Having switched places with Vanguard Omega against their will, Vanguard was trapped in another universe!
They made camp at Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower , sixty miles from New York City
Vanguard’s super-scientists believed they could reconstruct a “gate” that could bring them home! The materials for the gate could be scavenged and forged from what was on the estate! The module’s telemetry would guide them back to their world.
But there were still two daunting challenges to be solved!
1) The gate would require an unimaginable power source! Far more than could be created by the turbines and generators of Wardenclyffe, or the power of Vanguard.
2) It was possible they required a “gate” or other such “receiver” on the other side, in their world. If that was true, assuming Vanguard Omega destroyed the Digital Zone gate upon their arrival, what would they use?!?
Meanwhile, the rest of Vanguard formed an expedition to the Shoreham Public Library, where they learned more about the nature of this alternate world and how Vanguard Omega might have come to be.
Vanguard reunited at Wardenclyffe at dusk and shared everything they had learned.
Avatar sought more answers. The demigod of destiny manifested Athena (20 Power Points) and asked his questions of the Gods! (Avatar spends another 64 Power Points on Cosmic Awareness, leaving him with 1 Power Point!)
In the lotus position, he was limned with silver-white energy and his face seemed different. With the supernatural Menagerie’s help in crafting the final wording, Avatar asked:
"Does this world’s Silas Caine possess a portal that could allow us to return to our dimension?"
Avatar heard a woman’s voice reply, “Yes.”
Avatar asked, "Did the Entity successfully invade this world?"
The answer came back, “Yes.”
Avatar returned to mortal form and was spent from his psychic exertion. He and Menagerie shared the results with the team.
Avatar, Slingshot, Symbiote and Soldier wanted to find the Caine Gate.
Clone, Menagerie, Strike, Sentinel, Talon and Zephyr wanted to target the Digital Zone Gate at the Datanaut invasion.
(fyi, Soldier and Talon are on hiatus, so I split their vote. Then I had Zephyr vote for the side that won, so that your votes decided it.)
With the majority ruling, Vanguard got to work on the Tesla Gate!
Avatar rested to regain his strength for the next task that lay before him.
Clone split up into as many bodies as possible in order to provide the team with a solid force of laborers, reducing construction time considerably. He served as information relay for the team, and actually translated some of Tesla’s original manuscripts for Vanguard’s scientists! The yellowed, tattered notebooks were found still behind glass from when the estate was a museum. (Also, 1 Luck Point!)
Lightning Strike lent his super-intellect and his skills in electrical engineering and physics (and 1 Luck Point) to construct the Gate that would bring Vanguard home.
Menagerie served as lookout, walking the grounds of the forlorn estate. He sensed another former pet, a Labrador Retriever that had not known a master in five years. He was happy for the food Menagerie gave him, and happier still for his company. The shamanic superhero detected no other soul.
Sentinel’s computer skills were put to use programming the gate and analyzing the data from the module that Zephyr had retrieved. (and 1 Luck Point!) That night he also flew upward to a great height to see if he could determine the power outage’s range. It extended as far as he could see.
Soldier also took shifts in guard duty. “With Avatar in such a weakened state, and Vanguard’s collective mind completely occupied on the project, we are extremely vulnerable right now.” He created a watch schedule for himself, Menagerie and Talon. Two men on duty, one man off, to keep eyes fresh. On his scheduled break, he returned to the library to further research and record everything he could uncover on his father, the Vice Presidential candidate who shared the ticket with Silas Caine!
Slingshot employed his skills in mechanical engineering, physics, mathematics, and computers to help build the Tesla Gate.
Symbiote brought his super-scientific mind to bear, with his skills in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering (and 1 Luck Point!) to build the Gate! He worked tirelessly and obsessively to complete the project.
Talon was happy to join the watch detail, and get out of doors. He rough-housed and played fetch with the Labrador , and waited for the big brains to build their big whatchamdoozus.
Zephyr worked on the Gate with her intellect and skills in physics, electronics, and computers (and 1 Luck Point!). She desperately wanted to help the people of Earth Omega, as she called it, but also wanted to defend her own world from Vanguard Omega.
After days of work, the Tesla Gate was complete! Built from the equipment at Wardenclyffe, it looked like something right out of 1935, and different from the Digital Zone gate. It was an art deco, brobdignagian, circular platform that dominated the electrical lab, and when it was activated, electrical arcs would surge around its circumference, cutting a hole in this reality!
Vanguard prepared themselves. When they reached the other side of the Gate, they would be entering a battle for their lives with beings that were as powerful as they were, and likely much more experienced. Sentinel constructed his energy shields and Symbiote activated a super power template (who, please?)
It was calculated that a lightning barrage would power the gate long enough to open it for less than a minute! There would be no time to test it. They would power the gate, open it and leap through it as fast as possible, or risk alerting the Entity or Silas Caine's hunters.
Then Avatar summoned the storm. (20 Power Points to Manifest Zeus, add 4 to build the storm)
KRAKA-THOOM! Thunder and lightning rocked the heavens! Rain poured down in sheets from the night sky! Lightning struck the ground and then the Wardenclyffe Tower
Lightning Strike, standing beneath the tower, acted as a human conductor and amplified the electrical energy and fed it into the art deco Tesla Gate, roaring it to life!! (and also regaining his Power Points!)
Electricity arced around its edges (see picture), transforming it into a circular Tesla coil!
Electricity, and possibility, filled the air and everyone’s hair stood on end!
BZZZZZZZMMMMM!! The electrical arcs tore at reality. The Gate was open!
Vanguard jumped through it!
FFFFFFFFZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
There was no margin for error.
If Vanguard arrived a second too early, there could be two sets of Vanguard Alpha occupying the same place at the same time. None of the super-scientists of Vanguard are certain what that could result in!
If Vanguard arrived a second too late, then they were "beaming" themselves to a disabled gate, or a gate that is being destroyed just as they were traveling through it. None were sure what that could result in either.
If Vanguard arrived a second too early, there could be two sets of Vanguard Alpha occupying the same place at the same time. None of the super-scientists of Vanguard are certain what that could result in!
If Vanguard arrived a second too late, then they were "beaming" themselves to a disabled gate, or a gate that is being destroyed just as they were traveling through it. None were sure what that could result in either.
To be safe, Symbiote and Slingshot had set the gate to the second after they, Vanguard Alpha, had been teleported out… as best as they could reconstruct events. ( 1 Luck Point each)
FFFFFFFFZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
The Tesla Gate worked!!!
Vanguard was passing through the Digital Zone gate into the Computer Lab in Vanguard Vault when two of the Datanauts destroyed the Gate, with Vanguard Alpha still in it!
One Datanaut fired a blast of energy from his hand at the gate. The energy blast had the same color and sound as Sentinel’s.
Another Datanaut stretched out a big massive fist and crashed it hard into the Gate! SLAM!
A third Datanaut said, as Vanguard dissolved out of existence, “We did it. We made it.”
Vanguard’s molecules had nowhere to go. They couldn’t go forward. They couldn’t go back.
Everything went white. They couldn’t hear or see the Datanauts or the Vault anymore.
There
was
the
sense
of
falling,
or
perhaps
of
being
pulled.
After what seemed like decades of silence and absence and void, Vanguard found themselves alive and sensate again. They pulled themselves up from the empty ground and looked around at the vast nothing.
This world was grey. There was grey earthen ground, grey fog that reduced visibility to 100 feet, and nothing else, save Vanguard.
Vanguard looked like themselves, including recent injuries, lacks of shaves and the smell of electricity. There was gravity that approximated Earth. The temperature was comfortable, there was air to breath, and the source of light was indeterminate. Beyond that, there was nothing else.
Sentinel’s shields were gone and he could not reform them!
All power and charges had left all the team’s devices!
The DNA template that Symbiote had loaded was gone.
Vanguard attempted to test their super powers and most of them did not work!
(OOC: As a rule of thumb, it seems that any super power or device that requires Charges or Power Points to activate, an Action to activate, or Movement to activate, does not work! For example, Slingshot and Soldier’s Invulnerability still work, as well as any Heightened Stats that are permanent.
Some exceptions: Slingshot cannot stretch his limbs, but Talon’s Wings do enable him to fly here.)
Menagerie’s occult knowledge skill confirmed what he already knew. Realization pressed on him like an iron weight. They were trapped in Limbo, or something very much like it. A legendary dimension where the lost and displaced existed beyond time and space. There was said to be no way out.
With few other choices, Vanguard began to explore this barren realm, the latest in a long line that they had recently traveled to. They were careful not to lose sight of each other. There was no sun or stars that they could ever detect and when Talon flew upward he only found more endless grey fog.
An eternity passed, or so it seemed, but the interdimensional explorers knew neither hunger nor thirst. Their beards did not grow. Nor did they heal. It seemed this world had an eerie, supernatural inertia that held them in a kind of living stasis. A grey, twilight existence.
All searching was fruitless, and hope was all but gone when they finally encountered another living soul.
One hundred feet away, they saw an older man in a fetal position on the grey ground. Alone. He was dressed in a white shirt and pants and he was alive.
As Vanguard carefully approached, they saw that the white pants and shirt were attached. The lone figure was wearing a superhero costume!
The costume resembled that of Dynamo, the uncanny, unpredictable leader of the long lost Freedom Force! He was known to possess invulnerability, strength, agility and was an expert HTH combatant.
Formed in 1980, the Freedom Force was the world’s pre-eminent superhero team, comprised of Earth’s mightiest heroes (like the JLA or Avengers), and battled the deadliest supervillains known to mankind! They sparked the second age of heroes on Earth. The first was during WWII, the third was led by Vanguard!
In 2004, the Freedom Force went missing during the alien S’korian Empire’s invasion of Earth. The FF launched a counter-attack against the invasion fleet and their leader, Eon the Eternal, a black celestial with the power to travel through time! Their efforts must have succeeded; the alien ships left the solar system but the Freedom Force were missing!
Vanguard had found Nemesis, the super-intelligent android member of the Freedom Force, in the ruins of the Temple of the Inhumans in the Lost Lands of Antarctica . By scanning Nemesis’s frozen mind, Sentinel had seen that the Freedom Force encountered the sinister celestial, Eon the Eternal, at the Dawn of Time. There was another with them, whom Nemesis watched with suspicion even though he fought alongside the Freedom Force. Somehow Sentinel could not see this stranger.
They battled within the Big Bang, the universe expanding all around them! Eon smote Dynamo’s ruin across the face of a monolithic asteroid and then targeted Nemesis, transporting the avenging android through the corridors of time! From Nemesis, they learned nothing more of what transpired between the Freedom Force and Eon the Eternal!
(See the classic Vanguard issues 95-98, available now in the 50 cent boxes of your local comic store)
Vanguard had encountered no other survivors of the Freedom Force, until now!
Dynamo’s costume had been grey with white accents, and now the color scheme was reversed!
Historically a figure of great energy and vitality, Dynamo seemed to be almost elderly now and when Vanguard approached, he pulled his mask/hood over his face and stood up with what dignity and bearing he could still muster. His cloudy eyes tried to focus and he stammered, “Who… who… are you? Am I dead yet?”
OOC:
Replies and actions to any and all of the above please. Thanks.
-------------------------
Current Conditions:
Avatar: Hit Points: 58, Power Points: 61, Manifesting: none
Clone: Bodies: 1, Hit Points: 21, Power Points: 64, Hit Pool: 21
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 47, Power Points: 85
Menagerie: Hit Points: 26, Power Points: 66, Form: Man
Sentinel, Hit Points: 30, Power Points: 70
Slingshot: Hit Points: 79, Power Points: 92, Invulnerability: 8
Soldier: Hit Points: 57, Power Points: 81, Invulnerability: 8
Symbiote: Hit Points: 40, Power Points: 80, Charges: 0, Copied: None
Talon: Hit Points: 55, Power Points: 87
Zephyr: Hit Points: 17, Power Points: 69, Charges: 0, Armor: 7
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
OOC:
Awesome job, Jeff! Didn't see that one coming - caught me completely by surprise! I'm sure this has been mentioned already, but just in case it hasn't - you should really hook up with a comic illustrator / artist and turn Vanguards adventures into a comic book. The stories and plots you come up with are always changing, constantly fresh and consistently exciting - excellent work!
-Kev
-Kev
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Thanks Kev!
But I can't take all the credit. The players' contribution really makes the game sing.
For example, the Tesla stuff was yours.
And this whole Omega universe wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Greg's brief moral failings. ;)
A campaign is a real group effort.
But thanks. :)
Best,
Jeff
Thanks Kev!
But I can't take all the credit. The players' contribution really makes the game sing.
For example, the Tesla stuff was yours.
And this whole Omega universe wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Greg's brief moral failings. ;)
A campaign is a real group effort.
But thanks. :)
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC:
Symbiote's brief moral failings. Greg's moral failings are...well...of a bit longer nature...
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
OOC:Greg or Jeff,
Would you enlightened me on what Symbiote did? I have read through the whole arc and I understand the whole Inhuman situation but I keep missing out on how Symbiote contributed to the mess that is Earth Omega.
Thanks
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
Symbiote:
OOC: Far from Hal's finest hour...
In the alternate universe Oracle showed us (i.e., the campaign against Primate the first time we ran it through), Hal secretly created a compound that would devolve Primate back to conventional ape-level intelligence and remove his animal control powers.
His reasoning was that this would permanently remove the threat of Primate (who, by the time the idea came to Symbiote had destroyed much of human society and killed thousands, perhaps millions of people) without forcing Vanguard into the moral quandary of having to kill him. Instead, when the Animal Revolution was over it just further enraged humanity--since Primate was effectively destroyed, they had no target for justice (or revenge, depending on how you look at it).
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
OOC: Ah, somehow I missed that it was Hal that created the devolvution compound.
Thanks
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Hi,
Issue 83, on the site, covers it. It occurs during the player replies, so please read all the way to the bitter end.
http://vanguardhq.blogspot.com/2009/03/vanguard-issue-83-escape-from-planet-of.html
fyi, Issues 81-82 sets it all up and puts it in context of coming right after an actual betrayal by Inhuman, a member of Vanguard!
For the new guys, the "moral failing" stuff is just a joke. It was more about the cover-up than the crime itself, as usual. Symbiote did this with good intentions. But you know what they say about the road to Hell. :)
But enough of ancient history! This issue's deadline is one week from today!
:)
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
OOC: Nice issue! Those curve balls just keep on coming.
Also, I'm just checking in.. looks like I missed the rapture this weekend.
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: Thanks. And the Rapture’s been rescheduled for October.
--------------------------------------------------
Symbiote:
OOC: Two points before going further...
1) Let's say Hal had absorbed Slingshot's powers before going into the gate. I'm an optimist in assuming this might mean something later.
2) Does the team know Dynamo's real name?
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
OOC: How famous was Dynamo?
Would Menagerie recognize the costume?
Does Menagerie sense the Natural Order here?
While powers don't work for devices and some others, do we feel like we have physically change (i.e. like in the Digital World where Int Stat switch Str Stat and Cha switched with Agi)?
If Menagerie clicks his heels 3 times while saying "There's no place like home" does Vanguard return to Vault Alpha?
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Greg, the replicated powers of Slingshot eventually time out, and fade.
Dynamo is one of the most famous superheroes in history. He led the most famous team of the 2nd age of heroes, the Freedom Force!
Everyone in Vanguard would certainly recognize his costume.
None of Vanguard, or the public, know Dynamo's real name.
Menagerie's Nature Sense does not work here.
Tom, you DON'T feel like you've physically changed except that everyone here seems suffering from some kind of cosmic inertia.
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
OOC: Can I have Menagerie attempt to change into a wolf before next issue? If I can then I will try. If successful, Menagerie will turn back into a man. If he is unsuccessful he will let loose with a string of @!$**!!#@@!s.
Menagerie will attempt to Detect Hidden for some sort of abnormality which might suggest an energy drain, trail, or portal. Anything that might provide a direction that would lead to an exit from here.
IC: I do not have my Nature Sense as well. This is very disconcerting I have not felt this alone for a long time.
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Menagerie cannot transform into any animal shape!
His detect hidden attempt does not reveal an exit.
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
(OOC)
At this point we know Talon can fly. Can we run? If we exert ourselves to we get tired? Does our heart begin to race? Or do we look as if we are running or exerting ourselves and still move at the same pace? Do we feel pain (for instance, if we fall, does it hurt)?
(IC)
Those close to Kirk saw a quick grimace on his face like someone who had an oncoming migraine but was doing their best to ignore it and hide it. This was Kirk’s outer expression of coping with the fact that his energy sense was not at work and the loss he felt.
Kirk speaks to Vanguard. “This is no one’s fault. We took a shot at things as a team and we ended up here. If there is a way in, there is a way out. We’ll find it. We’re going to set things right. We’re going to stop Vanguard Omega.”
“I’m not convinced that our ending up here is coincidence; when we began our ‘descent’ to this place I couldn’t tell if we were falling, or if we were being pulled. If the latter, there is more at play here … someone or something brought us here deliberately.”
“At this point, none of my powers are working. Not even my energy sense and it’s always with me.” And he looked down a second repeating to himself lowly out loud, “Always.”
“What about the rest of you? Do we have anything working here other than our wits that we can use to our advantage?”
(OOC: Jeff: With the costume of Dynamo and it being reversed, I was working under the assumption, and I could be wrong, that Vanguard Omega wore colors like ours until things changed and went dark. I thought this because of the conversation in their initial appearance where one of the characters commented on our Clone’s costume and said something along the lines of “remember when our Clone wore that … I’d forgotten about it”. Their comments could have referred to the overall costume and not the color scheme and I assumed wrong. We should know from our research in the library if the costumes changed post Primate, etc. Please let me know.)
(IC)
As the team approached the older man Kirk immediately recognized the costume, although the color scheme was altered and shot a quick glance at Hal knowing he would too and silently mouthed the word to him, “Wow!”
Historically a figure of great energy and vitality, Dynamo seemed to be almost elderly now and when Vanguard approached, he pulled his mask/hood over his face and stood up with what dignity and bearing he could still muster. His cloudy eyes tried to focus and he stammered, “Who… who… are you? Am I dead yet?”
Kirk replied, “My name is Kirk and I’m known as the Sentinel of my generation. These are my teammates and together we are known as Vanguard. We are the successor of the superhero team known as the Freedom Force of whom we think you are very familiar.”
“As to your second question,” and Kirk smiled and continued, “We sure hope not because if you are, then we are too, and we’ve got too many people counting on us for that to be the case.”
“We just arrived here and are looking for a way out. Time seems to flow different here, but have you just arrived also? Do you know who you are? What do you know about this place?”
If he has his memory and indicates himself to be Dynamo, if he can work it in (and depending on your answer to my above OOC about the costumes) Kirk would try to ask if the colors of his costume were always that way.
Naturally the above flow would be adjusted dependant on ‘Dynamo’s’ answers and reactions, but I was trying to determine if this is the Omegaverse Dynamo or if our Dynamo got booted here too. (If this is a Dynamo Omega, then it would be probable our Dynamo is trapped in an alternate Limbo in our dimension and we will need to find him (yes, on another day :J )
Hope this is all right with everyone to get the interaction started here.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
You can run. If you exert yourselves, you become tired. It takes longer to recover from exertion.
You can feel pain and be hurt. Injuries take much longer to heal here.
From your research in the public library near the Tesla estate, it looks like the "Omega" costume change occurred during the seven year "news blackout."
IC:
“We just arrived here and are looking for a way out. Time seems to flow different here, but have you just arrived also? Do you know who you are? What do you know about this place?”
The cosmic castaway seemed confused and excited to see so many others. He shook any hands that were extended and answered. His voice was dry and cracked, as if he hadn't spoken for years.
"...Dynamo... This place is a prison... my mind... time goes on forever here... I... I have been here longer than I can remember.... where are you from?..."
Kirk would try to ask if the colors of his costume were always that way.
Dynamo looked down at his chest. "Colors?... I... don't know... I don't... remember..."
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
Kirk was disturbed. Every ounce of him wanted to believe that they had found him. The greatest hero of the second age of heroes! That they had found another member of the lost Freedom Force … that this WAS DYNAMO!
But why the reverse color on the costume? If this truly was their Dynamo his costume should be as they knew it. Even if this was the Dynamo from this dimension, he would have disappeared long before the ‘seven year news blackout’ and the corruption of their heroes… his costume still should be the same, not this darkened color scheme.
And then it struck him, the Freedom Force’s implacable foe, and a scientific genius who could control and rearrange the molecules of his own body, who had all but disappeared, Doctor Change. If he had discovered a way to travel between worlds would he do so as himself, or might he assume the guise of the world’s greatest hero? But surely he wouldn’t have made the mistake with the costume?
At this point it didn’t matter. So far they had no other options and found nothing in this ‘limbo’ but greyness. No matter who this being was, currently he was the only means for getting answers and finding a way out. And if there was any chance at all that this was Dynamo, any version of him, then he deserved all the reassurance they could give. Still, Kirk would be cautious, hoping for the best, but not assuming it.
“We’re also from earth; the time period shortly after yours. We became involved in an interdimensional mission and things went awry and we found ourselves here.
Rest assured, you are not alone now. Together we are going to figure this out. We’re going to escape this place. And there’s no way we’d leave Dynamo behind.
We know that you and your team went on a mission and never returned. I know it’s difficult, but what’s the last thing you remember before coming here? Do you remember how you got here? Other than the grey that is seemingly endless we’ve found nothing else here, have you encountered anything or anyone else before us?”
OOC
Jeff:
Kirk's questioning is two-fold here. Anyway it goes, anything 'Dynamo' knows about this place will help them, so hopefully we can help him recall it.
Secondly, Vanguard knows more about the original Freedom Force's 'final' mission than is public knowledge. Whoever this is doesn't know it. Seemingly even if they can read minds, they shouldn't be able to do it here. If this is anyone other than Dynamo and he gives info that doesn't mesh with the facts we already know that lets us in on it, without them knowing.
Anyway the conversation goes, Kirk will continue kind and supportive and won't let on if he picks up that this might not be Dynamo. There is no way he'd want to disrespect Dynamo or make him feel worse than he already does if this is him in this situation and he is being truthful with them... and really other than the costume thing, Kirk has no reason to think this isn't really him thus far, and that's not much. I don't want you to think he 'grilling' him bad cop style here, that isn't Kirk's way and especially not in this case.
If the conversation goes that way depending on the Dynamo's lucidity and frame of mind, he might bring up the fact that he looks older than they imagined him to be to see if he knows why or if that jogs his memory.
I actually pictured a quick panel if Dynamo was unaware of his appearance where Kirk would open his hand making a motion to create a mirror and then realize that he 'forgot' he was unable to do so here and perhaps they'd borrow Zephyr's glasses to use as a reflective surface to show him... again depending on how the conversation continues.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
Quick OOC reply:
Sentinel said: "not this darkened color scheme."
fyi, The color scheme of the Dynamo before you is much LIGHTER than the one he had worn for decades.
The original had grey and white reversed from the version you see now.
IC replies to come.
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Thanks for the clarification... looking forward to the 'even nicer' alternate dimensional landscape we'll be visiting next... and the Silver Age Freedom Force (I figure the Freedom Force of Kirk's world was 'Bronze Age' type)
I was wondering, and not that we'd do anything at this point anyway, although we don't know Dynamo's name (really? nothing in the Chess file?) was there a photo of him sans mask? Do we know his face if not his identity? If it was in the Chess files its certainly something Kirk would have noted.... and as another possibility (although even more remote), when Kirk got flashes from Nemesis, any chance though any of them was a Dynamo without his mask? Again, for many characters in a similar situation that might have been a non-event, but with Kirk's background regarding super-hero lore and history it would absolutely be something he would remember.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Seth/Sentinel said: I was wondering, and not that we'd do anything at this point anyway, although we don't know Dynamo's name (really? nothing in the Chess file?) was there a photo of him sans mask? Do we know his face if not his identity?
GM: Of course really. How dare you, sir?!
CHESS has never revealed the secret identity of ANY living superhero to any of you, ever.
None of you were ever required to reveal your secret ID's to CHESS or the US govt, unless you were on the wrong side of the law, or were an agent of a watchlisted regime, like the USSR
Nor is CHESS in the habit of filing photos of you, or any hero, with their masks off.
Seth/Sentinel: ...and as another possibility (although even more remote), when Kirk got flashes from Nemesis, any chance though any of them was a Dynamo without his mask?
GM: Actually, this is more likely than CHESS having told you, but the only "vision" that Nemesis held that included Dynamo, was the battle between the Freedom Force and Eon the Eternal. Dynamo would have worn his mask for that.
IC:
Sentinel said: “We’re also from earth; the time period shortly after yours. We became involved in an interdimensional mission and things went awry and we found ourselves here.
"Rest assured, you are not alone now. Together we are going to figure this out. We’re going to escape this place. And there’s no way we’d leave Dynamo behind.
Dynamo smiled at Sentinel's words. His mind seemed to be rallying, awakening, from having someone to talk to after all that time.
"We know that you and your team went on a mission and never returned. I know it’s difficult, but what’s the last thing you remember before coming here? Do you remember how you got here? Other than the grey that is seemingly endless, we’ve found nothing else here. Have you encountered anything or anyone else before us?"
Dynamo looked off into the distance, lost in ancient memories. He tried to remember. "We... we had to stop Eon... and the S'Korian invasion... ...Eon,,, had some ultimate weapon.... powered by a black hole... We defeated him... at the Dawn of Time itself!... saved the Earth... and with his last breath Eon scattered... we survivors.... across Time. Let the years take their toll.... consume us...
You're from... the 20th century? ...The 21st? ...I've been trapped here... since the Dawn of Time....
I've seen nothing and no one... for millions of years?..." his eyes seemed even more distant.
"I ... I have forgotten so much...."
Nothing Dynamo said was in conflict with the sequence of events as Vanguard understood them.
Sentinel gently mentioned that Dynamo looked older than they imagined him to. They showed him his reflection in Shelley's compact.
Dynamo's eyes widened in disbelief. "...Didn't think... I could age in this purgatory.... Guess there's... another first for me..." he smiled grimly. Then, with a start: "The Freedom Force... did any survive?..."
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
(GM: Of course really. How dare you, sir?!)
OOC: Sorry about that. And I'm getting a sense of deja vu that we've had a discussion like this already and you've told me this. I think this is just Seth finding it hard to believe that the government wouldn't have such files if there were superheroes... but this isn't the real 'world'. .... besides I now know it isn't CHESS that has those files, it's that branch of the government that Soldier is investigating that the rest of us don't know about yet (ever-paranoid Seth)
IC:
(Dynamo looked off into the distance, lost in ancient memories. He tried to remember. "We... we had to stop Eon... and the S'Korian invasion... ...Eon,,, had some ultimate weapon.... powered by a black hole... We defeated him... at the Dawn of Time itself!... saved the Earth... and with his last breath Eon scattered... we survivors.... across Time. Let the years take their toll.... consume us...
You're from... the 20th century? ...The 21st? ...I've been trapped here... since the Dawn of Time....
I've seen nothing and no one... for millions of years?..." his eyes seemed even more distant.
"I ... I have forgotten so much....")
Kirk didn’t need his mental powers, upon seeing and hearing Dynamo relate these events, his genuineness and lucidity return to his thoughts he was convinced, and Kirk couldn't contain himself any longer, turning to Vanguard he said, "Guys it’s him. It’s really him! We’ve found Dynamo.”
(Not that I can speak for everyone else but hopefully something along these lines happens … that’s up to the rest of you) Vanguard rallied around Dynamo. They needed this as much as he did, this small victory. They'd found Dynamo! It wasn’t everyday a living legend returned to your midst.
“We’re from the early 21st Century. With the disappearance of your team, new heroes were brought together by Agent Grey to combat a menace he’d discovered. With that initial success we decided to continue together to fight the good fight. And one of the things we hoped to do was to discover what had happened to all of you, to the Freedom Force. Thus far we’ve found Nemesis, and now you.”
Kirk absorbed Dynamo’s words more fully. “Since the dawn of time … I’m so sorry man. Words can’t compensate for the sacrifice you’ve made. But know this … you did it. You saved earth. You saved us all. And your example inspired us. You paved the way for the next generation of heroes.”
Kirk would continue positive with Dynamo, this man deserved that and much much more.
As he continued his dialogue with Dynamo, he didn’t let on what was running through his mind; at this point, if Dynamo had been here since the dawn of time and seen nothing and encountered no one, then they were no closer to finding a way out of this, as Dynamo described it, purgatory. And at this point, given the eons he’d spent here, and that all of them were powerless with 'nothingness' to work with, things weren’t looking good.
Surveying the situation in his mind, Kirk’s knowledge of heroic lore kicked it, and he thought to himself, “If ever Vanguard needed an instance of ‘deux ex machina’ it was now.”
OOC:
Jeff, not sure how far along you want to ‘advance’ things at this point but given that we have nothing in this place and we have no powers, I can only come up with one more option at this point, although a long shot.
We’ve got a number of us that are somewhat ‘in tune’ with the ‘universal order of things’. Kirk summons his energy from elsewhere (which in my mind is a form of basic universal energy – not established as of yet, or necessarily where you will go with it) and did successfully meditate and made contact with the creature in our first adventure when there wasn’t much of a basis for it to work.
Menagerie is our conduit to the supernatural order of things.
Avatar IS in tune with the cosmos and normally directly in contact with beings of higher power.
Perhaps some of the others have some sort of cosmic link I’m forgetting or perhaps not, but certainly many are strong-willed; it seems like Menagerie leading us all together in some sort of mystical/cosmic mental séance of sorts, trying to reach out further beyond this place, might get us some notice from someone that could help. At this point, it couldn’t hurt.
Anyway, that’s my last suggestion, although I’d love to hear something less of long-shot if anyone’s got any ideas.
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Menagerie:
OOC: I know the Spirit of Nature as a patron is supposed to be a weakness but I am at a loss for game ideas. Of course I will use all Luck Points necessary.
IC: Menagerie refuses to believe that a place can exist without Nature. He calls all of Vanguard and the Great Dynamo to gather. He is going to merge their spirits in an attempt to reach the Spirit of Nature. He will call for a way out. Whether it is guidance, a guide, or gift; he doesn't care. He must save his friends, his inspiration for becoming a hero, Dynamo: the Freedom Force Leader, and his world!!!
Tom
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Slingshot:
OOC: Good point there.
No one has powers. I'm assuming that everyone that has external ties (nature, gods, Kirk's energy senses) are being blocked (unless someone speaks up to the contrary).
So I would assume that we are in a pocket universe that's disconnected or in-between universes. On the other hand, there's way to get into this universe, so there's got to be an out as well. I'm not really willing to wait for the next time someone goes in to piggyback and get out, but we have to keep our senses out for this sort of thing.
If movement physical movement is difficult (I'm assuming a greater amount of inertia here), I wonder if we can move in TIME.
Can I concentrate on "being" 5 minutes from "now"? and what happens?
Stephane/ Slingshot
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GM:
OOC:
Seth/ Sentinel, Nicely put sentiments about heroism and sacrifice, right on Memorial Day!
Stephane / Slingshot said: “No one has powers. I'm assuming that everyone that has external ties (nature, gods, Kirk's energy senses) are being blocked (unless someone speaks up to the contrary).”
GM: I’ll speak up, but not to the contrary. Just a minor clarification: No one has powers, even those fuelled by external ties. That they are being “blocked” is an assumption, as you stated. J
Stephane / Slingshot, Physical movement is not difficult. But recovery from exertion takes longer. The “supernatural inertia” metaphor was an attempt to describe a bizarre state of stasis where one did not heal or age ( at least perceptibly) or require food or drink; not one that had everyone moving in slow motion. Sorry to have been unclear.
The time travel attempt does not succeed. Sorry.
Best,
Jeff
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Symbiote:
OOC:
For the most part, I got nothin'. This one has me scratching my head.
Really, nothing. I guess Symbiote is willing to continue questioning Dynamo--gently as possible--to try to come up with a clue.
Hanging head in shame,
Greg
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Menagerie:
OOC: This is another awesome issue Jeff!
I have been slow in responding because I see Menagerie as a fish out of water and can't figure out how to contribute while being true to the character. If I am missing something that Menagerie would have skills to leverage on please let me know. The calling to my patron was the best I could think of.
I can't wait to see what happens next. Your adventures have been really outstanding!
Thanks
Tom
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GM:
OOC:
Hey, Thanks.
I think the patron attempt is a logical approach.
Best,
Jeff
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Clone:
Standing quietly in the background, Clone listens carefully to the conversation taking place with the recently discovered superhero Dynamo. He has sympathy and pity in his heart for the man that now kneels before Vanguard. A once might superhero; broken by loneliness and isolation, imprisoned in a lifeless oubliette for committing an almost unimaginable act of true selflessness and self-sacrifice.
As the conversation between Sentinel and Dynamo progresses, Alexander pulls the crucifix he wears around his neck out from underneath the collar of his costume and kisses it. He prays ( OOC: silently / to himself ) that the Lord Almighty will have mercy on this mans soul and to help heal his damaged mind. He also asks the good Lord for guidance and understanding,”Such a place was never meant for good souls, Lord . . . please show us the way out of this world and into the one in which we; your humble servants, truly belong . . . Amen.”
Finishing his prays ( OOC: took only a couple of seconds ) he makes the sign of the cross over himself and places the crucifix back under his shirt.
OOC:
Sorry – like a few of the others I haven’t got a great deal to add to this issue I’m afraid.
Jeff, any chance Clone has some useful info about this place ( Limbo ) or how to escape it, via the use of his Folklore and Occult Studies skills, or even his strong Catholic upbringing?
Got a few ideas / questions:
- If this is Limbo, why is Dynamo apparently aging? Assuming that this is 110% definitely the legendary plane of Limbo, he shouldn’t be aging . . . but what if he’s not entirely on this plane? I’m not even sure that makes sense, but there has to be some explanation as to why he has aged. If he is trapped between dimensions maybe we can nudge him out of this one and; for lack of a better term, “ride the wave” out with him. A ‘piggy-backed’ exit!
-What if this isn’t Dynamo, but rather some kind of ghost type thingie or even worse . . . some kind of creature! =O
I don’t know – just throw’n some idea’s out there =/
Talk to you all soon,
-Kev
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GM:
OOC:
Hi Kev. Clone knows that Limbo is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being damned to Hell. Limbo is from the Latin limbus, meaning edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell. The concept of Limbo originated in Europe in the Middle Ages, and has never existed in the official doctrine of any church. Regarding a way out, the only thing he can recall is that the inhabitants of Limbo shall ascend to Heaven or descend to Hell on Judgment Day. (speaking of the Rapture)
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Clone:
OOC:
Ok - so just the basic stuff essentially - nothing overly useful to the groups current situation or anything - Figured it couldn't hurt to ask. Thanks Jeff! =)
If he spends too much time in this dimension, I'm guessing that Clone's head might start to fill with 'Divine Comedy' type thoughts and ideas. Probably not a pleasant or mentally sound experience for a devout Catholic to go through. If the group should get stuck here for an extended period of time I would imagine that Clone would probably be amongst the first to start to lose their mind.
-Kev
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Lightning Strike:
OOC:
Hi All,
Strike will approach Dynamo with the rest of Vanguard. Without powers (and maybe even with them) getting out of this limbo will certainly be a challenge. Strike will question Dynamo on the events that led up to his being here. If we can piece together what happened to him, then perhaps we can figure out a way out of this place. Logic dictates that if there was a way in to this place, there must be a way out and since Dynamo obviously did not utilize a gate then there must be multiple ways to get here. If we can find the common factors it may give us a clue.
That's all for now.
Take care,
Tony
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Slingshot:
[OOC] - I'm stumped. I've been scratching my head with this one and I wasn't able to give it enough time to figure it out. I can't help but think that the whole problem is revolving around the inertia or the source of the inertia. It stops our powers and possibly keeps us out of state from the other universes. [OOC]
[IC]
Scott passes slowly (like everything else in this place) he listens to the conversations. He eagerly awaits any answer from Dynamo as it might give them a clue to the way out of this trap. Since the fog reduced visibility to 100 feet. Slingshot decided to go for a walk. At this point, he needed to see if he could garner some perspective. So he went out to 100 feet or so and walked the circumference without losing track of his fellow Vanguardians. He also tried to see if the inertia affected sound as well. So he attempted to shout out from the distance and see if he could hear or be heard from 100 feet or less.
While he is scouting for anything, he tries to figure out what is making this world tick. He recalls feeling the pulling just after the gate was destroyed. Does he feel a pulling towards somewhere within this realm? Anywhere? towards Dynamo, away from him, towards another direction altogether? Something giving him a sense of something needing investigating.
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Symbiote:
OOC: Oh, and speaking of the Rapture, was that not the lamest apocalypse ever? Just a bunch of shadow demons and the sky turned red and now Wally West is The Flash....
Some people say Superman had a female cousin who flew around in a miniskirt before it happened but that's just crazy talk.
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Menagerie:
OOC: LOL
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GM:
OOC: Maybe the real rapture is when they reset over 50 titles to Issue #1.
Feels like the End Days for DC.
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Sentinel:
I do have to agree. I'm quite upset with this DC decision and direction. Ridiculous.
Seth
