Shadowland - The Vanguard Issue #1 The Shadow Deepens

OOC Understand the concerns about Hero Points. It's always been a dilemma in certain games (Marvel Superheroes and DC Heroes RPGs for example). Do you spend hero points/karma to ensure success, and that you can earn more through being successful, or do you put them aside for character improvement and risk failure/not earning more? I always split what I earned in half. Spending hero points/karma is still no guarantee of success (dice see to that) but at least you have something to show for it. That said, we can try a house rule of Fate Points as well. Hero Points increase your acting/opposing/effect/resistance values, Fate Points give you another die (or more) to roll, and you pick the best two from that, plus they won't be tied to character advancement.

We'll see how it goes. The more powerful the character, and lucky they are with dice, the more chance they have of success. Another thing with the DC Heroes game is rolling doubles. Quite literally, the great equaliser. In theory Jimmy Olsen could walk up to Darkseid and one shot him with a kick to the nuts if he rolled high enough. And by high enough, I mean 125 or more (on 2D10. That is a lot of doubles. I don't remember ever rolling more than 60 after a series of doubles.) Yeah, I'd say it was impossible, but there is a *chance* with the dice that it could happen.

As I say, we'll see how it goes. Advancement in superhero games is not the issue it is with Fantasy games. You're not starting at level 1 and getting more powerful as you go along. Rather, you're powerful to begin with and refine/slowly improve over time. The more powerful you are, the slower the advancement until you get to such a point where you pretty much don't advance at all. I can't see that happening with a play by post, but who knows? We've been playing over 3 years as far as I can tell Your concern is noted

Anyway, back to this - Frostbite spends... 5 hero points? Roll... 8,5...4,5,9,6,6. Either a roll of 17 or double 6, so we'll go with the double. Roll... 4,7. Total 28.

Frostbite/General Freedom poured his heart and soul into the task, freezing the air between himself and the statue with his hands outstretched, creating thick columns of ice that joined the statue to the floor and smashed as the weight of the thing destroyed the ice! People screamed and ran for their lives, but many were stood in fear, looking up at their doom as it fell towards them!

"No!" muttered General Freedom, as he found his powers were not enough. "NOOOOO!!!!" he screamed, and opened his mouth to bellow his rage! Icy breath poured forth and joined with the freezing ice issuing from his hands! It served to slow the statue, though the ice continued to shatter, and he cried out as the agonising effort made him feel dizzy! Still he continued, and he crashed to the floor, unable to concentrate on flying. Rising to his feet he shot beams of ice out and knew his reserves had run dry. Still he pushed himself.

The statue groaned, shrieking as metal was tortured and twisted.

Then it stopped.

The screaming of the people stopped.

Staggering, General Freedom rose to his feet, unaware he'd been crouched. The statue of liberty was encased in what seemed to be an iceberg, with stalactites and bridges of ice to every surrounding building. Huge car sized chunks of ice scattered across the floor, and people shivered as they moved from underneath the - almost fallen - statue, glancing at their exhausted saviour as he slumped to his knees, breathing hard and utterly spent.

Then the clapping started. And the cheering.

The noise grew, and became a roaring crescendo as people stopped running and turned to where the vast ice structure dominated the streets of New York! General Freedom felt himself lifted to his feet, pats on his back and hugged as he looked about in a daze.

He'd done it.

He'd saved the people.

Then the world went dark.

=========

"He's coming to!" said a distant voice. "Give him room!"

General Freedom was in a hospital room. He tried to sit up, but his head pounded with the mother of all headaches. With a groan he sagged back and turned.

The President himself, in his wheelchair, with a number of his staff and bodyguards, waited in the hospital room as nervous Doctors checked on General Freedoms condition. A star struck nurse plumped up his pillows, glanced at the gathered men, then leaned in to kiss General Freedom on his bare cheek. "Bless you!" she said, wiping back tears.

The Doctors looked annoyed, but deferred to the man in the wheelchair as he rolled forward. "You've given this country a light to shine in the darkness young man. The light of hope." He smiled, genuine, as tears formed in his eyes and he gripped Frostbites hand. "We've broadcast to the nation, and the legend of what you've done here today will inspire the people to..."

Suddenly a wind picked up in the room, and the lights flickered! The Nurse cried out, and the agents pulled guns as one of the walls in the room turned black, then seemed to draw air into it! People cried out, gripping what they could, and the weakened General Freedom rose in his bed, wondering if he could call on his powers again! Suddenly the darkness peeled from the wall into the shape of a man, jet black from head to toe, like looking at the void of space!

"Come with me, or this city dies." rasped the dark figure. Gunshots rang out as agents pumped round after round into the being. The Presidents chair was turned and pushed towards the door, but the door seemed to be locked! Someone fumbled for a key, but they stopped as the dark figure took a step forward. There were no features on its face, but it seemed to be male. "Now." it rasped, and glanced with meaning at the others in the room!

Anyman on the moon with Claude Bentham, Damon Trowers, Lunarium Man and a horde of undead closing in on all sides...

Claude Bentham fiddled with the suit radio, plucked a small package from his belt, opened it up, touched a piece of wire to several points of contact inside, then trailed more wire to one of the two wires on the suit. "be quick" he muttered. The smell of burning was quite strong, coming from the console that Bentham held and Anymans suit. Chances were, this would spoil its integrity and leave Anyman short of air!

"Use this to punch a message to my carrier," Anyman tells Benthan. "Have them send every war robot they have to our location to take out the undead."

Nodding, Bentham tapped the wire in morse code, muttering "It's been hundreds of years since I learned this."

Lunarium Man strode down the corridor and met the first of undead, smashing them aside and against the walls. Rather than stay down, several of them were glowing, and rose, a deadly red fire glowing in their eyes!

"Damn it." muttered Trowers. "It's as I thought. The process which created the undead virus, which used Lunarium, is only being strengthened by his presence! They are going heal and become stronger the more Lunarium radiation they absorb! We need to get out of here!"

Bentham looked at Anyman then his face fell. "Your suit!" he hissed. The near invisible second skin that coated Anyman had melted in places, and the hero felt the cold of hard vacuum on his skin!Worse than that, he saw and felt the hissing escape of oxygen! He clamped a hand over one hole, found another and then another.

Bentham pulled a pack from his utility belt and sealed holes that he found with what looked like sticking plasters. '"Meant for skin." he explained. "Not meant to keep vacuum out or pressurised air in! You don't have long!"

"Indeed." rasped a Dark Voice from the shadows! All turned, and a jet black figure stepped from the darkness! Anyman shouted "Get behind me!" and raised his fists, rolling his neck and grinning. So the Dark Emissary had finally taken notice and found him. He noted with satisfaction the horror on the faces of Bentham and Trowers - they were about to (finally) get their comeuppance!

Lunarium Man strode to stand at Anymans side, and Lance Allard winced, feeling his body react to so close a strong source of radiation! Lunarium Man seemed to notice, and his glow diminished "Sorry" he muttered.

"Come with me, or this world dies." rasped the dark figure.

"Now." it rasped

Somewhere in the complex, high above ground level, the roar of automated guns and back up systems went off. The Robo Carrier responded by pouncing the base with rail guns to cover the all out assault of a stream of hundreds of robots flying through space to hammer into the surface of the moon, sprout legs and guns, and march towards the Nazi moon base!

Lance Allard knew they'd arrive too late to help against this new menace, a veritable dark god!

Admin wrote:"Come with me, or this city dies." rasped the dark figure. Gunshots rang out as agents pumped round after round into the being. The Presidents chair was turned and pushed towards the door, but the door seemed to be locked! Someone fumbled for a key, but they stopped as the dark figure took a step forward. There were no features on its face, but it seemed to be male. "Now." it rasped, and glanced with meaning at the others in the room!

Painful thought it was to stand, let along get off the bed, Frostbite gritted his teeth, pushed back the pain and stood. Albeit shakily. "Ok enough of the theatrics, you don't need to threaten these people to get me to come. But understand I hold you to your word, no one is to be hurt - understand."

In truth, Frostbite doubted whether the words would have any impact on the emissary, but his co-operation did at least make it easier. He had at least the one thing the Devourer wanted, even needed, such was its appetite -himself.

Moving slowly, his limbs aching with the effort. He moved forward, unsteady at first but then with a more determined stride. He wasn't afraid but didn't wish to appear weak, as this might be all he had left to give. An example of courage, when courage was needed most. He stepped forward joining the Emissary, unsure of where this was going, let alone where he was being summoned to.

Sj

"Come with me, or this world dies." rasped the dark figure.

"Now." it rasped

Somewhere in the complex, high above ground level, the roar of automated guns and back up systems went off. The Robo Carrier responded by pouncing the base with rail guns to cover the all out assault of a stream of hundreds of robots flying through space to hammer into the surface of the moon, sprout legs and guns, and march towards the Nazi moon base!

Lance Allard knew they'd arrive too late to help against this new menace, a veritable dark god!

"Why," Anyman asks, genuinely curious as to that command. "I do not have the power to stop you by myself. Even if I use the Dark Powers. Even the device we are trying to build probably won't stop you. If I can't keep these two maniacs under control, it will destroy at least half of all the people on Earth, feeding you even more fear and despair. You can squash me like a bug anytime you want, so why do you need me to come with you? Why even talk to me? Why worry about me?"

General Freedom

"I cannot guarantee that no one will be hurt" rasped the Dark Emissary. The secret service agents having put themselves between the President and the dark figure, responded to their Commander in Chiefs call to "Don't just stand there! Kill it! Help the General!"

Gunshots rang out!

And every bullet that spun from the guns in the room sparkled... and changed into blood red roses!

"A little theatrical I'll grant you." said the Emissary, stooping to pick up a rose from the floor and sniff it. With a look to the stunned agents the Emissary nodded at the man in the wheelchair. "Mr President. Nice to have met you." he rasped. Then he placed a hand on General Freedoms shoulder, and the pair vanished!

In the wake of their passing, the men in the room slumped, depressed at their helplessness.

=========

"I don't have long." said the Dark Emissary

General Freedom blinked. He looked about and realised he was stood on the cliff overlooking Mount Rushmore! Before he could speak the Emissary moved to stand in front of him. His features, pure jet black, lightened to a grey, and General Freedom gasped!

He was looking at himself!

No, not quite. Joe Hoskyn heard an inner voice shouting 'It's me!' coming from the other self inside of him, Joseph Rigdon.

"As I said, I don't have long. A mutual friend found me and convinced me that the way of the Devourer is wrong. It is taking all of my power to hide my thoughts and feelings from the collective, but I thought it important you should know. You are special. All of you. Some combination of cosmic forces, the man you know as James Caldwell, Nowhere Man, this place, this time... who knows? All that I know is that when they dragged Caldwell into the Devourer, he spoke to me, and showed me the error of my ways. Of all the infinite versions of us, only you can gather others into yourself, as your Nowhere Man has done..." he looked up, to the jet black sky. "And continues to do. You must do the same."

With a cry he tensed, gritting teeth and with rigid muscles, he called out. "I am being recalled! They suspect something! Kill me. NOW!" With human eyes for the first time in an age that could have lasted weeks, or centuries, the Dark Emissary - Joseph Rigdon, a version of Frostbites future self - looked into his counterparts eyes. "You must ... kill me!" he gasped, in an all too human voice. "Please... NOW!"

Anyman on the moon with Bentham, Trowers and The Lunarium Man. And a Dark Emissary...

The Dark Emissary stood motionless as it listened to Anymans words, then glanced at Lunarium Man...

The giant, made of red glowing rock, suddenly changed...

And there stood a young man, naked as the day he was born, looking about, confused...

And gasping for air!

"Oops." said the Dark Emissary. With a wave of his hand the young soldier was clad in a space suit, gasping for and finding air. Tears filled his eyes, and he muttered "H-How?" before he sank to his knees and sobbed!

"I am being watched. We all are. Time is short." said the Dark Emissary. He paused for a second, then sighed. "Too late. They know." He turned to Anyman and changed, fading, becoming lighter, grey in colour...

And his features became visible...

Anyman was looking at the mirror image of himself, Lance Allard, as he had been. Scarred face and all...

Trowers called out "That's a god? Why so ugly?"

The Dark Emissary, an alternate version of Lance Allard, ignored Trowers and spoke to Anyman. "You must kill me. Now! They know. They are coming for me! For you... For them. Kill me... NOW!" he shouted, in an all too human voice!

Admin wrote:General FreedomWith human eyes for the first time in an age that could have lasted weeks, or centuries, the Dark Emissary - Joseph Rigdon, a version of Frostbites future self - looked into his counterparts eyes. "You must ... kill me!" he gasped, in an all too human voice. "Please... NOW!"

Shocked at what he had heard and even as a seasoned soldier, it took Frostbite a moment to take onboard what he was being asked to do. He was quite used to sacrifice, but to take another persons life, was that sacrifice or murder?

OOC:
Ok moral conundrum, heroes don't kill! We've had to do it in the context of war, but ordinarily we'd never do it, so bit stuck here. Frostbite is a soldier but only because its his duty, not because he likes harming people. So I am unlikely to kill this man, but I realise in 'game terms' that might not score us any points. But on principle I am not sure I feel happy about killing the emissary...however being a sandbox type game (just look at the spanner Ross threw you) I guess I'm free to do as I wish, but there are always consequences.

Frostbite looked on horrified, "I can't do that. It would betray everything I stand for. But surely there has to be another way, can I absorb you into myself? Hide you within me an anti devourer of sorts?"

Sj

Anyman was looking at the mirror image of himself, Lance Allard, as he had been. Scarred face and all...

Trowers called out "That's a god? Why so ugly?"

The Dark Emissary, an alternate version of Lance Allard, ignored Trowers and spoke to Anyman. "You must kill me. Now! They know. They are coming for me! For you... For them. Kill me... NOW!" he shouted, in an all too human voice!.

"i CANT KILL YOU," Anyman shouted. "You are me! Another universe's me. Why and how can I kill myself?"

ooc: Same thing here, trying to avoid any negative emotions by killing myself. Thinking happy thoughts here.

General Freedom on the edge of the cliff of Mount Rushmore, with a Dark Emissary (alternate version of himself)

"You can't take life. How noble. I thought as you did at one time. I was full of heroic fervour, seeking to bring justice to those who lived by their own laws. My failure, and frustration, led to me using the Dark Power in ways that fed the demon inside. Eventually the only way I could ensure that crime and evil stayed beneath my heel was to impose my own law. And that's when the Devourer turned up to collect me as it's own."

"You can't take life. What is life? Is it a collection, a kaleidoscope of thoughts, feelings and experiences, of relationships and joy, despair and hope. Of seeing your child grow, watching a sunset shimmer on a tree lined lake with only the wind and the call of a distant bird reminding you that man cannot spoil everything with concrete and steel. Is it love, when you take the hand of a woman and look into her eyes and know that you will never love another as you do her, and she you? Is it all of those things, and more, that cannot easily be defined and categorised, the ancient mystery that has puzzled philosophers and learned men and women down the ages? What is life?"

"My... 'life' is none of those things. I exist. I use my power to be part of a vast whole. Wine has no flavour, power is fleeting. Gems do not sparkle, gold has no lustre. I see a pretty woman and I wonder how her thoughts might be turned to supply me with her terror and despair, that I might feed. Once I thought that was enough, that was all I needed. To feel the despair and terror of thousands wash over me, and lap it up, wondering where I might find more."

"Nowhere Man changed that. The Devourer thought it was collecting another version of the man James Caldwell, as it had done countless times, but it was wrong. He is a devourer of a kind himself. He devours other selves, other versions of himself from different times, places and realities. he does so by convincing them that there is a better way, a more noble way, of using the power meant for evil for good. That life without hope, love and happiness is as empty as I feel now. I feel like a vessel, waiting to be filled with the screams of humanity."

"Is that life? No. I feel the call even now. I resist it with all my Dark Power, and feel that too fighting against me. It knows. It feels that it has sailed close to the light and gotten burnt, and wants to go back to the darkness. If you do not kill me, I will be absorbed back into the collective, to slay, torture and destroy, my words and thoughts of these last few minutes lost in time, like tears in rain."

"If you kill me, I will live again, through you. Perhaps there is little or no time left, but at least I can look at your life and know that which I lost... lifetimes ago."

"The call comes again..."

The Emissary started to fade, then sighed. "Do as you will."

Anyman, Trowers, Bentham and the former Lunarium Man on the moon with a Dark Emissary (Lance Allard) and Zombies/undead closing in on all sides

"You can't take life. How noble. I thought as you did at one time. I was full of heroic fervour, seeking to bring justice to those who lived by their own laws. My failure, and frustration, led to me using the Dark Power in ways that fed the demon inside. Eventually the only way I could ensure that crime and evil stayed beneath my heel was to impose my own law. And that's when the Devourer turned up to collect me as it's own."

"You can't take life. What is life? Is it a collection, a kaleidoscope of thoughts, feelings and experiences, of relationships and joy, despair and hope. Of seeing your child grow, watching a sunset shimmer on a tree lined lake with only the wind and the call of a distant bird reminding you that man cannot spoil everything with concrete and steel. Is it love, when you take the hand of a woman and look into her eyes and know that you will never love another as you do her, and she you? Is it all of those things, and more, that cannot easily be defined and categorised, the ancient mystery that has puzzled philosophers and learned men and women down the ages? What is life?"

"My... 'life' is none of those things. I exist. I use my power to be part of a vast whole. Wine has no flavour, power is fleeting. Gems do not sparkle, gold has no lustre. I see a pretty woman and I wonder how her thoughts might be turned to supply me with her terror and despair, that I might feed. Once I thought that was enough, that was all I needed. To feel the despair and terror of thousands wash over me, and lap it up, wondering where I might find more."

"Nowhere Man changed that. The Devourer thought it was collecting another version of the man James Caldwell, as it had done countless times, but it was wrong. He is a devourer of a kind himself. He devours other selves, other versions of himself from different times, places and realities. He does so by convincing them that there is a better way, a more noble way, of using the power meant for evil for good. That life without hope, love and happiness is as empty as I feel now. I feel like a vessel, waiting to be filled with the screams of humanity."

"Is that life? No. I feel the call even now. I resist it with all my Dark Power, and feel that too fighting against me. It knows. It feels that it has sailed close to the light and gotten burnt, and wants to go back to the darkness. If you do not kill me, I will be absorbed back into the collective, to slay, torture and destroy, my words and thoughts of these last few minutes lost in time, like tears in rain."

"If you kill me, I will live again, through you. Perhaps there is little or no time left, but at least I can look at your life and know that which I lost... lifetimes ago."

"The call comes again..."

The Emissary started to fade, then sighed. "Do as you will."

Trowers yanked his gun out. He levelled it as the Emissaries face and shouted "ANYMAN! If you don't do it, I will!"

Bentham turned "The undead! Here they come!"

From around a corner of the mine there seemed to be dozens, more, of the vile undead Nazi soldiers. Their uniforms were rotted, their skin exposed to vacuum, and none of that mattered. They were immune to the limitations of humankind now, the ultimate Nazi soldier waiting to be unleashed on the Earth below to win a war for a madman.

And they were here now to feed on the flesh of Anyman and his companions!

Admin wrote:General Freedom

"The call comes again..."

The Emissary started to fade, then sighed. "Do as you will."

Frostbite looked sad as he said, "If a principle is easily broken, especially when its difficult, then its no longer a principle. I'm sorry, but I can only hope that, part of you that has known what an empty existence you had, might continue to realise that the devourer only offers unending, unfulfilled hunger. In in that there is more pain and misery than I can imagine. But that such pain might help you recognise the emptiness for what it is and like Nowhere Man. you'd find another way.

Frostbite also doubted that he could, in reality, do much to really harm the emissary. In truth hurting him, would do more to dehumanise him, than it would to preserve the man's humanity. If it was to go so easily, then was it even there in the first place? He didn't know, but had to hope that the spark of hope Nowhere Man had started wasn't lost so easily by such a setback as compassion and integrity. It was his unwillingness to compromise that had so far kept Joe, from becoming like his counterparts. He was determined that it should remain so even now.

OOC:
Yeah sorry, don't feel comfortable as a player killing wantonly for the sake of 'mercy'. Besides any taking of another's life is always something that bleaches the humanity out of a character and I only do it when there is no other choice, the best of a bad series of choices, just war etc. So not sure where that leaves us, bar moving onward back to Washington or New York, I guess.

Sj

General Freedom and the Dark Emissary

The alternate version of Frostbite looked on sadly. "You feel now as I used to, an age ago. I lost that which you have - compassion, feeling, honour, sense of duty - my death would have been a chance at redemption, and in truth I would not die. I would live on inside of you, and this shell, with all its power, would be denied the Devourer. I hope you feel as strongly in your conviction when the end comes, for there will come a time when the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one."

He looked about. "I miss this place. I fear after it has been blasted from this Universe, I shall see it again, and again. I wonder if I will ever meet the like of you again, a man who can gather the darkness into him and forge it into the light. Perhaps he will choose differently..."

With a bow of the head the Emissary vanishes, and the landscape about General Freedom changes.

He's back in Washington again.

Somehow the sky seems darker, and the land gripped in a fear so strong that it can be tasted.

==========

General Freedom walks through the streets of Washington

Everywhere people stop and stare in wonder, having listened avidly to their radios. "It's General Freedom! General! Can you save us? What about the sun? Can you bring it back? It's so cold... we're dying General... looting in the streets... hope is lost..."

The voices formed into an unintelligible mass, and General Freedom flew to the White House.

After being let through security and escorted to where the President had been returned with his Chiefs of Staff in the Oval Office, FDR looked at the young mans' face, crumpled mask in his hand, and asked "Son, what is it? Can you... can anything help us?"

General Freedom, Frostbite, Joe Hoskyn, looked up. A large part of him felt that his last hope had gone. The Devourer had won.

Only a miracle would save them now...

OOC Depending on Davids reply (or I can autopilot him as he pretty much came up with the same response you did) that's the end of this issue. The final issue of the Darkening Shadows campaign is coming up...

Admin wrote:General Freedom

OOC Depending on Davids reply (or I can autopilot him as he pretty much came up with the same response you did) that's the end of this issue. The final issue of the Darkening Shadows campaign is coming up...[/i][/color]

OOC:
Whoops obviously didn't take the blue pill like I was supposed to. This is going to take a lot of duct tape. Not sure about Dave, guess its up to you if you want to wait and see, or dive right back in.

Sj

OOC Was unsure how long to wait for David to return/post so I will *assume* Anyman takes 'the same pill' as Frostbite - he's not a stone cold killer and death in war is different - even for superheroes. However, if he does go the other way we may have to backtrack on some/all of this...

The Dark Emissary vanished!

Anyman rolled his neck, popping a number of bones. He flexed his fists, knuckles cracking and pushed Trowers aside, who gasped and turned to face the hoards of the dead. Invincible nazi soldiers that would not, could not be stopped with bullets. He glanced at his gun. He knew full well the effects of Lunarium on these things. He laughed and glanced at the gun, then glanced at Claude Bentham. "Any bright ideas?"

Bentham smiled, mirthless. "I'm a wizard with gadgets, gizmos and anything I can get my hands on. You see anything like that round here? Moon rock, red glowing rock that puts out radiation that changes human DNA at the genetic level, and that's just one of it's uses, us, and them..." he said with a flick of his head over his shoulder.

"He... Anyman... might survive this. We're doomed."

RARATATATATATATATATATATA!!!!!!

Gunshots rang out somewhere in the base! Everyone turned, then more shots rang out, deafening, unceasing, merciless! The former Lunarium man cried out "Wait! Is that... is someone coming to save us?" He could still barely believe his condition had been completely reversed, and that he was an ordinary human again!

Anyman strode forward, slamming fist after fist into the undead! "Get your machine set up and ready to go." he growled to Bentham as he backhanded another creature across the cave.

Bentham nodded, then calibrated the machine. "We need to drop it into the mine when it's set up. That's ... going to hurt whoever puts it in there..."

Trowers glanced at Anyman, who shrugged. "We're all dead anyway, right? What's a little pain along the way? So long as I get to dish... some... out!" and he smashed another Zombie in the face, grabbed another and tossed it into a crowd!

They were closing in, reaching, snarling, grasping for human flesh! One bite and the virus would be transmitted... could even Anyman survive that?

OOC End of Issue 1 - coming up - Issue 2... the Final Episode of the Darkening Shadows Campaign!

Yeah, Anyman wouldn't have killed himself, he is already dying of radiation poisoning and cancer.

Though I did think about offering to let the other Anyman leave the Devourer and become a part of him, a part of the Anti-Devourer, using our dark powers to bring forth light. Not sure how we could have done that though.