Professor Wynde issue #1 - The finer things in life cost!

Scottish Chieftain called Macleod
ooc: LOL, I watched those movies way back when!


"OH my," Oliver Smith exclaims, "these are fabled weapons of old! They are priceless and they are just hanging here in a pub! ACK! I don't even have the funds to try to buy these weapons and I cannot get in touch with my boss at this time to see if he wants to try and buy them!"

"So much history and legends locked in these weapons! Daddy wants!"

He shrugs and laughs an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry, Owain, it's the collector in me. Hope the Nazis don't hear about this place, with Hitler a well-known nut for anything mystical, he might even try landing an invasion force here to take them. When I meet the Earl, remind me to tell him about this, please."

Owain laughed. "You should know young laddy that the finer things in life cost! Ain't nothin given fer free in this life and them that tries ta take it anyway generally see the error of their ways once they've been taught a lesson."

He was old school, old fashioned and quite refreshingly naive. Still, chances were those fists had taught a few people 'the error of their ways'.

"Here, come" he said, passing a pint of frothy dark ale and waving Robbie over. "Meet the others."

"This is Katheryn DeVeere." he said of the studious looking young woman who nodded politely and sipped tea. "A librarian works at Oxford University. This lady..." he waved a hand in the direction of the pretty redhead who beamed at Oliver. "is Alexandra Davington. I... I'm not sure what..."

the lady smiled even broader "Ha! I spend my fathers money. Unfortunately there's even more than I know what to do with so I travel the world in search of adventure. I'll warrant I've been places you've never even heard of Mister..."

"Smith. Oliver Smith." Wynde replied.

"Charmed..." she said, reaching a hand over. Prof Wynde noted her nails were short and the ladies knuckles were scarred in places... a she devil, perchance?

"Marcus Hammill." said the last man, standing to reach over and shake Olivers hand. "Smoke?" he offered. "No? These things will kill you anyway, despite what the posters say about health benefits!" he laughed and sat down. "We were just chatting about the curious circumstances that brought us here. A strange sound in our heads and a compulsion to come to this ... place." he said with a wave of his hand. "Oh it's quaint and all but I positively hate the countryside. Give me a gentlemans club in Knightsbridge any day! Now this dashed war has finally started I suppose I'll have to sign up and do my bit. I expect my papers are already waiting at one of the houses." he added.

OOC Should have picked a descendant for Owain but it hadn't occurred to me when I cook him up. Oh well. Eventually the descendants of these people *might* become the heroes Retribution, British Bulldog and Edward DeVeere, boss of the Executive.

Robbie nudged Oliver in the side "Ummm, should we be talking to these people? What if they... uh..." he said with a nervous glance about as the quartet looked up.

"What if what young man? Why are you gentlemen here? A wild goose chase like us or do you have business?" axed Alexandra.

"Our young friend here, Robbie, is American and my other American friend and I are trying to get him back home. Through some weird circumstances, we wound up in Wales with him and now specifically here. We hope to find a way home for him here. None of us have heard this booming that you say is in your head ... unless you have Robbie and haven't spoken of it?"

"Booming? I thought it was a headache. I'm not the type to moan and to be honest you guys rescued me a couple of times so I didn't want to bother you. But yeah, I guess you could call it... Booming." he muttered. "Who drinks this stuff?" he said of the ale after taking a sip and pulling a face.

The four glance at each other. "Another one? That makes five of us who have heard this sound." said Katheryn. "What can it mean?"

The door to the pub opened and Fred Carson more or less fell through it, stumbling and with a bloodied nose.

"Bushwhacked!" he muttered. "I followed the guy with the glass eyeball through the village. He was in a hurry, that's for sure! Turned a corner and WHACK! I guess I'm not used to being without my pow... I mean I'm not used to brawling."

Owain came over. "Tell me where they are and I shall..."

Fred waved him off and gratefully took a sip of a pint of ale. "I came to as a car was roaring off. I can't be sure but it seemed to be heading past that big old mound in the centre of this place to a large house or mansion of some kind. There were a few in the car. What the heck did they hit me with?"

The landlord looked over. "What's that you say? Sounds like they are headed for the Earls' place! We'll have to warn him!"  



OOC You may have to press Ctrl+scroll wheel to shrink/grow the image to fit on your screen if on a laptop like I am...

"But what can we do?" asked Marcus Hammill. "I mean, the big fella can hand it out but what if they have guns?"

"Pretty sure they do." muttered Fred. "Think it was the butt of a Tommy Gun I got in the face!"

"If it's trouble they want, that's what they'll get!" said Alexandra Davington! She reached back to the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a revolver, popping the cylinder and checking the shells before flicking it back closed.

"Oh my!" said the Landlord. "Miss, you shouldn't have..."

"Relax!" she laughed. "I should have explained! My 'day job' these days is to journey around the world looking for artefacts and antiquities! A gal has to defend herself, and I know how to use this! Well gentlemen? Do we go warn the Earl?"

ooc: Is that a picture of Pat Savage? Kind of looks like her, bronze hair and deep tan.

"Hmmm," Oliver Smith says, looking at Robbie and wondering what this meant for the young man, "Landlord? Do you have any hunting pieces, something that shoots something more than birdshot? If not, maybe we can borrow some of these weapons up on your walls? And do you and the Earl have phones? You could call him and warn him if you do. Is your Home Guard or whatever it is called here operational and do they have weapons?"

"So I suggest we arm up and head out for the rescue. Maybe they are Nazis, maybe not, so we need to be prepared. And Fred, just so you know, Tommy Guns are quite illegal here. I was once in the Army myself, got out a few years ago and got into the antiques business, but I can help somewhat with planning an attack if we need it."

OOC I had no idea Pat Savage existed so I looked her up. It does seem to be a picture of her. I only searched for 'pulp female adventurer' and came up with that picture.

Alun Jones the landlord looks over "What? I... Phone? Oh I believe there's one at the post office but it takes an age to connect. What's that? Weapons you say?"

He looks at the weapons on the wall. "Oh those old rusty things you mean? They are strictly ornamental sir, no substance to them! Why I should think each is rotten with worm and the blades are dull so as not to slice any prying fingers of children, so to speak. They can be such tearaways sometimes."

Prof Wynde glanced at the wall.

The weapons were pristine, looking oiled, gleaming and ready for battle. What was the man prattling on about?

"I could send for the police. Thomas is usually in his garden on a Thursday but he'd rouse soon enough and be over on his pushbike in a jiffy. Well, an hour or so." he pondered. "I uh... have 'old betsy' here..." he reached down to bring up a breech broken shotgun and scrambled about for a few shells.

"Crikey, this is all getting a bit serious isn't it?" asked Marcus. "First this lady poops out a revolver and worse - she looks like she knows how to use it! Now a shotgun? Have we been invaded already?"

Fred mops some of the blood from his nose and frowns. "If I had my powers..." he glanced at the ring on his finger. "I wonder if the Yogi knows his ring doesn't work everywhere?"

"This is nuts! We need to wait for the police!" said Robbie.

"You stay here lad." said the giant Owain. "Anyone else who doesn't feel up for a scrap, lock the place up and send for the police. I don't suppose there's any telling you not to go Miss Alexandra..."

"Call me Alex, and no, you'd be hard pushed to keep up with me Mr Thomas!" she laughs, though she looks determined and despite her beauty, not one to mess with!

"Oh! I don't ... I shall stay here..." said Katheryn.

"Well, in the absence of any weapons I'll borrow this, assuming the wires aren't too tight on the wall..." said Owain. He reached for the huge Axe and time seemed to stop!

Prof Wynde looked about. Everyone seemed frozen. When he reached to touch someone else his hand passed through them, like he was a ghost!

Just then a ghostly figure - an armoured man some six and a half feet tall in full plate and chain, appeared in the centre of the pub stood on an old stone slab with curious fading runes on it.

"WHO CALLS ON THE SPIRIT OF THE KING THAT WAS, AND SHALL BE AGAIN? IS EVIL ABROAD, THAT THE LAND NEED DEFENDERS?" the ghostly armoured knight called. He looked about and raised the visor to stare with piercing bright blue eyes at Wynde.

"You are the herald of things to come. Your arrival signifies a dark time for the people of this land and I have sent out a call... ackk! What is this? Two women, a stripling youth, a dandy and... ah... one at least has merit. To him the Axe SNAGA shall be to wield. Strange. You have not been summoned, but you are here. Tell me... are you Maerlyns' get? It would not surprise me to know he was meddling even from beyond the gate! Where are you Maerlyn?" he looked about.

"I do miss you old friend." he sighed. Turning back to Prof Wynde he shrugged. "So be it. The Earl is beset by cowardly foes both mortal and otherwise! Gather the LORE KNIGHTS and hasten to his rescue, Herald! The land will free up your power so as it is not used against the innocent, the helpless or the needy. Guide them, lead them, teach them until they are ready to ride out and right the wrongs that beset the land!"

The Ghost shimmered and vanished.

Owains hand closed around the axe and it vanished! "Gods teeth!" he exclaimed. "I ... I barely touched it!" He spluttered checking the floor and surrounding area.

Fred moved closer to Prof Wynde. "I felt funny then, as if I were dreaming but..." he reached over and plucked a hanging horseshoe from the wall. Glancing about he straightened it without effort then bent it back again, albeit slightly wonky. "My powers are back! Are yours?"

OOC they are indeed.

Looking at the Four Plus Robbie, he commands them, "Each of you grab a weapon off that wall that seems best to you! Do it now!"

Use Occultist to detect magic and help determine which weapon might be best for each of the summoned and strongly suggest that they take THAT ONE!

"Fred, looks like the two of us are back in business."

Whispers to him, "Did you hear and see the ghost too? Some group called the Lore Knights are needed and these 4 + 1 might be the new ones. I may have heard of that group, have to think on it for a bit though. Let's get them armed and move out."

Fred shrugged "Hey, more the merrier! I'm itchin ta give those Ratzis payback!"

"As for a ghost... it was weird. The place seemed thick with mist and I was barely able to move but I heard distant voices. A man's I think."

OOC infl 10 + Roll(5d12)+0: 5,8,10,2,8,+0 Total:16 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 11,2,+0 Total:29 (39) vs
OV6 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,7,+0 Total:9 (15)

+7 EV (to 17) vs RV6=11 RAPs

1) To most ordinary people the weapons look old, pitted and little more than decorative antiques.
2-3) The legends surrounding this place suggest at one point a Dozen Knights road from a castle here and enacted justice in the Kings name. They were not the most noble, nor the greatest of Knights, but for all that they were the most determined and never gave in. The tales seem to state that the reason they were called together from across the land is that the land chose them rather than the King. The King asked the land to send out the call and the Land chose who to call.
4-6) Not all of the Knights ended up pure of heart and successful. Some fell by the wayside, others were betrayed, some lost their will to carry on and others let vengeance rule their hearts and were cast out. Rumour has it in the early to mid 2000s a Lore Knight known as Wraith was so grief stricken by the death of his fiance at the hands of villains he used his powers for revenge. The others voted to cast him out and the land reclaimed the sword. Traditionally there is a throne room with twelve seats and a sword behind each seat. These weapons on the wall should instead be in that Throne room but at some point someone thought it would be a nice display to hang them in the pub! The weapons were said to be swords for most, but each Lore Knight saw and was given what they needed, even if it wasn't actually a weapon. The land knew that time had moved on and so the Knights changed with it.
7-10) Owain had been chosen by the land to take the axe, being a true warriors weapon. It was absorbed into him and granted him magical superhuman powers. There is a spear, which Alexandra should take, an old book which Katheryn should take, Marcus should take a longsword and Robbie should take a beautiful recurve bow. There are other weapons throughout the place on the wall but these do look like antiques with dull edging and pitting and may be ordinary antiques to hide the real weapons amongst.
11-15) The Earl is the leader of the Lore Knights by tradition as they are of the ancient line of the King that once ruled here. Whether that was the legendary Battle King, Arthur, or Uther his father, or perhaps some illegitimate line or even some Dark Ages King who took up the mantle of protector from the Goths, Huns, Celts, Romans and everyone else that wanted to invade Britain is unknown. He did use magic and a sorcerer/Druid known as Maerlyn mentored and advised him. OOP was founded by one of the line of the Sorcerer, amongst others. They may know more at HQ.

Prof Wynde advised the group and with some reluctance the others touched the antique on the wall. Alex wanted to forget the fancy takes of swords and Knights and charge in with her gun but forgot that when the weapon vanished. Instead she felt changed...

Katheryn looked startled after placing a hand on the old tome which vanished from view. She seemed to see the world in new eyes and wasn't the frightened shrinking violet any more!

Marcus closed a hand around the sword and instead of it vanishing it changed into a gleaming mirror shining blade of purest silver, glinting as it caught the light!

Robbie placed a hand on the bow and looked to Fred and Oliver... "I... I'm changing!" he said, his voice getting deeper. "I need to get outside! NOW!"

He charged outside to the back of the pub where the seating area was on the grass and fell to his knees. Fred and Oliver followed and saw the youngster run hands through the grass... and his skin was turning dark brown, looking much like aged and weathered oak bark! He cried out as he started to grow, and stood on shaky legs looking like a 9' tall man carved from oak with leaves for hair and covering his comic code parts!



"I am... MAJOR OAK!" he declared, flexing a wooden fist!

Alex came out clad in armour, astonished but filled with power and energy. "Call me BOUDICEA!"



Owain ducked under the doorframe and stood towering, a 7' tall warrior. "I am SNAGA the SENDER!" he said, raising the axe which formed into his hand! It seemed that the traditional weapons still had a place in this time but could be summoned or dispelled by the user at will.



OOC SNAGA is the Axe used by a legendary warrior in David Gemmells Legend novel. It was demon possessed and cursed, but Druss (the warrior) had the strength of character and will to wield it, and even as an old man was able to slaughter hundreds of enemies with it.

Marcus came out into the garden. "Hmm, seeing as Zorro is taken, I shall take the name... SWASHBUCKLER!"



Katheryn came out and announced "I am FAERIE!"



Fred shrugged and rubbed his ring. "I'm Wonderman. Nice ta meetcha."

Using his spell Insta-Change, "I am Professor Wynde.  That's with a Y not an I and then an E on the end."

"You folks, have been summoned by the Land to form a mystical band of heroes called the Lore Knights to protect the Land from mystical foes.  So it seems the folks heading towards the Earl's place are such foes.  So figure out what you can do and if you have any movement powers to speak of and then lets head for the castle.  Let us off to the castle!!"

"and Dang, not a one of you get that reference!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDSXCk5HSlo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wohtuqCv5A8

ooc:  One of my favorite movies of all times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cysxO5Z-0L8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ9f2rnjB84

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zIWcCvQNqQ

OOC Ok I've rattled out 5 characters (took a couple of hours of constant reading, clicking, changing, fiddling and trying to make points fit). They ARE powerful, but in a Class 2-3 sort of way. Most are purely physical in effect and one is mystical based (attack) but all are magic based and tied to the land of Britain as its mystical defenders. That means when they head abroad to battle the Nazis (and they will, though whether Prof Wynde is with them is up to you) they will suffer over time until they become ordinary people.

In terms of power levels they vary. Three have Adrenaline Surge which is a) extremely volatile and b) depends purely on the dice. As a Gm it gives great bang for buck in terms of high APs for low cost and even better gives complete unreliability. The powers might work, work very well, work brilliantly, or not at all! That can leave three of the characters (the fourth does not have a burnout on Adren Surge and costs quite a bit) very will they/won't they make it through a scrap and I love that (it means extra peril and some very tricky situations). Power Reserve does the same thing except its a) 100% reliable b) more expensive.

There IS still one more possible slot to fill (to round the Lore Knights up to six) if you want to cook up a latecomer to the party (1940 England meant bus, train, horse and cart or walk for most. A car was a luxury for the rich for the most part).

Anyway, back to the action!

Wonderman looks at the transformation in everyone (OOC Which reminds me all the Lore Knights need insta change so I'll have to juggle a few points if they don't have it) and frowns.

Fishing in his pocket he slips on his all concealing domino mask and mutters "I need a decent tailor to knock me out a new suit. It won't do to charge into battle dressed as a masked ragamuffin!"

Major Oak towers over even Snaga and flexes a fist. In a creaking old voice he says "I don't believe this! So much strength! Power! I can FEEL the land calling to me!"

Prof Wynde could feel something else.

The land of Caeralwyn and the spirits that protected it had dropped the magic dampening field so the Lore Knights could be born and Prof Wynde/Wonderman got their powers back. Though he could sense magic about the place still - especially from the Burial Mound, Stone Circle and old Keep - he knew that the protective field had withdrawn and would not affect any magic wielders - good or bad!

The land relied now on its protectors, the LORE KNIGHTS to defend it!

OOC The map key is:

WHITE CIRCLE - the last known Nazi agent location
WHITE CROSS - areas that still retain strong magic but the negation field no longer applies
BLUE CIRCLE - the current location of the heroes



SNAGA and Swashbuckler produced weapons. "Look at this!" laughed Swashbuckler. He swished it around with expert skill.

"That is not a weapon." said Snaga, producing and raising his axe high. "THIS is a weapon!"

Both laughed and Faerie, suddenly tiny, winged and flying about said "Evil is abroad. We must not tarry!"

Boudicea spun her own spear and turned to the others. "She's right, though she talks funny! Let's be off!"

Wonderman paused and placed a hand gently on Prof Wyndes' shoulder. "My friend, so quickly they are charging into battle when only moments ago they were ordinary! The land has given them this power? I suspect there is more to this than a bunch of German spies wanting to kill an old Earl in his Manor house. They KNEW about this place, and must have prepared for it somehow, right?"

Prof Wynde considered. If that was true the Nazis would not have sent ordinary agents to this place. There would be trouble ahead!

OOC Still wanting to charge off to where the Nazis (presumed Nazis at any rate) were last seen (white dot?)

This post might be the longest time I've EVER spent producing one post for an RPG! Just over three hours!

"They are probably after the Earl and the secrets he holds," Prof. Wynde tells everyone. "So that's where we need to go. Fairie, you can fly like me so we will be air cover. The rest of you, spread out so you can't all be taken out by the same grenade and move ... that way."

He rises in the air on his miniature tornado and points to the Earl's manor now that he can see it from the air.

ooc: And yeah, he doesn't look like the Red Tornado but that's the power set and idea I started with.







Hmmm ... I wonder if I want to develop a Tornado Punch? Probably has extra knockback and spins you in the air as you go flying.

The outlandish group heads down the coast road and turns for main street.

People gasp and point. Semi or outlandishly clad people, not to mention whatever Major Oak is, running down the main street of a village? Unheard of!

Boudicea laughs out loud "Look! LOOK!" and she leaps some several hundred feet towards the mound. "Race you!" laughs Snaga and he matches her, running even faster and probably quicker than the fastest car! (OOC in 1940 at any rate)

"I wonder if... well blow me down!" laughed Swashbuckler as he leaped after the other two just as far and fast.

Major Oak beats them all by leaping slightly faster and landing on the top of the Mound. "I can feel the magic!" he gasps.

The diminutive Faerie says nothing but flies along, flitting about and arriving at the gates where a car is parked up. The main gates to the Manor had been locked but look wrenched apart as if by someone with terrific strength!

Wonderman sprints along and arrives almost at the same time as Prof Wynde who beats them all to the gates.

"Take a look at this Oli... Prof Wynde." he says with a glance to frightened housewives gaping from across the street. "How can it be they have the strength to do this when we lost ours? Is it because our abilities are magically derived and they've used some machine or other ability that comes from science?" Wonderman was pretty quick on the uptake and it was easy to forget seeing as he was basically a strong man that jumped about and punched things.

Prof Wynde sees the others on the top of the distant mound. Faerie flits into his vision. "The others are not taking this seriously! They need to forget their personal feelings and get on with the job!" With that she mutters something unintelligible and waves her hands, forming a pattern in the air and her tiny eyes start to glow...

OOC Adren Surge (there's a lot of that going on here so don't be surprised if a few fluffed rolls screw things up massively!) 12 + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,7,+0 Total:13 (25) vs
Detect Evil 1 + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,10,+0 Total:18 (19)

+3 (to 15) vs RV1=14. Detect Evil boosts to 15.

"I sense... EVIL! In the mansion and..." she turns and points... "Out there!"

"The sea?" asks Wonderman of the ocean lapping against the beach...

"IF they were an experienced group, I would split us up to investigate both areas," Prof. Wynde says to the two, "as is, some of them probably .... never mind. Let's see if I can get their attention and get them back on task."

"Abracadab, Merlin's Beard, Summon those FOOLS here!"

action: Summon miniature tornadoes, basically coming from my left and right arm, having them fly around behind the group on the Mound slamming into and lifting them up so that they go flying towards the three of us at the gate, then have another blast of wind cushion their landing. Not trying to do any damage here just some knockback or consider it flight to knock them over to us and landing without hurting them. Undignified? Yes! Maybe get the breath knocked out of them but no serious injuries? Yes! Have them land on their butts or faces? Yes!

"ALRIGHT YOU MUGS! You want to play around, go play around your Mommy's skirts," he bellows at them in the best drill instructor's voice he remembered from his time in the British Army. "You pantywaist, knock-need little shites! Look at this gate! Do you see the damage? You wanna guess what your head would look like in the hands of the man that did that damage? Play time is OVER! We have a WAR to WIN! And if you don't want to WIN, just let me know and I will tell the LAND that you are no longer WORTHY and have IT TAKE AWAY YOUR POWERS FOREVER and find someone else WORTHY of THEM! Now, get to your feet, show me that you are ready to take this seriously or I will blast you into outer space and let you see if you can breath up there. Bunch of Dilettantes. Bunch of Kids. That's all you are."

Continue in that vein of every drill instructor that has ever appeared in a movie for a bit more. Then winding down and continuing on in a more normal tone of voice.

"Now, Faerie here tells me that she senses two sources of evil. One inside this building we are standing in front of and the other apparently out over the ocean. You aren't good enough to go on your own so we are going inside here and face this evil then worry about the other one later. Understand?"

"Now, anybody got any super-senses that lets them see through walls and such or super-hearing or even super-smell? Raise your hand if you have?"

IF there is, they are going in front as scouts. IF they don't, as long Faerie can fly without glowing, she would be the least noticeable and would make the best scout.

"Okay, then you "insert name" are up front as the scout. Don't get too far ahead. Once inside, try not to get more than a hallway length away. The rest of you, if you think you are bulletproof or can create shields to protect you, you have front, sides and rear. Wonderman, you have front, I know you are bullet-proof. I'm not, so I will be in the center directing things."

"Let's move out, keep your eyes open, your mouth shut unless you need to tell us anything and even then, whisper it."

Snaga looked outraged! Swashbuckler somewhat flustered, Major Oak embarrassed and Boudicea thought it was funny!

"Hahahah! Alright, you made your point!" she laughed, clambering to her feet and dusting off her behind. She'd gained height and at 6' tall she was barely recognisable from the woman she'd been, though still dazzlingly beautiful. Snaga, disgruntled, muttered "Aye laddie, yer right, Time fer play later. We are here fer a reason an ta tarry would be dereliction o duty."

Swashbuckler commented "Well I for one don't appreciate being tossed about like a ... like a pancake!"

"A pancake?" said Major Oak, his creaking groaning old 'wood man' voice somewhat at odds with his status of actually being a teenager. He shook his head. "You made your point Professor Wynde."

Faerie spoke up, flitting about as she flew, dropped height a little then flew a little more, leaving a tiny fading trail of sparkling dust behind her. Surprisingly her voice was audible as if she were normal size. "He's right! We're like children, playing with a new toy, and this is no game! Those men were spies, maybe Nazis, and they are here to do harm! We were summoned here for a reason and I believe given these powers in order to save the Earl and much more besides!"

Swashbuckler looked away. "Alright! Alright. Just... don't try anything like that again." he scowled at Professor Wynde.

Snaga spoke up "I seem to have an incredible sense of smell. I bet I can track like a bloodhound. Maybe better!"

"Surprised you can get past your armpits." muttered Swashbuckler. The big man spun on the smaller dark clad fellow and Wonderman stepped in to press a hand against Snaga's chest. "You're strong laddie, but dinnae come between me n this axe." he said holding up the huge axe as if it were weightless.

"Noted." said the American. "Hey loudmouth limey, how about your senses?" he asked of Swashbuckler. The man in black snorted and muttered "For some reason I can see completely around me, back and above included. It's bizarre. I shouldn't be able to process it but it seems second nature. Boudicea?"

Still grinning from Swashbucklers quip she spoke up "I think I get a warning of danger. It's not precise and I suspect not completely reliable but its better than nothing. Major Oak?"

"Now that I think about it I CAN sense something, and it smells a lot like evil." he said and looked at Faerie who perched on the end of his long branchlike wooden nose. "Faerie's right and so are the two heroes. They are a lot more experienced at this and we should take their lead. I'm happy to follow them."

"So am I. For now." said Snaga. Swashbuckler grunted "Whatever." whilst Boudicea smiled, those dazzling green eyes glinting with humour "Lead on!"

Faerie 'cancelled' her glow and at the size of a small mouse, was pretty tricky to spot. "Smaller would be better but I suggest I go first." Boudicea was surprised and pleased to hear the sudden change of temperament in the studious and quiet Katheryn. "Well alright! The girls are doing it!" she said, big grin in her face. "Stand aside men, the ladies are coming through!"

Wonderman smiled and stood aside as the diminutive Faerie and bold Boudicea moved past. He sighed and glanced at Prof Wynde. "Ollie my friend, I think I'm in love."

=========



The manor house of Caeralwyn was an old, sprawling building and in pretty good condition.

"What a place!" remarked Swashbuckler. "One could get used to a life living here!"

"It's not so grand." said Boudicea. "You can only have so many rooms, so many houses and mansions before the attraction fades. I'd rather stay in a tent overlooking a Nazi dig site, ready to sneak in and steal the artefact they are trying to excavate."

Snaga looked impressed. "You really have been around haven't you!"

"That's no way to speak to a lady!" said Wonderman, frowning and standing protectively in front of Boudicea who was an inch or two taller than he was!

"Be quiet." said Major Oak, who had shrunk to a measly six and a half feet tall. "We're getting to the door."

The door was ajar and had been forced, the lock and door itself splintered and in need of replacing.

Faerie flitted about and hissed "From now on we do what Prof Wynde says! Got it?" she turned to Prof Wynde. "What's the plan, boss?"

OOC ok, in a nutshell your 'team' is:

Swashbuckler.

SUMMARY:A basic warrior type who is able to temporarily boost his speed, strength, agility and evasiveness to superhuman levels, has a sword able to pierce most armour and the skill to use it. Can see around him in a 360 degrees way and heals much faster than normal. Can also make people admire him...
PERSONALITY: Marcus Hammill is arrogant, a ladies man, dashing, Errol Flynn type who is pretty much fearless and devil may care. May have a weakness for damsels in distress.

Major Oak

SUMMARY: A super strong 'tree man' able to lift around 100 tons and at his best in the forest/natural environment where he pretty much instantly recovers from any injury and can summon/control plant and animal life. Can fire projectiles (sharp branches) from his hands and sense/teleport to trees and take others with him. Also able to sense evil and to a small degree affect others with a fear aura if they are weak of will (i.e. mostly against ordinary stats).
PERSONALITY: Robbie Johnson is a teenager from the future completely out of his depth but feeling he has a destiny here to fulfil and quietly thrilled about it. Happy to take the lead from Prof Wynde and Wonderman.

Boudicea

SUMMARY: Another super strong warrior type very much in the mould of Swashbuckler and their abilities are very similar. Able to temporarily boost her speed, reflexes, strength, healing factor and boost her spears' capabilities. Not as skilled a fighter as Swashbuckler but more rounded. Also has the ability to see a short time into the past and make a target love her.
PERSONALITY:  Alexandra Davington is the archetypal spoilt rich girl who rebelled. She roams the world in search of artefacts and adventure and knew how to handle herself before this took place. A skilled pilot, marksman, thief, martial artist and detective she is more than just a pretty face!

Snaga the Sender

SUMMARY: Yet another brick and once again able to temporarily boost abilities (like Boudicea, Swashbuckler and Faerie he relies on adrenaline surge which is very hit and miss, unlike Power Reserve). Very agile, an accomplished warrior with high skill and his powers include superhuman strength (which can boost to Wonderman or greater levels) and the ability to absorb damage that would flatten a tank and laugh it off. His main ability is on a par with Major Oaks in that he recovers near instantly from injury and the only sure way to keep him down is to kill him. Can track with an incredible sense of smell, hold his breath for half an hour and run/jump faster and farther than the greatest Olympian though not quite on a par with Wonderman. His axe can carve through steel like butter when enhanced, and otherwise makes short work of Nazi Soldiers.
PERSONALITY: Owain Thomas is dutiful, proud and quick to anger. However he is always faithful to friends and will never desert them, even if it costs his own life. Always teetering on the edge of anger in battle he will quite often go 'baresark', which can mow down hordes of enemies or tire him out (Adren Surge burnout). He will never surrender under any circumstances.

Faerie

SUMMARY: The most versatile and possibly powerful of the group, Faerie casts magic spells from a limited range and uses Adrenaline Surge like the others to grant a temporary boost. She can allocate her energies to 1 spell and it be powerful or to several and be less effective. Abilities include (deep breath): Magic Blast, Magic Field, Magic Sense, Mind Field, Mind Probe, Neutralise, Teleportation, Telekinesis, Damage Transference, Comprehend Languages, Alert (Land or a Lore Knight imperilled. Tells entire team (up to 6)), Animal Control, Shrinking, Flight, Detect Evil. Each power itself is hopeless and she must divert her energies to boost it to something useful. According to how well the land responds (ok, the dice) she can be a Class 3 or even low 4 superhuman whereas the others are Class 2-3 depending on how the Land (dice) respond.
PERSONALITY: Katheryn DeVeere is shy, retiring, and will only attack others as a last resort or to save someones life. Magic Blast incredibly potent but Faerie is unsure of her powers and suffers more than the others as she is forbidden from going near holy ground or unholy sites.

All of the Lore Knights suffer a gradual loss of abilities when separated from the land and coastline of the United Kingdom. Several hours away will see them weakened, a day or so will see them powerless and reduced to their normal unpowered selves.

I assume you know what Wonderman does. He jumps around and punches stuff. He's Class 3 and Prof Wynde is 2-3 on a good day. The majority of the Lore Knights are class 2 and able to boost to 3 when needed. For comparison Steeplejack is low Class 3 and Haunt is mid Class 3. Frostbite is 3, Lionheart is Mid 4 and Kid Kinetic is 1-2. Miss Victory is Low to Mid Class 4 pretty much not far off Lionheart. No idea who would win between the two, probably Lionheart but a coin toss would decide it. Superman (post crisis) is mid Class 4 and Pre Crisis Superman is Class 5.

Phew! ANOTHER marathon post! Hopefully that's the background stuff done, this is another post that took 2 hours! (lots of statting up of bad guys)

Edit: Ditching the typos. I think I will be referring to this post a lot!

"Sensing Evil and Smelling out bad guys seems to be our best bet for now," Prof. Wynde decides. "Faerie, Snaga, Major Oak in that order, you have the front. Swashbuckler, with your vision, you have the rearguard. It sounds like you would be nearly impossible to surprise so you can handle any rear sneak attacks. The rest of us, spread out in the middle."

"With luck, our trackers will lead us right to where we need to go without having to explore this whole place. Now give me a moment and then we will begin moving."

Activate Magic Sense. Probably going to be overwhelmed with magic but it can't hurt to see if I can learn anything useful for us.

"By the All Seeing Eye. By the All Hearing Ear. Show me what is Here!"

ooc: yeah, yeah, he doesn't need to chant spells but he is going to do it anyways so as to surprise any bad guys so practice makes perfect.

Prof Wynde casts his spell and look about.

He doesn't detect magic immediately but when he looks down he senses it. Somewhere below the mansion are caves and they positively reek of the arcane! Somewhere upstairs he can sense dotted magic about the place. Artefacts like those in the pub? Probably.

If he were the owner of an old mansion protecting secrets that helped the safety of the whole country Wynde figured there'd be a secret passage or doorway that led into the caverns downstairs.

Faerie flitted about and waited till Wynde had done his thing then led on.

"Hold on" said Snaga. He sniffed the air.

OOC Analytical Smell 12 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,3,+0 Total:12 (24) vs
OV4 + Roll(2d12)+0: 1,7,+0 Total:8 (12)

+5 (to 17) vs RV4=13 RAPs. Yup.

"Hmmm. A brand of cigarettes not normally smoked in Britain has been used by someone in the recent past." said Snaga. "Give me a second."

OOC Analytical Smell 12 + Roll(2d12)+0: 12,4,+0 Total:16 (28) vs
Ov6 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,1,+0 Total:10 (16)

+5 (to 17) vs RV6=11 RAPs.

"I can follow the trail and lead us right to... huh." he said as he looked at the grand staircase leading up to the left and the right. A passage led to the left and right of the staircase deeper into the house.

"We have a problem." said Snaga, nervously brandishing his axe. "The trails diverge. I think... five possibly six if one of them didn't smoke. Only a few minutes have passed since they split up looking for the Earl no doubt. We may only have moments before they find him!"

Major Oak turned to Wynde. "We should split up. Surely that will give us a better chance of coming across the Earl and defending him!"

"No, we shouldn't," Prof. Wynde replies. "You haven't used your powers in combat yet. Some of you haven't even seen any kind of combat. There is a great deal of magic below us. That's what they must be looking for. So we have to find a secret passage down to it because I doubt that there is a normal door that leads down to that magic. Look for a large grandfather clock or hidden switch on a fireplace or something. Let's go deeper in the house and see if we can find it and them." He points to the right passage.

Wonderman turns to Prof Wynde. "Want me to check the other way? I'm thinking if there are any servants who need to be kept safe is all. A big house like this is bound to have 'em. You want to take the new guys and I'll whizz about looking for the household staff?"

"I need no one to nursemaid me!" roars Snaga. "MISCREANTS!" he bellows. "HAVE A CARE! You face SNAGA, and my Axe is the SENDER! It will send your souls to hell where they will scream in torment for..."

Swashbuckler sighs and leans against a wall. "Well I WAS going to suggest we sneak about and come up behind these bad guys but I suspect they know we're here."

Boudicea thumps Snaga on the wall. "Be quiet, fool! Do you want them to..."

OOC Av7 + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,3,+0 Total:11 (18) vs
Ov4 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,4,+0 Total:13 (17)

EV7 +1 (8) vs RV4=4 RAPs.

"Wait!" said Boudicea. "There's ... something... wrong..."

"I'll say!" shouted Swashbuckler and he held his hand out where his sword appeared, shining silver steel and sharp as a razor!

"HEIL HITLER!" screamed a metallic sounding voice at the very top of the stairs! "For the glory of the 3rd Reich!"



"Hail who?" asked Wonderman.

The robot levelled an arm and Major Oak shouted "LOOK OUT!" as it blasted!

OOC let's see who it aims at!

1) Wonderman
2) Prof Wynde
3) Major Oak
4) Faerie
5) Swashbuckler
6) Snaga
7) Boudicea

Roll(1d7)+0: 1,+0 Total:1 WONDERMAN is the target!

"Oh boy." mutters Wonderman as the Robot blasts a cannon from its arm!!!

OOC no surprise attack instead the Robot wins initiative and shoots at Fred C...

Dex 10 + 2D + Roll(4d12)+0: 10,9,6,10,+0 Total:20 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 12,12,+0 Total:44 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 4,4,+0 Total:52 DOUBLE (errrr...) plus Roll(2d12)+0: 7,11,+0 Total:70 (!!!!! Highest roll yet?) (80) vs
OV11 + 3D Acro + Roll(5d12)+0: 6,4,6,7,6,+0 Total:12 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 4,6,+0 Total:22 (33)

+10 EV (to 25) vs RV13=12 Damage. Wonderman actually has 1HP (you guys haven't been awarded any for this issue yet, so it should be a bumper crop when you get them) and uses that to absorb 1 damage. He still takes 11 damage putting him on 0 Body but is not dying.

Wonderman is blasted through the hall THROUGH the wall next to the door and tumbles end over end in a cloud of dust, wood and brickwork into the front garden some hundred yards away!

"NO!" screamed Faerie and she whizzes out after him!

"NO!" roars Snaga, and he hefts his axe ready to leap at the Nazi robot!

OOC Let's see who goes first...



There is a way to sort all this out with tables but by the time I've typed it out and fannied around with the formatting to make it look something like it's time to get up for work in the morning... I've done it in Excel and with a change of 1 value (a random number typed anywhere on the page) it recalculates Initiative instantly.

So:

Faerie flies out to Wonderman's body...
SNAGA bounds up the stairs, gives a roar and swings the axe at the Robot!
Prof Wynde (dex 7)
Boudicea (dex 6) will charge her spear and leap at the robot
Major Oak will fire projectiles from his hand
Swashbuckler will bound and leap, looking good all the while, and have at thee!
Nazi Robot has acted

SNAGA looked enraged and he bounded up the stairs in short order to take a swing at the Robot!

OOC Adrenaline Surge 14 + Roll(2d12)+0: 7,6,+0 Total:13 (27) vs
Claws 6 (Axe) + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,2,+0 Total:10 (16)

+5 (to 19) vs RV6=13 RAPs. Claws boosts to 19.

Snaga attacks the Robot with his mighty axe! Going for Crit Blow

Dex 9 + 4D Weaponry + Roll(6d12)+0: 1,7,8,2,6,11,+0 Total:19 (28) vs
Dex 10 + 2D Acrobatics + Crit Blow 4+ Roll(4d12)+0: 1,5,10,9,+0 Total:19 (33) ATTACK MISSED!

With a wild swing Snaga scythes the axe, smashing through plaster, brick, wood and half through a tapestry that had been in the Earl's family for generations. "RAAAAARRRRGGGHH!" screamed the half mad Barbarian!

Professor Wynde sees the hole through which his friend had been blasted and the distant cloud of dust rising from hundreds of feet away. Doubtless Wonderman would be lying amongst rubble and he could see no movement from the hero. Snaga had smashed through a priceless tapestry and missed, there was a chance this whole place might be demolished if the battle raged for long!!!

OOC Prof Wynde is up...

Total:70 (!!!!! Highest roll yet?) (80) vs

ooc: Holy Carp, Batman! I had visions of Wonderman being dead, me getting his ring and really boosting my power and becoming Wonder Wynde!!!! No! I mean, I was totally worried about him surviving after him getting home again. HONEST!!!


"I have no idea if this will work,"Prof. Wynde mutters. "Is he a robot or man in armor or a cyborg? Let's find out!"

"Crimson Bands of Stanleeus, strike my foe!"

action: Magic Blast.

Prof Wynde didn't mess about but even as he blasted at the target (OOC Who is about ten feet away up the stairs so no range modifiers for anyone. I should have applied 1 range modifier for the hit on Wonderman but it wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference...If that had been a Crit Blow he would have been well on his way to dying and a Dev Attack would have killed him instantly!!!)

Even as he shot he wondered if it would affect a robot...

OOC Magic Blast 10 + Roll(2d12)+0: 7,5,+0 Total:12 (22) vs
OV3 + Roll(2d12)+0: 10,9,+0 Total:19 (22) HIT just...

EV10 vs RV5=5 damage. The Nazi Agent inside the robot uses 1 of his 5HP to absorb 1 damage and remain conscious but is STUNNED so cannot attack next round.

Nazi Agent Spirit 1/5 HP 4

Making a most un robot like "ARRRRGGH!" sound the Nazi inside the suit staggered, and with a sweep of an arm to steady himself smashed through a priceless statue...

OOC
Boudicea (dex 6) will charge her spear and leap at the robot

Charging up her spear and her speed, Boudicea screams her rage whilst bounding up the stairs in one leap to attack the Armoured Nazi agent!
Adren Surge (On two stats, go for broke +4/-6) 13 + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,7,+0 Total:15 (28) vs
OV6 + 2 Multi + 4 GFB + Roll(2d12)+0: 12,1,+0 Total:13 (25) Success... just!

EV 13 vs RV6 + 2 Multi - 6GFB (2)= 11 RAPs. Superspeed boosts to 17 as does claws.

Moving like a blur the warrior woman slashes, cuts, ducks weaves and dives, jabbing and thrusting faster than the eye can follow! Literally, she's a blur!

Crit Blow Dex 17 + 3D Weaponry + Roll(5d12)+0: 7,12,4,5,9,+0 Total: 21 (38) vs
OV 10 + 2D Acro + Crit Blow 4 + Roll(4d12)+0: 1,4,2,9,+0 Total: 13 (27) HIT

+5 EV (to 22) vs RV10 - 6 CB (4)=18 Damage! The Nazi Agent/Robot is DOWN!

SMASH! CRASH BOOM! THWHACK!

SLASH! CUT! CRACKKK!!!!

The silver steel spear scythes through the armour like it is made of paper and it falls away in a shattered scythed up metal mess, all sparking wires and smashed circuits and valves. Breathing hard Boudicea levels the spear head at the snarling face now visible in the shattered helmet. "You! Talk! How many are there in here? Where are they? What do you want?"

"You heathen fool!" laughs the agent, and he bites down on something. "We have looked into your legends and your 'Lore Knights' shall fall before the advent of the 3rd Reich! We... *cough* we ... will... conquer..." he hacks, his voice rasping.

Major Oak has to shrink to ordinary human size to run up the stairs. Swashbuckler beats him by running up the handrail and somersaulting onto the messed up landing. The place is trashed and there are bits of robot suit all over. Swashbuckler dismisses his silver steel rapier and looks about. The black garbed man tuts "What a mess! You really did a number on him girl!" Boudicea turns and snarls at him. "Not that he didn't have it coming." adds Swashbuckler, hastily.

Prof Wynde runs up the stairs and hears something. Despite the chatter and and the sparking of wires and smashed up robot, there is ... something. A ticking sound...

"BOMB!," he yells. He quickly summons the winds to lift the body of the Ratzi and using the hole that Wonderman left behind, blows it outside and to the side so Wonderman and Faerie won't be affected.

"Ratzis do love their cyanide," he remarked, setting up a strong whirl of air in the room at the base of the stairs once the man is outside in order to deflect any dangerous debris from the explosion he is expecting.

The inexperienced Lore Knights seem to panic a little and run for cover somewhere, anywhere, rather than realising their powers might protect them!

Prof Wynde whips up a tornado that gathers the torso of the armoured suit and has it whirling about! Then he directs it down the stairs and out through the hole Wondermans head made, up and to the side, then up, up, up...



The explosion was significant but would have wrecked this part of the mansion rather than take out the whole thing and possibly an area beyond. Prof Wynde reacted just in time he figured. The nazis clearly didn't want the British getting their hands on the robot suit or the agent. That explosion will have been heard across the village and will bring people running though, not to mention alerting the other Axis agents in the manor house...

Major Oak jogged over to where Prof Wynde was.

"That was... crazy!" said the oak skinned man. The others were still in the lobby/staircase area of the great hall but he could see Wonderman lying with faerie now human sized and dressed in barely there wisps of cloth with leaves and twigs forming the rest of her costume.

She was concentrating and Prof Wynde heard her speaking in an accented, irish sounding voice, possibly in Gaelic. Her hands glowed and she hovered them wherever Wonderman showed injury...

OOC Adrenaline Surge 12 + Roll(2d12)+0: 1,8,+0 Total:9 (21) vs
Ov1 + Roll(2d12)+0: 12,1,+0 Total:13 (14)

+4 (to 16) vs RV1=15 RAPs. 16 APs Damage Transference.

Before Prof Wyndes eyes the bruises, abrasions and overall injuries of Wonderman faded to nothing! He groaned and woke, looking up. "Huh! Are you a sight for sore eyes! here was me thinking I was invulnerable but that was the HARDEST I've ever been whacked, and I can shrug off an exploding shell!" He turned to Faerie and grinned, and the young woman blushed, turning away and standing. Getting to his feet Wynde could see he was pretty much dressed in tatters but happy to go on! He reached down, pulled a sleeve off a shredded jacket and poked a couple of holes in it. Tying it on his head he grinned "How do I look?" Faerie burst out laughing and Wynde had to admit his friend looked like a hobo, albeit a mystery one!

"Let's get back in there!" said Carson and he started bounding across the lawn to the house again. There, Snaga, Boudicea and Swashbuckler waited with Major Oak.

"Good to see you back!" laughed the big man Snaga with a clap across the back. Wonderman grinned but then made a serious face. "The Nazi agents are well equipped, well trained and willing to die for the cause."

Faerie flitted up, tiny again and spoke up "There is also the issue of something out there." she pointed to the sea.

"Where did the ratzis get this stuff?" asked Swashbuckler. "I mean, I've never seen or heard of ANYTHING like this. I'm still amazed at that cannon and the fact you are still alive, yank!".

Boudicea turned to Wynde. "How do we proceed?"

Wynde looked around. They'd only stepped into the lobby of the Manor and it looked like it had been trashed!

"We keep going, head down to the big source of magic," Prof. Wynde replies. "Now you know why I do not want to split up. You have no idea what you are facing. Wonderman, you used to be the strongest and most invulnerable man in the World. Now? Maybe the top 100? And not at the high end of that count either. And in another five years? In the top 1000. So everyone, be careful and don't assume your new awesome powers will protect you. Dodging is your friend, when you can do it."

"Good job on healing him, Faerie. Good to know we have a healer with us too. Okay, form up same positions and lets' move out."

The group formed up and Prof Wynde heard Wonderman mumble "Top 100? Top 1000?" to himself.

Mind you, he had just been one shotted!

With a shrug he was back in position and back to his heroic self.

Wynde noticed how he watched Faerie as she flitted past and form up the point of their little army.

Faerie, Snaga and Major Oak led the way back into the mansion. Walking to the right of the stairwell they came into the house proper and where the servants would prepare meals as well as clean, wash and call the quarters home. A scullery, pantry, wardrobe, Butlery, Bread Pantry, Scullery and Servants Hall were joined by a Vegetable kitchen, bakery, Butlers and Housekeepers quarters. Joined to the Kitchen was a courtyard, visible through windows.

On the outside of the building/Kitchen Two suited men held machine guns on a group of people, mostly women though what men there were there were older. The staff had been rounded up and held here, and those two with the guns looked handy enough to use them. Thankfully they were not dressed in robotic armour!

Snaga ducked to the side whilst the others were hushed and waved back from entering the kitchen lest someone see them through the window. Major Oak was normal human sized and Faerie was hard to see anyway whilst she stood peering over the inner window ledge.

OOC I've had to dig around for a map and it's not perfect for our needs but it will do. X marks the spot where the bad guys are holding the hostages. Don't mess about with these guys... they are Nazi agents and more besides! This could go very messy very very fast indeed with a machine gun blazing away at helpless civilians!