Scene #4128: Welcome to MAGI

Owner	Pose
Dr. Vahzilok	Azuria is a powerful sorceress who safeguards Paragon City by coordinating Magic Origin heroes in dealing with mystical threats. She is stationed in MAGI's branch in City Hall of Atlas Park. It seems that the past year of gradually increasing criminal activity, chaos, and wicked plots, has only been the tip of the iceberg. Heroes are returning to Paragon City in droves, and they are being welcomed with open arms. Civilians are glad to see them again. They bring hope. There are a variety of outlandish outfits that are worn, so no matter how strange, it's unlikely that anyone is going to get a second look, beyond perhaps what's needed to take a picture. The year here is 2004. Technology in some places and fields is incredibly advanced, and in others, still lagging behind. Magic never really went away, but has been becoming more and more noticeable. Scavenging robots pick apart everything from police vehicles to parking meters to construction sites, murderous sorcerers make forays out from fallen Astoria to find new human sacrifices, genetic mutations that grant super powers are becoming increasingly common, and even Paragon City's homeless population are suffering under a mysterious affliction that is causing increased aggression and cult-like behavior (to say nothing of noticeable physical deformities)... And it was recently discovered a gang of highly-trained fighters who model themselves after the ancient Greeks, known as the Warriors, have been dealing with the Hellions in the selling of magic artifacts that the Hellions themselves couldn't have gotten on their own. With everything else going on, dangerous magic tools being sold to the highest bidder regardless of what it might do to them or others, is one more problem that nobody needs. And so, it's been asked that some of the Hellions go get rounded up taken down to show them they aren't welcome. They're easy to find, in their red scarf face masks and pentagram-marked leather jackets and similar demonic paraphernalia. And compared to Elites, even a small group of them isn't a big deal. Members of the Union and Confederacy both have 'Special Probationary Licenses' that grant them legal permission to act within Paragon City as heroes who have gone through the proper training and gotten their I.D. cards and all of that. This stands as long as the individuals in question don't conduct villainous acts. So even Confederate members could be treated as heroes here, and an irresponsible or reckless Union Elite might be seen as a villain if they went around chopping off heads. But given the medical facilities on this world and the resilience of the enemies, taking them down non-lethally, even with powerful weapons and martial arts and magic, shouldn't be particularly difficult. And the Hellions getting beaten up real good isn't going to make anyone shed any tears, so rocks to the face or sun punches to the kidneys or fire storms raging in the middle of a group of them are all going to be pretty much par for the course. So with that said... Time to go hit the streets and hit some fools.
Toph Beifong	While Toph has been in many worlds, she's not been to Paragon city yet, though she's heard and read about it in reports, as well as some chatter on the radio. It's a strange place to visit, and perhaps it would be interesting to 'see' more of it when she's not here on official business. And acting like a hero is something she likes to do on a regular basis, so why not do this? The blind teenager paid attention through the orientation to call it that. Beat up Hellions to keep people safe, got it. Once they were cleared to go, Toph wasted no time and headed out into the city, stopping in front of the building they were just in, trying to get a good 'look' at the area through her bending. Perhaps some of the other people here want to team up with her or something? She does know Dorian and Zephyr at least, and Nina too. But if they want to do their own thing, then she won't be offended.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian's probably been seen enough in Paragon City that he's at least known by look. Mind you, if he catches anyone attempting to take pictures of him? He will pose for it! He does so like when people appreciate how much care he takes in looking good. Though Dorian's not just here to make friends and get his face in pictures. He's here for a very serious reason indeed. These Hellions are getting their hands on things they don't know the purpose of, and very probably don't know the capabilities of. It's just like that asinine Tevinter supremacist cult back home; they're making a mad grab for power, promising their very souls to 'raise up' the Imperium. This is something that most definitely has to be stopped. Can't have some idiot ripping a hole in Paragon City's sky, too! He is also thankful for the medical transporter technology here, because Thedas has a dearth of people and things that can be subdued non-lethally. And so he is very likely to be one of those making firestorms in the middle of a group of enemies. Once they're outside the building, Toph might notice that she does indeed have some company. "Greetings!" Dorian offers Toph jovially. "Ready to blugeon idiots with their own stupidity?"
Nina Windia	One of the things Nina hoped to do in the Union was help out in her areas of expertise. She wanted to help people - and when she heard that there was an organization formed around magic-users who do just that, although localized to one world that wasn't her own, she put her name down. Why not? She didn't even mind tests getting a probationary ID card. Though there are certain things about superhero culture that Nina didn't quite understand, which is why she gave her name as 'Nina Windia' when asked what her name was, not realizing people might expect a code name, and she didn't bother with a costume. Her outfit probably counts as a costume to these people anyway - who wears a robe in 2004? - and it's not like she can hide who she is. Toph gets what she was hoping for, if she was: Nina has apparently decided to stay nearby one of the very few people who she'd recognize here if she saw them. "Do you feel anything?" she asks. If not, she can always fly up and take a look around.
Maya	Maya did get into thinks maybe a bit too she actually had picked up a local name and costume, okay she'd reused it from elsewhere but it worked pretty well and it did keep the media from connected her with her back home so easuily and that was fine with MAya. Or should we say at the moment the Blue Witch had arrived. She takes note of the people who have arrived and speks to Toph "Good to see your back Toph." Nina arrives and gets a grin from Maya. "Hello, Nina right?" It seems Maya's intent to keep with Toph and Nina from the looks of things here.
Zephyr Windstar	Flying heros are a common sight, so Zephyr's arrival at the meeting point is uneventful. The orientation was something she's had to go through before in other worlds, so she pays lip service to it. All the basics. "Yeah, got it. Am I good to go beat some criminal heads together now?" she asks, folding arms over her chest impatiently. Afterward she meets up with the others. "Hey Toph. Maya... person I don't know. I'm Zephyr, nice to meetchya." she offers, extending a hand to Nina.
Lin	Another newcomer to this escapade is Karal Rei Lin, who, through a series of miscommunications with the contact networking, has managed to reach the meeting zone dressed for battle without much warning to the others here. A redhead, hair done up in a ponytail, dressed in eastern-aesthetic clothing and bearing two swords sheathed on the left of her waist, she arrives by running down the sidewalk several times faster than an olympic athlete and skids to a halt near the others without even being short on breath. Though the others she sees, well... "Looks like I found the meeting spot in time! Whew..."
Dr. Vahzilok	Once everyone is assembled and starting to look for the bad guys... Or listen for them... They wouldn't have to search for. And those with an attunement to magic would likewise sense when a tiny bit of something with a sort of... Smoky burny hostility to it. So there's that as well. It's not a major magical presence. These guys aren't, themselves, magical. But they get certain boons from their worship. Resistance to fire from non-Elite sources, the ability to wield demonic flames in the big-shot leaders (but not the lower-ranking or mid-ranking dudes) is more noticeable when they're actually DOING it, but again, all the power is with something Other, not the physical beings that are no more than conduits. And two of those physical beings are currently trying to steal a purse from a very short woman who apparently exercises quite a bit because a grown man in gang clothes is struggling in a tug of war with her and can't seem to make any headway. His buddy is dancing a switchblade from hand to hand nervously as he keeps an eye out for cops, or heroes, and calls out, "You need to work out more, dude! Just TAKE the purse and let's go!" The heroes assembled at Atlas Plaza have a clear view of this nonsense going on across the street to the south. But there's similar antics taking place elsewhere, and even a some of these goons making some kind of deal for something on the lawn on the north side. In plain view of all the new heroes that come through here. Not the brightest.
Toph Beifong	"Heya Lover Boy!" Toph grins as Dorian walks up to her, looking rather amused. "Well, I was gonna bludgeon them with rocks, but I bet their own stupidity can work too!" Oh yes, the Tevinter mage is a guy that she can appreciate, especially for his witty humour. As for Nina? The other girl earns a wave in greeting. "Oh yeah, I feel lots of things. There's people all over here though, so it's a bit hard to tell specifics. I'd have to get closer to a situation like that to be able to tell exactly what's going on," she informs her fellow Unionite. And... Maya too, huh? Toph arches an eyebrow. "This is technically my first trip to this city, but if you're talking about the break I had earlier this year, that's because Goldie and Pepper needed me to handle some stuff at home. You'd think they'd get MORE time for family stuff after they got married, but nooo..." Zephyr gets a wave in greeting too. Seems like they have a solid gang here. And what luck, as there's something going on straight across the street! "Let's go kick some ass!" Toph calls, then kicks her foot into the ground to bend an earthen spike next to the thug tugging on the purse, aiming to knock him aside. Then without further wait Toph rushes ahead, clearly eager to get started on today's hero business!
Maya	Maya says "Zephyr, good to have you along as well." She looks back to Toph listening for the moment as she gets a chance to catch up a bit. Maya seems ready to head out with everyone else and she moves in once Toph makes to spike the shatcher. She pulls a strange tarrot like card from apouch and focuses on it. Blue flames leech out of her body now and into the card and then it starts to flow the group would shortly find Maya firing a column of water at one of the thug to make sure it's down. "Well let's get to it!" She looks back for a moment to track Nia, Zephyr and Dorian to make sure they were following. "These guys are kinda quaint in a way, I have had to deal with salvers back home before!"
Nina Windia	"I've never been here either," Nina admits. "It's so... it's very big and it's very vertical." Even in Windia, where the majority of the people who make it their home can fly, they don't build towers anything like a Paragon City skyscraper. She gives Maya a polite smile, and it looks for a moment like she might curtsey, but she doesn't, quite. "Yes, I'm Nina. Hello; it's good to meet you." Zephyr gets much the same response, but she actually shakes the hand since it's offered. Nina doesn't squeeze hard. As they start to move, Nina feels around with mystical senses. There's something around, but it's something outside her experience and it takes her a moment to figure it out. Fire, she thinks to herself, and something else - Toph is Toph. She has already decided to kick some ass, and Nina is drawn up in the wake. She takes off, bounding in a short hop before her wings catch the air with a sensation she feels more than hears. She doesn't go high, only a few inches off the ground, bobbing there with every downstroke of her wings - apparently she can hover, or at least sort of hover as there's a good deal more up-and-down than, say, a hummingbird. "Watch out!" she calls to Toph. Nina rubs her thumb across the inside of her right hand's ring, a fairly simple band. She channels power into it, and it shimmers, a white-blue aura spreading across her entire hand into a sphere a bit bigger than her head. She launches it, trailing a little tail of energy behind it, at one of the Hellions - apparently she's decided to give Toph some backup fire! (Except not actually fire, because... you know.)
Lin	Yeah, Lin's found the right place alright. Her sharp ears pick up the sounds of struggling nearby but WHOOOSH, off goes Toph to deal with that first. So instead of rushing off herself she takes one more good stock of everyone here and... "AIRFOLK?! ... And a Sorceress one!" She can only stare in awe at Nina Windia for a few moments. Black wings, white wings, purple with orange polka dots, she apparently doesn't care a lick. The next moment... she leaps straight up, reaches into a sleeve... and whips her arm about at lightning speed-- FWOOOOOOSH! A throwing knife - well, a kunai, it seems, design-wise - is flung with incredible speed and precision. Right for the dude holding the switchblade. If her aim's true, it'll plunge straight through the guy's weapon wrist. Possibly with enough force to knock him over or nail him to a nearby building wall if in range!
Dorian Pavus	Smoky burny hostility. Boy doesn't THAT bring back memories?! Not only of his last time dealing with the Hellions, but of some of his years in Tevinter. Being rather fire-aligned himself has been a boon for Dorian in the past when dealing with this lot, though, in all seriousness. Still, he's keeping his wits about him. He offers a smile to Toph's words. "Sometimes one's own stupidity is all you need," he notes. "Though I'll wager dropping a rock on one's head would be quite satisfying." His tone takes on false lightness. "It's like hitting them in the head with the things they have ''inside'' their heads!" He is not unaware that all of this is going on right in front of the Maker and everybody assembled here. "...If this didn't make our task so much easier, I'd almost be offended," Dorian notes, when he sees just how bloody obvious this lot is making their criminal activity. One problem at a time, and since everyone is focused on the purse-snatching, Dorian casts a Static Cage around the thugs, so they can't get away, and must instead take their Elite-issued medicine. And Elite-issued snark! "At least drag your would-be victim into an alley or ''something''. Otherwise you look like you can't be arsed to be a proper villain. Or that you're a complete lummox, one of the two."
Zephyr Windstar	Zephyr's got a firm grip, but doesn't linger any longer than necessary. She watches as Toph and the others head south, but a ping from her Device draws her attention to the group in the north. So, as the others head off one way, the Mage splits the party, and heads northwards, deploying her Device into its full sized form. She leaps into the air, taking a ballistic trajectory to land in the middle of the group of Helions making a deal. "Hey guys, mind if it... CUT IN?!" she asks, before turning her axe parrallel with the ground, then doing a pirouette on the spot, aiming to clear them out and knock them over. Her Axe glows purple, sheathed in a magic aura that blunts the blades, so it acts more like a hammer than an axe.
Dr. Vahzilok	Two dudes versus five Elites is a non-contest. The purse snatcher is hurled up into the air by the sidewalk suddenly going convex underneath him, to a very extreme degree (such that it slams into his chin), and when he hits the ground again, he is then blasted with a stream of water that rams him into the side of a building. Nina's ball of magical energy hits the other guy, knocking him off-balance and sending him staggering, as he yells out, "Masks! Run!" a bit belated for his ally. Karal's thrown kunai makes him drop his weapon as his flight drives him directly into the electric cage that forms around him, electrocuting him and causing him to fall to the ground, smoking and unaware. That's two down, and it only took five Elites to do it! That may have been a teeensy bit overkill. But at least it got the job done! The lady whose purse is now back in her possession takes the time to run up and thank everyone before getting out of there. Meanwhile, Zephyr is all alone against three more dudes to the north. The wide-reaching slashing axe strike sends the crooks tumbling away with gouges, one of them slowly and painfully getting to his feet and drawing a hand gun, while another seems to be defeated already. A guy in a demon mask seems to have taken the hit a bit more well, perhaps being tougher than his companions, but is still not in great shape, even as he pulls out a shotgun and opens fire! "Eat shotgun, punk!" is the clever retort offered.
Toph Beifong	"What the crud is a lummox?" Toph asks of Dorian. It appears that the others have decided to join in on bashing these guys, so maybe it would be better to split up in order to cover more ground? Or air, in the case of Zeph and Nina, who can probably keep an eye out from above. At least the lady seems to be happy for the help, and Toph offers the lady a smile when she offers her gratitude. "Okay, we probably don't need to be as many for this... let's split up into teams of two?" she suggests, then goes quiet. "There's stuff going on in the nearby streets, so we can handle this quicker if we don't stay together. I'm heading east, my feet can see something going on there!" With that she heads off to see if she can knock some more sense into another dunderhead.
Nina Windia	That was brief. But a brief altercation is fine with Nina. For all her knowledge and training, she hasn't actually fought actual people very much, mostly monsters and wildlife. She's getting experience, and she feels a lot less guilty about getting experience fighting thugs using her blobby energy balls instead of, say, summoning a tornado. Tornados get messy. Thank goodness she didn't need one! She /did/ wince at the electric wall he fell into, though. "You're welcome," Nina says, automatically, to the woman. "Please, stay safe." Though with as many thugs as seem to be around out there, who knows if it'll last? She heard someone call about an airfolk, but she doesn't know what an airfolk is, really, so she's not sure it's directed at her. She has to fight an urge to hunch down anyway. Splitting up is suggested. "That's not a bad plan," Nina agrees, sounding more sure of herself in a situation like this than she often does socially. Already flying just a bit off the ground, Nina exerts herself, putting a fair bit of height and then speed as she coasts across the park. She's not pushing herself too hard but it's still faster than walking (though probably not faster than running, aside from her ability to ignore obstacles). Up in the air, she can see Zephyr under attack, and she banks that way, tilting her body; she'd been planning to go see the meeting, anyhow, so this works. "Hello!" she calls down. "Do you need help?" She's already preparing a spell, though she doesn't unleash it immediately.
Lin	Lin lands as smoothly as she leapt, motions more fluid and natural than most trained gymnasts! "Alright, that's two down!... Can't believe robbers would act right in the streets and take their time..." 'Morons' goes unsaid, but her tone makes it clear enough. A hand dips down to one of her two swords - She's gone. There's nothing but a brief, windy gale where she was. As for where she is NOW... That would be... flying faster than sight, faster than reason, for one of the two thugs bordering the guy with the shotgun. If all goes well... WHAM! A BLUNT blade is slammed horizontally into the guy's gut. Thankfully blunt. Sharpened would certainly be lethal at those speeds. Blunt, well... it's probably gonna crack ribs and leave a horrible welt, but won't kill.
Zephyr Windstar	She knocked them over, and got some space. That's exactly what the mage wanted. As two of them get back up and pull weapons, she flourishes her axe, and pushes her right hand out at the Pistol Helion, firing a wave of concussive force out at him to knock him back over. She then leaps and does a twirl, turning to bring an overhead, flat-bladed slam to the demon-mask shotgunner. "Sorry, I already had lunch!" she says... but then the others come charging in. "Deamons Curse it, those ones were mine!" she pouts as she just hangs in the air, looking pouty.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian, for once, doesn't start banging on about how awesome he is when the lady whose purse was getting stolen thanks them. He merely offers her a polite half-bow, and remarks, "No trouble at all. Do take care." Then he turns his attention to Toph's question. "A lummox is a clumsy, stupid person," Dorian replies to Toph's question. "You know the sort-- those who think with their muscles instead of their brains." Toph's plan to split up is a good one, and Dorian nods. "I don't expect any of you will need it, but call if you ''do'' need help." He looks at the directions that Toph, Maya, and Nina have gone, then casts a gaze north, in Zephyr's direction. Zephyr's probably got that well in hand, and even if not, Nina is there, to be joined later by Lin. So what does Dorian do? He starts scanning, sensing, trying to find the biggest collection of that energy that is indicative of the Hellion's that happens to be in the area.
Maya	Maya says "My name is Maya and hopefully we'll work well together." Maya's able to do what she can to deal with the hostile thugs but it is really not a contest with the thugs. IT relaly was no contest but they are down and that's that? She nods to the woman and lets her go. She's not foolish as Maya sees the's leaving a quick as she can and Maya's now starting to wnder a bit looking to see if there's anymore hostiles which there are not. "Sounds like a plan but keep in contact. "Nina I take it your able to fly? We should try to take the north unless you intend to back up Toph." She also smirks at Toph's question, she'll leave Dorian to answer that however. Zephyr has handled the issue of the hostiles just as maya spotted it and she moves on.
Dr. Vahzilok	Karal takes out the Fallen Shotgunner, the Lieutenant-class baddy getting knocked off his feet and hitting the ground hard. He doesn't get back up, and just lies there groaning until the local teleportation grid delivers him to a holding facility. And the others as well, since Zephyr took out the Bloodbrother easily enough with her concussion wave. As people split up, it may be noticed that a crumpled-up scrap of paper was dropped by one of the Hellions. Out of the five who were taken down, it's very fortunate that one of them had a clue... Almost like it was fated. The crumpled note reads, 'A lot of new heroes have arrived on the scene. These Multiversal heroes could become a serious problem, and might disrupt the unloading of the latest artifact. We need to meet and discuss potential solutions.' There is also a time and place on the note. It looks like it's scheduled for time a couple weeks from now. As Toph and Dorian take out some more Hellions, each pair or group no greater in threat than the first two they all took out together, they may uncover additional information, including a ledger that lists the names of most of these assembled Elites (or at least descriptions of them, and anything that has been in the news about them). That means the bad guys know who they are... Soon enough, they'll also know they're coming. They'll need to be taken out soon. But for today, with some dozen Hellions taken down, not just the five originally requested, Atlas Park has been left a safer place.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian's reaction to these thugs knowing they're around? "...This doesn't bode well." And now it suddenly seems to make so much more sense, why they'd let their thugs do their jobs out in broad daylight-- to learn about the Multiversal Elites that would be stopping them. It would be unfortunate if these Hellions managed to secure the aid of templars to take Dorian out. He'll have to be more careful, then...
Lin	"Ergh... nothin' good comes of gangs like these!" Karal Rei Lin exclaims, her heaved sigh full of exasperation. "And these guys were no challenge at all. Kinda hard to believe the locals can't deal with 'em." The swordswoman sheathes her weapon with a smooth motion, a faint clang heralding the guard meeting its resting place. "Well! Didn't get a chance to meet anyone here but it seems these guys already know of us! My name's Karal Rei Lin!"
Toph Beifong	"What doesn't bode well? What does it say?" Toph asks, yanking on Dorian's sleeve. Of course she hadn't brought her reading glove to a fight. It certainly wasn't needed to kick the asses of the thugs that thought they would mess stuff up in Paragon city tonight.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian nods to Lin's introduction. "Dorian Pavus," he offers, with a polite half-bow. "You have to understand, an Elite-- that's us, by the way-- is going to have better luck against non-Elite threats." His voice goes a little wry. "Just wait 'till one of these Hellions comes out with an Elite-level demon from some level of their underworld. You'll get your challenge there." Toph's question draws his attention then, and he replies, "They're gathering information on us. The Elites that are coming in, that is. So be careful. They may be able to find a weakness and exploit it."
Maya	Maya knows they got to street sweep somedays in Paragon and this seems to be one of those days. She seems to think tht they are about done with the HEllions for now. She make sure there are no Hellions left about and seems ready to hed on her way. "We'll get to meet other people soon enough right, and the Hellions in general don't bode well. Traffing in demons like they do tends to end badly." She pauses "Humm seems they got a change in leadership if that's the case or they are learning...this is troublesome..."