… by the heat and humidity of the rainforest. It was summer
solstice here. And it might have been daytime but, like the rest of the world,
it was no longer easy to discern day from night. A thin rain fell.
They were on a plateau, overlooking a region the size of
Rhode Island. From their aerie they saw the impossible prehistoric valley
before them. Dense tropical forests, deep canyons, pristine rivers and lakes,
smoking volcanoes, and breathtaking waterfalls from dizzying plateaus, all
beneath a dark sky of mist. The Lost Lands were breathtakingly beautiful.
Perhaps all the more so because of their precarious state, surrounded on all
sides by a climate deadly to the valley’s inhabitants. They saw flora and fauna
of another millennium. They witnessed Terrordactyl flocks, Sauropod herds,
Tyrannosaurus Maximi (their skulls eerily elongated) hunting in packs,
dragonflies as large as eagles, and plants that could devour men whole.
Menagerie and Sentinel detected the magical energy signature
of the fourth artifact of power and Vanguard set out in its direction, fast,
low and quiet, so as not to attract the attention of the Terrordactyls above. The
team’s speed protected them from curious predators.
Vanguard suddenly
found a stone path in the jungle and cautiously came upon a silent clearing
that held nearly two thousand Dino-Men! Vanguard remembered they were seven
feet tall, lithe, fast and lethal! (Velociraptors meets Giger’s Alien!)
Beneath the valley’s mist, the World Storm and the solar
eclipse beyond, they had gathered for some sort of occultic ritual. They were
eerily still, and had not yet detected Vanguard’s stealthy arrival.
Vanguard clung to the tree line for cover. The Dino-Men had
gathered at the base of an active volcano. Into its side was built an ancient
stone ruin around what could best be described as a sacrificial altar.
It seemed like something out of time and space, built ages
ago by hands that were not human. Its size and shape were hard to gauge because
its architecture was somehow non-Euclidean. The altar’s surface was carved with the same kind of pictoglyphs from
the Temple of Terror.
Surrounding the altar was the immense stone ruin, perhaps 300
feet across, filled with the silent, torch-lit legions of Dino-Men who faced it.
It had been a stronghold of some kind, aeons ago.
In the skies above, patrolled a half-dozen Dino-Men warriors
with long lances riding Terrordactyl steeds. The deadly flying predators were
the result of 65 million years of merciless evolution applied to the Pterodon!
(Imagine Velociraptor-Pterodactyls!)
On the ground, beyond the moss-covered walls of the ancient Ruin,
near the treeline, patrolled four Dino-Men warriors atop Tyrannosaurus Maximi.
The nearest row of Dino-Men was merely 25 feet away from Vanguard. They faced the altar. Vanguard had never before
been this close to the Dino-Men. The Vanguardians who had witnessed the Star
Giant, and what Echo became, recalled the same dread sensation of being in the
presence of something that was not right. The sense of fear was abated only by
Avatar’s supernatural powers.
Menagerie and Sentinel could
detect the energy of the Fourth Artifact of Power. It was atop the sacrificial
altar, near dark and distant shapes that seemed to lead this silent ritual. From
this distance, Vanguard could not yet see what the Artifact was. Nor had
Menagerie or Sentinel ever encountered an energy signature like it before. The
closest comparison was the anti-life aura of the Necronomicon.
[OOC: Here are the Ruins:
Every single floor-square inside the Ruins’
walls has a Dino-Man standing in it, facing the Altar.
·
There is one Dino-Man in every turret. They face
inward toward the Altar.
·
The Altar is marked by the Red A.
·
Vanguard is hidden near the Red V.
·
The three main gates on the central path to the
Altar are all open.
·
The Northern cliff (at the top of the map) is
the side of the active volcano.
·
Each stepped ring in the Ruin rises ten feet as
it climbs higher to the Altar.
·
The crumbling stone walls are ten feet high (for
a total of 20 feet from the floor to top of the wall on the inner rings when
looking inward)
·
The left, right and bottom edges of the map mark
the treeline for the prehistoric jungle that surrounds the Ruin.
·
The four Dino-Men riding Tyrannosaurus Maximi
are each near a different corner of this image.
·
The ruins are torch lit. It’s dark, hot, humid
and rainy. ]
Slingshot whispered, “Holy
crapola. Can't we just go back to the Temple? I think I like those odds better.”
The malleable man of might cleared his throat and said: “I think the best thing
we can do is get in and get out fast. There are multiple ways to do that. One
is super fast, before all these people move. Or do it normally and stop them
from reacting fast. At this point, looking at the array of powers we have, the
second is likely going to work. If Avatar pulls a snowstorm, and Symbiote
gravity-stops anyone else, I could slingshot in and get out next turn. …Boy do
I wish we had someone with teleportation powers, or better yet, invisibility.”
Avatar murmured: “Is
the side of the active volcano something that we might be able to use to our
advantage?” The myrmidon of mythology saw that the volcano was smoking and
there were a few small lava flows visible near its peak, none that threatened
the Ruins.
Lightning Strike rasped,
“Given that the Ruin appears to be stone, there doesn’t seem to be any
conductors that could allow me to reach the altar in an instant. However, if Avatar could hurl a thunderbolt
like Zeus, then I could ride it to the Altar, materialize and grab the artifact.
Then I could wirelessly transmit myself back to one of your communicators. Then all we would have to do is escape from
2000 Dinosaur Men. Piece of Cake,” he
added sardonically.
“That’s the plan I would propose
but if anyone has a better idea, I’m up for it.
I’m not looking to have combat with these rejects from the stone age.”
Slate said in a hushed
tone: “I just can't believe either option is going to go as smoothly as
expected. And 2000 DinoMen sounds like
more than we'd want to take on. Since
just flying away isn't really an option with the Pterodactyl presence, perhaps
a few of us should cause some kind of distraction... Hey, I just happen to have
a few Flash Bang Grenades! I’m more than
happy to participate in any distraction, but I’m probably going to require
transportation, as I’m probably not faster on foot than the DinoMen.”
Menagerie mused in a low voice, “I could assume
dinosaur form, and Slate could ride me as he delivers the flash bangs.”
Symbiote thought to
himself: “Sigh. The two power templates I've been dying to actually use have
been Accelerator and Zero G. I pick Zero
G....and we end up in a situation where the powers of a speedster would come in
quite handy. Some days a hero just can't win. Oh, well.”
Then he offered in an undertone: “I
really like Lightning Strike's "ride the lightning plan.” Avatar whistles up a thunderstorm, Strike
rides a bolt into the temple, grabs the artifact, and wirelessly transfers
himself back to us. I can make him
weightless to get up into the clouds and catch the lightning bolt.
“We do have a bit of an advantage
in that at least some of our powers are subtle.
The sudden thunderstorm will seem strange to the Dino-Men, I imagine,
but they won't necessarily assume it's enemy action, or even necessarily know which direction it's coming from.
Avatar can summon it from cover. My gravity attacks are invisible. Sentinel, correct me if I'm wrong, but you can make your constructs any color you like, correct? And they're more or less translucent? You could bring down some storm cloud-colored whammies from the sky and it would probably take them a while to figure out what's going on, especially if you target the Terrordactyls. Altogether, we might be able to wring an extra second or two of surprise if we limit ourselves to invisible or subtle attacks for the first few rounds.
“Though I do love the idea of
Slate, riding a dinosaur, throwing flash-bangs.
Something about it makes me giggle.
I'm for watching that raw confusion.
And once Strike has the artifact, how quickly can Avatar switch from
thunderstorm to blizzard? I still
suspect these guys will be vulnerable to cold.”
Avatar whispered: “For
that matter, your Gravity power could be used to neutralize the flyers from
cover and then we could use Sentinel's flying constructs to rule the sky.”
Sentinel subvocalized,
“Symbiote, good point. I think my translucent constructs could blend well in a
storm. My thoughts were along the lines of Slingshot's plan. However one thing
I realized is that Slingshot or Strike heading in solo won't work because although
we know the artifact is at the altar area we don't have 'eyes on it' yet. Menagerie or I have to get close enough to
identify the actual artifact from whatever ever else is around.
“I don't care for Strike’s idea
because it limits Avatar's role to a delivery system for Strike, and forces him to choose a power set that
might be unnecessary; Strike already has electricity as a weapon. Our resident
'god of war' has much more that he can do offensively that would more
effective. In addition, I'd be concerned
that the mystical aspect of the artifact might interfere with Strike's ability
to return back to the team with it in electrical form.
“So I say we all get prepared to
use the surprise, everyone is ready to attack and defend with their powers if (and
when) necessary. Slingshot and I go in towards the altar together - under
whoever's power works best and then once Kirk identifies the artifact, we have
two attempts to grab it. If we succeed we
return to the group and go. If we can’t
gain possession of the artifact then I say Slingshot slingshots the artifact
and whoever is holding it back towards the rest of Vanguard.
“The closer we keep Vanguard
together as a group the less advantage they have regarding their numbers. In essence, they can have a million Dinomen
there, but only so many of them can attack us at one time; the closer our ranks
are, the less of them can reach us.
“Finally, all the lava and torches
could hinder Slingshot. Another reason for me to join him; to give cover.”
Lightning Strike said:
“C’mon Kirk! Give up the limelight
once! You can’t save the world every
time!”
Sentinel replied, “I
can surely try. But have no fear. I suspect we’ll all get our moment to shine
and then some. No matter our strategy, this won't go as easily as planned.”
Slate said, “Menagerie
could do his Terrordactyl thing, to get to the top of the tower, scout things
out, and mind-speak back to us the location and additional information
regarding the artifact. I’d love to jump
atop and go for a ride. After sending the info back to the rest of the team, we
could lead the flyers off, dropping some bang bombs to distract without really
hurting the local residents. While they are distracted, Slingshot and Sentinel
can do their thing... still works with the Avatar/Strike combo for backup. Symbiote can pull any fliers out of the sky
Menagerie nodded
agreement.
Slingshot whispered,
“Ok. I'm game to have Sentinel piggyback a ride and cover my flexible behind,
as well as confirm the item while I retrieve it. I’d like to see the rest of
the team engaged in stopping the Dinomen from reaching us: Symbiote using gravity
control to stop the flyers or maybe the tyrannosaurs, Slate might use his gaze
attack to collapse walls in such a way as to block their path, Avatar creates a
blizzard slowing them down, etc.”
Sentinel said, “We
have to move asap before we are seen and lose the element of surprise. Figure
that as soon as Slingshot and I get to the altar, all hell breaks. At that
point, with the element of surprise gone, the rest of Vanguard springs into
action according to their battle plan. Again,
to the degree we could stay together, that limits the effectiveness of their
vast numbers.”
Avatar’s mind kept
turning over the possibilities for a battle
plan: “On another note, I could manifest the speed of Hermes and Hephaestus’
protection from flame, run to the artifact, get it, and flee up to the lava,
making it difficult for anyone but the flyers to catch. Symbiote could be taking out the flyers from
a flying platform with Sentinel, and they could pick me up on the volcano. Others could be distracting in a different
direction. If we had enough time, maybe
Slate could digitize away enough of the volcano to route lava our way and cause
problems for the mob of enemies. Just throwing out ideas.”
Clone crouched down
behind an ancient jungle tree and remained as silent and stealthy as possible
while the senior members of the group put together the team’s plan of attack. If the experienced espionage operative was
displeased with the extended discussion, he didn’t let on.
Slingshot looked up at
the lava flows, using his engineering skills to locate a structural issue that could
be taken advantage of. Slingshot wasn’t
particularly interested in killing Dinomen, but if it came down to it, they
needed to understand all their options. His structural engineering skills told
him: The volcano was approximately 5,000 feet tall, from base to apex. There was
a massive, natural formation in the
volcano side (half way up its slope) that diverts the lava flow away from the
Ruin. If that formation was destroyed, the Ruins could eventually be in
jeopardy from the slow-flowing lava. If the volcano side were torn open, the
Ruins could potentially be in jeopardy immediately between falling rock and
flowing lava. But that would require major explosive force.
Their plan decided, Vanguard was ready to take action!
Avatar manifested the
power of mighty Zeus, god of the storms! (Costs one action and 15 PP)
Clone divided into 23
bodies! (Costs an action and 22 points of Power).
(The rest of Vanguard waited, as
per their plan.)
Avatar attempted to seize
control of the weather! The World Storm made the attempt harder, but Avatar
succeeded! (Costs an action, and 5 PR due to the difficulty of the World Storm.
The weather is now at “Thunderstorm” as per the Weather Control rules)
Lightning crackled across the sky
as Avatar began to drop the temperature in the Lost Lands! He held them just
above freezing to avoid turning the rain to snow and further alerting the Dino
Men to their presence!
As it was, the Dino Men who rode the Tyrannosaurus Maximi barked to each other
in their inhuman tongue. Those in the Ruin remained silent. A T-Max snuffed and
roared.
Clone, Lightning Strike and Symbiote held their actions, waiting for Vanguard’s plan to unfold.
When the time came, they would support the team’s extraction of the artifact,
and their escape! With Avatar, all four stood together waiting at the treeline (at Location “V” on the
map).
Menagerie, Sentinel, Slate and Slingshot all acted simultaneously!
Menagerie transformed
himself into a Terrordactyl!
Slate jumped on the
reptile leviathan with his flash grenades and the two soared up into the dark,
rainy sky!
Slingshot slung shot
himself toward the Altar!
Sentinel turned his
constructs as translucent as possible and flew alongside Slingshot at the
Altar!
Menagerie and Slate
tried to blend in with the Dino Men Terrordactyl patrol. Menagerie intended to
provide aerial cover for Sentinel and Slingshot, and to scan for the artifact’s
exact location and thought-speak it to everyone. As he climbed from the
treeline, the shamanic sorcerer thought-spoke to Slate: “Have your flash bang
grenades ready to use on any Dino Men who leave the Ruin, attack Vanguard, or
come too close to…”
He was cut off mid-sentence!
As they took to the sky over the
Ruin, they both felt the temperature instantly go from near-freezing to the
sweltering jungle heat and humidity of the Lost Lands.
Menagerie could no
longer sense the artifact’s location. He could no longer sense any connection
he had to Archimedes. His telepathic mind speech was mute. And most surprising
of all, he began to transform against his will! He was returning to the shape
of Man… in mid air!
Slate was surprised
that his Terrordactyl steed was changing shape – shrinking – beneath him!
Menagerie was returning to human form! Before he could use any of his grenades
as a diversion, he was hanging on for all his might. The two of them were plummeting out of the thunderous,
rain-filled sky, veering east from an altitude of nearly 200 feet!
Simultaneously, Sentinel and Slingshot had hurtled
toward the Altar, over the 2000 Dino Men!
Sentinel suddenly lost
track of the artifact’s energy signature. His Energy Sense wasn’t working! Then
he watched helplessly as his energy shields dissipated around him! He could
feel the heat and humidity slowly leak through and then his shields were gone.
Along with them, went his mode of travel. He began to fall uncontrollably out
of the sky, from a height of 30 feet, down toward the legions of Dino Men!
Slingshot kept
hurtling, his momentum still carrying him. But something was terribly
wrong. Slingshot was suddenly hot and he
watched as his hands and arms grew smaller and paler. He was returning to human
form… after all these years! His strength was leaving him, and Scott wondered
if he’d be able to survive his imminent landing!
Avatar, Clone, Lightning Strike and
Symbiote stood together
waiting at the treeline. Between the distance, the darkness, and the rain, they
weren’t exactly sure what just happened, but they knew that something had gone
wrong. Menagerie and Slingshot were
changing into human form, and all of them were falling!
To be continued!
OOC: Actions?
Menagerie, Sentinel and Slingshot: See your new character sheets below.
You’ve each lost your super powers. The shock of this caused you to lose your
action for this issue (186) but I do need your orders for next issue. Please
give me orders for one action.
Clone, Lightning Strike, Slate and
Symbiote: You each
have one saved action and your one action for next issue. I need orders for two
actions please.
Avatar: You don’t have a saved action. I need
orders for one action for next issue. Thanks.
Menagerie, Sentinel, Slate and
Slingshot: You are
all falling. You will hit ground at the end of next issue. For those unfamiliar with the V&V rules,
falling damage can be fatal, especially to non-powered individuals.
Vanguard has no intra-team
communications. The telepathy of Menagerie and Sentinel is down. And the
magnetic interference of the pole fouls the Vanguard communicators.
Current Conditions:
Avatar: Hit Points: 49, Power Points: 64, Manifestation:
Zeus
Clone: Bodies: 23, Hit Points: 1, Power Points: 44, Hit
Point Pool: 23, Saved Action
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 39, Power Points: 85, Saved
Action
Menagerie: Hit Points: 18, Power Points: 64, Form: Man! No Superpowers!
Sentinel: Hit Points: 30, Power Points: 61, Creation Points:
0, Shields: 0, No Superpowers!
Slate: Hit Points: 35, Power Points: 72, Saved Action
Slingshot: Hit Points: 19, Power Points: 62,
Invulnerability: 0, No Superpowers!
Symbiote: Hit Points: 62, Power
Points: 93, Charges: 12, Activated: Zero G, Saved Action
Here is
everyone’s placement on the map:
Avatar, Clone, Lightning Strike and
Symbiote are hidden
by the treeline, on the spot marked “V.”
Sentinel is falling
from a height of 30 feet, and is at the spot marked “SE”. His momentum will
carry him north as he falls.
Slingshot is falling
from a height of 30 feet, and is at the spot marked “SL”. His momentum will
carry him north as he falls
Menagerie and Slate
are falling straight down from 200 feet, and are at the spot marked “MS”.
New character sheets for
Menagerie, Sentinel and Slingshot are below:
Best,
Jeff
Menagerie!
Secret Identity: Franklin
Donovan
Gender: Male
Born: 1979
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 200 lbs.
Origin Type: Accidental
Supernatural
Personality Archetype:
Mysterious Mystical Avenger of the Animal Kingdom
Level: 5
Experience Points: 16,500
Player: Thomas
Super Powers and Super
Skills:
1)
Heightened Intelligence: +7
2)
Heightened Charisma (Will): +7
3) Patron: US Government:
Vehicles, base, mundane gear/ weapons are available through an employer.
Weaknesses:
1)
Patron: The Natural Order: Character may be required to perform tasks and
duties at Nature’s request.
2)
Patron: US Government: Character may be required to perform tasks and duties at
employer’s request.
Statistics:
Strength 15
Endurance 18
Agility 15
Intelligence 18
Charisma 22
Hit Points: 18 (26 maximum)
Power Points: 66
Carrying Capacity: 518 lbs.
Hand-to-Hand Damage: 1d8
Accuracy: +2 to hit
Damage Modifier: +2
Detect Hidden: 19%
Detect Danger: 23%
Reaction Modifiers: +4 from
Good, -4 from Evil
Movement: ground: 48” per combat turn. (One inch equals 5 feet)
Healing Rate: 2 hit points
per day.
Occupation: Hiking/Nature
Guide
Skills: Wilderness Survival,
Tracking, Stealth, Hunting, Animal Lore, Occult Studies X2
Luck Points: 1.5 as of Issue
179
--------
Sentinel!
Secret Identity: Kirk Gerard
Gender: Male
Born: 1984
Height: 6’
Weight: 200 lbs.
Origin Type:
Personality Archetype:
Square-jawed Defender of Truth and Justice
Level: 7
Experience Points: 30,500
Player: Seth
Super Powers and Super
Skills:
1) Heightened Endurance: +7
(Level Four Advancement)
2) Heightened Charisma: +4
(Level Five Advancement)
3) Heightened Intelligence:
+3 (Level Six Advancement)
4)
Patron: US Government: Vehicles, base, mundane gear/ weapons are available
through an employer.
Weaknesses:
1) Patron: US Government:
Character may be required to perform tasks and duties at employer’s request.
Statistics:
Strength 15
Endurance 22
Agility 15
Intelligence 18
Charisma 23
Hit Points: 30
Power Points: 70
Carrying Capacity: 558 lbs.
Hand-to-Hand Damage: 1d8
Accuracy: +2 to hit
Damage Modifier: +2
Detect Hidden: 21%
Detect Danger: 25%
Reaction Modifiers: +4 from
Good, -4 from Evil
Movement: ground: 52” per combat turn. (One inch equals
5 feet)
Healing Rate: 2.4 hit points
per day.
Occupation: Computer
Specialist
Skills: Computer Science,
History, Extranormal History, Law, Law Enforcement Subculture, Academic
Subculture, Occult Studies X 2, First Aid, Vanguard non-verbal signal code,
Oration
Luck
Points: 4.9 as of Issue 179
Slingshot!
Secret Identity: Scott Brock
Gender: Male
Born: 1973
Height: 6’4
Weight: 200 lbs.
Origin Type: Accidental
Scientific
Personality Archetype: Happy-go-lucky
guy who loves being a superhero
Level: 7
Experience Points: 31,000
Player: Stephane
Super Powers and Super
Skills:
1) Heightened Expertise: +2 to all
personal HTH attacks, and all
brawling weapons. (Level Two Advancement)
2) Heightened Agility: +3
(Level Five Advancement)
3) Patron: US Government:
Vehicles, base, mundane gear/ weapons are available through an employer.
Weaknesses:
1) Patron: US Government:
Character may be required to perform tasks and duties at employer’s request.
Statistics:
Strength 13
Endurance 18
Agility 15
Intelligence 16
Charisma 18
Power Points: 62
Carrying Capacity: 400 lbs.
Hand-to-Hand Damage: d6
Accuracy: +2 (+4 HTH and
brawling weapons)
Damage Modifier: +2
Detect Hidden: 19%
Detect Danger: 23%
Reaction Modifiers: +3 from
Good, -3 from Evil
Movement: Ground: 46” per
turn.
Healing Rate: 2 hit points
per day.
Occupation: Construction
Engineer
Skills: Civil Engineering,
Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Management,
Computers, Robotics, Occult
Studies, Vanguard non-verbal signal code, Tactics, Multiverse Theory
Luck Points: 2.2 as of Issue
174
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW!!
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
OOC: This is where I hope that
they think humans taste bad and they are a really peaceful and we can get it by
asking nicely.
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Wow.
We are so screwed!
As usual, 'the best laid plans
...'
Jeff:
Is there anything nearby that
might present a softer landing to try to aim towards? Are there any higher areas that Sentinel can
aim towards to grab, swing, etc to lower momentum and break his fall (ie what are those big circles? Are they higher in the sky than the
ground? How about the top of the gates?
- I figure anything to absorb some of the momentum should lesson final impact?)
Any chance Kirk can grab his cape
mid-air and use it to lower create resistance to lower his fall speed or use it
to maneuver towards a better landing or grab something? (ironic, that I was thinking of adding to
agility as character advancement last time around) Any thermal draft being created by the
volcano we can use to our advantage in our descent (yes, I'm grasping at straws
here).
IC:
Kirk soared towards the altar with
determination and his goal fixed firmly in mind. And then he felt his energy dissipating,
vanishing from his control, and even worse, his connection with everything
around him, what he called his 'energy sense' suddenly gone, torn from him
along with it. A momentary flicker of the first time that had happened to him,
on Vanguard's first mission when captured by Swastika, came to his mind... and
how he prepared himself not be overwhelmed by panic and the sense of loss that
accompanied it’s loss ever again.
His 'gifts' were gone and as he
immediately began surveying the situation in mid-air ignoring that he was
seconds away from an much too literal crushing defeat; his mind tried to
formulate some means of salvation. Bigger things were at stake than just his
life and those of his teammates. At this point whether it was the otherworldly
temple, a magical spell, the artifact itself, or something else, they were
powerless and about to plummet to their deaths.
He shouted back to the rest of
Vanguard hoping his words would reach them to protect them, “Breaching the
border of the temple canceled all of our powers within seconds.” and added
“Hal, maybe you can still project inward to at least brake our falls???”
OOC:
Too late to go with Tony’s plan
instead???
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
OOC: I think I have a plan . . .
it'll probably get all of us killed, but what the hell - we're staring down the
barrel of that gun anyway lol.
Going to start typing it up now .
. . yup . . . for the first time in a long time, I'll be posting early lol ;)
-Kev
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
As he watched his friends falling
helplessly from the sky something unexpected happened to Clone . . . he began
to remember. Fragmented memories of covert infiltrations, daring escapes, and
‘life on the run’ all began to flash through his mind like a hyperactive strobe
light. The images disappeared as quickly as they had come and Clone’s mind
instantly felt clearer then it had in ages. Without effort or thought, Clone
instinctively put together a plan to save his friends and recover the artifact.
A universal calm came over The Collective as they all simultaneously thought to
themselves. “Time for Plan ‘B’.”
With the inflection of a seasoned
strategist and tactician in his voice, one of the Clones quickly turned to
Avatar and said, “We need a blizzard!” Another duplicate looked over at
Symbiote and said in a tone ripe with urgency, “You have to use your Gravity
Control powers to control their decent. The ones highest up are your primary
targets.” With a full head of steam behind them, the platoon sized group of
replicates began to charge towards the edge of the tree-line. As they passed by
Lightning Strike one of the Clones said in an almost whimsical manner, “Some
cover fire would be nice, Mr. Strike.”
( OOC: I hope I’m remembering that
correctly – that Lightning Strike can fire off electrical attacks. If not, I’ll
edit that last sentence to Strike. )
With the memories of the recently
absorbed ‘Rogue Clone’ now firmly accessible to them, each of the duplicates
knew what they could expect from the others. With their stave's jutting outward
before them, the horde of duplicates looked like a silent army charging head
first towards their foe. Although they still lacked the ability to communicate
with each other telepathically, each of them knew the plan . . . it was an easy
one - first man to the top of the hill wins! They hoped that their knowledge of
stealth and infiltration combined with their black costumes, the heavy rain,
the dark skies and the sudden appearance of their teammates plummeting from the
heavens would buy them at least a second or two before the Dino’s knew that
their position was being advanced upon. His friends falling from the sky . . .
he thought about that for split second and smirked. Although he cared deeply
for them, he couldn’t help but think to himself, “Why play the Knight, when you
can send the Pawns in first.”
Once the doppelgangers reached the
main gate they knew that they would have to face the possibility; like their
friends before them, that they would all lose their powers and quickly
disappear until only one of them remained . . . but that was all part of the
plan. With any luck they would all start to disappear just as the Dino’s
realized their temple was being assaulted and tried turning the clone army into
a late night snack . . . leaving just one ( OOC: the disappearing Clone's would
simply serve as distractions for the surviving Clone by drawing away enemy
attacks . . . God willing lol ).
Between the combination of a
stealthy charge, disappearing clones, arctic temperatures ( OOC: hopefully
Avatar’s blizzard slows the lizards down a bit ), the distraction of his
friends falling from the sky, Strike’s electrical cover fire, and some good old
fancy foot work ( OOC: All of the Clones will be evading as their actions ),
the clones were confident that at least one of them could make his way to the
altar and recover the artifact . . . that’s what they hoped any way. As the
group emerged from the tree-line and started their covert charge one of them
turned to the other and said sarcastically through a smile, “We are so gonna
die.“
OOC:
Damn, Jeff! These issues just seem
to get better and better – LOVE IT!
The Clones are just going to
bee-line it for the altar – no attacking, stopping to take in the sights,
engaging in simple chit-chat with the natives – nothing – just a mad dash to
the top. With the exception of Evading the only thing the duplicates might do
is pee their jet black feetie-pajamas a bit lol.
If anyone has any real issues with
the plan, just let me know – I’ll just scrap the entire response and start
over. I wouldn’t want to ruin anyone’s fun by accidentally appearing as if I’m
trying to take control of the situation / issue / game / etc. – because that’s
not what I’m trying to do at all – promise.
Jeff: because of how I worked out
this response, I think I should have Clone reclaim his Telepathic Communication
ability for his next level advancement – what do you think?
Talk to you all soon,
-Kev
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
IC: Hearing Kirk, and remembering
the experience at the storage facility, State yells back, "I think this
may be some kind of illusion, or trick. My powers do not appear to be
affected."
Having said that, he will attempt
to grab Menagerie, and twist in the air so that Slate would take the brunt of
the impact.
OOC: Never a dull moment with Jeff
at the wheel. :)
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
As he fell, Menagerie kept
thinking "Oh dear Lady of the Lake! I'm going to die again!"
When Slate grabbed him, he yelled
"Hey, Kid do you still have your rope? Maybe you can make like a cowboy
and lasso a ledge or something."
Menagerie will try to retrieve
Slate's rope himself (OOC: Since Slate's action was grabbing Menagerie). He
will not try anything fancy. Just try to use it to catch on something so they
swing down for a softer landing than crashing.
"Your hands are kinda full
there Internet Jones, how about I give the desperate rope throw as shot
instead."
OOC: Use ALL the Hero Points I
have to save both Menagerie and Slate!!! please!!!
Great Issue Jeff!
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: Thanks Tom. "Internet Jones." That's great.
Seth, those attempts at
gliding/guiding your fall are legitimate requests.
Kev, restoring the telepathic bond
among the Clones would be a natural choice for a level advancement. And super
useful. Gamewise, it could be that the mental chaos from the great Clone
convergence (of all those disparate personalities) has finally settled
down? It looks like a new dominant
personality is emerging. :)
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
IC: As Menagerie begins trying to
access Slate's backpack, a grin grows on Slate's face... "We don't need a
rope", he wraps his arm around Menagerie's waist and uses his thumb to
unsnap the belt clip holing the Jones’ style bull whip at his hip, and begins
looking for something to wrap it around for them to swing to safety.
Jon
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: Cue the "Indiana
Jones" theme music.
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
OOC: I loved the "Internet Jones"
comment as well... awesome!
Jon
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC:
Jeff, then make it so. (on the
maneuverings, cape usage, etc)
And I love the whip idea and Indy
music ...
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
OOC: LOL, NOT to be confused with
Indie music...
Jon
--------------------------------------------------
Lightning Strike:
OOC: Using Strike’s held action he
will attempt to use the magnetic control over all of the Vanguard heroes who
can’t help themselves. The idea being
that if powers are held via some other mechanism, LS can still pick the bones
of those too arrogant to listen!
Goal: Expand the magnetism power
that he used in earlier issues to pull those falling heroes back assuming that
they have some metal on them. Is that
possible? I want to make sure that I am
outside the area of power negativity so that if this fails to work I can still
attack with something else.
--------------------------------------------------
Symbiote:
Symbiote is on board with Clone's
plan.
Basically because he can't think
of anything better.
He will attempt to slow the fall
of the plummeting heroes. If he has an
action after that, he'll save it.
Obviously a lot going on here we don't understand.
Viva Vanguard,
Greg
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
OOC: I have read most of the
replies. I'm still in flight and I'm going to become roadkill in short order. I
think that Slingshot travels at over 60MPH when he slingshots.. That's going to
hurt.
Hoping that somewhat will same my
now skinny ass..
Is there any chance that I can
"land" on someone? I know that I use my stretchability to form
airfoils to direct my glide. Would I be able
to do something with my costume? (I assume that my regular body is
smaller than my slingshot body.
If that's not workable, then I
need to have a little faith and do a lot of praying.
If my radio still works: Slingshot
was thinking about what they could have missed..I would wonder if there's
anyone that can look to see if there are any wards around the place .. maybe
you need to walk through the gates and not bypass them the way we did?
If someone saved my bacon
or/and somehow I still have an action. I
will do the following:
This could go either way, but
it'll be as per his MO:
1- If the dinomen aren't going to
attack me outright, I'll continue to the altar.
2- If I'm "arrested",
then I'll play along and see if I can parlay my way to the altar.
3- If they attack, I'll run back
to the front gate. ("RUN AWAY!!")
Stephane
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC: Jeff, is there any way that
Avatar can attempt to hit them from below with a gust of wind to slow their
fall? It's unlikely that he's
understanding in a split second that they've lost their powers and that his
might not work there, either.
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: Hi Harold and Stephane,
Those options are possible.
Thanks everyone.
Best
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
