Avenger Assembled

Aight, Divine, Scarab, Dark Star, Slamdance, Hellbound, and Wesley, you have an invitation! The rest of you, I'm afraid I had to cut our numbers down to size! There will be other teams, though!

Let us draw a gentlemanly veil over the events of the subsequent night and day at the house occupied by the Blood Brotherhood. Suffice it to say that the cultists are accommodating to the vast majority of Belphegor's demands, and are happy to violate all seven deadly sins with him in a variety of combinations. They speak often of the imminent rise of the Red King, and the coming sacrifice that will render them all into living gods. Outside of the house, though, a great deal happened in Freedom City. Over the course of that day and night, telephones rang and phone messages were left, a famliar, gravely voice in everyone's ear. "Need you to fight a demon and friends. Empty house at corner of Warren and Kramer, sundown, Avenger said, naming one of the finer neighborhoods in Freedom City, perched just at the edge of North Bay. "Others will explain." With that, he continued to earn his reputation for frustrating taciturnity by simply hanging up. Heroes without phones had the same message placed where they could see it, sometimes tucked away in corners, often in places where it seemed almost certain no person could have gotten. The important thing was, several heroes had the same message, to come at sundown to the house at the corner of Warren and Kramer. Dark Star and Scarab got easier messages, letting them know to meet there to discuss their plans for the fight against the cult at the earliest opportunity. Meanwhile, at nearly the same time, Scarab was finally able to partially break through the psychic haze around North Bay and narrow down the location of the cult's safehouse to a single block of tony homes near the edge of the water. It won't be that hard to find the house inside...hopefully.

Shaen, you are assuming a degree of not-cheating on Avenger's part that I think is unwise. And if you are interested, quote, it actually works better if you start with Reaver going about his typical villainous night.

Trust me, I would have mentioned it if there was any new information you needed. He's not going to be interrupted.

I'd volunteer Avenger for a fight with Reaver, but I don't think it would go the way Reaver would prefer. Though being taken down by a blatantly cheating hero might do interesting things for Reaver's mindset. ;)

Hope Shaen gets through the days of doom OK! :o

Oh, they will definitely not be catching Bel with his pants down. If you get in an IC post, I will move the thread along tonight or tomorrow.

Nope, I'll post it up tonight or tomorrow night.

When the deed was done, Avenger snuck all the way to the murder house. His undead strength meant that Vulture's weight was nothing; his uncanny mastery of stealth meant the eyes he passed on the way failed to notice him. He was a vampire full of blood, a helpless human in his arms. The night was his.He headed in the back door, keeping eyes and ears open for Scarab and Slamdance as he went.

I will start this thread over the weekend!

Stats: 42pp Str 24 (+7) Dex 24 (+7) Con - (-) Int 10 (+0) Wis 20 (+5) Cha 24 (+7) Combat: 46pp Attack +4 (+17 melee) Grapple +24 Defense +20 (+9 flat-footed) Knockback -5 Initiative +7 Saves: 12pp Toughness +8 (Impervious 2) Fortitude - Reflex +12 [+7 Dex, +5] Will +12 [+5 Wis, +7] Skills: 114r=29pp Bluff 12 (+19/+23, Skill Mastery) Diplomacy 8 (+15/+19, Skill Mastery) Gather Information 8 (+15) Intimidate 15 (+22, Skill Mastery) Knowledge (arcane lore) 12 (+12, Skill Mastery) Knowledge (streetwise) 12 (+12, Skill Mastery) Language (Old Slavonic, Atlantean, Latin [English base]) Notice 8 (+13) Search 10 (+10) Sense Motive 10 (+15, Skill Mastery) Stealth 19 (+26, Skill Mastery, Ultimate Skill) Feats: 46pp Attack Focus (Melee) 13 Attractive Challenges 5 (Accelerated Stealth, Discrete Inquiry, Forceful Intimidation, Mass Intimidation, Read Situation) Connected Contacts Dodge Focus 1 Evasion 2 Fascinate 2 (Diplomacy, Intimidate) Fearless Fearsome Presence 10 Hide in Plain Sight Improved Grab Improved Pin Luck 3 Power Attack Skill Mastery 2 (Arcane Lore, Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Sense Motive, Stealth, Streetwise) Sneak Attack Takedown Attack Ultimate Save (Will) Ultimate Skill (Stealth) Well-Informed Powers: 65pp Animal Control 4 (Extra: 20-ft. Burst Area; Flaws: Limited -- bats, rats, wolves, Limited -- nighttime) [3 pp] Drain Constitution 1 (blood drain) [1 pp] Immunity 30 (Fortitude effects) [30 pp] Insubstantial 2 (gaseous; Extra: Linked: Flight 1 [10 mph]; Flaws: Limited -- nighttime) [7 pp] Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious 2) [10 pp] Regeneration 18 (+10 recovery bonus, Resurrection 1/five hours [not when staked or beheaded]; Flaws: Source: Blood) [9 pp] Super-Senses 2 (Darkvision) [2 pp] Strike 2 (claws and teeth; PF: Mighty) [3 pp] Drawbacks: 6pp * Weakness (dependent on blood, must drink 1 Con point worth of blood per night or suffer a cumulative -1 drain on all ability scores and will 'starve' to death after 10 nights; Very Common, Major; -3 points) * Weakness (Holy Symbols, dazed for one round by losing an opposed Charisma check; Common, Moderate; -3pp) Ladies and gentlemen, the King of the Vampires! PL 14 Avenger is slightly fragile for his PL, but with a possible DC 46 Stealth check, who cares? Capable of routinely sneaking up on the PL 14 Scarab and striking fear into the hearts of all but the strongest of souls, Avenger at this level is probably one of the most powerful vampires on Earth. The static nature of the undead means that his build has shifted in some interesting ways, turning him from a straight-up brawler into an invisible buzzsaw capable of chewing his way through a whole adventuring party.

Yeah, while Jack does have some status, he's not exactly Melinda's favorite person/toy. :D

One reason why there are so few day-walkers is that Embracing them is a fairly difficult proposition. While other vampire strains spread by a single fluid exchange or infection from a bite, a day-walker Embrace requires fluid exchange over multiple nights and a true desire for the unholy might being offered the Embracee. This helps keep day-walkers from the attention of vampire hunters, who often ignore them in favor of their more infectious cousins. Another reason is societal prejudice inside the community of vampires; many night-stalkers are unable to forgive their cousins for walking in the day when they cannot, and their reprisals and repressions are intense. Some city elders, though, are more clever, preferring to rule with velvet inside the iron fist and bringing their powerful relatives on board with their agenda through the carrot of favors and the stick of pain. Melinda is one of these.

Answered this in the news forum.

I am a loyal vampire. This makes my attempts to live a basically good life complicated, to say the least. A few things help with my efforts to balance the two sides of my life, among the most important being that Melinda trusts me as a good and loyal servant. I've earned that trust; I have fought valiantly against other vampires and monsters to keep Melinda on her throne. She's a monster, yes, but there are far worse things out there than vampires who don't care about human life. I've seen summoned demons from the depths of hell itself rip through a pack of vampires like a man through cardboard; I've seen undead necromancers carrying out unspeakable rites using the blood and bone of the damned. How do I write about such horrors so casually? Maybe my own humanity is less potent than I think. If I was a normal human man, I certainly wouldn't have survived the times Melinda's taken me to her bed. Those things I can't even put on the page. Suffice it to say, she uses them as bonding tools and tests of loyalty, not to mention to give herself a very good time. And she has had a good time with me, which might explain why she lets me get away with more than other vampires. It helps there that Claudia and Melinda go way back; they were vampires together in the darkest days of the 1930s, when the popularity of Dracula inspired many a young van Helsing to come hunting for our kind. I'm Claudia's get, so even though she's abandoned me I have some prestige. I'm Melinda's loyal servant and foot-soldier, one of the best fighters my age in the city, so I have more prestige yet. I've helped save Melinda and the city, two things that she and her people are willing to be grateful for. Enough that I have freedom, enough to do what I do. How far is all that prestige going to get me? Far enough, I hope.

In theory, all the vampires of the city are loyal to Melinda. She's the top dog, ruling over her vassals like a noble lord. But vampires are not creatures of loyalty, particularly the more wicked sorts. The Grenvile pack are unruly childer, in more ways than one; Con would like to rule the city but he's no fool. He doesn't have Melinda's skill at either direct combat or social networking. The Theatre District vamps as a group are basically loyal to Melinda, though like most vampires they'll change that loyalty if she's ever replaced. Jane is indeed a vampire, one of Lenore's surviving childer. She last walked beneath the sun only two days before the Kennedy assassination. She is quite loyal to Melinda, who took her in when Lenore was destroyed in the 1970s. She goes to a lot of raves, and used to run the club Eclipse. She and the Theatre District vamps were the group Foreshadow battled recently, and only good luck and rapid movement has kept her from being discovered by him again. There are many varieties of vampire of various sorts, the ancient roots of the bloodline having mutated in a thousand different ways. The only real commonalities between them are an aversion to holy items in one way or another, a weakness in sunlight of various strengths, and a never-ending craving for the blood of human beings. Some vampires are actually quite demonic, a legacy of an early attempted Embrace of a demon that had remarkably unfortunate side-effects. They don't do well in vampire society as a whole, but are active in areas without vampire culture. These vampires have no souls. On the last night of the Terminus Invasion, Melinda Ainsley and Nightrage battled in her burning mansion, fire and ash all around them as the flames set by Nightrage and his surviving FORCE OPS allies consumed vampires, cultists, and demons alike. When the roof collapsed, Melinda screamed in triumph as her hated childe burned to death before her eyes. She had done it; she had won! She waited for Final Death to claim her...but the fire burned out before it reached her. She dug her way out over a period of several nights, returning to the surface to find a still-devastated city all around her. She lived on the streets for a while, a cunning, feral predator taking shelter in broken buildings by day. Nearly all her people were dead. Her childe was dead. Most of the city's vampires were dead. And what had it gained her? What had it gained anyone? The Melinda who rebuilt her blood cult with sweat and nerve and drive, the Melinda who negotiated with monsters far worse than her own petty sins to protect her own power-base, was a new woman. She would build a better world for herself and her childer. A city where vampires could feed freely beneath the noses of gods and heroes. She would be clever, she would be crafty, and above all she would enjoy the world she had. After all, in the shadow of the Terminus, she knew just how bad things could be.

Thoughts on vampire culture There are around a hundred 'independent' vampires in Freedom City, freely-roaming predators of the night who feast on the blood of the living. Another thirty or so are part of Melinda's personal household, traveling with her as she moves from nest to nest and acting as her personal bodyguards, lackeys, and slaves. Roughly eight out of ten are "nightstalkers," the most common bloodline among vampires. They have the typical strengths and weaknesses of vampires in the Freedom City universe. A small minority are daywalkers like Jack, whose ability to walk in the day make them very valuable to vampire society. They had status, quite a bit of status, but they have to earn their status by doing exactly what the queen tells them. They are not allowed to run cities. Some vampires have souls; some vampires don't. There is no known cause for vampirism, though almost all vampires seem to have some basic connection to der Schattenwelt. Vampires were actually created by Malador back in the days of ancient Atlantis, but their cultural memory usually doesn't go back that far. The project was Malador's last service to the Atlantean crown. Already an evil wizard but then still a patriot, Malador gave Atlantis an army of tough, terrifying soldiers who needed no food but the blood of their enemies. The majority of vampires aren't innately evil upon their transformation, but vampire society generally rewards inhumanity and encourages its members to think of themselves as better than people. Vampirism is both a disease and an unholy spiritual corruption; it's special that way. Life in the city of heroes isn't easy for vampires. Melinda has survived, even prospered, because unlike many centuries-old vampires she only really goes mad when one of her "people" betrays her in one way or another. She'll happily make deals with supervillans if the situation calls for it and if she can do it without crimping her lifestyle, but she'll sell them out to superheroes (through channels) just as easily. She has plenty of money and plenty of power, the only things she wants out of unlife are blood and some fun. Melinda rose to power in the city after the Terminus Invasion, which claimed the unlife of the city's previous master Chong Wei. She is fairly powerful for your average vampire, but her main strength is her social networking and her friends. She has minions besides vampires, monstrous pets and toys accumulated as gifts and strategies,. There are more "vampire junkies" out there than people realize, cultists and Goths who hide their tattoos and scars under long-sleeved shirts when they walk in the day. Some of them are police officers. One of them works for the Freedom League. Though some relatively powerful vampires, like Jack, live with their households or singly, many of them live in packs. The largest of these, consisting of about twenty 'souls', currently resides in in a large 'McMansion' in Grenville, the relative anonymity of the suburb providing them with perfect cover as they head back and forth into the city every night. Missing pets, and the occasional person, are a common problem in Grenville. Their leader's name is Con Lane, a perpetual sixteen year-old born before the Civil War. The largest nest inside Freedom City proper is the Theatre District, eleven vampires under the rule of a set designer for Cats named Jane. The main rule for vampire culture in Freedom City is caution; they know what will likely happen if the superheroes in the city turn on them. If they can get away with it, vampires can do anything that doesn't specifically contradict Melinda's orders. If the police or superheroes begin hunting them, Melinda will most likely give them up at the first order. She'll protect her people, but not from anything stupid they've done.

Ooooh! A small, unworthy part of Jack wanted to let nature take its course. But that was a bad idea for a vast number of reasons. If Scarab was bitten and Elena turned on him. If Melinda found out who was the telepath who'd been scanning her. If Melinda found out what he'd been doing! On the other hand, keeping Melinda from her toy would be equally dangerous. He leaned close to Melinda, kissing her cheek decorously, and whispered in the vampire's tongue, "She's no good. Tastes terrible. I think it's her diet." "Oh, really?" Melinda murmured back, her red-painted nails trailing along Elena's arms as she stepped close to the other woman, their eyes still locked together. "So why does she care about you so much?" "Because I did things to her," Jack whispered back, his voice honeyed and sweet as he whispered to the dark queen. "You know the ones I mean." "Oh yes..." Melinda smiled wickedly at the memory, speaking in English now. "I do seem to remember that. Well, I suppose I can hardly blame her then for succumbing to your charms." She cast an eye on the crowd to make sure no one was watching, then leaned close and kissed Elena on the lips. "Too bad. I was in the mood for Mexican." She took Jack by the arm, then, and led him away, Jack shooting a glance back at Elena. Melinda told him with dangerous sweetness, "Now, if you want an opportunity to do those things again, you will help me find you-know-who..."

Elena heard the rustle of silk and skin behind her before she heard Melinda's voice, a noise that kept her from being surprised as Melinda drifted up behind her. "Why, hello there," she said with a dangerous smile on her red-lipped face. "Jack, I don't think I know your friend." She turned that smile on Elena, her eyes shining with promises of unspeakable pleasures and wicked delights. "This is Elena," said Jack evenly, trying to keep his emotions off his face and away from both women. Especially Elena. But especially Melinda. "She was just leaving."

Melinda's Stealth check

Throwing this one open for ideas: Thoughts on vampire culture There are around a hundred 'independent' vampires in Freedom City, freely-roaming predators of the night who feast on the blood of the living. Another thirty or so are part of Melinda's personal household, traveling with her as she moves from nest to nest and acting as her personal bodyguards, lackeys, and slaves. Roughly eight out of ten are "nightstalkers," the most common bloodline among vampires. They have the typical strengths and weaknesses of vampires in the Freedom City universe. A small minority are daywalkers like Jack, whose ability to walk in the day make them very valuable to vampire society. They had status, quite a bit of status, but they have to earn their status by doing exactly what the queen tells them. They are not allowed to run cities. Some vampires have souls; some vampires don't. There is no one cause for vampirism, though almost all vampires seem to have some basic connection to der Schattenwelt. The majority of vampires aren't innately evil upon their transformation, but vampire society generally rewards inhumanity and encourages its members to think of themselves as better than people. Life in the city of heroes isn't easy for vampires. Melinda has survived, even prospered, because unlike many centuries-old vampires she only really goes mad when one of her "people" betrays her in one way or another. She'll happily make deals with supervillans if the situation calls for it and if she can do it without crimping her lifestyle, but she'll sell them out to superheroes (through channels) just as easily. She has plenty of money and plenty of power, the only things she wants out of unlife are blood and some fun. Melinda rose to power in the city after the Terminus Invasion, which claimed the unlife of the city's previous master Kong Wei. She is fairly powerful for your average vampire, but her main strength is her social networking and her friends. She has minions besides vampires, pets accumulated as gifts and strategies. There are more "vampire junkies" out there than people realize, cultists and Goths who hide their tattoos and scars under long-sleeved shirts when they walk in the day. Though some relatively powerful vampires, like Jack, live with their households or singly, many of them live in packs. The largest of these, consisting of about twenty 'souls', currently resides in in a large 'McMansion' in Grenville, the relative anonymity of the suburb providing them with perfect cover as they head back and forth into the city every night. Missing pets, and the occasional person, are a common problem in Grenville. The largest nest inside Freedom City proper is the Theatre District, eleven vampires under the rule of a set designer for Cats. The main rule for vampire culture in Freedom City is caution; they know what will likely happen if the superheroes in the city turn on them. If they can get away with it, vampires can do anything that doesn't specifically contradict Melinda's orders. If the police or superheroes begin hunting them, Melinda will most likely give them up at the first order. She'll protect her people, but not from anything stupid they've done. Any more thoughts?

Well, my big question is: does Bouncing as written (with Impact Resistant) count against PL caps?

To paraphrase: "The team consists of superheroes who allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero community, namely the [Freedom] League." A tough, gritty, street-level team able to do what's necessary (within a few small limits) to clean up the streets and make Freedom City a better place to live. Think DC's Outsiders or Justice League Elite.

"My life is mine. I know how to live it." Jack folded his arms, unable to stop the surge of grief and images of death and loss that came to mind at the thought of his dead parents. That was one wound he'd kept very, very far away from his vampire friends. I know what Melinda is. Just make sure you don't forget what I am.

Jack's mental response was a mental shout as his eyes narrowed, real anger flashing across his face. DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER THAT WAY! Out loud, he said, "Nothing to say, huh? Well, then I'll do the talking. I don't need your judgment and I don't need your mind games. This is not what our relationship is about. Stay out of my business, and I'll stay out of yours."