Avenger Assembled

Oh, and Hellbound, you're up.

All right. Everyone gets an HP for this unfortunate setback. Dark Star, you get 2 HP. On a related note, Belphegor may wake up on his initiative in this turn. Arrowhawk, you get 2 HP. Also, make a DC 26 Toughness save. The room is currently in complete magical darkness, providing total concealment except against people who can see in darkness for one reason or another.

Arrowhawk, Dark Star, and Scarab noticed something odd about Avenger. The masked hero was struck full-on by the waves of magical death exploding from the staff of Sixtus, but he shrugged the magical energy off entirely. It wasn't a matter of surviving the awful waves of cold and numbness tugging everyone's soul. It was a matter of them not affecting him at all. Scarab, at least, knew perfectly well why that was. - Scarab recognized the markings on the altar, in particular the name written all around them. Lord Lugat Vorkolaka had been a monstrous fiend in the Balkans through most of the later Renaissance and the birth of the Enlightenment, an incredibly powerful, wicked vampire lord wielding the powers of the shadows themselves. Heru-Ra might not know every vampire in the world; but he sure as heck recognized one who'd been a personal correspondent of Tan-Aktor back in the dark days of the Inquisition. - Hellbound and Divine pinned Sister Sixtus against the wall, the mad-eyed cultist bizarrely flat-eyed and still as the two powerhouses smashed her against the wall so hard that the plaster above her broke. She didn't make a sound, though, instead eying them both as her lips slowly pulled back from her teeth. Across the room, Belphegor shrugged off Avenger's punch only to be smashed into the altar behind him. The singed demon half-shattered the stone, slumping heavily as he slipped into unconsciousness. Inside the broken altar, human blood, the ashes of a dead vampire, and the power of a demon briefly coalesced. This resulted in an interesting thing. The lid of the 'altar', now revealed as a coffin, shattered as a single blackened blade burst through the stone, bizarre arcane symbols visible on the steel as they punched their way through behind a pale hand gripping a haft set with a skull. The altar broke in the next moment, top going one way and bottom the next, sending the unconscious Belphegor to the ground and Arrowhawk falling back to avoid being pinned. At the sight of the melee at the altar, Sister Sixtus gave a triumphant, glorious scream. "The Red King rises. HE RISES!" Her words formed a sussurating chorus in the room as the figure of a man emerged from the altar. His hair was black and curly, his beard cut short in the old style, his black leather clothes creaking and rotten with age. This man was dead; his flesh was dessicated, but his eyes burned with a red intelligence and his decrepit state couldn't hide a handsome, fallen face. Confusion shone on his face as he looked over the others, all of them, the dead and alive alike, before suddenly his gaze fell on the Scarab's. "Heru-Ra! You will pay for the deaths of my followers! Tan-Aktor will surely reward me with the blood of a thousand virgins for your head! But first...I THIRST!" And at that, he opened his mouth inhumanely wide, and the room plunged into absolute darkness. A moment later, there was the sound of metal on flesh...

That is a DC 22 Toughness save for Belphegor, taking his Bruised into account.

Avenger landed in a neat tuck and roll as necromantic energies washed over him, finding no purchase in his body. With the two powerhouses grappling with the insane woman with the staff, Avenger muttered a vile curse as he took in the staggering demon before him. "Hey, you! Round two!"" Avenger was angry and urgently nervous about what they were really facing, so he charged Belphegor full on, slamming his fist directly into the demon's midsection.

Fixed.

Ladies and gentlemen, What has just happened was a Strike 12 (Burst Area, Alt Save: Fortitude). I need a Reflex save for half-effect (or less, depending on your Evasion). A dozen people just died in agony in front of you. Also, I need Notice and Arcane Lore checks from everyone who has them. Belphegor, I believe you're up.

Sixtus screamed as Hellbound ripped the staff right out of her grasp, the skinny, big-eyed woman no match for the gladiator's awesome grip. "It's not that easy, bunky!" No sooner had she spoken than tendrils of black, eerie radiation came boiling out of the staff, burying themselves in her hand and ripping the staff right out of Hellbound's grasp in return. She laughed in insane triumph a moment before staggering beneath the weight of Scarab's psychic onslaught, madness in her eyes as Scarab's psychic energies just barely skated off the mad necromantic energies pouring their way through her brain. "I'm not going back! You can't make me!" She screamed in triumph and slammed the staff to the ground, wave after wave of unspeakable necromantic energies pouring from the staff, washing over the assembled heroes and villians in the roof, pulling at the life energies of every living being there. And killing every cultist in the room. "Nooo!" Sixtus screamed in horror as every cultist in the room collapsed into individual piles of blackened ash and bone inside their untouched robes, throwing her arms up in horror! "Look at what you made me dooo!" Groaning, bleeding from every orifice, Rochambeau fell behind her, reaching up just in time to grab onto the startled figure of the arrowed Count Orloff, driving the arrow in the vampire's shoulder deeper into the vampire's chest. And with a startled, horrified shriek of "Not again!" the Nazi vampire collapsed into a pile of ash again, his ashes mixing with Rochambeau's blood as he fell across the blackened altar, ash and blood dripping down inside the occult obsidian obelisk.

Hellbound does not know that Jack is Avenger at this point in their relationship. Also, his Skill Mastery means that the DC to beat his Intimidate check is 25.

Hellbound can probably take that guy. But they were on the same team, Jack reminded himself, overcoming the cultural condition of the vampire community even when he was out of costume. "Hey man, this is a concert!" He jumped up to his feet, up on top of the table in one smooth motion, yelling at the horned thug and pointing his finger right at him. "We don't like your kind of people around here! Why don't you get out of here before we beat you like a sack of rotten eggs!?"

All right, so our initiative order (helpfully provided by Ecalsneerg) is Hellbound - Init 25 (goes first) - 1 HP Arrowhawk - Init 25- - 2 HP Scarab - Init 22 - 1 HP Wesley - Init 20 - 3 HP Sixtus - Init 18 - 3 VP Belphegor - Init 17 (goes first) - 1 HP Rochambeau - Init 17- 1 VP Moira - Init 15 - 1 HP Avenger - Init 11 - 1 HP Orloff - Init 7 - 1 VP Dark Star - Init 4 - 2 HP I'm just going to house-rule that our telekinetics are kind enough to deposit everyone on the ground. (In badass slo-mo.) So Hellbound, you're up.

Who says we can't have wacky Silver Age antics 'round here? :D

"I do know the singer, honey," Jack said, taking advantage of the pause between songs to flirt with the lovely chocolate-skinned woman he'd picked up at the bar earlier in the evening. "But I think you and I could have a better time together." He picked up her hand, kissing it at the wrist, making Jasmine giggle. "I can give you something just as entertaining...and that'll get you just as sweaty." She smelled great, wearing a lovely perfume of honeysuckle...and O-positive. Later, Jack...later.

"Your call. Did the deed." Avenger rolled his shoulders, still eying that zombie band. "Have some problems with the police. Best if you handle that. Encourage them to burn the bodies" He turned back, looking again at Nightrival. "Never thought I'd fight a god. Good match." He kicked a semi-conscious thug rising behind him, the crack of breaking teeth echoing over the thumping music. "Appreciated."

Avenger's Initiative=11 Sixtus' surprisingly speedy Initiative=18 Rochambeau's Initiative=17 Orloff's Initiative=7

Ladies and gentlemen, would you be so kind as to roll for initiative?

The evening began for Belphegor in fire and blood, a good way for an evening to begin for a demon. He and Sister Sixtus made a handsome couple, especially once they were dressed in the heavy inscribed robes of bride and groom. Belphegor could feel the heavy weight of pure gold beneath the symbolic sash and heavy black cloth, enough weight to hamper even his strength. Sixtus looked less slowed down, though it was hard to tell what she was focused on. She seemed off by herself, gazing up at her staff even as Rocheambeau tried to catch her attention. Finally he did, and Sixtus joined Belphegor before the huge black altar that seemed the center of their ceremonies. The cultists, with a few noticeable gaps in their ranks, formed a double line behind the "bride" and "groom" as Rochambeau began to chant, raising his hands in imitation of the giant hands on his robes. "Oh Shatachna the Iron Queen! Malador the Mystic! We pray to thee most unspeakable bride and groom of pain and undeath to summon forth the dead-that-are-not-dead! We call upon thee through the dark groom and the unspeakable bride! We call upon the River Styx! We call upon Sekhmet the Devourer! Give unto us that which you have drowned! Give unto us that which you have eaten! Give unto us he who has already left your ranks! Give unto us the first sacrifice to sanctify! Give us...Varney Orloff!" As he spoke, his hands turned red, then black, matching the hands on his robe as they began to bleed freely. The mixed blood poured down upon the vessel before him, filling the urn of ashes placed upon the black, maleficiently engraved altar before him. Rochambeau shot a significant look at Sixtus, who a moment later concentrated on her staff even as she squeezed Belphegor's demonic hand. There was a flare of black light and a wash of necromantic energy as the cultists behind them began to chant, and then suddenly the ashes inside the urn rose up as one. The shifting grey ash, the mark of a long-dead vampire, coalesced in rhythm with the chanting, transforming itself in the space of long seconds into the figure of a man. But not a man. With huge, clawed fingers and bulbous black eyes, with pointed fangs and pale skin, there was no mistaking the man in the theatrical red cape and three-point suit as anything other than a vampire. "I live again!" Varney Orloff hissed malevolently. A moment later, the roof exploded inward, scattering the screaming cultists. Overhead were the figure of seven heroes in the grip of one's telekinetic abilities, gazing down at the bride, the groom, the priest, and the unexpected guest at this most diabolical of weddings. Justice had arrived.

We'll make Geckoman a Squire. More seriously, that works fine. No reason why people who aren't Knights can't show up too. :D

"Magical abilities. Dangerous. Necromancy. Take staff from her, if you can." Avenger gave Arrowhawk that flat, expectant look. "They vouch. You come with. Dark Star." He turned and gazed immovably on the space hero. "Suggest you fly us. Am familiar with building. Take to the roof. Must prevent their ritual from succeeding." He opened the window that Arrowhawk had come from again, body tense as a vibrating string.

And there's not a thing wrong with making this a Knights of Freedom adventure. After all, we are a team, so it's natural we'd be fighting an angel robot together.

I'm in!

Jack hesitated a fraction of a second before taking her arm. "Yes," he said cordially, "let's. You'll find I can be good company." He was flirting, he realized after a moment, an automatic reflex with an even vaguely-attractive woman in an uncomfortable situation. "And you can introduce me to your charming friend," he added, "the one with the wonderful toys."

"Suggest we research these." Avenger displayed the scraps of paper to Scarab, the little pieces fitting oddly in his big, bloodied hands. "Appear to be necessary components of demon-summoning. Each tied to a particular demon." The words didn't exactly fit the broken-sentenced speech pattern of Avenger, but then Jack had already risked enough to show the other hero the man behind the mask. "May be too much for the boy."

Avenger is a dangerous man. The scary, brutal vigilante in the hockey mask has put a considerable number of criminals in the hospital, though none in the morgue. He's on the edge of acceptable behavior for heroes in Freedom City, though surprisingly has managed to work with a considerable number of street-level heroes of various sorts.

Hi all. This is the draft bio for an NPC-possible Gold PC I'm tossing around for a character that fills the niche of the Silver Age Spiderman in Freedom City. Lemme know what you think: Simon Benjamin Salter (born May 10, 1946) was the son of Martin and Rita Salter, who worked as atomic scientists at Freedom City University. Despite his parents' intelligence, Simon preferred more physical pursuits like gymnastics, boxing, and the track team. A bit of a slacker and hot-rodder as a teenager, he often goofed off and rarely studied, much to the ire of Martin and Rita. Still, they were loving and supportive parents, and encouraged him to find his own path in life. In 1960, Simon joined his parents at a nuclear rocket test launch, where an accident exposed the boy to tremendous cosmic energies from an unknown source. (Actually, the rocket was an attempt to reverse-engineer captured Grue technology.) The mysterious radiation transformed the scrawny 15-year-old into a slightly-less-scrawny 15 year old able to leap thirty feet in the air and lift a car over his head! His parents were exposed to the radiation as well, with no apparent effects. At least at the time. This was just before the birth of the Freedom League. Superheroes as such weren't in again yet. Simon initially set out to find fame and fortune, winning a match while wearing a makeshift disguise against professional wrestler Smasher Johnson. He attempted to interest a television network in the idea of featuring him as a costumed hero (with the advantage that he could actually do the things his character can), and created the Captain Freedom name and costume. After quickly becoming a minor celebrity, Simon appeared on a television special, only to have his first appearance interrupted by Hades' 1961 invasion of Freedom City! A frightened boy confronted by a god's army, Simon fled the station as it burned and hid in the Waterfront, belatedly going to his parents' rescue when he realized that a monster was loose in the South Side! He saved his mother from the rampaging cyclops, but it was too late for Dr. Martin Salter. Grief-stricken over his father's death, Simon joined the fight to drive the last of the monsters out of the city. Seeing the Centurion in action was as much of a change as his father's death, and the young man vowed to do all he could to make both his heroes proud. This mix of selfless obligation and self-recrimination brought about by his father's death made up Captain Freedom's moral core. Simon Salter attended Joseph Clark High School. He unmasked to the Freedom League after the events of Hades' invasion. Deeply concerned at the idea of a 15-year-old boy fighting crime, the League told him to stay in school...but didn't tell him to stop fighting crime. After all, it was a different, more innocent age. Simon occasionally teamed up with the Centurion, who was very protective of the boy hero, and his role as an occasional pupil of the Raven helped persuade the dour Duncan Summers that there was something to the idea of teenage superheroes. A young man inclined to let his mouth run off with him, Captain Freedom always had an uneasy relationship with the press, fueled partially by his cowardice at his debut. After his father's death, Simon got a part-time job as a stringer for the now-defunct Daily Star selling line items to N. Noah Nathan, confronting the Blood Eagle for the first time this way. Blood Eagle would ultimately prove to be Captain Freedom's most persistent foe. A high-tech scientist turned mercenary adventurer with a flair for the dramatic, Blood Eagle plied his trade at everything from industrial espionage to pure old-fashioned murder. His command of the air meant that he could usually get away from Captain Freedom, but Freedom's speed, athletic ability, and resilient hide meant that he could usually drive off his enemy before he did whatever wicked scheme was on his mind. While working at the Daily Star, Simon dated co-worker Sally Smith and clashed with his high school rival Speed Winchester (whose girlfriend Vicky also later developed a crush on the handsome Simon, which further served to infuriate Speed). Winchester was brain to Simon's brawn, the hard-working, studious boy popular with his teachers (including Simon's parents!) in the age of science education. He encountered many of his most famous enemies for the first time during this period, including such foes as Luna Moth, Lenore, Fear-Master, Doc Holiday, Madame Zero, and Nero. Upon graduating from high school, Simon enrolled at Freedom City University as a journalism student, where he met Jimmy Richards and Glory Ferguson. His mother introduced him to Rita June Holmes, whom he dated for a short time, but Simon soon fell in love with Glory. Meanwhile, Jimmy became Simon's roommate and best friend, but started using illegal drugs. Simon's relationship with Speed also changed, and they slowly become close friends over time. His mother died while he was in college, passing away from cancer caused by her years of exposure to radioactive chemicals. For all of Captain Freedom's solo adventures, he amassed a great deal of allies as well including the likes of the Freedom League (of which he was a part of a replacement team for when the original team went missing), the Raven, and Lady Liberty I. He fought Omega in 1965 (his disappearance to fight in the invasion ultimately delaying his high school graduation by three months) and the Grue in 1969, a happy, laughing rogue with the courage of a dozen men. He got stronger and faster as he aged and went through puberty, and by the end of the decade was leaping tall buildings and running faster than a speeding bullet. He never quite got around to joining the Freedom League, though he was among its most important reservists. He graduated from college in 1967 with a degree in journalism, and went to work full-time for the Star, immensely proud that his mother had lived just long enough to know that her son was graduating from college with a bright future ahead of him. In 1970, Jimmy Richards' father, Anthony Richards, was revealed to be the Blood Eagle and discovered Captain Freedom's secret identity. Not long afterwards, Captain Freedom first fought August Roman during a successful rescue of the Centurion from one of Roman's more fiendish plots. After Glory's father Fire Marshal Harold Ferguson was killed in a battle between Captain Freedom and Nero, Glory's relationship with Simon was put on hold when she traveled to England. Shortly after her return in 1973, the Blood Eagle apparently threw Glory Ferguson from the new Pyramid Plaza; either from shock or physical trauma during Captain Freedom's rescue attempt, the falling woman died before hitting the ground. The Eagle was killed in the ensuing battle with Captain Freedom. Grieving Glory's death, Salter withdrew from his social circles, both normal and superheroic. Weeks later, Salter discovered that one of Glory's professors, Rhodes Burroughs, had cloned Glory and Simon from tissue samples that he'd taken in class some months back. It was the clone who died, and the real Glory that Simon rescued from her suspended animation just before his own disappearance. Unknown to Captain Freedom, by now Jimmy had discovered his father's identity and become the second Blood Eagle. He attacked Captain Freedom just as Simon was reviving his clone, and a terrific battle ensued as a horrified Glory Ferguson looked on. Together the two men plunged into the depths of Burrough's underground fortress, the subsequent explosion destroying the building and nearly crippling Glory Ferguson as she ran for her life. She identified the bodies of Jimmy Richards and Simon Salter a few days later, later going on to her own heroic destiny. The League helped cover up Simon's secret identity, as was his standing request, and the young man was buried alongside his father and late mother in the South Side. Captain Freedom, circa June 1973