in had to bring us in while converting our paradigm to fit it's own. It isn't a big issue if our new 'forms' as it were have the same effects as ours back on Earth prime. But we should get comfortable... and if things are as serious as I believe, we have to do it fast. And of course... I'm not a good diplomat. And what's worse I'm clueless in this sort of environment...

...I'm a scientist not a wizard."

[z-Watchwoman]

Serene smiled as Sprite!Djane settled on her shoulders. The tiny body felt... good was the wrong word. Serene wasn't sure what feelings it roused in her, but they were not unpleasant. "I'm not cold," she admitted as she picked her way through the underbrush toward the cottage. "I probably should be. Maybe if we go somewhere cold, I'll need to borrow some clothing."

Unaware of the internal debate in Djane, Serene walked up to the cottage door and knocked. "Hello?" she called out, just to be sure she was heard by the inhabitants. "How many, Hudsy?" she muttered under her breath as she waited for an answer.

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: Celestial Centurion

Herak looked at the Pegasus and primitive weaponry with distaste. Sighing to himself he dismissed the creature and the objects, dropping lightly to the ground and looking around. Only half of the group was present, "Where are the others? What has happened to the rest of our group?" He asked no-one in particular, and yet it was clear he was looking for an answer from somebody who knew it.

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

"I don't KNOW where they are!" she snapped at Centurion. It felt like she had to yell everything, the voices in her head made her own voice seem too quiet in comparison. "Something went wrong with the portal! Something went very, very wrong!"

She clenched and unclenched her fingers, grimacing at the feel of her crystalline 'flesh' scraping over itself.

"People are...I hear the voices of people all talking at once," Echo said, trying to make the source of her discomfort plain. "Too many people; I can't understand them all!"

His questions were noticed of course and Aina raised one huge arm to calm her brethren. Her voice was omnipresent both physically and metaphysically as it resonated in everyone’s mind.

„The MageLords must’ve put up barriers in the Twisting Nether. Your friends can’t be too far from here and the Ivory Tower should be visible from every corner of this realm of Arcadia. I will get the Orb of Arcadia then I should be able to locate them. Alamaise – will you please share your knowledge of the invasion and what needs to be done while I retrieve the Orb? These are our allies and they will help us vanquish the MageLords and save my son.“, the other Dragons widened their eyes in surprise at the revelation of this. Obviously the existance of Aina’s son was a secret.

„If you sense any deception, Centurion then speak your mind – Arcadia is under attack and the MageLords wield powerful and dark magic.“, Aina added quietly waiting briefly for a reply.

Click to reveal..

Aina’s speech seems to have calibrated the voices in Echo’s mind. They have quieted down now and you can filter which you want to hear and listen to. You are connected to a magical network, similar to Matrix‘ – it provides you with knowledge (data) concerning Arcadia.

Originally Posted By: Watchwoman

Unaware of the internal debate in Djane, Serene walked up to the cottage door and knocked. "Hello?" she called out, just to be sure she was heard by the inhabitants. "How many, Hudsy?" she muttered under her breath as she waited for an answer.

The door opened just before Hudsy provided her with an answer, his voice in her mind overlapped with the first impression she had of the Shark-Man-thing that greeted her with a toothy grin. It spoke with a very distinguished british accent, „Oh dear what a wonderful surprise. Lorraine, put the kettle on the stove, we‘ve got guests. Welcome to my cottage, my name is Bryce and I am your humble servant your highness. How may I be of service?“

Click to reveal..

Hudsy’s reply is spoken simultaneously – He says he picks up 3 lifesigns, although one is very very faint and difficult to locate.
Bryce looks like a Shark from the upper body on with a large head of a white-shark. The rest of his shape is humanoid although his feet and hands are connected by webbing, just like you’d expect from a seacreature. He stands about 8 Feet tall but is probably even taller since he walks hunched over. A huge fin on his back marks him as a shark. His entire skin is greyish and looks like sandpaper and his only clothing is a leathery underpants like thing. He looks powerful and intimidating but his voice is carefully pitched and extremely polite.

[Arcana]

She looked over at the others present, then realizing that they were missing a few of those they should have with them, she turned to Queen Aina. "It seems that we have been scattered to the winds, shall I look into the mirror and try to find our missing comrades? or look for your son?" The fact that the queen had a son was a revelation to her as well as the others.

[Aeonian]

Aeonian adjusts her mask. "Hmm... I wonder how this would work." She closes her eyes and when she opens them she focusses on trying to use her ability to pick up on life-signs. Back on Earth she just had to tap her glasses, but in this world she guesses that it'd take some concentration.

"Well... I can see glowing lights where people are... but can't tell who belongs to what light unless I see them. And I can only see life signs out to the horizon... Looks like that Hut over there is our ticket though. There's several lights moving in that direction. Good idea, or no?"

[Tesstarossa]

"We might as well." a quick evaluation revealed that in Truth she'd been stripped of all her native powers. It wasn't a new sensation, but it agitated her.

Instead, she knew words. Her mother had always told her that words held power, and now she knew this was true. "This is going to take some getting used to."

[z-Watchwoman]

“Uh...” Serene was caught off balance for a moment. It was the greeting, as if he knew her and knew she was someone important. Perhaps even royalty. “Thank you,” she murmured, feeling a little off-kilter. He seemed to be sincere, radiating honesty and eagerness both. The dance of his body seemed to focus on her and impressing her. She exchanged a glance with Djane on her shoulder, trying to let her know it was alright.

“I just had a quick question,” Serene said, keeping a polite smile in place. Being impolite to him seemed to be almost a crime; he was so nice! “Why did you call me your highness?”

“Oh, my apologies,” he said immediately, bowing to her. “I thought you were. My mistake, then. Please, some tea will make us all feel better!” He stepped back further and waved her into the hut.

Time to butter up the nice natives for information. “Quite alrigh-” Serene broke off as she saw her full reflection in the mirror. Her hair was made of green leaves; that much she had seen. What hadn’t been clear was that rose petals were entwined with the leaves, arranged much like a crown. Serene blushed and swallowed a laugh as she realized where the confusion had come from. “Thank you for your hospitality,” she said as she fully entered the shark’s home.

*Keep your eyes open, Djane,* she added through the ring. *He seems harmless but I can’t believe that entirely. This place seems to be interpreting people according to their natures, so let’s not be surprised when he shows us why he’s a shark.*

Click to reveal..

Insight roll on Sharky Bryce: Roll: 5 +8 Modifier = +13 Uh...

[MegaGirl]

GiantGirl looked down at the other two, her brow furrowing deeply as she lost the thread of the conversation from Noonian too many using big and weird words. Besides, she was still puzzled why Tessa and Noonian weren't worried about being so small. GiantGirl did figure out she might have a reason to be worried, if her powers were gone, like when she had been Echo. Ick!

Karra casually reached out and grabbed the trunk of a tree - she didn't know what kind of tree, except it was a big one with pretty purple leaves - her fingers breaking easily through the bark, and effortlessly ripped the entire thing from the ground. Tessa and Aeonian had to duck low as Karra swung the tree around, upper branches snapping as it brushed the ground. Then she reared back and threw it, the tree quickly disappearing in the distance - to Tessa's and Aeonian's sight at least, as it cleared the distant mountains.

GiantGirl grinned down at Tessa and Aeonian, clearly pleased. "I'm still strong and my eyes are working like they're supposed to. Let's see, what else?"

She cocked her head to the side, scratching at her head - got distracted by her short, spikey, crystalline hair - then snapped her fingers with a sound like cracking ice. She inhaled deeply, taxing the limits of her metallic armor, then exhaled. Instead of super-chilled air , she blew out a tremendous blizzard of snow and ice, driven by hurricane force wind. Karra clapped her hands in glee at the sight of thick, pristine snow covering the green grass.

"Neat!" Karra dashed off into the snow, planning on making an army or snowmen, but instead of blurring away with mega-speed, she just lumbered off, quicker than a normal person, but nowhere near mega-speed. She stomped on the ground in a snit, almost making Aeonian and Tessa tumbling off their feet.

"Awww! At least I can still Zooooo..." Karra bellowed, leaping into the air, up and up, for a mile, at least... then down. "ooooommmm!"

She hit the ground with an earth-shaking crash, knocking the precariously balancing elves onto their asses, and creating a deep dent in the grassy sward. She climbed out of the GiantGirl shaped hole, thumping the ground with a fist, and making Aeonian and Tessa bounce again.

"It's not fair! I can't Zoom or Whoosh anymore. I thought I liked it here, it was neat, but I don't like it here anymore. I can't Zoom and Whoosh, and you guys are sooo tiny and I don't like." Karra pouted, folding her muscular arms across her mighty chest.

Tessa climbed slowly to her feet and sighed, patting Karra's massive shoulder in sympathy. Even sitting flat on her ass, Karra's head was higher than hers. "It's alright, Karra, really. My powers are different too," she consoled her now truly giant-sized friend. "But we still have a job to do, a Faerie Realm to save, and MageLords to stop. C'mon Karra, stand up, you want to make your Mother and Watchwoman proud, don't you? Let's see if anyone in the hut can help tell us where we are."

Sniffling, nodded. "Yes," she admitted petulantly before wiping her nose on some fur trim, then rising to her feet, towering over the elves once more. Karra looked around, frowning at the hut, or rather, at the size of hut.

"Do we have to go to the hut? It's very tiny and there is a nice, big tower, just over there," GiantGirl countered, pointing the way. "It's not even far - well, further now, because I can't Zoom or even run with mega-speed anymore - but still not far."

"How about we ask at the hut first, Karra?" Tessa suggested. "It's right here, and maybe they can tell us if the Tower is a good or bad place."

"Okay," Karra agreed, not sounding convinced. She was taller than the hut.

[Aeonian]

Aeonian discovers, at least in this form, her understanding of temporal mechanics is just as sharp as it was on Earth. "While this experimenting is purely in the scientific spirit, our time is short. We have a mission to complete and we will just have to adapt."

She walks by MegaGirl, her tailbone still smarting from landing. "And besides, we shouldn't be disturbing the locals, who knows what they'd sic after us if we show a suitable threat."

Anne walks towards the hut/cottage like structure, remembering her own words just incase she has to eat them later.

[Nixx]

"Ahh... all due respect to your home, I do prefer to stand in the sun." The green man dug his toes into the earth and grinned up at the sky. He took note of the changes wrought in his new friends, but they didn't seem too terribly out of sorts about it, so he chose to quietly assume this was a more or less acceptable outcome.

He took a moment to bow to the nearby dragons, not wanting them to feel he was taking their lawn for granted.

[Celestial Centurion]

Herak frowned behind his helm, "Be quick about it witch, lest suspicion be drawn by natural course." To Arcana he said, "If you can locate the others on your own, please do so." Shaking his head he paced and then looked up at the other dragons, "So what of this invasion then?"

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: Morgana

She looked over at the others present, then realizing that they were missing a few of those they should have with them, she turned to Queen Aina. "It seems that we have been scattered to the winds, shall I look into the mirror and try to find our missing comrades? or look for your son?" The fact that the queen had a son was a revelation to her as well as the others.

„I’ll take care of that – you should listen to what Alamaise has to report about the invasion.“, the Queen answered.

Originally Posted By: Celestial Centurion

Herak frowned behind his helm, "Be quick about it witch, lest suspicion be drawn by natural course." To Arcana he said, "If you can locate the others on your own, please do so." Shaking his head he paced and then looked up at the other dragons, "So what of this invasion then?"

Aina snorted at the Celestial Centurion and lift off without comment. The assembled Dragons stared at him angrily but Alamaise, the green scaled Dragon Witch calmed the others down.

„These are our allies – we need every help we can get.“, Alamaise spoke with a similar voice like Aina’s.

„The MageLords, our sworn enemies have conquered the Dragon Forge which grants them access to weapons that can easily pierce our scales – they’ll be deadly for us.“, she looked at the other assembled Dragons who took this news with great respect and even fear.

„They have summoned several Ogres and are marching from the north to our beloved home. The Giants from the frost Mountains have not responded to our call – we were hoping for their help, and we haven’t heard from the Elven Court either, with the exception of your ladyship.“, Alamaise bowed at Morgana.
„We have also heard from a splinter group of the MageLords who are preparing a powerful ritual. The intent is still clouded to our vision but we know the MageLords are trying to wrest the Orb of Arcadia from our Queens possession and find the Fountain of Youth. We assume the ritual is in preperation to divine the Fountain’s location.“, Alamaise looked down at the assembled heroes and paused briefly.

„This is the current situation – we expect their mainforces to reach the edge of our woods in two days. Then they’ll burn it down and thus weaken our magic. We don’t have much at our disposal in terms of an Army – and you don’t seem to... have hidden an Army somewhere under your armor. If we could convince the Frost Giants and the Elven Court to join us, then we’d have a force to counter their attack.“

Originally Posted By: Watchwoman

*Keep your eyes open, Djane,* she added through the ring. *He seems harmless but I can‘t believe that entirely. This place seems to be interpreting people according to their natures, so let‘s not be surprised when he shows us why he’s a shark.*

Bryce let her in and made himself comfortable on a large wingchair which seemed to be made of ice. Serene could see several small pixies, all about the same size as Djane swirling around it with a trail of magical sparkles following their flightpaths. Bryce offered her a seat next to him, on the much more comfortable looking couch on which she had enough room to recline on it.

„Tell me, your highness – how comes you visit such a simple man as meself? We’ve heard terrible news about an invasion but so far no one could tell us what is really going on. Are you here to recruit us Merfolk for the battle?“

„Earl Grey?“, a female voice could be heard from a door further away, probably the kitchen.

„Yes my dear – with some milk please. How would you like your tea, your highness?“, Bryce asked, presenting her his toothy grin.

Click to reveal..

Perception-check for both Djane and Serene please. DC is 15 – something about the wingchair Bryce is sitting on seems very odd...

[Tesstarossa]

Tk fixed her features into an impassive mask and matched pace with Anne, heading for the hutt. Megagirl wasn't going to fit, but they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

[Djane]

Click to reveal..

Perception Check (DC15) (1d20+9=25)

Succeeded by 10.

*So deep down, I'm small?* Djane sounded a bit hurt - not mad at Serene, just hurt. She looked around the room as Serene and the shark-man conversed. She gave a long look to the pixies, giving them an informal nod.

Then her gaze drifted to the seat the shark-man sat in.

[z-Watchwoman]

*What? No! I don’t think it was like that,* Serene said, her smile faltering for a moment. *It’s probably that sprites are creatures of magic, and so are Djinns. I mean… I could be really insulted that this world thinks I like to run around naked but I’m just trying to not think about it. I mean… imagine what it’s going to try to do to Echo! She’s all tech and this place isn’t… I have the bad feeling she’s going to end up the Tin Man.*

“Bryce, you’re very kind,” Serene complimented him as she sat down on the couch. She instinctively tucked her feet up under her, displaying an ease with her own person she’d never shown before. She turned to Bryce, tucking her arm and her breasts up on the arm of the couch, also without thought. Though the pose was seductive, it also had an innocent quality to it. For Djane, it was as strange as it was tantalizing; Serene seemed unaware. Her body language radiated comfort and confidence.

“You are my guests, my dear,” Bryce assured her with a beaming smile.

“If your merfolks wish to help in the war, I don’t see a problem with that,” Serene continued, still smiling. Suddenly, she frowned and said, “I’m being rude. My name is Serene, and this is my friend, Djane. My apologies.”

That probably wasn’t very royal-like, but when her eyes swept down to signal her contrition, they fell on the wingchair…

Click to reveal..

Perception check Roll: 14 +13 Modifier -15 DC = +12 PASS Total of 27. Djane and Serene are the all-seeing beauties! They need to start a band or something.

[Nixx]

The green man shook himself out of his pleasant, sun induced daze. "B-burn the forest?!" To date he had only seen trees from overhead, on his earlier dragon-flight. But deep in his sap-filled heart he knew what a forest was. The thought of one being reduced to cinders filled him with horror.

He struggled to compose himself and tried to follow up his shocked outburst with a more useful observation.

"Surely the trees can be convinced to aid us against the MageLords. Their very survival depends on our success, does it not?"

[SalmonMax]

As the others talked among themselves, Echo concentrated on the 'voices' that seemed to be the replacement of her wireless link to the global and galactic networks. The information, once she focused on it, wasn't really any less comprehensible than it had been before. It was just different. Experimentally she started testing to see how the 'voices' worked...if she could use them to help find what they were looking for, or warn them of dangers. Could she find word of the wherabouts of the lost members? What about the position and current activities of the oncoming army? What could she do?

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: MegaGirl

"Do we have to go to the hut? It's very tiny and there is a nice, big tower, just over there," GiantGirl countered, pointing the way. "It's not even far - well, further now, because I can't Zoom or even run with mega-speed anymore - but still not far."

"How about we ask at the hut first, Karra?" Tessa suggested. "It's right here, and maybe they can tell us if the Tower is a good or bad place."

"Okay," Karra agreed, not sounding convinced. She was taller than the hut.

Originally Posted By: Aeonian

She walks by MegaGirl, her tailbone still smarting from landing. "And besides, we shouldn't be disturbing the locals, who knows what they'd sic after us if we show a suitable threat."

Anne walks towards the hut/cottage like structure, remembering her own words just incase she has to eat them later.

Originally Posted By: Tesstarossa

Tk fixed her features into an impassive mask and matched pace with Anne, heading for the hutt. Megagirl wasn't going to fit, but they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

As the trio approached the hut Aeon and Tessa could see that GiantGirls footsteps were causing minor trembles which in return made the hut shake ominously – so much for knocking on the door, if it was still in its hinges once they got there.

They were still a good 100 Feet away when the door opened and a tall slender built Elf stepped out wearing a green leather armor complete with quiver and bow as weapons. He was handsome and radiated an aura of confidence. Once he noticed GiantGirl though he made a few steps backwards drawing his weapon and aiming at her.

„Don’t come any closer. Who be ye? We do not wish any quarrel with the Frost Giants!“

Aeon’s ´visor´ registered at least two more heatsignatures inside the building but there was an interference caused by the fire in the chimney which made it impossible to see anything that was beyond.

Originally Posted By: Djane

She gave a long look to the pixies, giving them an informal nod.

Then her gaze drifted to the seat the shark-man sat in.

The pixies didn’t seem to notice her, they were far to busy with cleaning up, mostly the shelves and the seat in the immediate area around Bryce. There was one major difference between her and ´them´ - all pixies were naked and didn’t seem to care about it while she was dressed in a nice robe made of leaves and petals which hugged her tiny, yet bodacious body pretty well.

Originally Posted By: Watchwoman

“If your merfolks wish to help in the war, I don’t see a problem with that,” Serene continued, still smiling. Suddenly, she frowned and said, “I’m being rude. My name is Serene, and this is my friend, Djane. My apologies.”

That probably wasn’t very royal-like, but when her eyes swept down to signal her contrition, they fell on the wingchair…

Bryce smiled with his toothy grin at her and nodded. „No need for apologies, your highness. It’s not like anyone around here doesn’t know your name.“

A second Shark-man entered from the kitchen, dressed with a chef’s apron and less muscled and broad than Bryce. Aside from that there was hardly any difference that this one was female.

„Ah, the tea.“, Bryce nodded at his wife and helped her serving the cups.

As the Sharks were busy both women could take a better look at the WingChair which was made of some kind of glass or... …ice?

The Pixies were constantly busy keeping the Wingchair frozen as it stood directly next to the chimney. Through the frozen ice they could make out a rough humanoid shape inside – this was no Wingchair – it was someone frozen in ice conveniently shaped into a Wingchair...

[Tesstarossa]

TK sighed. "I'd lower the bow, we mean no harm., Though if you attack, we will defend ourselves."

Her voice was calm and flat, almost as if she were bored. He must have one hell of a bow if he thinks he's going to hurt Karra with it. That or he's very desperate.

"We are travelers here, and just passing through. We were separated from our fellows."

[Aeonian]

Aeonian crosses her arms after somehow her staff shrinks to the size of a wand. "I can vouch for my companion here. We mean no harm, but are capable of defending ourselves." She adjusts her mask, wondering why a device on earth that detected life signs now based it's function on heat.

[MegaGirl]

"Hi!" Karra boomed, grinning brightly and giving the elf a wave, a gust of chill air blowing pass her companions to tug at the feather on his pointed hat. She didn't seem in the least concerned about the arrow pointed her way. Then again, the elf looked no bigger than Noonian or Tessa - that is, he was tiny too - and the arrow looked no bigger than a splinter, and Karra had never had to worry about splinters.

"I'm Ka-" Karra shut her mouth closed with a snap. Her name was for friends, not tiny elf men. "I'm MegaGirl and we're lost and we need to find our friends. We're going to help the Mean Dragon Lady fight the MageLords because the MageLords are bad. Do you know where they are? Our friends, I mean, not the MageLords? Though... I guess we need to know where the MageLords are too so we can fight them and help save the Furry Place, right?"

[z-Watchwoman]

Serene’s red eyes widened as she took in the frozen form in the chair. Her first impulse was to leap to her feet and demand that they release whomever was inside, but her father’s training curbed her. Instead, she leaned further over the arm of the chair and peered more closely at the form within the chair. Doing so put her ass in the air, and her green feet kicked idly as Serene’s sharp senses studied it.

“Your highness? The tea is ready.” Lorriane’s more feminine voice distinguished her from Bryce as Serene twisted her body around to look.

“Oh! Thank you,” Serene said with a smile, shifting so that she could sit more comfortably and sip the tea. It was starting to annoy her that while they were hospitable to Djane, it was like she didn’t exist.

“I saw you admiring my chair,” Bryce said as he retook his seat.

Serene hid a wince as she busied herself with drinking tea. “Yes,” she said after she’d swallowed her sip. “I’m sure there’s an interesting story there.”

[Djane]

Djane looked to Serene, then thought into the ring. *Do you see that? What's in there? What should we do?*

Serene's broaching of the subject relaxed her a bit - Serene was better with people and was obviously on top of it. When she bent over, Djane took flight, drifting closer to the pixie-swarm.

"Uh... am I over-dressed?" she asked. "You're all... not... really... erm."

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: Nixx

The green man shook himself out of his pleasant, sun induced daze. "B-burn the forest?!" To date he had only seen trees from overhead, on his earlier dragon-flight. But deep in his sap-filled heart he knew what a forest was. The thought of one being reduced to cinders filled him with horror.

He struggled to compose himself and tried to follow up his shocked outburst with a more useful observation.

"Surely the trees can be convinced to aid us against the MageLords. Their very survival depends on our success, does it not?"

Alamaise stared at Nixx for a moment and then suddenly smiled – or so it seemed. „You believe you can rally the Ents of Forlorn Forest for this battle? We haven’t heard from them in over a millenium but we do know that they are still there. They simply don’t want to talk to us or any of our emissarys. Maybe you could make a difference young one. What is your name?“, the green Dragon Witch inquired.

Click to reveal..

I have just realized that I may have forgotten to mention that all the present Dragon Witches are in their Dragon Form. Aina being the biggest of them all.

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

As the others talked among themselves, Echo concentrated on the 'voices' that seemed to be the replacement of her wireless link to the global and galactic networks. The information, once she focused on it, wasn't really any less comprehensible than it had been before. It was just different. Experimentally she started testing to see how the 'voices' worked...if she could use them to help find what they were looking for, or warn them of dangers. Could she find word of the wherabouts of the lost members? What about the position and current activities of the oncoming army? What could she do?

As Echo tried to listen into the voices she could sense that they were starting to respond to her requests. Soon she was able to handle their means of communication as easily as she was able to deal with the datastream provided by the network. The crystals spoke to her about the Dragon Witches and how they gave the place it’s shape and power. Everything was tightly connected to the well being of the Witches with Queen Aina being the core of it, like the heart of the land.

She was able to locate her team and interpret the signals she received but only from those in her immediate surrounding. There was still no real sign of the missing members but she did get two unknown contacts not too far away from their position. One to the very west, the other to the very north – not too far away from the approaching hordes of the MageLords army. There were outposts as she ´downloaded´ a view of the area where the unknown contacts were located. One belonged to the Earl of the Merfolk who were allied with the Witches, the other belonged to the Elves of Laurelin Woods. Unfortunately she couldn’t get more details or a better view but maybe with some ´tweaking´ or getting used to she should be able to ´divine´ more from this bits and pieces of ´data´.

Click to reveal..

Your powers work basically just the same, they use only a different metaphor. You are sure once you located your friends and somehow attuned yourself to them you should be able to find them anywhere within your range.

Originally Posted By: Watchwoman

“I saw you admiring my chair,” Bryce said as he retook his seat.

Serene hid a wince as she busied herself with drinking tea. “Yes,” she said after she’d swallowed her sip. “I’m sure there’s an interesting story there.”

„Actually it does – or so I’ve been told. I’m not that well acquainted with such stories. I obviously lack a romantic bone if you catch my drift, your highness.“, he was trying to be witty but somehow the thought of him devouring her anytime he wanted was more present than his flawlessly polite behaviour.

„We own this particular remarkable piece in the fifth generation now. My great-grandfather used to tell me the story about it.“, Bryce stood up to grant her a better view of the Wingchair.

„As I was told – I was still very young back then – This chair once was a queen’s true love. A queen very much like you, if I may remark. Her beauty transcended the stars and her alure drove the steadfast insane. But no matter how many admirer’s she had, she w as deeply in love with this... chair.“, Bryce was still failing to understand why someone would feel so much over a chair but who was he to question a queen’s feelings?

„So this was her favourite possession and like everything she touched it froze because her heart was so cold.“, the Shark-man furrowed his brows not quiet sure if he was recalling this correctly.

„I must apologize your highness but it seems my memory isn’t what it used to be. And also my lack of knowledge about your kind didn’t help much in ever understanding why she was so obsessed about this... thing?“, he pointed at the chair with bewilderment while he shooed away some Pixies before he sat down on it again.

Originally Posted By: Djane

When she bent over, Djane took flight, drifting closer to the pixie-swarm.

"Uh... am I over-dressed?" she asked. "You're all... not... really... erm."

The Pixies didn’t seem to take notice of Djane at first, they were far too busy to keep the frozen chair from melting. One of them suddenly stopped though, staring at her for a moment not quiet understanding the question.

„You’re a slave – we’re not allowed to talk to slaves. Oh poor, you...“, the Pixie sighed and looked at her sadly as she shook her head. „Oh dear oh dear oh dear...“

[Joani]

Originally Posted By: Tesstarossa

TK sighed. "I'd lower the bow, we mean no harm., Though if you attack, we will defend ourselves."

Her voice was calm and flat, almost as if she were bored. He must have one hell of a bow if he thinks he's going to hurt Karra with it. That or he's very desperate.

"We are travelers here, and just passing through. We were separated from our fellows."

Originally Posted By: Aeonian

Aeonian crosses her arms after somehow her staff shrinks to the size of a wand. "I can vouch for my companion here. We mean no harm, but are capable of defending ourselves." She adjusts her mask, wondering why a device on earth that detected life signs now based it's function on heat.

The Elf not only lowered his bow, he almost dropped it when he saw Teletha. „Your highness!“, he bowed and knelt down to one knee averting his eyes from her as good as he could.

„I apologize, I had no idea the Frost Giant was your prisoner. You are surely aware of the tensions at the border and the impeding attack. We were hoping to receive word soon but we never expected for you to show up.“, he reported quickly waiting for her to allow him to stand up again.

[Aeonian]

Aeonian quietly observes, looking to see what her role in this masquerade is, she defers to Tessa in this matter.

[Tesstarossa]

Teletha looked at him and watched his reaction. He gave her hints at the body she was wearing now's identity, and she sighed inwardly.

"It is alright, in these trying times it is good to be prepared."

"You may rise, and the Frost Giant is not a prisoner, she is an ally. I trust her fully, and I realize that may strike you as odd, but she is going to help us."

"Do you have an update on the status of the border? i've been having to obscure my movements, and sadly this has not allowed me to keep in touch as I'd like."