X-Champions Issues

Issue #1 - Devil's Night

Early in the afternoon, Dr. Sihn's government agent, Dick Terwilliger, reminds him that with the evening being Devil's Night, he'd appreciate his help in combating fires and related crime.  He mentions a specific area he is concerned about, and also reminds him that he'd like Dr. Sihn to take this opportunity to establish relationships with Detroit's other crime-fighting mutants.  

Meanwhile, in the "modest" Tiger Stadium-area offices of the Laughton and Davis detective agency, the duo are interrupted from routine work by a savage banging on the window of the door, threatening to break it.  Marty Davis answers the door, encountering an unpleasantly odiferous, rumpled, unkempt raving borderline-maniac by the name of Jonas Hell.  Hamlet Laughton moves to the doorway of their shared office, keeping his eye on things.  As Hell rambles on about conspiracies involving the government, the (long-defunct) Purple Hat gang, and the Blue Moon Detective Agency (apparently his former employer), he manages to pique their interest despite himself.  He becomes slightly more lucid, owing to some cheap liquor Laughton keeps on his person, and mentions that "Sol" told him about some of this but quickly changes the subject (not unusual as he seems to change the subject several times - or, perhaps more accurately, he seems unsure of what the subject of his conversation really is).  He apparently knows that Laughton is Rodin and hence his visit, somehow hoping that due to his status as a detective with special powers he might be able to help.  He also indicates that it's all going down that evening and that the Blue Moon would be on fire.  It's uncertain if he means figuratively or literally.  

The detectives decide to check things out, going to the heart of downtown near the Blue Moon and to a nearby crowded spot as Laughton had arranged to meet his "friend", Tony, a hit-man for the mob.   They note that the Blue Moon looked strangely inactive, with no receptionist.  Tony and Hamlet meet, Tony indicating that there is a buzz that some heavy hitters are coming to town presumably to do some sort of damage to the mob, but nobody, at least at Tony's level, is really sure why exactly or what their target will be or even who they really are.  He seems puzzled by any word regarding the government, which he seems to feel is well in hand, or the Purple Hat gang which has been non-existent for some 60 years.  Meanwhile, The Captain does a little rooftop investigating.  Hamlet and he catch up in a nearby alleyway, then Marty goes into the Blue Moon offices to discover a single agent in the office who seems nervous and distracted.  Hamlet afterwards sneaks in and notices business cards on the receptionist's desk, including Hell's, and also notices someone using the phone via the receptionist's console.  He listens in to someone ineffectually explaining to the Blue Moon head, Maddy Hayes, why they are having problems and begging for assistance (and not termination).  Maddy seems to indicate that she is going to abandon the agency entirely in Detroit.  Shortly thereafter Hamlet gains the agent's attention and acts as if he were an irate customer or victim, confusing the unfortunate agent, whom he learns is named Jimmy Caruthers.  He also ascertains that Hell had been working there until just that day and in fact Caruthers is the only person left in the office due to other clearly recent departures (three other agents' business cards still appeared on the reception desk, which Caruthers discards as he is challenged - and then tries to present to Hamlet, holding the trash can out).  Hamlet leads Caruthers to believe that Hell somehow has been working with him and that he needs to hear from Hell immediately - and doesn't need to leave any info on who he is or how to reach him.

Shortly thereafter, Caruthers leaves and Hamlet shadows him to the parking lot, taking note of his license plate.  Meanwhile, Marty walks in the Blue Moon (the distraught Caruthers having absent-mindedly left it unlocked) and finds Hell's former office, looking through it and grabbing papers of interest, including some phone logs (with various "cease and desist"/notices of legal action letters from government agencies).  While Marty occupies himself, Hamlet also goes in, examining Caruthers' office.  He finds Hell's home information (address, phone number, etc.) on Caruthers' computer as well as a big file on Hell on Caruthers' desk, including it in legal actions threatened by one Sol Bernstein, along with a dossier on Hell's unorthodox conspiracy theories and renegade investigation.  Apparently Hell indicted the Catholic Church, the Trilateral Commission, various US government agencies, and many others with being involved in some sort of conspiracy that also involved Sol Bernstein.  Hamlet also notes the names of six case files on Caruthers' desk.  Leaving with a printout of the contact information and the Hell file, he and Marty are momentarily startled in the hallway as they encounter each other.  Hamlet goes on to double-check Hell's office, noticing that on the typewriter (no computer in that room) there is still a ribbon that could reveal what he had been typing recently.  Hamlet grabbed it and took a few moments to point out to Marty to remember to always check the trashcan and, of course, something as useful as the ribbon.  Marty diligently notes that.

Meanwhile, at the city zoo, now located on Belle Isle, Aela Oceanchild is interrupted in her routine duties by a homeless person bearing an unusual large egg he indicated he found out in the nearby woods.  She examines it, not finding it to be any known sort of egg.  A sonogram reveals it to be some sort of reptile-like bird.  She sends e-mails and voice mails to several local academicians and such to get their opinion.  In the meantime, she decides to incubate it.  

Meanwhile, as Laughton and Davis review the evidence, it turns out that Sol Bernstein was the target of wiretapping and the phone log.  It also becomes quite clear that much of Hell's writing is in some dense code consisting in part of symbols, indecipherable at least without considerable laborious study.  They also learn that Sol had made several calls to other Bernsteins and, in recent days, to a phone booth up near the train station.  The duo then return to the area of the Blue Moon to wait and see.  They witness Caruthers leaving the office for the day, and Hamlet takes the opportunity to torment him, calling his cell phone (displayed on his business card) as the threatening irate figure.  Jonas Hell leaves a message at the Laughton and Davis offices and Hamlet gets the page.   Turns out Caruthers had gone to Hell's house and Hell realized it was Hamlet who had threatened Caruthers.  A phone conversation between Hell and Hamlet ensues; Hell seems dismissive of the nature of the calls to the phone booth near the train station and still insistent on the Blue Moon burning.  The Captain flies off to check on the phone booth and area.

As the day turns to night, the Mermaid and the Troll, wife and husband, venture out north of Wayne University.  They quickly encounter trouble with a gang of teenagers, who foolishly taunt them.  Even after the Mermaid slows one of their hearts and the Troll body-slams (from some distance) one of the kids into the others, three of the gang remain to fight, firing at the Troll.  After the Mermaid engulfs them in a mist, the Troll leaps into the midst of them and begins pummeling them.  After a brief and futile resistance, they surrender, apologize, and run off, just as the supers notice more serious trouble brewing - a burning building.

As they run to the fiery structure, The Captain passes overhead, also spotting the trouble and the two running towards it.  He declared he is there to save the day after he hears the Mermaid exclaim "There's people in there!" and flies in through a burning window as the Mermaid paves a path with water for her and the Troll to enter.  They encounter a brightly red-skinned young person with a craggy poxed face, in a suit, standing in the midst of the building as it heats up and begins to flame on the inside, who seems unconcerned about the fire and wonders what the heroes are doing there.  He wants them to leave; apparently some sort of party is going on downstairs, the music loud enough to be heard over the flames now.  The Captain heroically grabs the young man and "rescues" him, flying him out of the burning wreck.  The red-faced figure bursts into flames suddenly, threatening to damage The Captain, who, thinking quickly bursts open a fire hydrant and douses them both with water.  The figure seems to now be in pain and burning but out of fire, but The Captain is sure it's due to the fire's effects and puts him down to recover out of harm's way.  The Captain then begins directing the output of the hydrant into the building.

Meanwhile, the Mermaid and Troll descend the staircase in the midst of the burning building, the Mermaid providing a cover of mist around them.  She notices, guiding the Troll who cannot see through this mist, that the inhabitants of the basement seem to all be brightly red-skinned and similarly pox-scarred.  Some of the party-goers also seem slightly interested but not unduly concerned about this mysterious mist descending the staircase.  A few are sitting around small, loose fires themselves.  The Mermaid drops the mist and the Troll demands of a young party-goer to see the manager.  The nervous teenager rushes off to get him.  Shortly a mature gentleman walks up, with a few others now standing around interested.  The Troll quizzes him on what is going on and why the fire.  At first the "manager", who bills himself as the "elder" actually of the "family", tries to be obscure and convince the Troll to just move on.  He finally takes the Troll a bit aside, just out of earshot, and admits that the surrounding sidewalk/street has been treated so that it will not burn and the fire will not spread, and that this "family" simply enjoys the flame.  It becomes clear they are some sort of demon clan (or at least mutants who believe themselves to be that).  The Troll decides to leave them to their bizarre customs and walks out with the Mermaid to verify his story before going on.

The Captain is doing a great job, though, battling the flames.  Swelling with pride, he tells the increasing number of younger people gathering from inside the building not to worry.  OF course, they're worried, but only about the probability he will indeed quell their fun.  They jeer him, and one reaches into a nearby flame and pulls out a ball of flame (just like a snowball out of snow) and throws it at The Captain.  The Captain becomes puzzled and flies down to greet the people.  The Troll attempts some sort of explanation to The Captain, but to no avail.  The Captain then realizes that the young people enjoying the flame are "arsonists" and, borrowing the Troll's cell phone calls the police, both to take them as well as to assist in putting out the building.  He also calls Hamlet to indicate what is going on.  The elder walks out shortly and tries to stop The Captain, who has resumed fire-fighting.  The Captain briefly flies back down to talk with him but remains unconvinced.  The elder decides not to explain exactly that he's a demon.  

Just about then Hamlet drives up, at first seeing a conflagration a few blocks north as well as hearing screams from it.  Then, to the left, he sees The Captain and the other burning building.  He motions to The Captain who waves and, upon realizing he's being summoned, reluctantly leaves the situation to the police who are sure to arrive soon.  The Mermaid and Troll see the motioning Hamlet and, thinking him an over-active passerby, walk towards the car and indicate all is well.  They then realize also what is going on and join The Captain and Hamlet as they head towards the other burning.

By the time they come upon the scene the screaming has stopped.  They see a savage-looking hulk with a bloody knife (Slayer) standing over what is one of several suit-clothed bodies, many with guns in their hands or nearby, strewn about the street.  They also see a pretty girl in a tight t-shirt (Bud Girl) standing near a nearby non-burning building, a strange pumpkin-headed figure (with the head in flames) (Bogeyman) near the burning building, an apparently desolid figure (Octal Fist) in the middle of the street, and a human-headed pterodactyl (Pterodactyl) close to the pumpkin-headed creature.  The Mermaid hollers out, "There's a person inside the window over there!" pointing to the window near Bud Girl.  She also notes that the Pterodactyl is female (realizing it could be the mother of the egg) and that the Bogeyman has no blood/overt liquid in his body.  The three male heroes realize that Bud Girl is a poor innocent who should be protected; the Mermaid does not see her that way, though she's uncertain about what her exact role is.

As Bud Girl approaches Hamlet/Rodin, Rodin realizes the best way to protect her is to make her a statue; she quickly becomes one and they notice that she was dragging a keg.  Meanwhile, Slayer begins attacking The Captain, throwing his knife which bounces off harmlessly.  Pterodactyl simply moves to the building and Octal Fist closes in for battle.  The Shooter reveals himself through the window and begins firing a sort of energy bolt at the Mermaid.  The Bogeyman seems to target the Troll but it's unclear what he's doing.  As the battle continues the Troll jumps in against the Shooter but is unable to strike him as the Shooter pumps bullets into him.  During this time the Mocker appears, a strange smiley-faced creature also with no discernible blood, carrying something and pausing only to taunt The Captain to no avail.  Slayer hits The Captain with a devastating lucky blow [game mechanics note - rolled 2 "6"s on a 2d6 KA and a "6" for STUN, inflicting 12 BOD and 60 STUN], bringing him down and out.  Rodin, after opening the keg to reveal what looks like just beer (but good beer), warns and then fires at the Slayer, getting in a good shot.  Octal Fist flails about ineffectually.  The Troll briefly believes that the Bogeyman has his mother hostage but, seeing the carnage and having heard the Bogeyman earlier relish the prospect of killing them all, and being under fire by the Shooter, stays inside the building where he can't be seen by the Bogeyman and continues to fight the Shooter, who eventually switches to some sort of gas bullet that hurts the Troll instantly upon inhalation.  The Mermaid is also hit by Slayer's blade and is stunned, losing her composure for a couple seconds.  Eventually the Troll, the recovered Mermaid, and Rodin bring down the Slayer in a series of attacks, exhausting themselves and taking damage all the while.  The heroes are in bad shape, with The Captain down and the Mermaid barely standing.  

The Shooter runs out to rescue Bud Girl just as Rodin, who after all this confusion just realizes that the urge to protect Bud Girl was strangely strong and disappeared as soon as she turned to stone [ed. note - sorry Miq, this is just the best way to write it after the goof!], revives The Captain, who flies by Bud Girl, grabbing her and throwing her into Hamlet's car trunk.  The Troll attempts a direct attack on the Bogeyman who sidesteps him deftly.  Meanwhile the Pterodactyl, with the Mocker having just loaded her up with something, begins to fly off just above the heroes, while Octal Fist jumps on her back.  The Shooter also moves onto the car and, after smashing out the car window, attempts to dive into the car.  The Troll latches onto the flying Pterodactyl, having just been taunted by Mocker so severely that he feels his confidence waning.  Nonetheless, he squeezes the giant bird and brings it down to earth, and begins swinging her around, bludgeoning the Pterodactyl, the Shooter and Octal Fist.  The Captain gives his all, blasting the Shooter.  He's barely conscious as he's hit, with others, with a sonic shriek by the beleaguered Pterodactyl.  They all take some damage and The Captain goes down hard.  As the Pterodactyl loses consciousness and her payload spills onto the street, it is discovered to be a bunch of computer equipment.  The Bogeyman dives onto it, clutching a couple disc arrays.  The Troll gets in one good hit on the Bogeyman just as he fades out completely with the disc arrays, half-heartedly cackling.  Rodin gets in a shot at the barely standing Octal Fist and turns him into a statue as the Mocker runs away as fast as possible, disappearing into the night.  Suddenly they all hear Bud Girl banging from inside the trunk and pleading innocence and a desire to get out. 

Our heroes all breathe a sigh of relief.   Rodin/Hamlet gathers miscellaneous weaponry and the remaining computer equipment into the backseat of his car.  They duct tape the villains as well as ensure they're all out cold.  Then they decide to take a look in the burning building, with the Mermaid dousing a path for them.  They find some 30 bodies in the building, all violently killed, many impaled on Slayer's blade after being knocked out in combat but still alive.  They see where the people guarding this building were attempting to guard a stairway leading down.  Downstairs they find a small but serious data center - or the remnants thereof.  Whatever the villains had wanted they clearly had gotten.  Rodin notes a paper in the data center (it was still so far protected from the fire) with a series of phone numbers.  They also find a book in a cabinet that seems encoded.  

As the supers emerge from the building, they encounter several policemen and a couple reporters with crews.  The Captain readily gives an interview (one of the reporters refers to them as the "Duct Tape Heroes').  The police reveal that they let Bud Girl out of the trunk and they also let her go.  The policeman who let her go at her request realizes how odd that was and then hastily says she "escaped".  Hamlet indicates that he heard the name "Jimmy Caruthers" from one of the villains.  The Mermaid interviews Pterodactyl and reveals she has what must be her egg, as she could tell that she had been nesting.  Pterodactyl is surprised and seems rather confused about how society works.  She has been living in the woods of Belle Isle where she's nested, apparently having mated with one of her kind who moved on.  She indicates she was going to be paid for her work with these villains and she liked them for that, unlike the other "bad' humans who were after her.  She believed she needed the money to get her child into the New School.  The Mermaid is generally unsympathetic though she wants the baby Pterodactyl to live and asks questions along those lines.  Jonas Hell shows up and regrets getting the location of the fire wrong but indicates that it verifies that Blue Moon must be involved and they deliberately threw him off.  He asks if they saw any priests among the dead guys.  He also seems quite interested in the Pterodactyl.  After verifying the heroes' registrations/credentials, they agree to let Hamlet and the Troll, with the others, de-statue Octal Fist at Stark Industries Labs (a quick police call to someone seems to result in the dropping of any hesitation).  Hamlet indicates he's rescued Hell's records from Blue Moon and asks him to assist him in decoding them.  Hell agrees and they intend to reconvene later.  As the heroes are about to go to Stark Labs, Hell discreetly leaves.  Hamlet realizes that during the battle Octal Fist seemed to rub a pearl necklace with some frequency.

Just as they are discussing the status of the Pterodactyl and getting ready to leave, suddenly a figure swoops down from the sky.  He is an extremely well-built, glistening figure scantily clad in just a speedo.  He has small wings on his ankles.   He claims that the Mermaid as his mate ("queen"), wonders what became of her since they were together, and reaches for her.  She evaporates into a puddle and through the grate leading into the sewer.  The "speedo guy" seems surprised by this, and also surprised by the Troll who grabs his reaching arm.  The figure is undaunted and refers to the humans as some sort of lowly figures and to the fact that surely his mate ("Lalalei") is under some sort of magic.  He seems more amused by the Troll than anything, referring to him as a "puppy".  He then swiftly takes off without any real explanation.

Octal Fist is turned to normal but kept unconscious, stripped of all his possessions, and duct taped down.  When he comes to he seems to be in increasing pain, claiming he needs his pearls.  He speaks in a sort of zen babble about the one-ness of himself and the pearls and in fact of all men.  He reveals that he did the job for money and was recruited by Shooter and knows no more.  He was appalled by the carnage but apparently too frightened of Bogeyman and Mocker to get out of it.  During a lengthy examination of the pearls, while Octal Fist is kept anaesthetized, they are joined by Dr. Geerluce, an inventor and friend of the Troll.  They find nothing unusual about the pearls.  The Mermaid, who earlier attempted to put on the pearls but was intercepted by her husband, gets to finally wear them, but they seem to have no effect.  Finally Dr. Geerluce gets his own wife's pearls and alters them to match Octal Fist's.  When Octal Fist is given the "wrong" set he quickly heals and seems to believe they are genuine.  Rather than confuse him, Geerluce leaves him with that set and then proceeds to alter the original pearl necklace so that his wife won't suspect.  Octal Fist generally goes on about the power of eight fingers (supposedly no one has ever been born with 8 digits on each hand - some with 7, none with 8) and how he learned this and his discipline at a temple somewhere "far away" - a temple that can never be revisited as it has disappeared because he left.  The Troll demonstrates his own power of eight fingers, pulling off 3 from one hand and shoving them onto the other hand.  In front of Octal Fist, who becomes pale but not visibly nauseated, the Troll's other hand grows the three fingers back.  

Octal Fist is returned to the police while the inventor and Troll work with them on an appropriate space to hold him.  Hamlet calls Tony and Tony verifies the building was a mob structure but Tony has no knowledge about what exactly it was.  He also indicates that from what he hears no one still understands who was behind the attack.  The next morning, at 5 AM, The Captain shows up to an interview arranged the preceding evening with the press on a local morning show.  The reporter interviewing him, attempting to cut through The Captain's self-aggrandizing soliloquy, mentions that the building was determined to be associated with the Combine, the local mob, and that the owner just turned up dead in the river this same morning.   Suddenly the interview is interrupted again by Speedo Guy, who this time refers to himself as Prince Namor.  He indicates that if Lalalei should see him that she should meet him at the silly crystal structure in the Renaissance Mall that evening.  He spews more invective directed at the "lowly humans".  The Captain shoves his way in front of him to continue his interview, then is gently shoved aside by Prince Namor who completes his comments, indicating he saw Lalalei on television the preceding evening, hence his visit. 

We leave off with our heroes planning their next steps...

[Game Mechanics - Points Awarded...

Drawing against a superior opponent for the big battle - +11.25 RPs for everyone, +.75 XPs for everyone

Thoroughly defeating an inferior opponent for the Mermaid's and Troll's street encounter - +.75 RP each, +.05 XPs each

Winning against an inferior opponent for The Captain's, the Mermaid's, and the Troll's demonic encounter - +.375 RPs each, +.025 XPs each

Winning against an inferior opponent for further screwing up Caruthers' life and generally investigating the Blue Moon/leads - +.375 RPs Rodin, +.025 XPs Rodin

Session play - +4.5 RPs each, +1.5 XPs each

Totals:

The Captain +16.125 RPs, +2.275 XPs
Mermaid +16.875 RPs, +2.325 XPs
Troll +16.875 RPs, +2.325 XPs
Rodin +16.125 RPs, +2.275 XPs

Totals to Date:  [first session, same as directly above]