Issue 91: Expedition to the Valley of Mists!

The Transantarctic Mountains. Antarctica. Night.

Looking to solve the mystery of Nanite’s lifeless condition, Vanguard tracked an enigmatic signal to the bottom of the world where their Manta Craft was attacked and destroyed by an unseen force!

Vanguard combed the wreckage to recover as much equipment as possible!
Using Sentinel’s energy construct as a large, mobile, glowing shelter dome, most Vanguard members worked in rotation to search among the snow, returning to recover and warm up before cycling out for another shift in the deadly cold.
Others stayed inside with CHESS personnel Harper and Manetti to sort through that which was recovered: the extreme weather gear (clothing and tent-shelters), flare guns, first aid kit, CHESS weapons locker, parachutes, hiking equipment and food rations were salvaged. The lanterns, flashlights and heaters were destroyed beyond repair.
Forester’s tracking skills detected no signs of people, nor the source of the attack.
The communicators remained inoperative. It was the local magnetic disturbance, not the devices.

The amazing Pegasus departed, but not before looking into Avatar’s eyes with recognition. John remembered having met this wondrous creature before! But when?!
The winged steed ascended silently up into the snowstorm and was gone!

Rather than wait until dawn, Vanguard preferred to make progress, no matter how slow.
So as darkness fell, Vanguard set out to cross the greatest mountain range in the world.
Forged hundreds of millions of years ago, the Transantarctic Mountains stretched 2000 miles across the frozen continent, dividing it east and west. 200 miles wide, with peaks reaching 3 miles above sea level, it would take hours to cross it in the dark snowstorm.

For the safety of all, it would be slow going. Sentinel’s wondrous energy construct illuminated scant yards into the falling snow. No stars to guide them. No moon. Just snow and the deep night. They would need to hover within sight of the ground at all times as it was their only point of bearing. The magnetic interference that rendered their communicators useless also fouled their compasses.

Long slow hours passed. Rotating scouts would range out into the night in turn, until the icy air forced them back inside. Then one of the scouts, Talon, thought he saw something in the snow.

After a cautious approach, Vanguard discovered the wing of an airplane jutting out from the white ground. There was no sign of the rest of the craft. Closer examination revealed the wing to be rusty with age. Slingshot wiped snow off the wing’s surface with an oversized hand, revealing a swastika emblazoned there. From the wing shape, Soldier hazarded a guess that it had been a transport plane. Vanguard recorded the numbers stenciled onto the wing but further exploration revealed nothing more. They moved on.

Inside the hovering shelter dome, Forester said softly: “Nazis in Antarctica.”
Avatar and Sentinel both knew that Nazi Germany had made several expeditions to "Neu-Schwabenland" as they named it, starting in 1938.

Vanguard continued on. In time, they felt that they had reached the ascent. Everyone was within Sentinel’s construct at this point, against the cold and lack of oxygen. Beyond the feeble glow of the construct, there was only pitch darkness.
Uneasiness gripped the team. Sensations of almost palpable dread that could not be easily resisted.

Descent. Mist added to the snow and soon replaced it. Another careful hour.

A pale smudge of light in the sky heralded the coming of the dawn. Vanguard had come through the night into the Valley of Mist! They continued their descent and passed out of the mist and discovered a vast valley nestled between the mountains, beneath the low ceiling of fog!

From their vantage point, high on the mountain side, they saw that the valley was green!
Daylight, diffused through the low cloud cover revealed a massive tropical rainforest, as large as the state of Rhode Island! Hills, plateaus, plains, lakes.
Sentinel opened his construct and warm air rushed over Vanguard! It was 85 degrees!
The air was perfumed with the scent of tropical flowers. Birds and monkeys could be heard!


It seemed impossible! Looking down across the lightening valley, they saw mighty waterfalls, fed by rivers fuelled from the snow melt of the surrounding mountains. Hot water geothermal lakes, springs and geysers, and at least three active volcanoes, heated the air and caused the permanent layer of white mist that blanketed the valley’s sky. The mist enabled a greenhouse effect that kept this impossibly fragile ecosystem viable! A delicate terrarium surrounded by icy desolation!

The sensations of dread faded along with the darkness and Shelley said, “Hal. Look over there. Those big trees have to be hundreds of years old. How long has this place been here?!”
Shelley got her answer. A roar. At a distance of a half mile, Vanguard saw the unmistakable shape of a Tyrannosaurus Rex stalking across a clearing!

…Dinosaurs…

SKKKRRRAAAAAAAA! Suddenly, they were on them.
Moving so quickly that Sentinel, Talon and Soldier barely had time to warn the team, a flock of Pterodactyl things cut through the air at Vanguard like ravenous eagles descending on rabbits!

They were terrifyingly fast. Mouths filled with razor sharp teeth. The knife-like fins protruding from the backs of their skulls seemed rounder, more bulbous than they were supposed to be (like the skulls of H.R. Giger’s Alien). The large brain case belied their intellect. These raptors were highly organized pack hunters! And big. Muscular. 30 foot wingspan. Sickle shaped razor claw on their wing finger.
None of this was right.


These weren’t Pteranodons! They were what Pteranodons would have evolved into had they survived the last 65 million years! (Imagine the Velociraptors of Jurassic Park crossed with Pterodactyls!)
Over a dozen of the deadly flying predators screamed down on top of Vanguard!

To be continued!

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OOC: Actions?
Their ambush was not successful, thanks to Sentinel, Soldier and Talon. But your ground is treacherous; a steep incline on the side of a mountain base.

Everyone, Please outline your characters next TWO actions.
Everyone is fully rested from the time crossing the mountains, except Sentinel who is down 8 power points.

Symbiote, how many charges would you have spent duplicating powers over the last 4 hours, crossing the mountains? Thanks.
Best,

Jeff

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Symbiote:
IC: Hal's first thought: "Amazing! Actual dinosaurs, evolved beyond anything in the fossil record! What a research opportunity! If we can biopsy or autopsy one, get a genetic sample, determine the structure of the wings on these creatures, just for starters..."

Hal's first thought is almost immediately overriden by his second thought: "These research opportunities are trying to eat our faces! MOVE!!"

Symbiote will then step between Shelly and the Velocidons (I'm trademarking that name, BTW) and launch a rubbery fist at the closest one threatening him or, more importantly, his sister. He'll be ready to extend a pseudopod out of his back to catch anybody he hears slipping down the slope.

OOC: Subtract two charges for the harness, Hal would've stayed fully powered up the entire four hours. This ain't his first rodeo.

Two things for future consideration: At some point I want to add an adaptor to the harness so that Lightning Strike can charge it directly, if possible.

And Harold is right, I should take Protect Shelly as a weakness in return for an extra upgrade. Something to think about when next I level up.

Ready for the next exciting adventure in this Savage Land we've discovered (sorry, couldn't resist)....

Viva Vanguard,

Greg

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Avatar:
Avatar's initial reaction is to stare in awe at this lost world but he focuses quickly on the threat.Knowing that the rest of the team will leap into action as each sees fit, Avatar abandons his initial notion of manifesting as Zeus and using weather control to buffet the things from the sky as Talon, at least, will probably go into an aerial fight with them.

He thinks of Shelley as the most vulnerable of the group but she is all the way on the other side of a whole team of super-powered and/or highly-trained guys so trying to protect her from his location isn't a priority at this point.

Avatar's first action will be to manifest Hestia's shield and will also use some movement to try and "wade" into the "center" of the attacker's focus, attempting to draw attacks from others to himself (I am assuming that Hestia's shield stacks with my other Heightened Defense...if not, please tell me and I'll probably do something else). His next action will be to attack one of the velocidons with his sword. He will aggressively try and draw attacks toward him by attempting to present himself in front of the rest of the group and will equally aggressively attack the creatures, moving to wherever the action is thickest. If he can actually draw more than his share away from the rest of the group, he will do so, making it easier for those with distance attacks (i.e. LS's lightning, Slingshot and Slingshot Junior with long-distance punches, any energy weapon attacks, etc.) to use them without being under attack and having to defend themselves.

OOC: Jeff...what form does the light control take? Is it regular light control or would I manifest some sort of bow when using it to attack? When/if I manifest other stuff, like Artemis's skill with a bow, do I need such a weapon with me or would one appear? If I need one with me, I'll probably start carrying one. I'd like to be carrying a spear much of the time regardless of anything else.

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GM Replies!
Hey gang. Hope you had a good Father's Day.

Symbiote wrote: Subtract two charges for the harness, Hal would've stayed fully powered up the entire four hours. This ain't his first rodeo.

GM Reply: Fair enough. That means they are due to run out soon, as it's been 4 hours. Let's say this charge will expire in 10 minutes.


Symbiote wrote: And Harold is right, I should take Protect Shelly as a weakness in return for an extra upgrade. Something to think about when next I level up.

GM Reply: Maybe. I still contend that Hal created this weakness through his own actions! Hal got Shelley a job with CHESS. Hal got her moved to Vanguard detail. Hal got Doc Rocket to slow down. Hal got Shelley to be the resident Nanite expert. Now you want a bonus upgrade for all your bad decisions? ;)


Avatar wrote: I am assuming that Hestia's shield stacks with my other Heightened Defense...if not, please tell me and I'll probably do something else.

GM Reply: The shield's power stacks with your Heightened Defense.


Avatar wrote: Jeff...what form does the light control take? Is it regular light control or would I manifest some sort of bow when using it to attack?

GM Reply: It requires no focus. Avatar glows with an otherworldly illumination and beams of light can be cast from his finger tips.


Avatar wrote: When/if I manifest other stuff, like Artemis's skill with a bow, do I need such a weapon with me or would one appear? If
I need one with me, I'll probably start carrying one. I'd like to be carrying a spear much of the time regardless of anything else.

GM Reply: You need a real bow, or other missile weapon.
I'll allow that you have a bow and spear with you, as you had time to acquire them in the long downtime period, and you went to the trouble of testing out all your new powers on that beach.

Best,
Jeff

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Avatar:
OOC:
Shelley could be a weakness but, when working together with Hal, perhaps she could give an Intelligence boost?Thanks for the info on the weapons and other stuff, Jeff. I'll certainly have the weapons. As a matter of fact, I'll be using the spear rather than the sword against the flying things (in hand-to-hand vs. throwing it, of course).

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Talon:
IC: Adam thinks to himself, "What are these slack-jawed idiots staring at? Don't they realize the pinnacle of avian evolution is standing right next to them? Jeesh.....and they consider themselves scientists!".

IC: Adam yells to Symbiote, "Hey, if your interested in trying to copy my powers, now might be the time to try. I'm gonna show these overgrown buzzards what aerial combat is all about!".

Talon waits for Symbiote to reply, then flies directly into the mass of Pterodons with the hope of splitting their numbers, and possibly buying the group a few extra seconds to plan their attacks.

When he engages the dinosaurs in combat, he will try to use an attack/evade method of combat to avoid large numbers of simultaneous attacks on his person.

Viva Vanguard,
Denny

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Sentinel:
OOC: Busy week. Had some Kirk 'internal dialogue' on events when the issue was released, but no time to post --- bet you're all disappointed to be missing it

Quick reply so I'm in...

IC:
Kirk stretches his arms motioning outward and his energy flows forward and upward and coalesces into the form of a mighty ferocious T-Rex with its physical appearance and color matching its natural form as close as possible. The feet of the creation forms an immediate barrier around the team protecting the team from a direct assault. The T-Rex postures as if to attack the ongoing swarm and its mighty jaws and tail jut out in offense and defense as the swarm approaches.

Kirk wishing he had the cry of the T-Rex to go with his creature and calls to Forester hoping for the next best thing, "Don't know what you have in mind here, but some audio effect to go with my visual might further aid in abetting our attack." and he hoped a sonic arrow might be forthcoming.

Kirk's strategy here is (1) the visual image of the T-Rex alone might 'frighten' the flock and cause them to lose their attack and formation protecting the team (2) if they are 'too smart' for that, then the presence of the T-Rex should still hamper their flight patterns and attack plan (3) the T-Rex can 'attack' as they come and (4) the bottom of the T-Rex can provide an immediate barrier to the team not looking to attack them --- Kirk figures some of the team can take a step closer 'behind' the shielding for added protection, while those looking to go on the offensive can simply take a step or two away from the barrier to do so.

If this isn't clear, let me know.

Kirk wants to gauge the intelligence of the flock. Also, a little more info on our surroundings would help here to formulate an escape path if possible. There is nothing to be gained in prolonging this battle and if they can clear the area safely and proceed with the mission that is to everyone's benefit. This could be a 'natural' attack or it could be our enemy 'testing' us - either way, we need to get through it ASAP and proceed with the mission.

A good weekend to all.

Best,
Seth

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Slingshot:
Slingshot usually goes last. So he will be working on protecting others and making sure everyone is safe.This will include protecting the normals by putting himself between them and attacks.

Catching falling people (with his stretching powers) and essentially resorting to attacking as a last measure.

That's for the next two attacks rounds.

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Symbiote:
OK, changing my action. This is too good to pass up (especially with Slingshot already essentially doing the same action).

Symbiote will tag the Avian Antihero and fly into battle with him. He'll particularly look to tag the Velocidons in the wing, since that'll do some damage and the fall to the ground once they're unable to continue flying will do even more.

Viva Vanguard,
Greg

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Soldier:
Soldier is a bit awestruck at the dinos (it's not something he's encountered before), but once he orients himself. He'll pose the following:
"Is this the type of thing you guys deal with regularly?"

He'll hold his actions, trying to get an better overview of the situation, and gauge everyone else's responses. He'll also take cues from the more experienced members of the team. In the even one of the non-powered CHESS personnel are endangered, he'll move to protect them. He'll use his fighting sticks to defend himself. If he see's an opening, though, he won't hesitate to act, and will make a HTH attack against any of the dinosaurs’ eyes, as he feels that's most likely their most vulnerable area.

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Vanguard: Issue 90: Peril at the Bottom of the World!

Above the Transantarctic Mountains, midnight

Vanguard, Shelley and Manetti were suddenly hurtling through mid air, exposed to the freezing arctic elements at an altitude of five hundred feet, plummeting down to certain death! The Manta Craft had literally disintegrated around them! Coming apart in mid air into its component parts with no visible cause! They could hear nothing now but the rush of the howling wind in their ears!

Shelley went numb. Snowflakes adhered to her face and did not melt. Her adventure, her life, was ending before it ever started. She looked in her brother’s direction as he fell through the icy sky to his death.

Talon was airborne and flew to the closest non-flyer. The steady snow accumulated on his large black wings but his speed and range was formidable as he closed in on Avatar.
“Hold tight!” Talon yelled to no avail! The rushing air stole his words as fast as they came out.

Avatar waved him off pointing to others that needed help!
Talon continued his momentum and banked left, swooping straight down toward the star-spangled Soldier!

Soldier was coolly scanning the terrain below as he fell. He was clearly an experienced paratrooper and was steering his body, flying through the air. Talon saw that Soldier was actually bracing for impact! The patriotic powerhouse clearly expected to survive a fall from 60 stories high!

Talon wasn’t taking any chances however. The avian anti-hero grabbed Soldier from under the shoulders and began a slow descent into the snowstorm, hoping that everyone else had an exit strategy!

Soldier turned his head and saw Talon carrying him; the one who was his polar opposite on the team! Then the pair looked toward Avatar and saw with their enhanced eyesight something they didn’t believe!

Avatar was falling through the icy sky when suddenly a veil opened in the clouds and a dramatic shaft of midnight sunlight stabbed downward, illuminating John. Then, impossibly, a shape descended and rode that sunshaft toward Avatar!
It was the white Pegasus, scion of Poseidon and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa! It that bore Bellerophon into battle against the Chimera; it that could not be tamed my any mortal against its will! Avatar sensed something like energy coming from it!
Talon and Soldier didn’t believe it. Must’ve been the poor visibility fouling their vision.
The impossible equine angel flew with the speed of Hermes and saddled Avatar in mid air, mere dozens of feet before impact! There was no time for it to save another, only the Avatar of Olympus.

Lightning Strike was falling. The sparking scientist sensed that the source of the beam that destroyed the Manta Craft emanated from the mysterious valley of mists. Its exact location within that valley lay beyond the range of his powers!
Strike needed to turn into electricity and enter the (now useless) communicator of another team mate. (No need risking damage to the Harper Harness. Strike often burned out his containers)
But 200 feet of open air was too far to risk travelling in electrical form. He could be attracted by the earth, like all lightning, and ground out!
So the high voltage vigilante waited for a team mate to move closer, his cape flailing up behind him as the ground rushed inevitably, unstoppably closer!

Symbiote reached out with his arm towards Slingshot. "Scott!! Tag me so I can help parachute the others down!" No use. No one heard that. Communicators were out too. The powerless Hal waited for the big, lumbering Slingshot to act. Precious seconds ticked by for Hal. And for Shelley.

Forester watched all this unfolding, delaying his action in case it would be needed in the end. Looked likely. But the aerodynamics were hell. Wasn’t going to be easy. He pensively touched the feather tip of an arrow on his back… and waited… and fell.

Sentinel formed energy shields around himself and VWOOP! was suddenly out of the deadly elements. Silence. An odd calmness. Then the beacon of justice fell like a shooting star, his energy sense guiding him through the snowstorm. Wishing for more speed, he barely caught Manetti before the pilot was killed. Manetti said something to Sentinel that couldn’t be heard, but its meaning was understood.
Sentinel extended his energy shields to envelope Manetti and well and turned toward the center of the group, in a last ditch effort to catch or even deflect another. Kirk knew with increasing certainty that he wasn’t going to make it.

Slingshot grew skydiving flaps to steer with from his elastic ebony epidermis. A parachute would be too slow now. He plummeted down toward Symbiote, stretching his arm out ahead of him!

Symbiote was quickly running out of time. His visibility was shot. From out of the white cocoon of swirling snow came a large black hand. The scientific simulator tagged it and immediately replicated Slingshot’s powers! Scott pushed him hard and Hal turned and let himself free fall toward Shelley!

Slingshot deployed a rubbery parachute; it was all he could do to slow the velocity with which he plummeted. Then Scott saw Lightning Strike was still falling. He quickly stretched an arm close to the electric avenger and…

Lightning Strike transformed into living lightning and entered Scott’s Vanguard communicator, burning it out, seconds before impact! SHA-KOW! The two were safe!

Symbiote dive bombed down toward Shelley.

Forester watched and fell and nocked an arrow. The chances of two shots under these conditions were approaching impossible. But the selfless slinger of arrows might have to try, risking his life!

Symbiote soon heard screaming carried on the wind. The snow made Shelley hard to find. Ground coming up fast. He deployed giant hands like a fisherman’s net into the snowstorm in one last desperate attempt! THWUMP!
Hal caught her. He “deployed” a parachute and still hit the ground with a jolt. But they were both unharmed. Shelley cried her relief and the tears became tiny icicles atop her cheeks. She hugged Hal.

Forester, having made sure everyone was safe, only now deployed his parachute arrow, cutting it dangerously close. But the well placed shot had him wafting gently down. He landed with a whisper, and left no trail in the freshly fallen snow.

Everyone was unharmed, for now. But snow was falling steadily and the midnight sunlight was waning. In minutes it would be dark for four hours during which the temperatures would fall to -40 degrees F!
The wind bit and moaned in this, the most inhospitable climate known to man!

In less than a minute, Vanguard was regrouping at the base of the Transantarctic Mountains.
The contents of the plane were unharmed by whatever destroyed the Manta Craft. So was the gear worn by Vanguard. Anything that survived the fall might be recovered given time and light, if it weren’t for the falling snow that threatened to soon blanket it all from sight. That included the now-imperative extreme weather gear.

Strike told Vanguard he had traced the source of the attack from within the valley of mists.

The powerful magnetic disruption that preceded the attack had passed, but the local magnetic disturbance reported in the CHESS files and attributed to the proximity of the south pole remained, jamming communications.
But the silent signal they detected from CHESS satellite was so powerful, the local magnetic disturbance could not dampen it. It too came from the mysterious valley.

Sentinel wanted to quickly enclose the team in an energy construct to protect them from the elements, but it would limit their actions and movements.

Then Vanguard saw Avatar approaching, riding atop a mighty winged steed! His face seemed different and his eyes glowed white. It was now clear to all that John was no longer anything remotely human.

To be continued!

OOC: Actions?
What now?! Please give me actions / intentions for the next 20 minutes!
Fyi, Prolonged exposure to the intense cold will result in hit point and power point damage.

Best,

Jeff

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Forester:
Without any wolf fur to wear, or any heat arrows at his side, Forester is glad that his uniform still has a hood. He spends the next 20 minutes searching the frozen area for any signs of a hidden/buried shelter areas--or clues of anything that seems out of place on the icy continent.

Forester had long suspected that Kairos/Avatar was a lesser god in some Tibetan traditions (a karmic step up from human)--something he also believes true of Sentinel. The physical transformation and flying horse were unexpected--yet not surprising.

He looks forward to hearing more from Avatar--and seeing if Sentinel will build us a psycho-energy igloo!

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Sentinel:
OOC: Weirdest thing, Forester's actions email arrived several minutes before the email containing Vanguard Issue 90; I knew he was always a step ahead of everyone else!

IC:Kirk checks to see that everyone is ok. Once confirming, he immediately tries to start gathering the gear and in particular the extreme weather gear. He uses his energy sense to hone in on anything giving off energy to locate it.

He offers to keep anyone who wants to be protected from the elements with him and particularly suggests it to Manetti and Shelly until we find the protective gear.

Kirk suggests that if they want to scout out the area or gather the equipment we do it in groups within reasonable shouting distance of each other of at least two and actually suggests three together so that no one gets lost or worse. One group should keep in visual range of the next group. We also need to sort who has some sort of light capability once it is dark if that part of our gear isn't found.

Upon seeing John descending Kirk says to him, "Now that's an entrance!" And then cautiously adds, "John, that still all you there?" Having not seen anything like this with Avatar before, but knowing about his new powers, he just wants to be sure all is all right with him and he is in control of things. Kirk also checks to see if his 'energy reading' differs from when he wasn't' manifesting his powers.

This is his initial thoughts and actions which may be altered depending on suggestions of others. Once that is done Kirk would suggest they head toward the Valley of the Mists. All the while Kirk keeps his senses alert to be sure that if whatever caused the magnetic 'attack' comes to find them, they aren't taken unawares.

A good weekend to all.

Seth

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Avatar:
"It's me, Beacon of Liberty...or I think it still is...."

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Forester:
Forester has been bringing two Flare Arrows with him. Both can be used as light sources in the dark. He's never tested the duration, though. Maybe 10 minutes? Maybe an hour? Maybe they can stay miraculously lit for eight days. We'll see...

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Soldier:
If possible, Soldier uses his enhanced senses to try and locate the others. If he can spot one of his teammates, he'll move out in the direction of the first person he spots. He'll move at a decent pace, but not to fast. he'll also be on alert for any other possible attack. He'll wonder to himself, "What the hell just hit us?"

OOC: Also, how is cold affecting Soldier? I'm thinking his nanites would provide some type of defense, but it wouldn't protect him for more than a couple of hours before the temp started to have an affect on him.

Once Soldier gets to a central location he'll ask: "Is everyone OK?" and wait for their replies.
He'll then ask: "Anyone have a clue about what just happened?" and wait for replies.

Is there any debris from the aircraft?

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GM Replies 1!

Soldier wrote: Is there any debris from the aircraft?

GM Reply: Almost none. It was disintegrated. That which is found, is no bigger than a breadbox.

Soldier wrote: How is the cold affecting Soldier?

GM Reply: Soldier hasn't had experience in these extreme conditions so doesn't know exactly how he'll resist its effects. He can assume the invulnerability will help, but probably would prefer not to remain exposed indefinitely.
You guys need a plan. Soldier knows the chances of survival in the wild plummet without: protection from the elements, warmth, water and food, and staying together.

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Avatar:
OOC: If Invulnerability is a help, can't Slingshot just stretch out over us in a dome and keep the elements from us? Maybe keep his eyes outside to keep watch and his ears (or an ear) and his mouth inside to participate in discussion?Not trying to act for Stephane or anything but just thinking about the resources available to us.

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Slingshot:
I'm assuming that my invulnerability affords me some form of protection against the element, such as it did when we were underwater after the starship.If that's so, I'm more than happy to become a carrier for everyone. Become a big ball with legs. I can walk fast due to my stretchiness (assuming the elements aren't impairing that) and make natural snowshoes and it won't use up needed energy resources for Sentinel.

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GM Replies 2:
Hey,
A big rubber tent will keep the snow off you, and cut the wind, but won't reduce the interior temperature any more than a real tent will.
Invulnerability helps the person who has it for their skin.

Best,
Jeff

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Slingshot:
So I guess that Sentinel's bubbles is the only thing that will work. It has atmospheric properties (assuming it works in this case). I'll remain outside and follow along as an external help and not to burden Sentinel more.

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GM Replies 3:

Sentinel's energy constructs can work. But he cannot heal (power points or hit points) as long as they are "active" since he's not at rest.
The extreme weather gear (cold weather tents and clothing and heaters) can work to an extent.
Slingy tent can work to an extent, if you use heaters (probably better than a fire).

But time is going to hurt you. The longer you're out here the harder it will get.

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Symbiote:
OOC: Questions for Jeff: You said there was nothing left of the Manta Craft bigger than a breadbox. Do we have any reason to believe the cold weather gear survived the crash?

Question 2: Was Shelly issued a sidearm (possibly relevant for later)? And even if she wasn't I assume Manetti has one...CHESS sidearms are energy blasters, right? Could be useful for starting a fire if we can find a fuel source.

If the whole plane disintegrated I think our best bet is to locate the source of this energy as divined by Lightning Strike and Sentinel and head that way quickly. Hopefully the source of that energy will also include shelter of some kind.

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Sentinel:
The other issue regarding time is that if we don't find alternate shelter at some point Kirk would lose consciousness, due to lack of sleep if nothing else, and there goes his construct with him, so this is a short-term fix, days at best I would assume.

However, we've all figured out that there is something to 'be found' out here (or something will find us) by the source, so it would seem a matter of doing our best to prevent exposure damage to everyone until we make our way there.

In character, Kirk's knowledge of heroic lore would give him these feelings also.

OOC: Cut to the beginning of Issue 91. A pan shot of the frozen horizon as Slingshot's invulnerable hand breaches the surface of the snow and ice. Kirk's motionless frozen body buried beneath layers of frost nowhere to be seen ....

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GM Replies 4:

Hi guys.

Symbiote wrote: You said there was nothing left of the Manta Craft bigger than a breadbox. Do we have any reason to believe the cold weather gear survived the crash?

GM Reply: I literally meant the aircraft itself. (After all, all of you are bigger than a breadbox) :)Things in the craft did not seem to vaporize. They plummeted along with you, across that crazy arc (due to the centrifugal force from the turn the ship was executing when destroyed).

Symbiote wrote: Was Shelly issued a sidearm (possibly relevant for later)? And even if she wasn't I assume Manetti has one...CHESS sidearms are energy blasters, right? Could be useful for starting a fire if we can find a fuel source.

GM Reply: They both were issued CHESS energy pistols, which were stowed in the weapons locker during the flight. You saw that metal box. It likely survived the fall.

Finally saw that GL fan trailer. Wow. Now I know why Seth was weeping.

Best,Jeff

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Symbiote:
Hmm.

I believe Strike and/or Sentinel can to some degree sense the source of the energy wave, correct? Is the source in the same direction as the path of debris?

Assuming it is, here's what I propose: Sentinel creates the energy bubble/floating igloo for all concerned except Slingshot and myself. Slingy and I range somewhat ahead and to either flank, looking for the cold weather gear, the weapons locker or anything else that might be useful. Talon could also do flying sortees--he's not protected from the elements as Slingy and I are but he has a lot of health points and power points and his overhead perspective combined with his enhanced vision could be useful.

All the time we move towards the energy source. I'm hoping the energy source will be in an Ice Station Zebra type facility, if not an outright Underground Lair of whoever our villain will be this story arc. He can be evil incarnate for all I care as long as he's got central heat.

Oh, and with Strike's scientific expertise perhaps he can get the wrist communicators working again as we travel along. I'll loan him my tool belt while I'm out ranging.

Seth: Don't feel bad about crying during the Green Lantern fan trailer. Denny did the exact same thing for the trailer to "The Notebook."

Viva Vanguard,

Greg

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Soldier:
Soldier's IC Reply: "Gentlemen!, we're wasting time, we need to come up with a plan, and do ti fast. The longer we stand around trying to figure out what to do, the worse things are going to get. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but we need to gather up as much gear as we can, and move toward shelter ASAP (As soon as possible), or we're going to freeze to death.

"Everyone needs to pair up, and sweep the area. Keep an eye on your partner, and look for signs of cold weather injuries. Keep moving, as it'll help you stay warm, and keep an eye out for what ever hit us. Does anyone one have a problem with that? If not, grab a partner, the man standing to your right, and get moving. Grab as much stuff as you can, and gather back here in 15 minutes."

I'll wait for replies.

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Forester:

Forester goes off on his own, as previously described. Another hero might interfere with his camouflage ability. "This will allow one of us to stay behind with the civilians," he says to Soldier, referring to Shelly and Manetti.

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Talon:
Talon's IC reply to Soldier: "Keep your tights on, Uncle Sam! I've already had to save your butt once on this mission. Why don't you make yourself useful, and stay here to sort through the equipment when I bring it back."

Talon takes to the sky, moving in the direction that he thinks the Manta Craft's inertia would carry the cargo. He keeps his elevation low to try and stay out of the worst of the blowing snow, and to avoid getting disoriented.

If he is able to recover any of the missing equipment, he will return it to the group so they can begin to take inventory of the remaining items.

He will make sweeping 180 degree arcs to make the most of his attempt to cover as much ground as possible without separating from the group.

OOC: All fun aside. I'm afraid that our undisciplined individual actions are going to get us into trouble. It makes sense to elect some sort of group leader to weigh opinions, and then delegate responsibilities to those best suited. Anybody ever suggested this?

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Forester:
OOC: LOL
Jeff has mentioned this a lot.

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Lightning Strike:

Yes, but until we can find a leader like the Dynamo of yore (research test for new players), it won't happen. Anyway, here is what Strike thinks about all of this chaos. Once we are safely on the ground, Strike will materialize.

Lightning Strike tells the rest of the group the basic coordinates where the magnetic blast originated from. His suggestion is that the non-flying members of the group gather whatever is necessary from the wreckage and attempt to head in the general direction. Symbiote should carry Strike in his device by the fastest means possible (potentially flight from one of the other heroes) and head to that area. Once within beaming distance (i.e. direct electrical signal), Strike can enter whatever is there and hopefully commandeer a vehicle to use to head back to pick up the rest of Vanguard. Given that time is of the essence the faster heroes should head to the location in order to find a way to bring the rest of the heroes back. This goes against all common sense of staying together in harsh conditions but given what we know and our unique abilities, it might make the most sense.

Strike is open to all suggestions.

Tony

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Talon:
Once we have taken a short time to recover necessary equipment to adequately arm and protect ourselves(especially the civilians among us). I would be willing to fly Lightning Strike in the direction of the signal. I could use the help in case we get in trouble.

Jeff did warn that we should be careful of carrying LS in Symbiote's harness to avoid frying it. We should use an ineffective electronic device to transport your character to our destination.

I would be able to do the airborne scouting, with Forester moving ahead of the ground based group so that we would have two sets of eyes looking out for potential threat. It would be nice to find some kind of communication equipment to be able to warn one another of potential enemies, and make a hasty plan to protect ourselves as we near our destination.

I'm not sure about trying to procure a vehicle to carry our group. I hope we have some element of surprise, or that our enemy is unsure of our exact location, and I'm afraid that if we did succeed in gaining transportation, it would allow our enemy to track us right back to the group with an attack force.

All of this is speculation, but I don't want to go in unprepared. Anyone else have an idea?

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Lightning Strike:
As proposed earlier, I may be able to reconfigure one of the dead communicators to hold my electrical form for the trip. I will leave that to the GM to decide.

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GM Replies 5:

Forester wrote: LOL. Jeff has mentioned this a lot.

GM: Yeah, and a fat lotta good it did! I don't get no respect! :)

Strike, the defunct Vanguard wrist communicators will make a fine receptacle for the ethereal emir of electrcity.

Favorite line: "I don't care if he's evil incarnate as long as he's got central heat."

Best,

Jeff

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Symbiote:
OooKaayy...here's my suggested revised plan...

1) Sentinel creates our comfy, climate controlled floating igloo.

2) Talon, Lightning Strike (inside Talon's communicator), and Avatar go flying/scouting. I'm a little concerned that neither Talon nor Avatar have any invulnerability protecting them from the cold but they can fly back fast, and they'll be very useful in the item search--Talon has enhanced vision and Avatar seems to be awfully lucky at this sort of thing.

3) Soldier, Symbiote and Slingshot (the Sibilant Squadron!) will ground scout. We all have invulnerability to some degree and Slingy and I can particularly cover a lot of ground by slingshotting ourselves or with giant stretchy strides.

4) I'd really suggest Forester stay with the igloo. He has neither invulnerability nor a fast travelling power but he does have strong offensive capabilities, which Sentinel, Shelly and Manetti will need for protection if the igloo gets attacked while the rest of us are out playing scavenger hunt. Up to you, of course, James.

5) Shelly is also a residential big brain, I'll loan my tool belt to her and ask to work on getting the wrist communicators working again.

6) If one of us finds the energy source, underground lair or whatever I suggest we hold back until the rest of the team can regroup and it can be approached through Lightning Strike's electrical form, Forester's camoflage or whatever.

Think warm thoughts,

Greg

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Slingshot:
I'm good with Greg's suggested plan. Anyone else has any other ideas or revisions?

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Forester:
If Symbiote and the others would prefer that Forester stay back and watch the civilians, he'll do it. While standing guard, he'll try to engage them in small talk, to keep their minds off the severity of the situation. He would like to learn about each of their backgrounds, their interests, and so on, using his performance skills and modest stage experience to keep things as calm as possible.
Should they come under attack, Forester use whichever arrow is best suited for the situation. When in doubt, the Boomerang Arrow would be his first choice against a single opponent, while Manetti radioed the other Vanguardians, if possible.

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Sentinel:
Kirk will expand his shield to slowly encompass everyone as they discuss their plan (there is no reason for anyone to be exposed at this point). If for some reason someone doesn't want this Kirk does this at a slower speed than usual so they can move out of the perimeter. He will allow anyone leave as they motion to do so.

I would add that scouting the equipment should only take a few minutes time. In particular, given that we have scientific and mathematical geniuses on the team, between Slingy, Symbiote, Strike, and Shelly they should be able to triangulate the most likely areas that the equipment would have spun off to and Strike and Kirk can use energy sense to locate anything 'live'. Also, we've got Avatar with the luck of the gods on his side for finding the most critical elements.

Once the team is ready to move forward there is no reason to do it by foot. Kirk can fly members of the team that can't move under their own power. Although Talon, Slingy, and Symbiote-Slingy can likely move quicker than Kirk's 50 miles per hour, I would question the need at this time for them to do so. The team can move forward with Kirk carrying the bulk and the others perhaps scouting ahead, but not so far ahead as to lose sight of the rest of the team.

Also, remember that if this was not a natural phenomina out here that blew our ship apart, and most of us likely feel it isn't, than likely whatever caused it will be coming to investigate. We'd also have to assume that whatever caused the damage has a radius of operation for it to work its 'attack' - even with Kirk's slowpoke flight of 50 mph shouldn't we come across it within a reasonable time without spitting our defenses. Again, I'm not suggesting we all stay in Kirk's shields (which makes a too convenient target) with everyone together, in fact I would advise some of the more adaptable members to be separate for just that reason at reasonable turns, but it would seem that totally spitting the team once we decide to 'move out' from this area doesn't gain us much. If we don't encounter something within an hour or two, then perhaps we'd have reason to consider otherwise.

And if Strike feels he finds a method to instantaneously beam himself to the source, well that's different than flying through the terrain (and Strike would take off whether the team wanted him to do it or not anyway).

Kirk will say his piece on this and if the team still wants to split forces beyond visible distance will take whoever is left and follow as best he can.

Seth

PS I have some old emails in 'pending' still so if I owe anyone an answer on something hopefully I'll get to sort through them again shortly, but wanted to give 'final' replies to Greg's always appreciated 'here's our plan so far' email... thanks for those.

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Soldier:
Soldier agrees that this plan sounds reasonable. He'll use his enhanced senses to scan the area, and ask if there's anything else he can do. He's also thinking to himself, that "If we make it through this, there are a few pieces of gear he'd like to pick up." (More on that later). He'll be on alert for anything, and if he spots it, he'll alert the others.

A couple of quick questions, how far ahead do my senses allow me to scout, and how bad is the weather affecting them? Also, can I get a boost up into the air so that I can use my implants to scan farther out around us? Sort of like an airborne sensor system?

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Avatar:
I'll scout as per Greg's suggestion but I'll keep in mind my time limit and not fly too far...maybe 40% of my range so that I can get back to the group with time to spare. I'll inform the group that my abilities have time limits and what they are (if I actually know this information).

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Talon:
OOC: Hello Everyone,
Greg's plan seems good enough, except for the number of heroes scouting the area. It makes sense that half of the group should do the scouting, and the other half should protect the civilians and sort through the equipment so we can move quickly once we regroup. Once we decide what we need, we should probably do away with the things we can do without, and move to another location to find shelter from the elements, and do some scouting of the area detailed on our mission objective.

Best Regards,
Denny

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GM Replies 8:

OOC:

Avatar can sense the approx. duration of his powers.

Dom, I see Soldier's senses being "combat senses" or reflexes, hence the detect danger increase. Tough to ambush / surprise him / out manuever him.

So I imagine the sense increase doesn't affect the range, just the quality within human range.

Does that sound close to what you envisioned?

Airborne and leading the pack, alongside your pal Talon, you'd have the team's best "detect dangers" as the scouts / advance team.

Snowstorm is cutting visibility. Four hours of darkness will end it.

Getting a boost, that's up to the players.:)

Best,

Jeff

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Symbiote:
“…except for the number of heroes scouting the area. It makes sense that half of the group should do the scouting, and the other half should protect the civilians and sort through the equipment so we can move quickly once we regroup.”

Fair enough. Since we'll already have once bouncy/stretchy guy out hunting (Slingshot), Symbiote will stay with Sentinel and the civilians and assist Shelly with the wrist communicator repair job (assuming they're repairable). Truth be told Hal's not wild about letting Shelly out of his site anyway.
Best regards,

Greg

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Avatar:
OOC: As worried as you are about Shelly and as tied to her as you are, she should be a Weakness for you.

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GM Replies 9:
What?! The truth is that Hal is Shelley's Weakness!
It'll become much clearer after she single-handedly saves Vanguard in Act III.

;)
Jeff

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Sentinel:
We would have movement to assist to a reasonable degree - until or if what we locate exceeds Kirk's carrying capacity, and even then he could perhaps fashion a sled or something along this lines to 'pull' things along while we move along with our passengers. Kirk's creations can encompass a decent sized area, so we needed be 'just standing around'.

Seth