Spectrum's Comments: This file kicks off the first major Champs Module I ran on Q. It was Target: Hero and it ran a whopping 17 posts. More importantly, it was during this storyline that the group started to gel and things start getting good.
Crusaders #38 - "The Appleton Affair: Part One"
Several weeks have passed since the last post. While the Crusaders get to know each other, other events have been taking place. Two members of the team have disappeared. Monarch never returned from his patrol. Strikeout likewise failed to return from a trip outside the mansion.
These are not the first time such occurrences have taken place. Heroes have been disappearing over the last few months with shocking regularity. Most of the disappearances have been on the West Coast so far.
Rumors in the underworld talk of a 'Great Supervillain Contest' that is currently underway. If this is connected to the disappearances is unknown at this time.
The day after the battle with Imperial, the team is hit by some surprising news. Imperial's allies managed to escape! A squad of Viper Agents attacked the PRIMUS agents hauling the villains off. The villains fled and have yet to be heard from.
That brings us up to the present.
It is a pleasant Sunday in early spring. While the group goes about their various activities, Felicity summons everyone to the meeting room.
Felicity - "I happened to be monitoring the local TV station when I picked this up."
An image forms on the large TV screen. A TV report can be seen against the background of a mall. Screams and yells can be heard in the background, and the occasional normal will run behind the reporter, fleeing some unseen terror in an absolute panic.
'This is Allen Kingston reporting live from the Appleton Mall. The mall is currently the scene of an unexplained attack by a group of villains. They seem to have no purpose other than sheer violence and destruction.'
At this point, a second figure will step into the picture, much closer to the camera. It is an armored figure wearing a demonic mask. The monstrous creature bellows in a bizarre voice. Sounding something like the growl of an animal.
'Greetings followers of the light from Daigon, champion of darkness. The minions of the Nether Lord bid you welcome to our carnival of blood! We await your company so that we may crush you back into the dirt from whence you came! We will try to keep ourselves entertained while we wait!'
Daigon reaches out for the camera, which then goes black followed by the sound of twisting metal, breaking glass, and another scream.
The picture then cuts back to a startled anchorwoman. She quickly recaps the story, adding that mall security and local police are on the scene. The fire department, several ambulances and PRIMUS are en route.
Just then, the team receives a call from Captain Fritz of the Appleton precinct. The Captain is nearly frantic over the situation.
All he knows is that the trouble started about twenty minutes ago. Two 'strange characters' started ripping up the mall. One is a silvery man who is tremendously strong. The other is a fiery figure able to fire lava-blasts. He describes both of them as 'massive' and 'unstoppable'.
'You're our only hope, Crusaders', he concludes.
GM Notes:
The Appleton Mall is a large, one story structure. Nearly sixty businesses operate inside. It is about ten minutes away from the Crusaders Mansion. The mall has three main entrances and many of the stores have an outside exit.
As of this post, the official team roster reads as:
Darkwave
Dragonman
Firestar
Lord Liberty
Nightstalker
Ranger
Shadowfire
Sorceress
Strongbow
Thunderbolt
Tigress
Spectrum's Comments: Both Monarch and Strikeout were gone from the game. N4sir left Q and never returned. He also played Brawn in Lost Heroes. Strikeout's player did eventually return, but as a different character. That left the Sorceress without her hunky boyfriend. A situation that wouldn't last all that long. Also Target: Hero was where Daigon came from, so this is her first Q appearance. Since her armor is gender neutral, she was referred to as a he the whole time. Ironically, Daigon and Tigress did not fight each other. Boy have things changed on that front!
SUBJ: dragonman (R) FROM: Wild dan 11/26/89 S#: 3213
I will run outside the mansion and change form to a black dragon and fly to the mall when there I will stay in the air firing acid at the lava throwing one
SUBJ: T-Storm FROM: Nain 11/26/89 S#: 497429
(sorry for not posting earlier)
"Please! Don't call me ThunderStorm, Shorten it to T-Storm!"
In front of you is a lithe, broad shouldered man. He has a shiny black costume. He has a full-face mask with a red T on it, the top bar across his eyes and the middle bar going to his chin. A lightning bolt encircles his neck and waist. At mid-forearm and calve is a narrow band of red, with a stripe going up the arms/legs to the lighting bolt at the neck/waist. An emblem is on his chest, a dirty gray cloud with a red T super-imposed on it and a lightning bolt shooting out of it. This is also duplicated as a belt buckle.
In the passing weeks he tries to get to know the members. He seems to be somewhat shy and does not ever remove his mask, more from possible embarrassment then from protecting a secret ID. He practices acrobatics in the gym, but does not use his powers of weather control. He seems to be a little frightened of them.
----------------This week--------------
"Well let's get them! Umm, could somebody provide a ride?"
when there he will put up his elemental shield, and create change environment -rain 2"radius (cost15), wind driven rain eb10d6 (cost50), 10" Teleport (20points)
Will attack lava man. Will abort to dodge or block if cornered or hurt and t-port to a new location to attack again.
Spectrum's Comments: Nain was the same person who played Sundragon originally. He returned as this new character for a while.
SUBJ: Firestar
'Wait a minute, guys. Simply rushing off to a fight is not a smart move. That's how I got hurt.'
[Not one word, Cereld!;)]
'Since we were invited, we best be on our way. To the Crusaders Jet!'
'The way I understand it, the villains are inside the mall itself. Apparently there are at least three of them, but there may be more. Since we have many new members that might give us an edge. The villains may not know our true numbers. It is my intention to split up into groups and launch a three pronged attack against the villains.' Each group will go in through one of the entrances, assuming that none of the villains are outside the mall itself. The groups are as follows.
'Lord Liberty, Sorceress, Strongbow, Nightengale and myself shall go towards the villains from the closest entrance. Hopefully to divert the villians attention away from the other groups.
'Nightstalker, Shadowfire, Dragonman and T-Storm. You are all flyers. If we get their attention, you should be able to come in from behind for a surprise attack.
'Ranger, Tigress and Darkwave. You are our sneak experts. You'll come in through the 3rd entrance. With the villains caught between the other two groups, you also should be able to get in some surprise attacks.
Any questions any one?
Remember this a busy mall that we are going into. Use your powers carefully. I don't wish to have lot of property damaged in the conflict. And watch out for innocents!
Spectrum's Comments: Firestar's "Not one word, Cereld" comment refers to an incident that happened early in the Frontier game which was around this point in time. Firestar was Steph in the Frontier, while Lord Liberty's player was Cereld.
SUBJ: Sorceress
'A reasonable plan, Firestar.'
Once at the mall, I'll draw the hood up on my cloak and turn invisible. I'll then fly into the mall, staying near the ceiling. If I can get a bunch of villains in one area, I'll cast Mage Fog at them.
SUBJ: The Shadow FROM: BLK NINJA 11/27/89 S#: 498737
Sorry for missing the last two posts, but The Shadow does have business in the real world too. ;)
"Well, looks like Dragon is in a hurry. Hey Dragon! We're a team, remember! But if Firestar okays it, go and survey the situation! We'll be bringing up the rear!"
::I turn to Fire, and pull my full face mask off::
"Looks like we all better get mounted up. A quick costume change for me, and I'll be ready. You take care out there, if this Daigon is what he seems, we may have some trouble."
::I bolt into my room, and change into the costume I'm most known in::
::It is still the skintight black bodysuit with no emblems, made of a tough bulletproof material; I wear black futuristic looking boots which stop right below my knees; My gloves have gauntlets which stop below my elbows; In each gauntlet there is an Electro-Blaster, which fire large amounts of electricity; they are fairly small; My mask covers my whole face and has two white eye spaces ;The one thing different from the other costume I next put on; A large cloak-like cape, which has a loose cowl which only leaves my face in view; The cape goes down to my ankles and is fairly large; It's made of extremely light Kevlar; last, I put on my belt which has a side pack with equipment and I put on my Black Blade::
::There that's it.....I'm 6'1'',I weigh about 195.I'm extremely well built, broad shoulders, dark brown hair, brown eyes, Caucasian:::: My eyes seethe red, I'm ready; E.B.s are at full power; I bolt back to where the group are::
"Is everyone suited up and ready to go? Ranger, is Nightengale going to be all right? Hey Stalker, Daigon thinks he is the Champion of Darkness. He's about to be bested by the Master of Night. We're all ready Fire, just give the word!"
:I grin beneath my mask:
::If we don't go in a vehicle, I fly to the mall at full speed, and see how dragon is doing; I will be on the defensive this round, since we don't know what Daigon can really do; If he fires I will dodge everything at full speed, and become invisible, in order to close in on him::
Mail From: Deslock Date: Monday 27-Nov-89 23:36 EST
Martin takes Chris's hands in his own, and gazes deep into her eyes. "With all we've been through, it's as if we've already shared a life together. I know what this means, and I'm ready to make this commitment; I want to share the rest of my life with you."
Spectrum's Comments: Part of some E-mails going back and forth between Ranger and Nightingale. Apparently I didn't save my copies, or more likely just wrote them online on the fly. I regularly talked to some of these people, be it E-mail, Online Messaging, or in chat rooms, so some game activities did happen outside of the files.
SUBJ: Ranger (R) FROM: Deslock 11/28/89 S#: 502848
"A good plan Firestar, I just hope our execution is as good."
I'll switch into costume, and meet the others by the jet.
"As you can see, Shadow, 'Gale is fine. That problem is behind us. Let's get rolling, there are people dying in that mall."
SUBJ: The Shadow FROM: BLK NINJA 11/28/89 S#: 503920
"Good plan Fire! By the time we get there, all of the bystanders should have cleared out. Above all, let's not get too crazy and shoot the wrong people."
::I go along with everyone and get into the jet; Once there(disregard first moves)I head into the air with my group towards the rear; Once there I open the door and enter, using my stealth::
"Well guys, let's take it slow. These things may be supernatural. Be on guard, for they may have reinforcements. Pair up, and make a 20ft. spread. When Daigon shows his face and Fire's group attacks him, hit him at full power blasts...let's see what he can take. Stalker, claws out (old pal), let's take em'."
::I become invisible, except for my cloak (in order for my teammates to see me);I then fly up to about 20ft. in the air and begin the silently move towards the other end of the mall; If I spot Daigon, and no one is in the way, I will wait for Fire and her team to attack, and I will fire two full power blasts from my E.B.s; Then if possible, and if he fires back or attacks I will dodge any attacks at my full speed::
To Fire if she is in range>>This is Shadow, we're in. If there are any problems let me know. Just think.<<
>>Stalker, we may need to double-team this Daigon guy. Be Ready.<<
Mail From: Deslock Date: Tuesday 28-Nov-89 19:37 EST
"It would seem to me that what we are about to share, our very minds and souls, goes well beyond anything most marriages can hope for. We've each chosen our high risk lives, because we feel there's a job there that must be done. Still, the hazards are there, and none of us knows when our time will come. Each moment is precious, and I wouldn't want to miss a chance at true happiness while we are here. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, Yes. Chris, will you marry me?"
Spectrum's Comments: Although not recorded here, Chris did say yes. Nightingale saw far more action on Q then she ever did in the Old Stuff. I grew to like her quite a bit. So much so that I immediately put her on the Avengers when we started the website. Also, while not recorded here in this post, Ranger did announce his and 'Gales engagement.
SUBJ: NIGHTSTALKER - Malik FROM: NightStlkr 11/29/89 S#: 511057
"I like your plan, Hotstuff; although I would've preferred to be in YOUR group..." ];D.
When we arrive at the mall, Malik takes to the sky with his group.
"I don't know about this DAIGON guy, Shadow...calling himself the Champion of Darkness, but if he wants to remain King of the Hill, he's gonna' have to deal with us...and I plan to give him a taste of THE POWER PRIMAL that he won't soon forget..."
Once inside the mall, NIGHTSTALKER stands ready...
"Energy Claws...OUT, Shadow. Let's give DAIGON a run for his Title...
Malik hovers around stealthily, waiting for battle to begin. When it does start, he'll swoop down and try to attack Daigon (or anyone he can get the jump on) from behind, raking them with his Energy Claws.
--Current Power Pool stats:--
Energy Stimuli and Energy Claws are at full ativation. If/when he attacks, put STR into HKA and use all levels in OCV(of course).
SUBJ: STRONGBOW FROM: AREION 11/30/89 S#: 515269
((It appears my personal affairs will have to wait))
"Firestar do not question your authority as leader of Crusaders, but do you think this course of action is wise?? There must be a number of innocents trapped within the structure. If we engage in a full frontal assault, we run a HIGH risk of harming someone."
"Perhaps One group should feign compliance to the devils' challenge & draw the villains out away from the building, engaging the adversary only in self defense, giving a second group time to find and extract these innocents using Nightengale's mental talents in this task, While the third group covertly protects the mall from stray shots or hurling combatants until the area is clear...THEN have all teams converge and pull out all the stops."
"Our greatest concern should not be the protection of property but the protection of innocent life! If we engage directly, and the battle should go badly, the mall may come tumbling down, killing all within...THIS IS THE KIND OF CARNAGE WE CANNOT PERMIT."
SUBJ: Ranger FROM: Deslock 11/30/89 S#: 516430
"I agree with your sentiment, Strongbow. I too abhor the loss of life. However, instead of being drawn out by the engaging group, what if they decide to use the hostages to force their surrender? Would you allow an innocent to die, or would you surrender yourself under those conditions? I, for one, do not wish to be confronted with that choice. With surprise on our side, we should be able to take them down without using the kind of firepower which would harm the bystanders."
SUBJ: drag FROM: Wild dan 12/01/89 S#: 519540
i will be in the forn of a silver dragon if i get the change i will cast rev gravety on them then att when cl
Crusaders #39 - "The Appleton Affair: Part Two"
In moments the team arrives at the Appleton Mall. They are greeted by a Detective Stapleton who is in charge at the moment. No new developments have occurred since the Crusaders were contacted. Following Firestar's plan, the group splits up and enters the mall.
Firestar's group is the first to enter the mall. The entrance is between two stores: The Leather Shoppe and Something in the Air. The later is a kite shop.
After a short distance, they come to a large open area. In the middle of the area is a fountain. A statue of a woman surrounded by spraying water is in the fountain. The whole is surrounded by a ring of tropical foliage. Chairs and benches are scattered around the whole area.
Near the fountain the two villains mentioned by Captain Fritz are spotted. Next to a silvery strongman is a man seemingly made of molten magma. No other people are in sight.
Volcanon - "Look, Silvar! Playmates!"
Silvar - "Let's make them welcome! The Nether Lord will be most pleased!"
The one called Silvar turns and lifts one of the concrete benches over his head. With ridiculous ease, he tosses it at the heroes. They easily avoid it, but it goes crashing into one of the stores front window.
In the rear of the mall, the group of Shadow, Nightstalker, T-Storm and Dragonman enter.
Silently they fly forward. Moments after entering the mall, they are distracted by the sound of a woman's scream. Following the scream, they come upon two young women being menaced by two odd looking men.
The first man has charcoal-gray skin. His trunks and boots are black. He has wings of the same color.
Struggling in his grasp is a pretty, young brunette. "Let me go, you creep!", she screams.
The other man is a mysterious figure in a crimson cloak. None of his features are visible.
Standing motionless before him, as if in a trance, is a gorgeous young woman.
"This one shall do nicely', says the man in crimson. 'I sense a latent magical talent in both of them."
"This is a fiery one! Ah... We have company, Azalin."
Turning, the men see the incoming heroes.
"Not to worry, dark one. They are severely overmatched."
At the last entrance of the mall, Ranger, Tigress and Darkwave silently slip in. They quickly slip down the wide corridor, spotting no one.
As they progress, a something odd is picked up by the Tigress' senses.
Tigress - "Look out!"
The Tigress springs off to the side of the corridor. Just a heartbeat before the area erupts in fire! Ranger and Darkwave are caught in the flames. The fire covers a wide area and the several stores are beginning to burn.
The Tigress slides into the sidewall after her leap. Suddenly, she is aware of a woman in a crimson body suit that is now behind the heroes. She has a black trident on her chest and has horns in her ebony hair.
Before the Tigress can move, she hears a voice, coming from above her. Looking up, she sees nothing, but then something seems to move. Sliding down the side of the wall towards her!
'You are pretty... very pretty.... That's why I must kill you!'
GM Notes:
That should keep everybody busy!
In case you missed it, Ranger and Nightengale announced their engagement last post. Congratulations kids!
As some of you might suspect, some old friends have returned this post!
Hero status:
Ranger 17 of 35 stun
Darkwave 28 of 42 stun
Spectrum's Comments: Yep, that was Dark Seraph who Ranger and 'Gale encountered early in Crusaders Plus.
SUBJ: Ranger FROM: Deslock 12/03/89 S#: 521246
"What is it Tigre... YOW!"
I'll run toward the nearest area clear of flame (climb if this is the quickest option), doing a martial dodge as I clear the flames in order to avoid further attacks until I can get a bearing on our attackers.
- So much for sneaking up on them. I hope the others are fairing better. -
Once I've got a bead on our attackers, I'll move in for an attack of my own.
"OK hot stuff. You're good with the sneak attack. Let's see how you fare when you know where it's coming from.
SUBJ: STRONGBOW (R) FROM: AREION 12/03/89 S#: 518439
Easily evading the hand held projectile with a simple forward roll, STRONGBOW springs up to face his attacker.
"BY THE SPIRITS!!...I'VE HAD MY FILL OF SILVER DEVILS! THE LAST NEARLY SLEW ME...YOU SHALL NOT BE SO LUCKY!!!"
STRONGBOW draws his Coup stick and beckons to SILVAR as the familiar image of the great black bear consumes him.
"Come, SILVER DOG! You'll not find a NAVAHO BRAVE's warrior prowess wanting!
Or are you too much the COWARD to battle one who will fight back!!"
If STRONGBOW can goad the silver freak to the offensive, he stands unflinching as the adversary approaches Carefully gauging his timing, he spins aside at the last possible second (Dodge, Levels to DCV) Doing a full 360 he brings the stick crashing into the base of SILVAR's Skull (Levels still to DCV)
If it appears that SILVAR will not take the offensive, STRONGBOW will charge, performing an acrobatic roll mere feet in front of him. If SILVAR's legs are far enough apart, STRONGBOW will slide between them, pummeling SILVAR's 'Metallic Manhood' with the stick, otherwise, just spring up and strike (levels to OCV)
His near demise at the hands of his last silver plated adversary is still clear in STRONGBOW's mind. If, at any time, he should be wounded by either villain, he'll abort to his Shield Self spell & try to reach a safe distance to attack at range with his bow (MP s3, Levels to OCV) If he is struck again, or re-engaged HTH, he'll shift levels back to DCV & reactivate Shield Self and result to unaugmented bow or tomahawk whichever the situation warrants, until he can reevaluate his strategy.
BTW: MAD...that statue wouldn't be comprised of enough natural stone to allow my Breath of Life spell can effect it...is it???
SUBJ: T-Storm (R) FROM: Nain 12/03/89 S#: 499441
"Hey! Wait a second! I can't fly! I can T-port! I hate flying!"
If I am still with the flyers, I change the rain powers and keep the T-Port. Change rain to Transformation to cloud 2d6, cumlative, 0 end (cost60pts.) I'll then concentrate on the gray winged guy.
If I am now part of the assault team, keep my powers as before & I7Ll concentrate on Volcanoid.
My elemental shield is up.
SUBJ: NIGHTSTALKER - Malik FROM: NightStlkr 12/03/89 S#: 483508
At first, Malik will try to verbally confuse the two odd men. His hollow voice rings throughout this section of the mall:
"Don't worry ladies, The Crusaders are here...we'll take care of this... OK you two, why don't you leave the young ladies alone, huh?!? I've had a really rough day of saving the world, and I could sure use a rest. But NO;I gotta' come all the way down to the mall to take care of a couple of clowns who like to pick on women...I don't appreciate this; NOT ONE BIT!!"
(Use Persuasion for this).
If this causes the two to hesitate or keeps them off-guard, NIGHTSTALKER will attempt to sucker-punch the Winged one, using a haymaker.
If they don't buy it and come out fighting, he'll abort to dodging by acrobatic flips. He'll counter attack with his Energy Claws when he gets a chance.
--Energy Stimuli and Energy Claws are still activated; all levels still in OCV-
Hey guys, I figured out who these two REALLY ARE---and I think we've got a whole heap of trouble... :'<
Spectrum's Comments: Not sure who 'Stalker thinks Azalin is since he was a villain of my own creation who appeared in the Old Stuff.
SUBJ: Lord Liberty FROM: REM9 12/03/89 S#: 508071
After the silver menace throws the bench through the store window, Lord Liberty says, "There is no need for senseless destruction. If it is a battle with us that you wish, we shall comply, but not if you keep throwing things around destroying other people's property." While Lord Liberty is saying this, he is slowly moving up towards the duo, but has his sensors scanning the stores around him looking for others who may be waiting in ambush. If he makes it up to Volcano (Dodging to get there if necessary) Lord Liberty will state, "This has gone on long enough. I am sorry but I must now render you unconscious so that you will not do any further damage." Lord Liberty will then use his find weakness and then deliver a nerve pinch to this foe.
SUBJ: Firestar
Whoa! It took some muscle to toss that bench all that way! One guy to definitely avoid!
'Go get'm, guys! I'll try to draw their fire!'
I'll fly over the battle site, trying to draw Volcanon's fire. This should give Lord Liberty a chance to get to him.
'Hey, ugly! Do you always dress like that or does your mother dress you funny?'
If I get the chance, I'll like to fire an EB of my own in the hope of knocking him back into the fountain. That should dampen his spirits!
GM Notes
I would be easier to go straight up, Ranger. The fire extends for 4 hexes in every direction in your current position. The ceiling here has a metal grid-work design. You'll be able to get out of the fire that way.
As for the statue, Strongbow, you won't know until you try! Silvar doesn't seem to be falling for your goading. This guy is not easily riled. My mistake T-Storm, about the name and flying. You are still with same group. Just assume someone carried you or you ran.
SUBJ: Looks like... FROM: AREION 12/05/89 S#: 499656
I go with plan B! If I make my attack roll, he can kiss the old 'Family jewels' goodbye (provided he has any. ];> )
SUBJ: Ranger FROM: Deslock 12/06/89 S#: 516692
"Well then, Up, Up, and a ... wait a minute, someone already uses that line."
Since I'm unsure of Darkwave's ability to clear the flames, I'll scoop him up and head for the ceiling, throwing him clear of the flaming area once we're safely above it. If this throw can be combined with an attack on his part, all the better, but I'm not going to wait for the chance. Once Darkwave is clear, I'll head off in search of the source of our problems, leaping down from the ceiling in a flying kick once one is located, continuing the acrobatics, dodging, and attacks from there.
SUBJ: The Shadow (R) FROM: BLK NINJA 12/07/89 S#: 13783
Well, Stalker, if you do know who they are, I wish you'd tell me.
::I head for the Red cloaked fellow::
"I suggest that you let her go, oh by the way don't I know you from somewhere.......nahhh."
::I fly down towards him at half speed, and I stay invisible; then draw my blade, and everyone cant help but notice the black flames that flare into the air around me (but oh well) ;If he fires or attacks in any way I'll use my current speed to dodge it; I bolt down and grab the woman he is attacking and fly her to safety; I then fire full power(stun)blast from my EBs at the Red Cloaked guy; If that doesn't affect him I bolt down to him and take swing down onto his head with my Black Blade; Upon executing either move I will await any return fire or attack, and dodge and my full ability::
"Guys, I don't think that these creeps are human! Dont underestimate them!! No matter what it takes we will stop you scum!"
"Stalker and T-storm one of you or both depending upon how strong the guy is take out the gray freak! Dragon, get that girl he's attacking to safety, and watch out! Storm, since I think Stalker can handle Grey, either help get RED here (unless I wasted him already) or go and help the others up at the front exit! Let's get to work! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
>>Fire, we have two unknown problems back here. We'll head your way as soon as we stop them. By the way, we haven't seen their leader, Daigon yet. I don't think we want to see him....<<
SUBJ: dragon FROM: Wild dan 12/07/89 S#: 832
i will stay in human form and will cast shild aroung the girl and lev her out of the way the cast rev gravity on the villens then suffacate
SUBJ: Tigress FROM: T1GRESS 12/10/89 S#: 799568
"Thanks for the compliment, I think. Pardon me, if I don't stand still to grant your request. Don't take it personally, I wouldn't take this from anyone!"
If I have time, use Find Weakness on this goon. In any case, do Offensive Strike and attack full out. And try to stay away from whatever he seems to want to use to kill me with!
Spectrum's Comments: The battles at the Appleton Mall continue next time. And say, has anyone seen the Sorceress??