Spectrum's Comments: The Crusaders version of Target: Hero continues. The team has traced the missing Sorceress to an underwater DEMON base. However, in reality it was a trap for them and the Sorceress is far away.
Crusaders - #49 - "Death Below"
The Crusaders find themselves caught between the Demon Agents and Azalin...
Ranger - "You scum try my patience!"
Ranger rushes forward, tumbles in midair, and brings his feet down on the chest of the lead agent. The agent crashes to the floor, unmoving. T-Storm pops into the room, having teleported from the dome where Azalin is. Spying the agents, he again increases the gravity about the agents, dragging five of them to the floor.
At the entranceway, Strongbow holds the wounded Tigress. He chants his Power Cure, holding his hand over her worst wound. His magic appears to be working and the blood ceases to flow. While Lord Liberty protects Firestar, Nightengale and Shadow fly into the conflict with the agents. Both attack, each downing one agent.
However, one agent is still up. He fires his Inferno Rifle, covering Ranger, Nightengale and Shadow with his fire...
In the other dome, Nightstalker rescues the Sorceress and flies to the doorway.
Nightstalker - "Hey, Azzie! Here's something to remember us by!"
He fires a blast of energy at the ceiling, hoping to further rupture the dome. However, the ceiling has other ideas, and refuses to cooperate.
Nightstalker - "Aw, man!!"
Azalin - "How amusing... Now die!"
Azalin begins to cast his spell, however Dragonman beats him to the punch. Now in Blue Dragon form, he breathes a bolt of lightning at the undead wizard.
Azalin is hit solidly by the bolt. His hands, preparing to unleash the spell, fly up in pain. Eldritch energy erupts from them, connecting with the ceiling. The roof of the dome explodes...
Back at the battle with the agents, blood now covers the room and most everyone.
Ranger was hit by one of the energy bullets, wounding and knocking him out. Nightengale's force field withstood most of the attack, but she was knocked out from the blasts.
Shadow took the worst of it, being hit five times. Little remains of his chest...
Enraged, T-Storm covers the firing agent in his gravity attack. Beads of sweat cover his face as he increases the gravity against the agents. Finally, they are all unconscious.
Water suddenly rushes into the room once more. Ranger is quickly up and at Nightengale's side.
Ranger - "We've got to get out of here!"
T-Storm - "What about Shadow?"
Ranger - "He's beyond our help now."
Scooping up 'Gale, Ranger races back to the sub. Lord Liberty, bearing Firestar, and Strongbow bearing the Tigress follow. T-Storm brings up the rear.
The team arrives at the sub without further incident. Boarding, they move away from the base.
About that same time, Dragonman shakes the debris of the dome of himself. Looking around, he cannot see Azalin anywhere.
Another pile of rubble moves and Nightstalker emerges. He still has a hold of the Sorceress. Or rather, what's left of her. Between the rushing water and the falling debris she was rendering unconscious and severely wounded.
Her flesh ripples, changing into a hideous form. That form then disappears in a puff of smoke.
Several minutes later, the Sub breaks surface. Shortly afterwards, Dragonman and Nightstalker appear. The team then boards their awaiting jet.
GM Notes:
That trap was nasty...
Upon arriving at the jet, the Hero status is as follows:
| Name | Stun | Body |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon Man | 55 of 62 | |
| Firestar | -41 of 37 | 4 of 13 |
| Nightengale | -12 of 38 | |
| Nightstalker | 39 of 42 | |
| Ranger | -1 of 35 | 1 of 10 |
| Strongbow | 5 of 29 | |
| Tigress | -15 of 35 | 6 of 11 |
| T-Storm | 27 of 29 |
After ten minutes, everyone will be at full Stun. Ranger will also be at full body since he regenerates.
Yes, Nightstalker, that was not the real Sorceress.
For those of you who are curious, Shadow was at -196 Stun and -14 Body...
Now what, heroes? You have 4 hours until midnight.
Spectrum's Comments: Yep, it was Shadow who bought the farm. Not that big of a surprise, really.
SUBJ: Firestar
The last thing Firestar can remember is the ocean crashing on her. She awakens with a start, expecting to still be in the water. Finding herself on the jet with the rest of the team, she wonders what has happened.
After learning what has happened while she was out of commission, a frown comes to her face.
'It appears that we were fortunate to get out of there at all. I am saddened at the fate of Shadow, but we must go on. If we don't act in the next few hours, another teammate might suffer a similar fate and the Nether Lord will be loose. We have been repeatedly duped in this affair. It is time to put an end to that! Let us get going to this other island. Nothing is going to stop us this time!'
With renewed determination, Firestar will that the controls of the jet and takeoff. Based on what the others learned, she plots a course south.
'Two of our teammates are gone at the hands of DEMON. It's time to break even and avenge our fallen comrades.'
SUBJ: Ranger (R) FROM: Deslock 02/13/90 S#: 800137
- Another dead. And worse to come, I fear. Why must it always be so? -
Once certain that Nightengale is all right, I'll make the rounds, to check on my other team members.
"How are you doing, Tigress? That was good work back there, Strongbow. I know you desired to join the battle against the agents, but your aid may well have saved Tigress' life."
I'll speak to the others in turn, working my way eventually up to the cockpit.
"I know how you must feel, Firestar, for I abhor all loss of life. Still, it could have turned out far worse. You have only recently been released from the hospital, and were seriously injured in the battle. You need rest, if you are to lead us in the battle to come, and we shall need your leadership if we are to avoid more losses."
SUBJ: T-Storm FROM: Nain 02/13/90 S#: 806391
(I'm not liking this.)
T-Storm sits alone in one corner of the jet, refusing to let any one speak to him. He seems very distant and morose.
So much blood, so much death. All those who have died, all for one superpowered madman's purpose. All for nothing. NOTHING! Within his sorrow cold rage grows. NO MORE! I am going to obliterate Azalin! Destroy Demon. Annihilate them! KILL THEMmm..... No! I will beat them. But I cannot lose control. If I lose control, I might destroy more than they!
Control, control, control......>
SUBJ: Firestar
Setting the jet on autopilot, I'll turn to Ranger, taking his hand.
'Yes, I'm tired, Ranger. We're all tired. Too much has happened in the last few weeks. We all need to rest. But not until about five hours from now.'
'Based on what happened at the Demon base, we can assume that they are playing for keeps. I believe that we were not prepared for what awaited us. This time we'll be ready.'
'Thanks for the support, Ranger. Don't worry, my friend. I intend to have no more losses.'
SUBJ: NIGHTSTALKER - Malik FROM: NightStlkr 02/14/90 S#: 491368
Once aboard the Crusaders Jet, NIGHTSTALKER uses his Atomic Reconstruction to dry himself off.
"One of these days, I've gotta' remember to make my costume drip-dry..."
Looking around, an inquisitive look crosses Malik's face.
"Hey guys, where's Shadow at?"
As the rest of the team informs Malik of his friend's fate, he drops his phlegmatic attitude as he realizes that this is serious. His first thoughts are denial, then sorrow, then they turn to anger.
"First it was Darkwave, now it's Shadow; someone's gonna' pay for this!!!"
Malik takes his seat and turns from the rest of the group. His fists clench as he starts talking to himself.
"I shouldn't let my Mood swings get the best of me; vengeance can't be gained by just anger alone. But this I swear, I'll see to it Darkwave and Shadow are avenged; even if I have to spill every last drop of my precious Royal Phantorian Blood."
Snapping out of his own little world, NIGHTSTALKER turns to his teammates.
"What's our E.T.A. for this island? I'm eager to get this show on the road..."
SUBJ: STRONGBOW (R) FROM: AREION 02/15/90 S#: 445296
Lying TIGRESS gently in one of the reclining seats, STRONGBOW regards her with a sense of awe. In a whisper so faint he has to strain to hear it, STRONGBOW remarks to RANGER.
"Magnificent creature, is she not? Halfway between Hyl'yanta and human...I don't know why I failed to see it sooner."
In response to RANGER's remarks, STRONGBOW simply shrugs and replies:
"I did what any of us would have... Quite simply, the power was mine alone. Recognition is not necessary..."
Pausing mid phrase, a soft smile crosses the brave's normally indifferent face.
"...Though the sentiment is appreciated!"
STRONGBOW turns and heads to the front of the plane with RANGER. As he makes his way forward, the young brave takes notice of the expression on T-STORM's face...an expression twisted in rage. He stretches a hand to his teammate's shoulder and attempts to address his need.
"AHHH...Do not be bitter my friend! The loss of a companion...the second to this unholy D.E.M.O.N...Weighs heavily on us all, but hate and vengeance will avail you nothing. Anger will serve only to make you careless. That is the first lesson I had learned with this team. When The Crusader's burst in on Mechanon's lair, to our horror we found dozens of people held helpless and in agony by the man/machine who had mutated them horribly trying to make them into machines. If you could have seen their anguish!...Such defiling of the natural order, The torment of those poor souls...it was more than I could take! I lashed out with all the hate and fury I could muster. But my anger made me sloppy, and when my attack had no effect, I was left standing face to face with the 'Prime Machine'. He struck me such a blow... had not the sheer force of it knocked me clear of the battlefield, I surely would have died. As it was, my ribs had been shattered, and my chest crushed...if not for my magic... Ahhh...forgive me, my mind strays. I tell you this so that...perhaps...you may learn from my errors. Let go of what you're feeling my friend...or it just may kill you!"
Turning on his heels, STRONBOW leaves the young hero alone with his thoughts.
Finally making his way to the front of the jet, the young warrior addresses the team leader.
"Firestar, do you believe this course of action is wise? I put it to you that you're allowing your emotions to do the thinking for you! Consider a moment...a schemer such as Azalin must have had the foresight to know that there was at least a small possibility we would escape. Any information gained from him should, therefore, be considered suspect. And we rush off to pursue his lead, oblivious to the dangers...just as we did with the fallen D.E.M.O.N. agents! One of our number DIED in that NEEDLESS battle...and a SECOND almost JOINED him!!"
"Yes, time is of the essence.. precious time that is wasted in following out false leads and needless combat! With the vast array of powers we have here...SURELY we must have a means of scouting ahead!!" OUT OF CHARACTER:
Sorry for being a little rough Schar, but a guys gotta play in character! (SB has a 10pt Psy. Lim. Male Chauvinist-he's an American Indian who believes strongly in tradition)
::Wincing in anticipation of a reply::
Spectrum's Comments: I had forgotten about the idea that the possessor of the Soul Gem has a cat-companion with him like Professor Abriax and Fluffy. Not sure how the paring of Strongbow and Tigress would have turned out in the long run, as Tigress departed the game right after this scenario. Still, it was an interesting idea on Areion's part.
SUBJ: dragon FROM: Wild dan 02/15/90 S#: 791095
I say an ancitant prayer for dragon dead that is revered only for the strong of my kind
then i go to fire
fire i might be able to find out something if you will let me try
if fire lets me i will cast ession transport which is a a tranport of the mind and sences to a given point their is a 45% change that i will not return :that is what he has heard dm will deside : but i am willing to take the change if you
will let me fire
Spectrum's Comments: I should not that I haven't done anything to clean up Dragonman's post. What you are seeing is exactly what he wrote. Or tried to write. Sometimes it was a chore just figuring out what he said!
SUBJ: Firestar
'Calm yourself, Strongbow. I have no intention of going into this half-cocked. I realize that Azalin could have been lying, but we have no other leads to go on. I agree that we must scout out the situation before mounting our attack. However, we must be in range of our target before we can examine it. Lord Liberty's scanners have a limited range. As does Nightengale's mindscanning. At the present, all we can do is try to get to this place as fast as possible. Once we get there will a plan of attack be presented.'
When Dragonman appears, with his suggestion, Firestar thinks for a moment, and then speaks.
'That is an option that I had not been aware of, Dragon. However, if it is as dangerous as you suspect, I cannot ask you to do it. If you are to do this thing it must be of your own free will. I would not ask anyone one of us to willingly sacrifice themselves. Simply put, Dragon, the choice is yours.'
SUBJ: dragon FROM: T REL 02/17/90 S#: 819708
this is wild dan
i tell fire i will try and then ask for the area of the island i will then cast the spell
SUBJ: Lord Liberty FROM: REM9 02/18/90 S#: 504832
Seeing the mood of the others about the death of Shadow, Lord Liberty is a little confused. Did not Shadow have special powers that made him more than human? Is it not true that only people without special powers really die? Won't Shadow become more powerful like Ben Kenobi and Yoda? Why then does everyone feel so distraught? Although his mind races with questions, he reasons that this is not the time to ask them. Instead he decides to concentrate at the job at hand. He will use his senses to scan for the island at the earliest possible moment. In particular, he will be trying to detect for any type of scanning beams approaching the ship. If he detects any, he will immediately tell Firestar, in the hopes that we can enter unnoticed.
Crusaders - #50 - "The Heroes Strike Back"
Still on the trail of the missing Sorceress, the Crusaders have survived one DEMON deathtrap and are now closing in on their final objective: The real holding place of their friend.
Dragonman relaxes himself, casting a spell that sends his spirit-self off to scout ahead. While his body is save inside the Crusaders Jet, he silently flies the winds.
Time passes and the search bears no fruit. Until Lord Liberty notices a sensor anomaly while approaching a small island.
Lord Liberty - "I believe that I have found something, Firestar. That is not what it appears to be. There is an illusion covering it. I can detect buildings and machinery down there."
Looking with the naked eye, all you can see is what appears to be a desolate hunk of rock protruding from the ocean floor.
Nightengale - "Scanning for intelligence."
Lord Liberty - "Further more, I detect weaponry identical to that used by DEMON agents."
Nightstalker - "All right, this must be the place! Let's get'm!"
Firestar - "Hold a moment, 'Stalker. For once let us deceive them. I'll pretend like we didn't notice them and fly off. After were out of sight, we'll swing back around."
Nightengale - "I can detect 11 minds on the surface of the island. None of them appear to be Hieronomous or the Sorceress."
Lord Liberty - "However, I detect an access tunnel leading deep into the earth. There is something down there that reflects my sensors."
In the back of the jet, Dragonman comes around.
Dragonman - "This is the place, alright. They got troops and everything. There's some kind of cave under the island loaded with equipment and mystic symbols. Looks like they're getting ready to begin the ceremony."
Glancing at the clock, everyone can see that it is 1 hour to midnight....
GM Notes:
Okay, here is the situation:
The surface of the island has 3 large buildings on it and 1 smaller one. There is also a landing pad with a DEMON Transport parked on it. There is also a large sensor dish, the source of the illusion covering the island.
Nine of the DEMON Agents on the island are in fortified positions. They are in dugout holes in the ground. These 'Demonholes' allow protection in all directions except up. The last two Agents are in the middle of the 3 large buildings.
The access to the beneath the island is in the small building.
SUBJ: Firestar
'Good work, people. Now let's put our information to work.'
'Hmmm... It doesn't appear that we are expected here. Dealing with the guards shouldn't be that difficult. T-Storm, would you be able to cause a fog bank to roll in? Undercover of the fog we could sneak up on the guards and knock them out before they knew we were here.'
'Once they're out of the way, we can them proceed to the small hut and the passage leading to the caves below the island. Everyone stay alert and watch out for traps.'
SUBJ: STRONGBOW (R) FROM: AREION 02/19/90 S#: 829076
Rubbing his chin and nodding, STRONGBOW thinks to himself. ((I Like this DragonMan! By his own words, he had little better than a fifty-percent chance of returning from his mental voyage, yet, for our sakes, he accepted that risk without hesitation. How could a team full of such as these fail?))
Feeling he has kept quiet long enough the warrior brave speaks up.
"A fit tactic, I must admit! Firestar, I believe Tigress and I have skills that would best suit the teams need in the frontal recon position, unless there are others here with huntsman skills and enhanced senses."
Suddenly realizing he's spoken for another without her consent, STRONGBOW turns to address TIGRESS.
"Ahhh...Forgive me fair Tigress. I speak where it is not my place! If you are well enough and willing, I feel that we can ferret out the surface guards, under cover of darkness and T-Storm's mists to at least get us into the compound undetected."
"Lord Liberty's abilities would fit well here also, but his scanners would better serve to warn the main body of impending detection should some hapless agent come close to stumbling upon us."
STRONGBOW stands, arms folded, awaiting a final decision.
SUBJ: Lord Liberty FROM: REM9 02/19/90 S#: 795548
"I agree with your strategy Firestar. It is sound and logical. Strength alone will not win the day here. It is stealth and cunning that are needed. Your reasoning is quite sound also Strongbow. I will remain behind with the main group. This way if you run into any trouble that you have need of our assistance in, I can inform the others immediately and lead them to your position."
Unless Firestar disagrees, Lord Liberty will stay with the main body of the group as he stated, keeping all his senses activated. Although he is watching out for any surprise attacks, he will also keep an eye on Strongbow and Tigress and keep Firestar informed of their progress.
SUBJ: dragon (R) FROM: Wild dan 02/20/90 S#: 410259
fire i can take out that dish if you wantme to if fire ok that i will change into black dragon and fire acid at dish
SUBJ: Ranger FROM: Deslock 02/20/90 S#: 49877
"Although not a 'huntsman' of your or Tigress' caliber, I believe I fit the bill, Strongbow. Might I suggest that, as long as these agents have isolated themselves, we should work as a group, from hole to hole. Although this will take a little longer, it should ensure that each agent is neutralized before any chance of giving a warning of our presence. To save time, we may not need to eliminate all the agents; we could just clear a path to the small building that we might reach our true opponents. Unfortunately, this will leave enemies as our rear, but the time savings might be critical."
I'll await Firestar's decision as to our course. Moving to Nightengale's side, I take her hand while we wait.
"I have a feeling we may be meeting some old acquaintances, Chris."
SUBJ: Firestar
'You all have some good suggestions. So here's what we'll do:'
'T-Storm, you're main responsibility is to keep the fog heavy and concentrated on the area where the guards are.'
'Ranger, Tigress and Strongbow will take out the agents entrenched. While Ranger has a valid point about attacking en masse, I believe that each of you would be able to take out a guard with one surprise attack. Strongbow and Tigress will be able to locate the agents with their superior senses in the fog. Nightengale will be able to lead Ranger to targets.'
'Nightstalker, you're task is to take out the two agents in the building. You should be able to come in from the rear of the building and take them out without too much trouble.'
'Hold off on taking out the antenna until the attack is in full swing. Then take it out.'
'Lord Liberty, Nightengale and myself will proceed to the transport once the way has been cleared of guards. Once there, I'll disable the ship so that they can't get away. Lord Liberty will continue to scan the situation. Any changes he will relay to Nightengale, and she in turn will telepathically contact the appropriate party.'
'Any problems? Any questions? If not, we'll attack once the fog is thick enough.'
SUBJ: T-Storm FROM: Nain 02/21/90 S#: 61719
"F-fog? Right. Fog. You got it, but it will take about five minutes if you don't want it appearing out of nowhere on them and possibly alerting them. Here goes."
If possible I will just use alter environment (fog) with a large as possible radius. It would have the limitation of extra time. If not possible, I will create light patches of darkness (fog) in the demon holes.
(I've misplaced my Champions book, so I can't tell you the exact costs. Sorry.)
After they are taken care of I will switch to 10" teleport and put the rest to 10d6 eb-lightning linked to 1d6 hearing flash (thunder).(This should be 80pts.) This is to use against any other foes we might meet.
SUBJ: Lord Liberty FROM: REM9 02/22/90 S#: 817568
"One more suggestion Firestar. If we come across any type of communication device on any of the agents that the others manage to incapacitate, might I be able to examine it. Perhaps with your expertise to help me, we can determine which frequency they broadcast on so I can monitor all communication that they send."
SUBJ: Tigress FROM: T1GRESS 02/24/90 S#: 21281
I come to slowly as if waking from a restful sleep. Stretching, but careful not to re-open my wounds, I look about. Seeing Strongbow, I leap up and wrap my arms about his neck, planting a big kiss on his mouth.
"Thank you, Strongbow. You saved my life."
Turning to Ranger:
"I am fine, Ranger,....now. Thanks for asking. I feel a little stupid for letting those creeps get the drop on me, though. I'm just itching for a chance to get back at them."
Later, when SB speaks up:
"Not to worry, I want a shot at these mice for sure. You just tell me which ones you want out of the way, 'Star, and I'll be happy to oblige."
Before the plane lands, I'll take a few moments to psyche myself up for the upcoming fight, but it shouldn't take much. I want these guys!!
SUBJ: NIGHTSTALKER - Malik FROM: NightStlkr 02/24/90 S#: 9056
Looking toward the middle building, Malik grins in determination.
"You got it, Boss-lady. Consider those two 'taken-out'."
As the rest of the team leaps into action, NIGHTSTALKER heads for the building. He'll sneak in any entrance he can find (or make his own via Atomic Reconstruction, if need be) and move stealthily about, until he finds his 'prey'. Once he does, he'll activate his Darkness and close in for the 'kill'. If Malik is able to notice if they've got some kind of resistant defenses, he'll use his Energy Claws (w/STR). If not, he'll activate his Energy Stimuli (all +STR, and +10 CON) and take them out via his fists.
Once his 'prey' is out of the way, he'll look around the room for anything of value for the success of this mission, then rendezvous with the rest of the team at the underground entrance.
Spectrum's Comments: Next Time: The exciting conclusion to Target: Hero! Can the Crusaders prevent the Sorceress from being used to summon a Nether Lord to Earth? (And why does that sound so familiar??)