Chapter One: Friday Night Firefight

[Chanur]

OOC

Cobalt needs to smash.

[Eanwulf]

Their path chosen, our heroes depart Tenebrous' apartment and make their way back outside. Camaraderie is shared amongst the group and the start of what appears to be several friendships begun. Perhaps it is the group's own bonds of uniqueness that tie them together so, or perhaps even their own personal desire to stand united against a common enemy. Whatever the case may be, the group moves together as one and does so quite efficiently.

Once more outside, the heroes set themselves upon the task of gathering up their fallen enemies. Stacked neatly into three distinctive piles (La Mancha, Sex Money Murder, and then the Gaudeaux Bros) our heroes eventually give pause to try and decide what to do with them next. Mr. Han crouches down next to Kongo and Ghede, his outstretched hands trembling wildly as he murmurs and chants aloud in Japanese. After a while, the old man comments. "Hai. These two most definitely have had powerful magic placed upon them. Their spells are strong, but breakable. Given enough time and resources that is."

The sorcerous handyman then goes on to lay out a plan to try and deal with the two villains. As he does so, Old Man Fowler makes some phone calls. Before long, the Boys in Blue show up yet again and proceed to cart the bad guys off. Though the men and women of law enforcement seem to be receptive enough to go ahead and give the grumpy landlord his way overall, one can not help but notice that the officers on scene are greatly interested in the group's presence and potential capabilities. Rumors of possibly even using the group as allies quickly spread. Whether or not our heroes opt for giving the men in uniforms' proposal a try, has yet to be seen.

In the end, our band of heroes stands amidst a herd of cops and criminals, each side reluctant to aid the other. A sense of pride and unity fills the night air of the courtyard as the stalwart heroes continue to ramble on and discuss their future plans.

OOC

OK then, let's cover some basics:

SMM members are taken to jail for attempted homicide, attempted kidnapping, trespassing, vandalism, violation of parole (for some), and whatever other charges the police can think of.

La Mancha members are taken to jail but will only be threatened with such charges, using the allegations as leverage when and if you decide to try and parley with them.

Mr. Han says removing Ghede's and Kongo's powers is doable but only if you are able to perform a ritualistic ceremony in which 3 magic-using characters are involved. Count Tenebrous and Mr. Han are two such characters, the third spot remaining vacant.

Mr. Han also says that the leader of La Mancha is one potential source for a third to the ritual. Allegedly an enchantress, the gang's leader (Esmeralda) has been known to use sorcery in the past. One might be able to try and kill two birds with one stone here, though rumor has it Esmeralda is known to be prone to fits of deluded grandeur and used to getting her way. Dealing with a spoiled princess might be tricky.

Another option would be to try and locate the remains of Mr. Han's last known daughter - Lady X, Sorceress Supreme. Killed during the S'kree invasion, Lady X was shipped back to her native homeland in Korea. Sadly, her body is interred in a place of constant conflict. Somewhat a Reverse Vietnam, the South Koreans have allied themselves with their alien invaders under the promise of conquering their age old rivals. Sadly, this promise has yet to see the lights of its fruition and the local regions are rifled with constant combat. Still however, if one were able to locate the Lady's remains, she could be used to aid in removing Kongo and Ghede's powers.

And lastly, the local police force seem to be having several issues with amped up or powered supervillains running amonk in their jurisdiction. Though they won't come up and ask directly, one might want to lend a helping hand as they seem to be all but powerless in dealing with them.

Stuff to mull over and consider when choosing your next path(s). By all means feel free to split up if the need arises, etc. and be sure to have fun and enjoy. That's the entire point of playing!

Take it from here as if you were wrapping up making sure all the bad guys are taken care of. Kongo and Ghede still remain contained for the moment, but something needs to be done with them.

[veritas]

Jack Graves watches the proceedings with great interest, his arms crossed with one hand absently rubbing his chin.

"I think we should pay a visit to this Esmeralda woman and try to broker a deal. With a bit of luck and guile, we might even be able to form a long-lasting alliance to do some good in the neighborhood.

"One thing is certain though, we don't have time to travel all over the world looking for another sorcerer."

[ardh05]

Ookami stands by as the humans decide what to do.

[thehitcat]

"I agree. Esmerelda is the closest and best option we have right now to get rid of the voodoo twins," rasped out Raging Tiger. "I'd also like to perhaps help the local cops deal with their super problem. Perhaps we do them both, I'm not much good convincing people to help but I'm alright at delivering a message." A phlegmy sound, like laughter, comes out from beneath his mask.

[Muskrat]

As the police comes, Pilgrim keeps an eye on them to make sure that they don't try to do anything to Ookami, but they seem to have no interest in the wolfman.

Pilgrim nods in response to the others' suggestions. "Having a talk with the leaders of La Mancha sounds like the best bet to me as well. But while we're doing that, we have to figure out what to do with Ghede and Kongo. We can't leave them free and it doesn't sound like the police have a lock-up strong enough for them." He looks at Mister Han and Count Tenebrous. "Do either of you have a spell that can put those two to sleep for a good, long time, a sort of sleeping ugly spell?"

Display

Is Esmeralda in prison with the other members of La Mancha or is she free?

[Trogdor]

"I agree that Esmeralda is our best bet right now," Tenebrous says in his almost-European accent. "We should try and make contact with her as soon as possible. I also agree that helping out the local authorities is a good idea. We have abilities others do not. We should use those abilities to help those less fortunate than we."

Then he looks over at Pilgrim and wrinkles his lip. "It may be possible," he replies. "There are some rituals that might do what you wish. But I shall have to consult with Mr. Han."

OOC

That sort of think (i.e., keeping two bad guys knocked out) is GM fiat sort of magic. It's really up to Eanwulf whether that's possible for plot reasons. I feel certain I could come up with a ritual that would do it point-wise.

[Eanwulf]

OOC

Running late for a dinner date. Esmeralda hasn't been encountered yet. You'd have to track her down at the gang's local hotspot. Only Retro Mencia and D.Q. were encountered this combat. Esmeralda's the actual "leader" of the gang. China was an option as well, seeing how Trog has teleport.

In all honesty, I'm giving you the "Choose Your Own Adventure" method of playing right now

Woosh, out the door to try and score

[Muskrat]

Pilgrim says, "I think it may be best to speak to Esmeralda first. And we have a bargaining chip. If she helps us strip these two of their evil enchantments and agrees to keep a tighter leash on her people, so innocents don't get caught in the crossfire, we can help get her people out of jail."

[Chanur]

"We should contact this Esmeralda. Her gang is a rival with dis other. Helping us helps her." Cobalt's voice booms. "I vote for helping the copz, these bad guys be hurtin peeps. Not many heroes left, up to us I say!" Still angry at Ghede tossing him Cobalt stomps over and pummels him a bit more before moving back to the group to sit down.