Cthulhu was
coming. And with him, the end of the
world.
Vanguard had
undertaken a desperate quest to stop the end of the world.
Earth’s greatest heroes had less than seven days to secure
nine artifacts of power, or else all would be lost.
Fortunately, they were not alone. The Mystic, Archimedes and Oracle would blind-gate Vanguard to each
of the artifacts. Once there, they would have up to an hour to secure the
artifact before the gate could be re-opened to return them.
In a few hours, Vanguard would
attempt to capture the second artifact of power.
Sentinel, in the
team debrief, offered his opinion of the Soviet Super Soldiers’ role in the
coming cataclysm: “Given they have thrown Swastika’s name out there and his
secret lair had one of the artifacts it wouldn’t surprise me if they are his
secret pawns. It fits. It follows his M.O. here in the States. He loved manipulating Miles to work his
ends. He could be doing the same with
the SSS just as they proclaim their hatred of him. We stopped him from his infiltration of the
US government… maybe he was successful in an infiltration of the Soviet
government."
Slingshot looked
ambivalent. "If Doctor X is willing to enslave and brainwash all of SSS,
then maybe you're right. I'm not entirely sold yet."
Menagerie
listened in silence. Then, “I agree that Swastika is a madman with deep plans,
but is really capable of taking over and managing the USSR while doing the same
to USA? I think we have two foes, not one.”
Sentinel asked
Clone, “What have you seen Revolution
do? Do you think my energies are at risk to him?”
Clone replied,
“He can absorb energy, store it, and then blast it out again. I don’t know if
they are.”
Sentinel revealed
that he had discovered a black book in the Lost Laboratory of Dr. Swastika that
appeared to be the fabled Necronomicon! (see last issue!)
Avatar, Menagerie and
the Mystic shared what they knew of the black book’s “fictional” history.
The Mystic said, “I
had prepared a ritual to secure the first artifact of power after you retrieved
it. As that is no longer possible, I suggest that I instead secret away this
foul object for the safety of all.”
“Wait,” said Grey.
“This thing is the enemy’s playbook? Any chance of using it to increase our
odds?”
“No!” Menagerie
said, “It is not a playbook. It is a trap! To read it is to be converted to the
enemy. Send it away! It is as much a threat to our world as the demon itself.”
The book had disturbed Kirk since he first felt its being. Its foul energy was an affront to his senses. His every instinct told him to obliterate it on a molecular level and remove its foul presence from this realm. The blackness of its unnatural energy and his aversion to it at the core of his being affected him in a way he didn’t quite understand.
Kirk had been
looking down as the discussion went on about The Book.
Uncharacteristically for him and then he looked up and said with what sounded
almost like anger in his voice, “There’s another option we haven’t mentioned;
we obliterate that piece of filth now.” And he glanced downward again.
Another part of him
was considering the thought Grey had just brought up since he found that damned
book. If Swastika had hidden it that well, there was a reason. And
now knowing its information was directly related to the things at hand … and
knowing the wealth of information it contained, the part of him that had
studied the legends and exploits of the ages, part of him felt the book played
a major role in the events that were unfolding. That perhaps it did hold
the key to preventing the infiltration.
And on a personal
level it was the only thing he had encountered up until now that could perhaps
help him to understand his reaction to that black energy.
And he looked up
again and said, staring towards the three in the room who were well versed in
this sort of thing, already comprehending that none of them had made efforts to
view the book or suggest using it and said, “Is it possible that the contents
of this book could be used for good in what comes ahead?”
“Has this sort of
dark magic,” and he struggled with the words, his personal feelings being that
it was just another form of energy, one he didn’t quite yet understand, “ever
been used in a positive way before?”
But he feared he
knew the answer. That if somehow they were forced into using its
knowledge and power it would cost one of them dearly.
“Ever?” Mystic repeated as he looked at
Sentinel, “Yes… Rarely... But at a terrible price.”
Slingshot didn't
like where this thought was going and said so. "I'm not willing to sell my
soul to the devil to try and pull the rug from under him. I prefer using this.”
The Malleable Man of Might enlarged his fist to the size of an ACME
sledgehammer. "I also like keeping my brains in a functional state. Maybe,
we could see if we could hunt down people that may have read the thing and get
information from them. I prefer sending it away."
“I concur,” said the Mystic
as he respectfully took the Book under his cloak. “I shall secure it with the
other artifacts we shall soon possess.”
After the fate of the Necronomicon was decided, Avatar saw his opening. “I wonder how
effective I'll be at this pace. I need rest
to be effective. Vanguard, it might be
best to let the other side get some artifacts and then hit them at their home
base with us rested and them spent.”
Slingshot said to
Avatar, "That's an interesting thought, but that presumes they are not
Swastika's puppets," Scott said, pointedly looking at Sentinel. "The
Mages are wasting a huge amount of energy to teleport us there, we might as
well make the most of it and get the artifacts. If we keep losing them to SSS, then
we could do a raid."
“I agree we should rest.” Menagerie said, “I disagree with hitting their home base. If we
allow them to take them then why not let them keep them?”
Sentinel
replied, “Assuming the SSS continue to have a means to gather them, it would
seem it would benefit us little to engage them since we have to retrieve the
item they already have. But we do need to be sure we secure the locations of
each item. Of course, if they meet no resistance then they may be
just as fit as we are… it seems we can decide after seeing what happens at the
location of some of the other artifacts.
The debriefing ended and Vanguard separated to make preparations for the next leg of the
quest.
The Mystic
replied with rational deliberateness, “So what does that tell us? Perhaps he
didn’t believe it was the genuine artifact.
Or perhaps he believed it was, and thought it was safe
there, to be retrieved at his convenience later.
Or, he never wished to leave it behind and was forced to,
due to events beyond his control.
Or, he really is dead, despite the impassioned insistence of
Sentinel and, it would seem, Dr. X.”
Archimedes said,
“There is another possibility. An unpleasant one. Perhaps he lives, and has
grown beyond the need of the Spear.”
The Mystic said,
“A chilling prospect indeed.”
Menagerie said,
“Frightening, He might be completely insane now. Believing he
doesn’t need the Spear or the Book. If this is true, then Sentinel is right to
obsess over this fiend.”
Oracle said,
““I’m sorry. I’m trying to help, but that desire is balanced against my fear of
causing unintentional harm. Once, I sought to avert a future threat. I informed
my team, AEGIS, of future events and the result was a tragedy far worse than
what I foresaw. AEGIS ended up murdered by the hand of one of our own, Simon…
whom you know as the Primate… whom I once knew as a dear friend. I cannot ever
allow that to come to pass again.”
Menagerie said, “Oracle,
it was not your fault. It was those that used your wisdom. Everyone has the
choice of act or not act on information provided whether it is a vision or
found in an ancient text. It is not the books fault for mankind’s failures and
AEGIS’ failure isn’t yours either. While I am sure you saw a future that Simon
didn’t become Primate, it doesn’t mean that would have been the future if you
hadn’t shared your vision.
Remember without your vision, Vanguard would not have been
able to stop Primate the second time.’
Oracle was deeply
moved by Menagerie’s kind words. “Thank you,” she said.
Menagerie created
a new spell to do what Symbiote had requested: prevent Shatter from teleporting
the SSS.
(OOC: A Luck Point is spent to “invent” a one-shot spell. It
prevents the unnatural transport of any one living soul. Range is 1”. Costs 8
PR and one action to cast. Got a name for this spell, Menagerie?)
Menagerie asked,
“Sir, what do you know about Doctor X? Did you ever meet the man? Did he ever
fight alongside the Soviets against Swastika?”
A firm voice, resolute and clear, replied: “Very little, I’m
afraid. I never met him, but we did coordinate attacks on the Germans. He was
said to be a genius… the USSR’s first superhero. Certainly the first one to
survive Stalin’s watchful eyes. In truth, the Soviet Union had no other extranormals
in service during WWII. It was only after, during the Cold War, that Doctor X
began the Program.”
“What can you tell me about Dr. Swastika?”
“Ha,” came a laugh with little humor. “How long have we got,
son? A mad scientist? A Nazi? A monster? Words fail to describe him properly. Probably
because his like hasn’t been seen before. He’s the most dangerous adversary I
had ever encountered in all my years,” said the golden age hero.
“Did you know that Swastika was into the occult?”
“Yes. Just like his idol, Adolf Hitler. Science and sorcery.
Both in service to the black madness that was their creed.”
“What had you heard about the Spear of Destiny? Do you have
any idea why Swastika would abandon it?”
“I’m afraid I only know what everyone knows. Legends and hearsay.
I have no idea why he might abandon such an artifact, especially since Hitler
valued it so.”
“Thank you for your time, sir, I - “
“Pardon me, son,” said Lancaster Gerard. “While it’s just
you and I on the line, please allow me the opportunity to thank you for what
you’re doing. Kirk has told me all about you and Vanguard. He appreciates your
support and your dedication to the cause. Lord knows that Mystic and I didn’t
always see eye to eye. It does me well to see the next generation succeeding
where we did not. Keep fighting the good fight, Menagerie. Godspeed.”
Later, Menagerie
asked the Mystic, “Were you active during WWII?”
The Mystic said, “Why yes. From time to time I fought
alongside the original Sentinel, Sgt. Stone, Doc Rocket, and the rest of the
Liberty League.”
Menagerie asked, “Would you consider Swastika a scientist or
a mystic?”
“Neither,” said the Mystic coldly. “He’s an abomination.”
Symbiote flew to
CHESS Castle to sample the DNA of Accelerator.
CHESS Castle’s new warden, Bill Nettenstrom and a CHESS
Knight escorted Symbiote through the maximum security prison for extranormals.
They passed a cell and inside it was Symbiote!
It was Skin Deep’s cell. In a few days she, Jim Harrik and
Zero G would be released as part of a plea bargain agreement that moved Silas
Caine from the White House to prison. Through a wall of bullet proof glass, the
other Symbiote said, “Be seeing you soon...” The voice was identical. Then he morphed
into a perfect likeness of Shelley Harper. She said, “Real soon. It’ll be a
regular family reunion.” Shelley’s face smiled with pure malice.
Symbiote looked
at the Malevolent Morph the way he might look at a new species of microscopic
parasite. "Bring it," he said. "I've absorbed your
powers and have the template on file. We know your true face. We
know every little parlor trick you have. I'd suggest retiring or, even, God
forbid, using your abilities for something constructive. Since you're too
ignorant and bitter to do so, I suppose we'll dance again." And with
that he walked away from her cell without giving her an opportunity to reply,
unless she wanted to stand against her cell door and scream, not the best
method for delivering cool, barbed threats.
Skin Deep saved
her reply for another time, another place.
As Symbiote’s
meeting with Accelerator ended, Accelerator
asked, “Have you seen Mother Russia lately? Did she ask about me?”
Hal regarded the young metahuman with
compassion. Young, given too much power too soon, and falling for
Mother Russia's pretty face and nice ass, he thought to
himself. It's not like I'M not guilty of that last one
myself. "I haven't seen her, Terry," he lied,
kindly.
"You've got some time ahead of you, son. Use it
to do some thinking. When you do get out, if you want to gain a better
understanding of your powers and maybe use them to do something positive, ask
the prison staff to get a hold of me." He gave the Blitzing Boy a
genuine handshake before leaving.
Archer had given Symbiote ample opportunity to bring it up.
When he didn’t, Archer did. He looked at the superhero’s costume and said, “So,
‘Symbiote,’ are you ever going to tell your father about all this?”
(Reply, Symbiote?)
After leaving CHESS Castle, Symbiote used Accelerator’s
power template to race back to Vanguard Vault on foot, trying the momentum
transfer power out on a few small inanimate objects (a rock, a discarded soda
can, whatever's handy) along the way.
When Symbiote arrived back from CHESS Castle he (contributed
the Luck Point and) created the transponder tracking device that Clone
suggested. Unless somebody else has a better idea he'll carry it.
With Accelerator's power set, Symbiote will probably be striking first and
often in most combat situations, he would hopefully be able to get it on one of
them (probably Proletariat with that bulky armor) before any of them realized
it.
Slate got Slingshot alone and showed him Dr. Swastika’s journal. "Dad, I found this in the lab. It looks like you," he said tentatively, "What do you think it means, and how could it have been there so long ago?"
Slingshot saw a journal
that revealed Swastika’s fascination with sorcery, especially the Cthulhu
Mythos.
There was an amazing illustration of the Star Giant, penned in Swastika’s talented hand.
The journal covered the Nazi expedition to the Lost Lands of
Antarctica, wherein lay the Temple of Terror. There were illustrations of the
Dinosaur Men, and of temple hieroglyphs depicting the race of Inhumans. Next to
that was a depiction of a creature that resembled Slingshot!
Scott looked quietly at the drawing and the information in
the book. "Ethan, Thank you for showing this to me. I'm not sure I
understand what this means. Would you leave this with me so I can read through
it a bit more?"
Slingshot didn’t have long before Vanguard would regroup. With a quick review of the journal (and his Occult skill) he was able to deduce that all the creatures depicted in this section of the writings were spawn of the Cthulhu Mythos. They were all demons or aliens, depending on one’s philosophy, including the ebony creature that resembled Slingshot!
As Clone left the debriefing room, Shelley was waiting for him in the hallway. She gave him a hug.
“Alex, how are you?”
With a look of uncertainty on his face, Clone replied,
". . . to be honest . . . I'm not sure." His expression then turned
to one of mild angst as he continued, "I have all these thoughts running
through my head and I don't even know if they're mine or someone else's. It’s
like It’s like watching someone else through a window, but that someone else is
you . . . but it’s not because you're inside looking out at yourself. His
expression then changed once more as he asked with a confused look on his face,
". . . does that make sense?" After a brief and silent pause in the
conversation, Clone said to Shelley in an exasperated tone, "I think I
just need a few minutes alone to collect my thoughts . . . I'll catch up with
you later Shelley."
Shelley said, “Rachel is worried sick about you. Do you want
me to call her for you?”
Clone stopped and turned back around and said with a
defeated look on his face, ". . . no . . . she doesn't even know who I am
to be worried about me . . . the Alex she knew doesn't exist . . . he never
did." The two started to walk away from each other once again, but Clone
stopped and called out to Shelley as if he just had a change of heart,
"Shelley?"
As Shelley stopped and looked back at Clone, the former
Soviet Super Soldier said, "Call her . . . let her know that Alex is ok .
. . I'll call her when this is all over."
Shelley nodded, “Okay.”
Slate monitored
his computer’s progress remotely, and as he did so, he found an agent in the
Vault, and asked if he could get some basic equipment. He gathered a few things, and joined the team
to prepare for the next outing. He also
went online and speed reviewed some survival guides.
Vanguard was
reunited an hour before they were blind-gated to the next artifact of power.
With them in the newly bug-free war room were Doc, Shelley, Sarge, Drake and
Grey.
Slate went in
behind Slingshot, and attempted to stay close to him, but in the background.
The young hero held flashlights, some rope/rock climbing gear, a backpack, a sword,
a few bottles of water, and some basic food stuff. He wore a jacket and a hat, looking like an
Indiana Jones wannabe.
Just like when Clone first joined Vanguard, Alex remained silent ( for the most part ) during any team discussions or mission briefings. He's going to need some time to rediscover not only himself, but his place on the team.
Agent Drake briefed
Vanguard on the world storm, civil unrest, prison riots and the wave of occult
murders.
Sentinel
said, “This is bad. It would seem that as the time grows closer the world scene
as a whole will be getting worse; perhaps Chess can help the other governmental
agencies to prepare for what is likely to unfold with the population in general
since Vanguard’s efforts will be directed towards the threat itself.”
Slingshot shook
his head, "I will assume this is all in massive preparation to the final
ritual. There is a correlation between all these sacrifices. It could be
location dependent, they could all be nexus sites, or the points on the map
could draw some massive pentagram. It could be that they are all people of a
particular persuasion: race, situation, moral rectitude, moral corruption,
sexual orientation or all virgins. Whatever the corrupt mind of Swastika can
come up with or Cthulhu requires."
He turned to Drake, "I think we need CHESS analysts to review the information on all these and see what pattern emerges. Maybe get the feedback of the mages to the possibilities. If we can figure out the pattern, CHESS might be able to go and disrupt some of these preparations and potentially force the spell to require more artifacts, more juice, more fuel, because the spell is imperfect?"
He turned to Drake, "I think we need CHESS analysts to review the information on all these and see what pattern emerges. Maybe get the feedback of the mages to the possibilities. If we can figure out the pattern, CHESS might be able to go and disrupt some of these preparations and potentially force the spell to require more artifacts, more juice, more fuel, because the spell is imperfect?"
“On it,” said Drake, making a note on his tablet.
Suddenly, SHAKOW! Lightning Strike
materialized among them!
The vigilante of voltage had been torn while staying away
from Vanguard. He still felt that the compromises the group made were too
much for him to countenance but when the world was at stake, personal
differences had to be put aside. He clearly felt that the
sanctimonious (re: Sentinel) leadership of Vanguard contributed to the recent
defeat with the Soviets and that Vanguard as a whole has gotten soft.
Before materializing, Strike had electrically gone through
the Vanguard Vault to ensure that all of the Soviet devices that had monitored
Vanguard were disabled. He found that they were. Clone had identified them all.
As he materialized, he formed an invisible electric field of
white noise to deter eavesdropping.
Lightning Strike said to the group, “As distasteful as I
find this, I believe that the world needs all of us to band together.
“I feel that my skills may prove useful to Vanguard and that
the tactics are in need of modification. I hope you all realize that the
stakes are far higher than any we have faced before. We need to band
together and prevent any other group from gathering all of the items
together. Even holding one item can give us leverage in negotiating with
the Soviets.”
Menagerie
responded to Lightning Strike, "Why do we care if the Soviets also want to
protect the Earth from the threat? The goal should be to protect the Earth,
nothing more."
Lightning Strike
replied, "Are you so sure that they want to protect the earth? Would
you want them to be holding all the pieces? Their motives are in question
and any group that holds the artifacts could essentially hold the world
hostage. I trust that Vanguard will do the right thing. I am not so
certain that the Soviets are doing this purely to safeguard humanity."
Menagerie said,
"I agree that I don't want them holding all the pieces but first you
question our motives with Caine and Homicide for Hire and now you question the
Soviets' motives. What is this standard you are judging all others by?
“Most importantly I agree that any group that holds all
the artifacts would hold the world hostage, including Vanguard. I say let them
keep the Spear and we get the rest."
Sentinel looked
up upon Strike's reappearance, smiled, nodded his head, and stated matter of
factly, "What kept you? I'd expected you'd show sooner.” He then
continued whatever he was doing in preparation of the next retrieval acting as
if Strike had never left.
Kirk acted as if Strike has been fully briefed, as aware of
things as the rest of Vanguard. If that doesn't appear to be the case
then he'd be surprised. He'll ignore his attitude to the degree possible
as he always does.
Given that Kirk had expressed his views earlier and everyone
had the chance to speak then and that everything is a big question mark at this
point, he's not interested in rehashing things simply because Strike has
something to say now.
It was midnight. The time had come.
The three magi
stood ready to blind-gate Vanguard to the second artifact of power! Once there, they would have up to an hour to
secure the artifact before the gate could be re-opened to return them.
Sentinel formed
his energy shields.
"COWABUNGA!" yelled Scott as he jumped up in an comical imitation of Michelangelo as they all get 'ported
Hal had hooked up
the harness to his computer to make sure he saved a copy of Accelerator's power
template. After that, he's ready to go. He's eager to grab that
Necronomicon and utter the sacred words "Klaatu... Barata.... whatever…
The Mystic and Archimedes wove a magic spell before Vanguard’s eyes. Hieroglyphic equations of otherworldly geometry formed in midair in bright lines of gold and blue. An all-seeing eye, not unlike that which emblazoned Sentinel’s chest, grew within an expanding circle that then cut into physical space itself. The circle glowed bright as the sun and the air shifted as static electricity built up within the room.
“Now Vanguard! Go!” called the Mystic over the wind and
white light that blasted from the gate!
Vanguard advanced
into the light and suddenly all went dark!
The light, the wind and the noise were gone!
Vanguard stood in
an immense, dimly lit corporate boardroom, and they weren’t alone.
Wall sized windows on one side of the long room showed they
were in Manhattan, about 70 stories above Midtown. The world storm raged across
the midnight sky.
“Well. That was a rather impressive entrance,” came a calm, sardonic
voice from the shadows at the head of the table.
Most of Vanguard recognized the voice instantly. It was the
Black Bat. Those that knew the voice recalled the last time they faced this
creature. The rest of Vanguard had read about it in the Vault files.
Flashback! (From Vanguard: Issue 53: The Devil You Know)
Then the Black Bat appeared.
Suddenly he was just there, materialized from thin air. The shadows themselves
flickered upon his arrival. He was pale and luminous and beautiful.
Vanguard, for a moment, was
stunned, captivated. His very presence was electric, hypnotic. The air was
charged, filled with possibility and there was a second of hesitation and in
that second, the Bat spoke. His manner of speaking was calm, refined and
exceedingly polite. His pale eyes were irresistible.
“Thank you,” he said. “Morgue was
becoming more unstable and violent each day. I underestimated his bloodthirsty
nature. A product of his environment, no doubt. And thank you for clearing the
field for me,” he said with a casual nod to the former masters of Big City’s
criminal empire, now dead and scattered across the cold floor in an orgy of
death. His smile was genuine and without condescension.
“You’ve done my work for me and I
am grateful. I must confess, I’ve no appetite for these dramatic confrontations
of which you costumed adventurers are apparently so fond. I must have forgotten
what it’s like to be so young and so powerful.”
His voice was pleasant and it
continued. “I know what you’re thinking. After all, I once stood in your shoes.
You think you’re going to kill me. Or even capture me. You are expecting, even
craving, some epic, grand battle that will shake the roots of heaven itself.
You want so badly a new age of heroes and gods,” his eyes fell upon Kairos.
“You persist in seeing the world in quaint and outdated terms of black and
white.” His eyes regarded Sentinel. “How fascinating. But I assure you, that
won’t happen. I promise you.
“I’m twenty years ahead of you. In
that time, my powers have grown beyond your imagining. I am a foe that is
beyond all of you. In your current weakened condition, you could only succeed
in getting yourselves killed. And I for one would find that most regrettable.
In fact, it’s why you’re still alive.
After all, are we really that
different? I was a member of the Freedom Force. I did not ask for this to
happen to me, but now that it has, what would you have me do? Commit suicide?
You must eat living things to
survive, through no choice of your own. Does that make you evil?
“As to our current situation,
consider this: Do you wish to create another power vacuum in Big City, like the
Freedom Force did when they wiped out Intercrime? Do you believe organized
crime will end forever today? A new bloodthirsty degenerate, perhaps worse than
Morgue, will rise from the murderous chaos to rule.
“Or… you could decide who will fill
that vacuum.”
That killingly disarming smile again.
“At the very least, I am the devil you know.
“Together, we can be the power in
this city. A power for Order. I’ve already helped you by sending men to prevent
the assault on your safehouse. As you’ve already helped me by killing and
scattering all my rivals for power…
“I told you there will be no epic
confrontation. I have nothing to gain from it. I’m immortal. I don’t have to
defeat you. I’ll just do to you what I did to the Freedom Force: I will simply
outlive you.”
End Flashback!
Vanguard’s eyes adjusted and there he was now… even more
hypnotic, more charismatic than they had remembered.
Menagerie and Sentinel could both detect the
dark, powerful undead energy of the Bat.
They could also sense the energy of the second artifact of power coming from behind a framed oil painting
on the wall directly behind the Bat.
Sentinel used Vanguard's non-verbal hand signal system to inform Vanguard of this. (I
will rule)
Around the Bat’s
table were eight of his lieutenants. They were less calm than he.
The Black Bat
smiled with naked pleasure, “Well gentlemen, what can we do for you, so near to
the ending of the world?”
To be continued!
OOC: Actions? Replies? Thanks!
Viva Vanguard,
Jeff
Current Conditions:
Avatar: Hit Points: 43, Power Points: 85, Manifestation:
None
Clone: Bodies: 1, Hit Points: 22, Power Points: 64, Hit
Point Pool: 22
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 48, Power Points: 85
Menagerie: Hit Points: 21, Power Points: 66, Form: Man
Sentinel: Hit Points: 29, Power Points: 60, Creation Points:
120, Shields: 100
Slate: Hit Points: 35, Power Points: 73
Slingshot: Hit Points: 50, Power Points: 92,
Invulnerability: 8
Symbiote: Hit Points: 38, Power Points: 93, Charges: 14,
Copied: None
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
OOC: I loved the art
you chose for the Lieutenants. Those are some of my favorite villains of all
time!!
Pure Greatness!
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Me too... I could only name a few of them myself but
always thought the Tracy foes cool.
Couple of quick questions.
(1) The anti-energy of the Bat is the same energy that
surrounded The Book, correct? Or is it a
different read.
(2) I'd think at this point the lieutenants aren't human and
are extra-normal even though they don't look the part and that should be an
easy check as Kirk glances at them and sees their energy patterns surrounding
them. That's something Kirk would need
to convey to the team quickly.
Still considering how Kirk would play this, although at this
point my guess is that it doesn't matter since I think Strike's move is going
to be to blast the SOB through the wall without saying a word and frankly,
likely the rest of us want to do the same thing.
The Bat has little reason to want the end of the world
unless somehow he is tied up into this mess by his very nature... but at this point he is the
worst known threat (with Swastika still truly unproven merely spoken about) to
Vanguard and caused the most damage to the team as well our city (since it
seems he many have been pulling Caine's strings) and gotten off untouched thus
far and done everything he wanted to do while toying with us along the way...
without us even knowing it.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Hi Seth,
Quick replies:
1) The Bat is undeath. The Book is anti-life. The energy types of the Black Bat and the
Necronimicon are very similar, but not the same, or related.
2) I gave you and Menagerie a "free" extranormal
sense use, to help steer all the players in the direction of the second
artifact of power sooner.
I threw in the Black Bat energy reading as color commentary
to set the mood. (...and I should have included Menagerie in that sentence.
I'll correct the issue before I post it to the blog.)
Scanning the Bat's larcenous lieutenants can happen on your
next action.
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
OOC:
"1) The Bat is undeath. The Book is anti-life."
Nice illustration.
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie;
(OOC: The following write up is really my feelings as a
player and are not set in stone for Menagerie. I wanted to get it to you now so
you can play off of it if you felt a connection as well.)
Menagerie stood in the conference room confused and
frustrated. His team had walked into the inner sanctum of Black Bat. "What
the hell?" he thought. "The Mages had no stinkin clue what they were
about to do to use. Crap, no wonder Oracle has been so depressed and not
forthcoming with any of her 'sight'.
Menagerie stared at Black Bat, he did not even bother to
look at any of his lieutenants. Menagerie so wanted to claw that smirk off of
the undead's face. He knew it was his instincts as Protector of Life that was
wanting to destroy this Prevailer of Living Death.
Menagerie growled and bared his teeth instead. He was
frustrated by his inability to end Black Bat's existence but he was equally
frustrated with himself. "Was Vanguard the 'stalking horse' or
scapegoat?" He thought. "Any of the nine could perform the ritual but
so far they were being sent to the ones least likely to be used."
"You know why we are here. Please don't pretend you are
so weak that you cannot sense the End Days are here. Will you allow us to
protect the artifact?"
<Black Bat's reply, if any>
"I can't imagine that you wish to lose your soul as
well or rule over a world without them. So what value does it hold that you
would protect it so?"
(OOC: If a fight breaks out this issue Menagerie will use
his Essence of Life magic spell on Black Bat.)
(OOC 2: As far as naming the new magic spell. All I can
think of is "Hedge of Thorns")
Best
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Hi Tom,
Thanks.
As per Issue 170, available in the 25 cent boxes of finer
comic stores near you, the mages are gating Vanguard randomly to each of the
nine artifacts powerful enough to fuel a ritual to bring the Cthulhu Pantheon
to Earth on the winter solstice, when the stars are right.
Given the immensity of their task, and the limited time you
all have to accomplish it, they elected to save time and energy by not locating,
identifying nor prioritizing the artifacts before gating Vanguard to them.
Vanguard is going randomly, and "blind," to each
one. The spell the mages forged to do
this keeps them "blind" as well.
There are other paths, other ways to go about this. But this
was the path agreed to in Issue 170 and since. You guys can blaze a different
trail if you like. Avatar offered an alternate approach last issue.
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
Kirk knew they could take him. He ached to do so at his core. But he calculated the cost to them and with
so many more artifacts ahead the price was too high. And he remembered how the
Bat took control of half the team in an instant in their last encounter.
Kirk subtly made sure
his communicator was working including
the audio so that CHESS knew they were still here in New York City. Might not be a bad idea for their mystical
backup, who wouldn’t need to expend the power to ‘gate them’ back now, knew
whom they were facing.
“About that, we’re here to save the world. And in that pursuit your arduous presence
here is a luxury none of us can afford, yourself included. Consider everything here forfeit; your bounty
is your life and your freedom … for now.
Don’t think about it and leave this instant Bat, because you’ve made it
personal and I’m sure in the next few seconds my teammates will void this far
too generous offer.”
(OOC: Unless something more is revealed here for Bat’s
motive he has no reason for this fight with Vanguard at full power having
avoided a battle at our last encounter when we were all weakened and he had a
much greater chance of beating us. If we
dismantle this group of operatives he has all the time in the world (assuming
we save it) to assemble another group.
In fact, in his mind, he probably left us alive just for this sort of
thing.)
Actions: With his energy sense he wants to get a read as to
whether the others in the room are superhuman or not and will convey to us team
as appropriate. He will also ‘lock’ on the Bat’s energy if he does
choose to vaporize and leave to be sure he departs and doesn’t return. He will be ready to use his energy construct
to snatch and retrieve the object if anyone other than a (non-mind controlled)
teammate makes a move towards it.
(OOC: Please let us know how far from where we are to
Vanguard headquarters in turn-time if things go that way and the object becomes
‘in play’ (ie how quickly one of Vanguard can get the object to HQ and rejoin
the battle).
If battle breaks out you can have Kirk take appropriate
action or hold the attack part until next issue since he will likely be the
last person to go anyway this turn. If
it appears someone is going to take off with the artifact than use his action
to do anything he can to prevent it and if possible snatch it.
If a battle does break out Sentinel says to Avatar with
conviction and nodding confidence in
him, “Raze him to a heap of burning ash.”
Oh, and if Kirk can get an energy read on the shape of the
artifact, let me know. I'm betting on
chalice based on the Bat's hubris and that might be good to know for what lies
ahead too if its a battle.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
Scott looked at his PDA while Black Bat gave his speech. He
calculated how far was the distance to their Vanguard HQ.(?). He turned to his
son and said softly, "stay close, we may have to run fast"
Scott received the information from Sentinel regarding the location of the item
of power. Looking at the painting, he assume this was a safe of some sort
(building engineering check? assuming this was a positive). He calculated what
it would take to simply rip the safe from the wall and leave. Could he be able
to do so simply using his mighty strength? There was also his son's blast that could easily open the safe as well. He
looked on, calculating his odds.
He also had the potential to occupy several of the bosses
with his tentacle attack. It would likely allow the others to do the deed.
Several options were available to him, but as usual, he took
the conciliatory path.
“About that, we’re here to save the world. And in that pursuit your arduous presence
here is a luxury none of us can afford, yourself included. Consider everything here forfeit; your bounty
is your life and your freedom … for now.
Don’t think about it and leave this instant Bat, because you’ve made it
personal and I’m sure in the next few seconds my teammates will void this far
too generous offer.”
Slingshot added, "If you know about the end of the world,
then you know what we came for. Hand it over and we'll leave peacefully.
Otherwise, what he said" This last sentence is punctuated by a thumb
towards Sentinel.
Actions: Wait for Black bat to hand over the artifact,
mostly because my actions arrive so late in the turn :)
1-If there is a brawl and no one was successful at taking
the item, Slingshot, assuming he deduced how to best rip the safe from the wall
with a single action, he will go for it.
2-if there is a brawl and the item is secure, he will pound
the daylights out of Black Bat.
3- if there is no brawl, and we are still at a stalemate and
he deduced how to rip the safe, he will do so. and prepare for the ensuing
brawl. If he has movement he will try to see if he can simply leave through the
window taking his son with him.
Stephane
--------------------------------------------------
Symbiote:
Symbiote will stand behind Sentinel and let him say his
piece. In theory ,this one should be
easy: The Bat (presumably) has no
interest in seeing the world destroyed.
If he'll turn the artifact over to us and let us be on our way there
should be a problem.
But this is the Black Bat, a villain who always seems to
have a multitude of plans. And this is
also a superhero role playing game, where nothing is ever that simple.
Re: Hank Archer in CHESS castle
"It's too big a risk, Hank," Hal replied. "He's older now than when you two were
out terrorizing the underworld, at least 15 years older than you if I remember
right. His health's pretty good for a
man in his early 70s but, still....He has had a couple of heart scares. This is my idiocy (and now, to some degree,
Shelly's). I don't want to worry him,
especially if it might harm his health".
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
IC: Slate will try to find a vantage point where he can see
everything while staying in the background.
He quickly runs through the inventory of equipment he brought along to
see if anything might be useful in this situation. If he comes across anything, he'll share it
with the group
OOC: Slate will hold his action until the action starts,
whatever that may be. He will be focused
on supporting the team, Slingshot first, if he's good, whoever else needs
assistance. He will digitize anything
that might harm his team, prioritizing weapons.
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
(OOC: Thanks Jeff)
Menagerie stood in the conference room confused and
frustrated. His team had walked into the inner sanctum of Black Bat. "What
the hell?" he thought. "This is beginning to feel less random each
time we do this. Could there be a higher power guiding our path that is above
even the mages’ ability to comprehend?”
Menagerie stared at Black Bat, he did not even bother to
look at any of his lieutenants. Menagerie so wanted to claw that smirk off of
the undead's face. He knew it was his instincts as Protector of Life that was
wanting to destroy this Prevailer of Living Death.
Menagerie growled and bared his teeth instead. He was
frustrated by his inability to end Black Bat's existence but he was equally
frustrated with himself. “Maybe we should have chosen the other option and
planned our jumps instead”.
"You know why we are here. Please don't pretend you are
so weak that you cannot sense the End Days are here. Will you allow us to
protect the Earth by giving us the artifact?"
<Black Bat's reply, if any>
"I can't imagine that you wish to lose your soul as
well or rule over a world without them. So what value does it hold that you
would protect it so?"
(OOC: If a fight breaks out this issue Menagerie will use
his Essence of Life magic spell on Black Bat.)
(OOC 2: As far as naming the new magic spell. All I can
think of is "Hedge of Thorns")
Via Vanguard
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
Avatar stands quietly, sure of his ability to remain
uncontrolled by the Black Bat and wondering idly, after Sentinel's urging, if,
indeed, his powers springing from Apollo might be "real" sunlight
that could hurt a vampire more than being "only" light. He does not yet activate any powers but
readies himself to do so with the aforementioned Light Control as the one that
would first be used.
OOC: If combat
ensues, Avatar will activate Light Control and his first action thereafter will
be an attempt to blind the Bat, hoping that it would, at a minimum, blind as
per the regular blinding attack, and, at best, also inflict some sort of extra
damage as if it were true sunlight.
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Hadn't thought about that... assumed at this point it
was Apollo's gift - perhaps this will give further unexpected insight into the
true origins of Avatar and the pantheons of gods in the Jeffiverse.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
Not even paying attention to the conversation taking place
before him, Clone stood quietly behind the other members of Vanguard and began
to assess the groups surroundings. His eyes scanned the room wildly for
possible exits and anything out of the ordinary ( OOC: Detect Hidden? ). His
thoughts then quickly changed focus as he thought to himself, "If the
Soviets show up, where will they pop up from?" Not seeing much space left
in the room that Vanguard was currently in, he surmised that they would either
enter in from the corridor to the groups left or through the double doors to
their rear. His head began to swim with the possibilities as he spoke in a tone
barely loud enough for the surrounding members of Vanguard to hear, "This
is going to get ugly". Slowly turning himself from side to side, the
'Duplicating Dynamo' prepared himself for an attack on multiple fronts ( OOC:
Clone is saving his action ).
OOC:
If an attack comes from the rear ( i.e. through the double
doors behind Vanguard ), Clone will attempt to make a handful of duplicates and
flood the entrance with bodies.
If a fight breaks out with the Black Bat and his 'crew',
Clone will attempt to make a handful of duplicates and rush the conference
table in an attempt to push it straight back and pin the Black Bat against the
wall.
If both situation happen at the same time, Clone will
attempt both of the above tactics.
Talk to you all soon,
-Kev
--------------------------------------------------
Lightning Strike:
As soon as Vanguard appeared in the chamber, Strike assessed
the situation. Bat clearly knew why
there were there and considering the location of the artifact, knew what we
were after.
Strike wanted to rip Black Bat apart for all he had done and
could barely control himself. He
steadied himself and spoke to Black Bat.
“How typical of you to be sitting here discussing how to split up the
remainder of the world when you could be doing something about it. I suppose surrounding yourself with this crew
of flunkies contributes to your sense of self importance. I fail to see how you could have picked eight
more incompetent lieutenants to surround yourself with. It will be my pleasure to cull this herd of
scum.”
He continued. “You
know what we want and you know we will take it from you one way or
another. The end of the world does not
serve you. What would be left for you to
rule over much less feast upon. The
forces that will be let loose upon this world dwarf your own. Hand the artifact over and our uneasy truce
can remain until this episode is over.
Knowing your loyalty, Vanguard cannot trust you to keep it as you will
hand it over to save your skin.”
Strike is hoping to appeal to Bat’s sense of
self-preservation. Historically he would
do anything to remain undead and I assume that remains to be the case. Strike will hold all actions until someone
makes a move. He will rely on the energy
sensing folks to pinpoint the artifact and take it.
Thanks for waiting,
Tony
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: And here I thought Strike would be obliterating him on
the spot... the restraint for the moment
is a shocking move indeed!
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Lightning Strike:
OOC: I think I made about five saving throws to not attack
him. The main problem is that I am torn
between killing him and playing him.
--------------------------------------------------
